Arulmigu Sri Raja Kaliamman Temple, Johor Baru, Malaysia - The only Hindu Glass Temple abroad

The main temple is dedicated to Kaali, the Divine Mother, here worshipped as Sri Raja Kaliamman Maha Kaali, Thillai Kaali, the Saviour of the universe. The floor of this temple also is paved with granite. The basalt image of the mother, dressed in gorgeous gold brocade, stands on a white marble image of the prostrate body of her Divine Consort, Siva, the symbol of Absolute. On the feet of the goddess are, among other ornaments, anklets of gold. Her arms are decked with jewelled ornaments of gold.

She wears necklaces of gold and pearls, a golden crown, golden earrings, and a golden nose ring with pearl drop. She has eight arms. The lower left hand holds a severed human head and the upper grips a blood stained sabre. One right hand offers boons to her children, the other allays their fear. The majesty of her posture can hardly be described. It combines the terror of destruction with the reassurance of motherly tenderness.

For she is the cosmic power, the totality of the universe, her glorious harmony of the pairs of opposite. She deals out death as she creates the preserves. She has three eyes, the third being the symbol of divine wisdom: they strike dismay into the wicked, yet pour out affection for her devotees.

From of the beginning to the Building of the 1996 temple with three tiered Raja Gopuram. Arulmigu Sri Raja Kaliamman Temple is one of the oldest temple in Malaysia, It has been in existence since 1922 on a piece of land bequeathed to the Indians by the generosity of then Sultan of Johor His Majesty Sultan Sir Ibrahim Iskandar Al Masyur Ibni Al Marhum Sultan Sir Abu Bakar known as one of the richest men in the world during his reign (1895-1959) of 64 years. The longest in recent Malaysian history.

The temple building built in 1922 was demolished in 1989 to make way for a new temple during the Chairmanship of Mr. Sivasamy (Chairman 1970-1996). Unfortunately the expected co-operation from the public did not materialize and many of the management committee left leaving Mr Sivasamy to carry on. Prayers continued to be conducted in the temporary shed that had been erected.

Then came a young graduate teacher Sinnathamby being his name, into history of the temple (and he would go into the world history of Temple building 18 years later). He was only 21 when the old temple building was demolished in 1989. Then itself he was dreaming of a grand temple that should be built for Sri Raja Kaliamman, although it was the temple committee’s could not build the temple, being Mr Sivasamy’s son, he took upon himself, with the blessings of the Divine Mother, the building of the temple as a worthy abode for the Divine Mother which would become one of the well known Hindu temples in the world.

The temple had its Kumbabishegam on the 25th of August 1996. Thousands of devotees gathered to witness the ceremony and view the beautiful new temple, All the credit goes to then 29 years old Mr Sinnathamby who took all the effort and made it possible against the odds to have built a temple with three tiered Raja Gopuram. He had even delayed his marriage to his fiancé for seven years vowing that he will only get married after the temple in consecrated.

Mr Sinnathamby has been conducting poojai in the temple since 1991 in Tamil, often chanting and singing in praise of mother Kaliamman. From the same year he stopped blood offerings. In the year 2000 he introduced the red dress code for members of the Kaali family (temple members). This was to instil discipline and self discipline and self esteem. Others devotees to the temple too wear red when involved in religious rituals during festivals.

He did not stop at temple building. Realizing that many of our youths are involved in social ills ThiruGuru started his mission to fight the evil influences among our youth and to provide social services. He established and organization NYANA YUTHAM FOUNDATION in 2001 with the aim of instilling moral and spiritual values and helping in the education of our youth.

A MASTERPIECE

The glasswork of the temple is made up of 500,000 glass pieces. One might take it as buying that many pieces and pasting it on he walls. No! It is not as simple as that. 500,000 glass pieces were imported from Thailand, Japan Belgium in 6 colours, namely blue, red, yellow, green, purple and silver, were bought cut different shapes and used.

The design for this mammoth task was done by ThiruGuru. The work was done under his supervision by nine Myanmar artisans.

Ninety five percent of the interior walls of the temple is covered by glasswork. The same goes for the Raja Gopuram and Moolasthanam Gopuram in the existerior.

300,000 rudraksha beads cover the interior walls of Siva Sannithi. Motive and symbols swastika, lingam and namam and other intricate designs adorn the walls gopurams.

The cost of renovations was RM3 million (about one million US Dollars). An amount of RM 400,000 was from the State Government and the rest from the public. The three million figure includes the building of a three storey multipurpose hall named hall named Sri Bhagawan Sitthar Peedam.

The temple was completed and consecration ceremony was held on 25th October 2009 and a crowd of 30,000 people witnessed it. Since the hundreds of people have been visiting it every week.

Sri Sivan Temple, Geylang, Singapore

It has been recorded that the Sri Sivan Temple was rebuilt as a solid structure in the early 1850's at the Orchard Road site under which the Dhoby Ghaut MRT station is located. The Sivalinga was known to be worshiped at this site well before 1850. The Sivalinga had moved three times within Singapore once from Potong Pasir to a spot in the lower end of Dhoby Ghaut, then to a site near where MacDonald House Stands today, and then on to the Orchard Road site where it used to be until 1983.

In 1898, a further phase of the recorded development of the Sri Sivan Temple began. The reconstruction work took several years to complete. One Mr V Nagappa Chetty and his wife were responsible for this, largely with their own funds and from donations collected from local Hindus.

An order placing Sri Sivan Temple under the Mohammedan and Hindu Endowments Board (set up in 1907) was gazetted on October 18, 1915. In 1968, the Hindu Endowments Board (HEB) was formed to manage four temples including the Sri Sivan Temple.

During the Second World War, some of the statues of secondary deities and a part of the temple structure were damaged by shells that landed around it. Towards the end of the war, renovations were made to the temple and a consecration ceremony was held in July 1943. In 1954, the Municipal Commissioners wanted the temple to be setback 14 feet from the road to widen Orchard Road. After long drawn discussions, a compromise was reached between the Board and the City Council. In consideration of the temple giving up 490 sq. feet of the front land, the temple was given $50,000 and allowed to be rebuilt at the same site. Plans to rebuild the temple were drawn up in 1957. Local contractors completed the construction works in April 1962 and skilled crafts men from India carried out the sculptural and ornamental works. The consecration ceremony was held on December 9, 1964.

In 1983, the Government decided to acquire the land on which the temple stood. An MRT station was to be built underground. Therefore, a transit temple was built next to the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple at Serangoon Road while a more suitable and permanent site was being identified. All the god-forms from the Orchard Road Temple were installed in the new site at Serangoon Road which allowed for all daily prayers and festivals celebrated to be continued. The Hindu Endowments Board had intended to make the new temple unique in appearance, features and facilities. The Board and the management committee of the temple consulted well-known temple architects in India. The Board sent a team to study the best of both the North and South Indian Temples. What followed was a unique design with an octagonal structure with a multi-purpose hall and staff quarters. The new temple was built at a cost of $6 million on a 3,000 sq. meter plot at Geylang East. The new site is about four-and-a-half times bigger than the temple's former site at Orchard Road. After ten years of temporary residence at Serangoon Road, the Sri Sivan Temple was consecrated at its present Geylang East site on May 30 1993.

Major festivals celebrated at Sri Sivan Temple are Maha Sivarathiri, Vasantha Navarathiri, Guru Peryarchi, Navarathiri and Skantha Shasti.

Sri Mariamman Temple, Kling Street, Singapore.

Sri Mariamman Temple is the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore. Built in 1827, Mariamman Kovil or Kling Street Temple as it was popularly known then was constructed for worship by immigrants from the Nagapatnam and Cuddalore districts of South India. The temple is dedicated to Goddess Mariamman, known for her power in curing epidemic illnesses and diseases. Located in the heart of Chinatown, the temple’s ornamental tower entrance or gopuram, has been a landmark to generations of Hindu worshippers and Singaporeans alike.

The building of Sri Mariamman Temple was the inspiration of Mr Naraina Pillai, a clerk with the British East India Company in Penang. Mr Pillai is known to have accompanied Sir Stamford Raffles (Founder of Singapore) on his second visit to the island in 1819. Mr Pillai who set up the first brick kiln in Singapore, rapidly established himself in business and was identified as a leader of the Indian community.

The East India Company's original allotment of land for a Hindu Temple was along Telok Ayer Street. However, as it had no convenient source of fresh water needed for rituals, Colonel William Farquhar (appointed the first British Resident and Commandant of Singapore, from 1819-1823), allowed Mr Pillai to occupy an alternative plot near what is today's Stamford Canal in 1821. Due to changes in colonial town planning, the Stamford Canal site was not made available. The South Bridge site where the temple currently stands (in the Chinatown area) was finally granted to Mr Pillai in 1823.

By 1827 a temple structure made of wood and attap was built at South Bridge Road. "Sinna Amman" a small deity of Mother Goddess was installed by Mr Naraina Pillai in 1827 when the temple was first built. It is an interesting fact that this deity still has its divinity in the main sanctum of the present day temple.In 1843, a building made of plaster and brick was put up for the first time. It was only in 1962, one hundred and nineteen years later that a new temple structure was developed complete with intricate sculptural works reminiscent of temple architecture in India. The original gopuram (grand tower entrance) was constructed in the late 1800's but did not contain much ornamental works. It was rebuilt in the 1930s and repaired and restored with elaborate proliferation of sculptures in the 1960s.
In the last hundred years the original temple structure underwent several redevelopment and redecoration phases.

Improvements include the addition of a new viewing gallery and the construction of a three storey complex complete with elaborate facade, spacious interior and technologically superior facilities. Housed in the complex is a state of the art auditorium ideal for weddings, multimedia presentations, corporate meetings, seminars, and cultural events.

The temple’s historical records do not show of any kumbabishegam (consecration) ceremony having been conducted prior to the first one which was held in June 1936. The second kumbabishegam was held 12 years later on in June 1949. Following this, kumbabishegams were held on 6th June 1971, 6th September 1984 & 19 May 1996.

Sri Mariamman temple served as a refuge for new immigrants during colonial times until they found work or a place of their own to stay. The temple served as an important focal point for community activities and acted as the Registry of Marriages for Hindus at the time when only the temple's priest was authorized to solemnize Hindu marriages. These days, in addition to upholding Hindu traditions and promoting religious events, the temple promotes social, cultural and educational activities.The main festival celebrated at Sri Mariaman temple is Theemithi (Fire walking ceremony) held annually in October/ November, which draws thousands of devotees and tourists. Other important festivals are Navarathiri (Nine night festival) and 1008 Sankabishegam (Conch shell anointment)

Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple, Singapore.

The history of Sri Srinivasa Perumal temple dates back to the late 1800s when influential community leaders like Mr Arunachala Pillay, Mr Cootaperumal Pillay, Mr Ramasamy Pillay, Mr Appasamy Pillay, Mr Chockalingam Pillay and Mr Ramasamy Jamidar, all of whom had close working links with the East India Company, wanted to build a Hindu temple for Vaishnavite worship.


These men got together and purchased a piece of land measuring 2 acres 2 woods and 24 poles from the East India Company in 1851 for 26 rupees and 8 annas (at that period of time Indian currency was still used in the Settlement of Singapore). The temple they built in 1885 was referred to as the Narasinga Perumal Kovil.

Following the construction of the original temple structure, 2 adjoining parcels of land were later obtained for the temple’s needs. In 1894, devotees Mr Moona Sithumbaram Pillay and Mr Vinasithamby Murugesu purchased a 25,792 square feet piece of land which they donated to the temple. The second piece of adjoining land measuring 3,422 square feet was obtained by the Mohammedan Hindu Endowments Board, MHEB (under whose administration the temple was from 1907) from the East India Company on 15th August 1912 on a 999 year lease at an annual fee of 1 Straits Settlement dollar.

he original temple structure remained unchanged until the early 1950s by which time it was in dire need of a facelift and upgrading works. In 1952, the MHEB decided to rebuild and reinstate the Temple. Redevelopment was only carried out in the early 1960s when well known Indian community leader and philanthropist Mr P. Govindasamy Pillay financed much of the works. Mr Pillay is credited with building the first two storey marriage hall within the temple. It was officially opened by Enche Yusoff Bin Ishak, the first president of Singapore on 19th June 1965.

The present building minus the Pillaiyar sanctum, rajagopuram (grand tower entrance) and the covered walkway were completed in 1966. At this juncture, many elders advised that the main deity of the temple be changed from the imposing Sri Narasimha to the gracious Sri Srinivasa Perumal. The temple was thus renamed Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple.

Although financial constraints had prevented the addition of a rajagopuram to the façade of the temple in the early days, in 1979, a rajagopuram was erected. All costs for the entire construction and renovation works in the 1970s redevelopment phase were generously borne by Mr P Govindasamy Pillay.

In 1978, Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple was declared a National Monument by the Preservation of Monuments Board.

The temple underwent major facelifts in 1987, 1992 and 2005. During the different phases of redevelopment, improvements were made to the façade and facilities to meet imperative devotee needs. Visitors to the temple today can witness the painstaking efforts undertaken by the temple’s successive management committees to ensure that its conservation status was maintained. From well laid out sanctums, rich sculptural embellishments to an ornate mandapam (pillared pavillion) built for the worship of processional deities, these and many more new features make the temple an embodiment of Hinduism. Visitors and devotees to this temple are able to experience Hindu spiritual worship as well as witness Hindu customs and practices at its best here. Social and educational needs of devotees are also addressed through the temple.

Some of the major festivals celebrated here are Thaipusam, Navarathiri, Vaikunda Ekathesi and Purattasi Sani.

In this millennium, Sri Srinivsa Perumal Temple remains a divine gateway for all its devotees seeking the Lord Perumal’s blessing.

Sri Prasanna Venkateswara Swami Temple, Memphis, Tennessee, US

Anyone could witness the religious enthusiasm, the vigour and fervour with which the consecratory ceremonies took place from 14th of June to 20th of June 2005 at Memphis, Tennessee in USA. In the village of Eads sixteen years ago, a few acres of land were bought by Dr. Duggirala Prasad and his wife Dr. Vijaya and other committee members including Dr. Raghavalu, Dr. Ramanathan and other interested people. It was tough going for all of them to visualize a temple of this stature what we see today. There were obstructions, difficulties, and hurdles of all sorts to over come to realize a Hindu zeal. Because of difficult economic situation, the members were pushed to go on a determined fundraising drive. Dr. Vijaya’s commitment was great. The efforts were not futile and what we can see today is something unbelieveable.

It was a question of “Hindu Identity” for Dr. Duggirala and others and giving spiritual depth to the followers of the community. The “India Cultural Center and Hindu Temple was registered many years ago. At the leadership of Dr. Duggirala, works began from 1996 onwards. Land was cleared and facilities were erected.

Reflecting upon the need for all communities to come, the central diety for the temple would be “Lord Prasanna Venkateswara” with other “Parivara Devathas” being established. On the right of Venkateswara, Goddess Lakshmi, Goddess Andala on the left, Rama Parivaram in the nearby left shrine, Radhakrishna on the right, Lord Muruga Subramanya, Lord Shiva, Nataraja, Godess Parvati, Garuda, Anjaneya in the front entrance were established. Lord Ganesh is prominently to the far right of Lord Venkateswara.

The perspective must be turned now to consecratory ceremonies to be done on this occasion. Learned priests and scholars came from various Hindu temples across the United States. The Hindu temple of New York sent their Chief Priest, The Temples at Malibu, Los Angeles (California), Chicago (Illinois) and the Datta temple at Baton Rouge (Louisiana) sent their Priests to the occasion. There was ample religious freedom and will to perform all the homas, adhivasas, for all the deities, and elaborate religious arrangements in the adjacent hall which is also newly constructed. It was a clear demonstration of will of all devotees, volunteers, workers, staff and more than all, the GRACE of HIS HOLINESS SRI SRI GANAPATI SACHCHIDANANDA SWAMIJI OF AVADHOOTA DATTA PEETHAM, MYSORE, INDIA. Sri Swamiji had come to Memphis in 2001 to see the place and gave many directions for the construction of the temple. The committee heeded to the instructions of Sri Swamiji. Swamiji stood firmly behind Dr. Duggirala and Vijaya. The committee mobilized enough funding and the project took off.

Attention was paid to the meticulousness in “Temple Architecture” and subtleties of caricature and carving the temple properly. The well known Indian Temple Architect and “Stapati” MUTTAIAH STAPATI” directed the temple works and proper Prakaras were done. By pointing out the sensitivities that are attached to temple works, all actions were seriously taken up according to suggestions of Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Swamiji. All this has now produced a wonderful, appealing temple structure consecrated by Sri GANAPATI SACHCHIDANANDA SWAMIJI HIMSELF. Sri Swamiji arrived in Memphis from Canada on the 14th and got into the detailed survey and held several meetings on the premises. Defending the need for a temple of this dimension, Sri Swamiji said _ “ It is Historical and most needed at this time of History”. We have to keep spiritualizing our existence on this planet. We have see and experience the Truth that sustains our faith. “There is unprecedented leap in faith in God and seekers are more and more in this part of the world. This temple complex will fulfill this task”- he said. “Devotion, faith and sustained spiritual activities will make this temple further beautiful and alive”- he said. The humid highland of Eads has become sacred and important today. The committee of the temple has worked very hard and dedicated themselves to this project. This “Kumbhabhishekam of Lord Prasanna Venkateswara” is a “crowning ceremony” and it is a wonderful sight. The ultimate handiwork of Lord Almighty who rules this universe, we are small atoms. It is our duty to create natural spiritual environment and do selfless service to Him. We hereby fulfill the creative urge of Memphis devotees.” Dr. Duggirala praised the high vision of Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Swamiji and his divine life and mission in life. “From the plateau of Mysore in South India to the West Coast and from North to South he is moving and traveling to bring Dharmic values to people and we need to follow his footprints. Younger generations have to take heed of his advice and work towards Dharmic values.”

ICCT AND HINDU TEMPLE stands for UNITY in spiritual perspectives. “ Unity” is the slogan of this consecration amongst Hindus and various communities. Sri Swamiji said the “Hindu temple of Memphis has a critical role to play in the lives of people around this place and USA in general.” “Comforting suggestions and divine guidance will come from the heart of this Prasanna Venkata temple”said Sri Swamiji. ‘Your faith and firm conviction’ will grow and this will be passed on to the younger generation. Economic growth and spiritual growth should go on parallelly. You should not suffer from intellectual poverty” said Sri Swamiji.

Quad City Hindu Temple , Rock Island, IL, US.

The Quad City Hindu Temple (QCHT) in Rock Island, IL. The QC Hindu Temple began as an idea in the basement of the house of Dr. Lokanatham Gumidyala, where several Hindu community leaders met on December 2, 2001. A few days later on January 12th, 2002, the first official meeting of the yet-to-be-born Quad City Hindu Temple, several leaders again expressed the need to have a Hindu temple in the Quad Cities.
From those historic meetings, the QCHT evolved into an eight thousand square-foot modern facility with space for prayers and community events. The transformation is marked with several milestones, successes, disappointments, and above all, sheer perseverance. The QC Hindu Temple is a testimony to the strength of willpower of all Hindus and people of other faiths, who contributed generously in countless ways. The 7294 square-foot temple houses multiple deities including Balaji, Radha Krishna, Sita Rama, Narasimha, Siva, Parvathi, Vinayaka and Murugan.

Address:
9801 14th St W
Rock Island, IL 61201
(Near Ridgewood Elementary School)

Phone: 309-787-HIND (4463)
EMail: info@qchindutemple.com

Sri Murugan Temple, London, UK

The Temple will have three main inner temples for Sri Ganapathi, Sri Murugan and and Lord Shiva. There will be a Rajagopuram (Tower) with height of 50 feet. The inner temple and part of the Rajagopuram will be constructed in Granite. Work has been carried out in India and shipped to England; the final shipment is expected in January 2003. The Finest craftsmen from India will complete carving and engravings on Granite, stone and brickwork. The infrastructure for the temple will be developed to the high standards , conforming with local building regulations and health and safety standards.


Address:
78 Church Road, Manor Park, London E12 6AF
Ph: 020 8478 8433
Fax: 020 8478 0407
Email: admin@londonsrimurugan.org

Shiva - Vishnu Temple of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.

The inception of the Society

On Saraswarthi Pooja day in 1982, organised by the Ceylon Tamil association at Hedgely Dean Court in Glen Iris the Hindu Society of Victoria was officially launched. The newly elected MC immediately swung into action and organised monthly prayer meetings at the Prahran Migrant Resource Center on the last Saturday of each month. The first prayer meeting was held on the last Saturday in November 1982 at 6.00 PM. On 21 June, 1984 the Hindu Society became an incorporated body after duly adopting a constitution. The principal objective of the constitution was the building of a traditional Hindu Temple in Victoria.


Purchase of Land

In March 1984 it was decided to purchase a piece of land in the Whittlesea or Springvale areas. A block of land at Whittlesea and another at Carrum Downs were identified according to agama shastras as they specify that Shiva temples are aqusition of land built on virgin lands. The society bought the land of 14.35 acres at Carruin Downs for $72,300. The MC members among themselves raised about $11,000. Pledges for interest free loans were obtained from other members of the Society. A ten-year loan of $45,000 was secured from the State Bank of Victoria. The balance of the required money was raised through additional interest free loans. Thanks to the generosity of the members and well wishers, the loan was repaid within 18 months.


Birth of” Panchavati”

The first issue of the ‘Panchavati,’ the official newsletter of the Hindu Society, aimed primarily to provide information about the temple building project and forthcoming religious events, was released in August 1985. It would appear that the first issue came out as ‘Panchamurti’ and subsequently the name was changed to ‘Panchavati’.


Site Developments

Through a process of discussion ultimately it was decided to have Sri Shiva and Vishnu both as presiding deities adjacent to each other and with two ‘moolasthanams’. The first pooja at the temple - the groundbreaking ceremony was performed in early 1986. A ‘Bhoomi Pooja’ ceremony was performed to invoke tho blessings of the Gods. From then onwards events like Thai Pongal, Hindu New Year, Diwali etc began to be celebrated at the temple site.

The design work, which started in 1987, provided for two main shrines - those of Sri Shiva and Sri Vishnu with two separate entrances or Rajagopurams. The other separate shrines were those associated with these deities. These were - Sn Ambal, Sri Ganapathy, Sri Chandikeswar and Sri Subramaniam with Sri Shiva. The Shrines of Sri Mahalakshmi, Sri Andal, Sri Ram, Sri Lakshman and Sri Sita, Sri Gopalkrishna and Sri Hanuman were those associated with Sri Vishnu. In addition, the shrine of Navagrahas, Kodisthambam, Nanthi, Palipeidam and Garudan were included. Another shrine was provided for to keep the Utsawa Moorthies. An application for a planning permit was submitted to the Springvale Council in 1987 and the permit was issued on 5 January 1988. The building permit was issued in 1989. This work along with the access road was the preliminary part of the project and costed $20,000.

The foundation stones (‘Pancha-shila’) were cut in India and blessed by the chief priests of the famous temples in India and used for the ‘foundation stone laying’ ceremony on 5th June 1988. Before the building operations commenced, in Keeping with traditional beliefs, an idol of ‘Bhairavar’ and ‘Pillaiyar’ and a few other deities were installed at the temple grounds.


Temparary Building

A decision was taken early in 1990 to construct a temporary building at the temple grounds. The first pooja at this ‘temporary sanctuary’ was held on 6 May, 1990. For some time the prayer meetings at Prahran continued alongside the activities at the ‘temporary sanctuary’. The last prayer meeting at Prahran took place on May 30, 1992. Poojas were performed at the temporary temple an Fridays and Sundays. Collections from poojas surprised even the cynics.
The building permit was issued on 25 January 1990. The project was divided into five stages, the last of which, under the first phase was the construction of the Rajagopurams. Cost estimates for the first phase was about $1.25m. In October, 1990, after procuring connection of all necessary services to the site, the first stage of the project viz., excavation work commenced. This was followed by the reinforced concrete work to the foundations, slabs, columns etc. There was a lull in the building activity while the Society was busy organizing the finance necessary to continue with the project. The Society clinched a deal with the then State Bank of Victoria for a loan of A$150,000 (originally $100,000 and subsequently increased to $150,000) and an overdraft facility of A$60,000. In April 1992 building activity re-commenced with the erection of roof steel frames, external block wells, windows, electrical and plumbing conduits etc. On 20 November, 1992, the Sthapathi and his team of eight artisans arrived from India and commenced work on the Shrines. Sri Shiva Shrine was the first to be built followed by the Shrine of Sri Vishnu. Concrete pillars changed into Shrines while sculptured vimanams, rising above aluminum members, could be seen by passing motorists on the Frankston-Dandenong road. A batch of six additional artisans arrived from India in January 1994 to accelerate the pace of construction in order to meet the Maha Kumbhabhishakam deadline of May 1994. By about the beginning of May a beautiful temple stood high above the tall trees on virgin soil not far from the famous Patterson Lakes of Carrurn Downs.
Between 1992-1996, the peak construction period, in excess of a million dollars was raised. During this peiod, Society successfully fmalized an interest free loan of hid Rs 1,000,000 from the Thirumals Thirupathy Devasthanam (TTD).

Mahakumbabhishekam

The d-day, the date for the Mahakumbabhishekam, was fixed for May 22, 1994. A Task Force with a number of working groups was set up to organize the various facets of the ceremony. It was necessary to ensure that all items including the idols, doors etc were delivered on schedule. Two containers were loaded in time and arrived in Melbourne on schedule. More than ten priests from India including those from Kanchipuram and Sri Lanka were arranged to perform the rigorous rituals and procedures associated with the ceremony, along with priests from the other temples in Australia. A group of three Nadeswaram players from India was also brought specially for the ceremony. Representatives also came from Thirupathi in India and other states in Australia. Beginning from 12 May, for the next ten days ‘Yagams’ were conducted in the temporary ‘Yaga Salais’ erected for this purpose which was attended by hundreds of devotees.

May 22, 1994 is a red-letter day in the lives of the Hindu community in Victoria. On this day all roads led to Lot No 57, Boundary Road in Carrum Downs. The morning saw the heavens open up a great deal of anxiety to the organizers. The question that agitated everyone’s mind was, once in a life time event going to be marred by foul weather?’ Even before this, for the first nine days of the ceremony, driving rain and very strong winds almost uprooted the tents. Fortunately, a group of strong and determined volunteers managed to almost hold on to them day and night for the duration of the ceremony to ensure that they did not fall down. The auspicious was 10.08 AM. At about 7.00 in the morning, to the relief of thousands of devotees, the torrential downpour stopped all of a sudden as if at someone’s command, prompting the true believers to talk of the miraculous powers of deities. More than 5000 devotees participated in a heath-taking ceremony conducted by Hindu priests from India, Sri Lanka and Australia, chanting mantras to the accompaniment of deafening nathaswara music, all of which was drowned by the ‘Om Shiva, Hari Om’ chanting of a sea of humans. The hail and the corridors of the temple were overflowing with devotees who kept surging in order to get a glimpse of this exciting ceremony, for many their first. The most important moment was the pouring of holy water from the Kumbams on the two Vimanams of Sri Shiva and Sri Vishnu Shrines using two cherry pickers, a helicopter showering flowers from the sky. Many wept at this experience and the devotees stretched their hands to get a drop of the holy water. Some devotees mentioned later that their wishes were fulfilled after they took this holy water as Prasad. At the conclusion of the morning ceremony for the deities, a Maheswara pooja was performed enabling the devotees to partake in the lunch organized for the occasion. In the evening devotees were treated to a rare music concert provided by local and Indian artists. Crews from SBS TV and Radio also attended the ceremony and covered it in their news bulletins. May 22, 1994 was a day in the life of Hindus in Victoria that saw the dream of Hindus in Victoria come true.

Rajagopuram Kumbhabhishekam

Three years to the month, another milestone was reached with the Kumbhabhishekam of the Raja Gopurams on 25th May 1997. This was in many ways a repeat of the ceremonies which were performed at the time of the Maha Kumbhabhishekam, but on a smaller scale. Many devotees who missed out the ceremony of 1994 were able to appreciate the importance of the rituals and the amount of work involved in organizing a ceremony such as this. During these three years, the Shri Shiva Vishnu Temple had come to take center stage in the life of the Hindu community in Victoria. The temple itself functions in complying with agama sastras and adhered to Hindu traditions. Days of major religious significance were observed. Annual Brahmotsavams for the two principal deties are conducted. Resident priests are now available for devotees to perform archanas, abhishekams etc. Hindus in Victoria now had not only a temple, as good as any in their land of birth as a place of worship, but also a temple which enables the spirit and practice of Hinduism to be kept alive in the hearts and minds of this generation and the generations to come. The Society had invested in excess of $1.5 million up to this stage.

Shiva Vishnu Temple of South Florida Inc, FL, US.

Shiva Vishnu temple of South Florida is a non-profit religious organization registered in 1993 in the state of Florida. The goal of the organization is to have a traditional Hindu temple based on Vaasthu and Agama Shaastras and to impart religious, educational and cultural values of Hindu Dharma to our community and future generations.



Address :
5661 Dykes Road
Southwest Ranches
FL-33331

Ph : (954) 689-0471

Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple, Pittsburgh, US.

Sri Venkateswara Temple (S.V.Temple) is located in Penn Hills, an eastern suburb of Pittsburgh, PA, USA. It is one of the earliest traditional Hindu Temples built in the United States.

History:
Sri Venkateswara Temple organization was established on Aug 7, 1975. Assistance from Tirumal Tirupathi Devasthanam (TTD) for construction of the temple was requested on Sept 11, 1975 and granted on the same day. On June 30, 1976 ground breaking was performed and was followed by pratisthapana on Nov 17, 1976. Daily worship is being performed continuously ever since.

Address:
P.O. Box 17280
1230 SV Temple Drive, Penn Hills, PA 15235, USA
+1 412-373-3380

Sri Lakshmi Temple - Ashland, MA, US.

The vision of a Hindu Temple in New England appeared in the minds of a few people in 1978. Driven by this divine inspiration, an ad hoc committee was established in March 1978 when every member seeded $ 101 to assiduously pursue the goal of building the temple. A formal constitution was drafted and an application for incorporation was duly filed with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The early days of the organization were devoted to establishing its by-laws and on discussions on the scope and nature of the project of building the temple. Foremost in the minds of everyone was the desire that the temple should be a place of worship for all the Hindus living in and visiting this area. At a meeting on August 12, 1978, the committee decided to dedicate this temple to Goddess Sri Lakshmi as the presiding deity, since most of us have come to this country in search of the prosperity and happiness bestowed by the grace of Mahalakshmi.

The inaugural function of New England Hindu Temple, Inc. was conducted with Mahalakshmi Pooja and Diwali celebrations on October 28, 1978 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Melrose, Massachusetts. Exuberance and excitement filled the hearts and minds of everyone in the large congregation as they witnessed and experienced an authentic pooja service to Sri Lakshmi and it filled their spiritual need. This was easily seen as pledges and donations started coming in even before securing the non-profit status. Non-profit status from the Internal Revenue Service was secured on November 28, 1978 for tax-deductible contributions. The place of congregation was soon changed to Needham Village Club which was more centrally located.

In the summer of 1981, about twelve acres of land in the town of Ashland, Massachusetts were acquired for constructing the temple. services of Sri Ganapathy Sthapathy from the Institute of Architecture and Sculpture in Tamil Nadu were sought to design the temple according to the Agama Sastras. He visited in November 1982 and provided detailed plans for the temple. In early 1983, M/S MacNevin and Kerivan Engineering, Inc. of Wellesley was engaged to prepare the engineering design and drawings which were submitted to the Town of Ashland for approval. The land was cleared in the fall of 1983 and in the following spring the excavation work was carried out by Guigli & Sons. The contract for the foundation and structural work for the building was awarded to Kaikunte Engineering Corporation in Sharon in the summer of 1984. The ground breaking ceremony was observed on June 19, 1984 with a grand celebration of Ganesh Pooja.

In the fall of 1984 the temple applied to Thirumaial-Thirupathi Devasthanam in India for a loan to help hasten the construction of the temple. The application was duly approved and the first installment of Rs. 5 Lakhs was received in July 1985. The loan has now been repaid. When the initial contract with Kalkunte Engineering Corporation for the foundation and infra structure was completed, the first Ganapathy Homam in the temple was performed in September 1985. The contract to complete the building with all the utilities needed for occupancy was awarded to Parekh Construction Co. in Woburn, Massachusetts. The first floor had the mahdmandapam (60'x5O') with an Alankaramandapam for Lord Nataraja and His consort Sivakami.

A paved driveway to the temple from Waverly Street with parking spaces for 100 cars was also provided. The receipt of the occupancy permit for the temple in September 1986 was an important milestone on the road to the completion of the mammoth project. This was celebrated with a grand opening Ceremony on September 6, 1986. Sri Janakiram Sastrigal of Rajarajeswari Peetam in Stroudsburg, PA graciously performed the inaugural pooja along with our local part-time priests.

The temple has remained open during the week-ends ever since with all the major Hindu feswals being celebrated in a traditional manner. Cultural activities such as classical music and dance concerts, Thyagaraja Aradhana, Dikshitar Day, Surdas & Meera Bhajans and discourses have further transformed the temple into the focal point of the Hindu community.

Extending from the mahamandapam by another thirty feet, sanctums for the principal deities Ganesh, mahalakshmi and Venkateswara were constructed beginning in September 1987 with the contract assigned to Parekh Construction Co. As the time approached for Hindu architectural ornamentation of the sanctums with vimana gopuram (sikhara), the service of Sri Muthiah Sthapathy of Tamil Nadu was contracted in 1988. In the same year, Sri Shadrinarayana Bhattar was appointed as the first full-time priest of the Srilakshmi temple to provide regular services within the temple as well as services such as weddings, Grahapravesams, Namakaranam etc. as required by the Hindu community at their residences. When he returned to India, Sri Krishna Bhattar was appointed to fill in the vacancy.

The spring of 1989 saw the arrival of ten artisans (silpis) from India skilled in the architectural work of the temple. With their arrival, the exquisite magnificence of the sancta with their vimana gopurams began to take shape. Their patient and devoted work under adverse weather conditions has brought us to the celebration of Rajagopuram Kumbhabhishekam. Plans for the Kumbhabhishekam were initiated in the fall of 1989. Sri Sampathkumar Bhattacharlar of Bangalore and Sri Sambamoorthy Sivachariar of Madras were chosen as chief priests to perform the Kumbhabhishekam with a host of other priests assisting them in this consecration ceremony.

The granite idols of Ganesh with Mooshikam and Balipeetam, Mahalakshmi, Venkateswara, Garuda and Dwarapalakas along with the bronze Utsavamurthis of Ganesh, Mahalakshmi, Venkateswara, Sridevi, Bhudevi and Sivakami were designed by Sri Ganapathy Sthapathy of the Institute of Architecture and Sculpture, Tamil Nadu and fabricated by the artisans at the institute. The bronze Utsavamurthis of Nataraja, Subrahmanya, Valli and Devasena were designed by Sri Muthiah Sthapathy. The ornamental designs of the sanctum and the vimana gopuram were skillfully executed according to the Hindu Agama-sastras by the Indian artisans. Coordination of the shipping of the idols from India was carried out through the considerable help rendered by Sri Meenakshisundaram and Sri Ramanujam of Madras. Sri N V Raghavan, also of Madras, has attended to the procurement of multifarious items required for the Kumbhabhishekam.

These are only a few of the many who have helped the temple in immeasurable ways to reach the present status of success in this ever growing project. Undoubtedly, the names of many people have not been mentioned due to lack of space. What was envisioned as a concept in 1978 took twelve years to blossom. Measured steps were taken all the way mostly due to the newness of the project. Through the grace and guidance of Goddess Srilakshmi, an important phase of the temple construction has been completed. Sri Lakshmi Temple now joins the ranks of other Hindu temples built in different cities across the country. In some sense, building the temple has been the easy and fun part.

It will be left to the future generations to foster the growth of the Srilakshmi temple and other temples,

It will be left to the future generations to foster the growth of the Srilakshmi temple and other temples, to uphold the ethical and moral values taught by our religion and to promote the Hindu culture. The temple hopes that this small step goes a long way in instilling the responsibility in our future generations to prepare them for the task of continuing our tradition and upholding the principles of our religion.

Sri Venkateshwara Temple - New Jersey, US.

The Hindu Temple and Cultural Society of USA Inc. (HTCS) was established in September of 1989. Our Temple was designed by Indian Temple Architects (Sthapati)according to ancient Indian Temple building codes and was inaugurated (Kumbabhishekam) in 1998.

You are going to enter one of the most Beautiful Hindu temples in North America. Now you are standing close to a tall brass cased wooden pillar. This is called the Dhwajasthambham or the flag staff of our Temple. Most Hindu Temples have a Dhwajasthambham in front. Temple worship starts from this point.
You may see worshippers touching this pillar. Some may go around this one to three times. Some men place their body flat on the ground in front of this pillar. Prostration on the floor is called Sasthanga Namaskara. Women also do similar prostration on the floor in a bent way without placing their whole body on the floor. This symbolizes complete surrender of ones ego in veneration of the Lord. These are traditional ways of offering one‟s respect to God. Some may place their palms and fingers of both the hands together, hold the hands close to the chest, and meditate on God. This is a very common way of offering respect to God or when you greet someone. When you go into the Temple, you will see more worshippers doing this.
From this point (Dhwajasthambham) you also notice an elevated walkway around the Temple. This is called the Prakaram. This is also a traditional part of Hindu Temples. Worshippers walk around the temple on the Prakaram (in the clockwise direction) and offer prayers to God. One can go around as many times as they wish. This process is called Pradhakshina.

Are you ready to enter Temple? In front of the Dhwajasthambham you see a tall Beautiful tower with plenty of art work. This is called the Rajagopuram of Temple. The Temple is designed and built following chola style of Temple architecture.
Please go up the wide steps that you see in front and go through the two tall doors (main entrance to the temple). You will notice the Temple office to your left and steps going down to your right. You can use these steps to go down and leave your shoes in the designated area. Some devotees leave their shoes outside the main entrance, when the weather permits. Visitors must remove their shoes before entering
the Temple. Some also prefer to wash their feet and hands in the designated area in the Temple basement. When you return to the main floor, standing in front of the temple office facing inside, you will see two more doors, which are normally wide open during Temple worship hours.
As you walk in, you are entering the main prayer area. This point is indicated by an arrow in the floor plan shown in the last page. Devotees coming to our Temple can worship several Deities (Vigrahas)(different manifestations of God). However, Temple priests (who have learned Hindu agamas from religious schools in India) conduct all the religious services to the Deities. The worship includes giving sacred bath (abhishekam), decorating the Deity (Alankaram), chanting Deity‟s names /
Praising the glory of the God (archana), offering food to the Deity (prasadam) and various other Hindu rites which are openly witnessed by all the devotees. After a Prayer session the priests transfer God‟s Blessings to the devotees through holy lights (harathi) and spoon full of holy water (theertham). In front
of Venkateswara Sannidhanam, devotees also get direct Blessings from God‟s Feet when the Priests place a silver crown with two symbolic feet (shathari) on the devotee‟s head. Some prasadam (dry fruits) is also distributed to all the devotees.
Bhagavad-Gita (The sacred text of Hindus) Chapter 4, Verse 11 talks about worshiping the Lord in various forms of his manifestations. “In what so ever form, men worship me, in the same way do I full fill their desires”. Everyone follows my path.


Hindu Temple and Cultural Society of USA, Inc.
Sri Venkateswara Temple (Balaji Mandir) and Community Center
780 Old Farm Road
Bridgewater, NJ 08807

Ekta Mandir, Irving, Texas, US.

This Hindu Temple was conceived by a group of devotees back in 1981. As an auspicious beginning for the formation of the Temple Society, Sri Satyanarayana Puja was performed in December 1982,. Subsequently, in 1983, a Constitution was adopted that laid the basic foundation for the management of the temple. Basically, the constitution provided for a panel of trustees and a team of officers headed by a President in addition to an executive committee to assist in the day to day operations of the temple. The constitution provided for the necessary guidelines for the election of each member of the management team and their functions.

In August of 1984, eight acres of land in the Parker County was purchased with the intention of building the temple there but the progress was slow for lack of funds and community interest. However, a facility in Plano was rented in March 1987 to temporarily accommodate the few devotees who expressed a need for a place of worship. After a considerable research into the needs of the community, it was decided that the Parker County land was too far to serve conveniently the Hindu community of the metroplex. A place that is convenient for devotees form both Fort Worth and Dallas was sought. This consideration lead to selling the land in the Parker County and purchasing the land in Irving in June of 1988. There was no time wasted after this purchase. The Bhumi Puja was performed in July of 1988 by Sant Murari Bapu and in November 1988, the temple operation was moved from Plano to the old house that stood on the land in Irving. Less than three years later, on April 28, 1991, the new Temple, Ekta Mandir, was inaugurated.

The first deity to be installed in Ekta Mandir was that of Maha Lakshmi. A large number of devotees of the Metroplex witnessed the Prana Pratishthapan Mahotsav ceremony. This grand celebration lasted for four days - May 30 to June 2 of 1991. Subsequently, Sri Ganesh, Sri Ram Parivar, Sri Durgaji and Sri Ayyappan were installed in June, July, September and December of that year. Sri Venkateshwara (Balaji), Shivji, Kartikeya and Vithal-Rakumai were installed in May, July and October of 1992. Later on, separate building adjacent to the main temple was built and Navagrahas, Anjaneya (Hanumanji), Gayatri Devi and Dattatreya deities were installed.

Address: 1605 N. Britain Road, Irving, TX 75061. PH:972-445-3111 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 972-445-3111

Sri Meenakshi Devasthanam - Pearland, Texas, US.

Sri Meenakshi Temple Society was established in October 1977. The property was purchased on June 20, 1978. Sri Ganesh temple was constructed and inaugurated on Ganesh Chathurthi day in August 1979. Houston families took turns and performed daily poojas.

Sri. Ranjit Banerjee, Professor of Architecture at University of Houston drew the master plan for the five acre property. Sri S. M. Ganapathy Sthapathi made two trips to Houston and drew the main temple plans. Sri Muthiah Sthapathi developed further details and helped to construct the main temple. The Maha Kumbhabhishekam (inauguration) was performed in June 1982.

Address:
SRI MEENAKSHI TEMPLE SOCIETY
17130 McLean Road,
Pearland, TX, USA 77584-4630

Email: temple@meenakshi.org

Velmurugan Gnana Muneeswarar Temple, Rivervale Crescent Sengkang,Singapore

Arulmigu Velmurugan Gnana Muneeswarar Temple is a new addition to the religious scene in Sengkang, located along Rivervale Crescent and next to 2 other Chinese temples. The temple is in the final phase of construction, completing within these few days to be ready for the most important ritual this coming Sunday, when the sacred power of the residing deities will be installed on the temple's gopuras.

Address:
Arulmigu VelMurugan Gnanamuneeswarar Temple,
50 Rivervale Crescent, Sengkang,
Singapore 545029.

Telephone: 62946739
Fax: 63879638
Email: avgmtemple@gmail.com

Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple, Helensburgh, Sydney, Australia.

HELENSBURGH is one of the famous abodes of Lord Venkateswara in the southern hemisphere and is held in veneration by all his devotees.

The Temple
The temple is built on top of a hilly area 400 feet above sea level. The temple has four 'praharam' (encircling corridors). There is also a road for motor vehicles to reach the temple.

Legend
Helensburgh is a place of natural beauty with hills and groves surrounding it and Lord Venkateswara & Goddess Lakshmi remained here bestowing their blessing to the devotees.

Significance of the Sri Venkateswara Temple
The Construction of Sri Venkateswara Temple started in 1978 when a small group of people had a vision to build a Hindu temple according to Vedic principles (Agama Sastras). They selected this divine site in Helensburgh because:

"it is said the gods always play where groves are, near rivers, mountains and springs and in towns with pleasure -gardens " -Brihatsamhita.

According to the ancient principles of Hindu temple construction, there are five requirements:

1. The land must be a virgin land (No building must have been constructed before)
2. The land must be an island
3. There must be a forest surrounding the land
4. There must be a water source nearby
5. There must be a ocean nearby

It is significant to note that the Sri Venkateswara Temple site has met all of the five requirements.

It is the first object visible to us whenever we approach any temple. Hence, the construction of the Rajagopuram forms a very important aspect of the construction of a Hindu temple. Our temple, being a Siva Vishnu Temple, will have two Rajagopurams. Hence the time taken for this construction stretches to a period of four years. There is saying in 'Tamil Gopura Darisanam Kodi Punyam'.

Temple history
From times immortal the Divine has been worshipped in India and South East Asia in the form of archa or images, and although God is God everywhere and at all times whatever the Names we give Him or the local traditions, still in some Forms or Names God stamps Himself inedibly on the imagination and sensibility of generations of God-lovers. Thus the Lord on the summit of the Seven Hills at Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh, India) is known and worshipped as Venkateswara or Srinivasa in South India and as Balaji in North India, there are temples consecrated to Him in many parts of India, as also at Singapore, Pittsburgh (U.S.A.), and elsewhere.

Seen in this wider context, it was inevitable that the swelling number of Hindus in Australia should want to have a temple constructed in the traditional Indian style of architecture based on the appropriate Agama principles. The Sri Venkateswara Temple Association was formed on 17th November 1978 in Sydney and it was proposed to build a temple for Sri Venkateswara near Sydney so that it would be a House of Light and spiritual guidance and solace, not only to comparatively small and scattered community of Hindus in Australia, but all those who, irrespective of their credal adhesion, could join in the ancient and still urgent Vedic prayer.

It is customary in Hindu temples to install, along with the Deity, His two Divine Consorts, as also Ganapathi who is the auspicious beginner, sustainer and fulfiller of all good works.

The Mahakumbhabhishekam (consecration of the temple by sacred waters) of the Ganapathi ( Sri Vara Sithi Vinayagar) and the Main temple of Sri Venkateswara, Sri Maha Lakshmi and Sri Andal took place on 30th June, 1985.

None of us who were part of the original group of people who embarked on this mammoth task had any ides of the problems involved in the construction of temples. But we had ample good will and support from a very wide circle of devotees both in Australia and elsewhere. The Tirupathi Tirumala Devasthanam was most helpful and gave us encouragement and much financial help.

Venkateswara Swami temple, Riverdale near Atlanta, Georgia, US.

In the late70's a small group of like minded people pondered about having a temple in atlanta. Drs.S.P. Reddy, B.K. Mohan, Shailendra and Hari Upadhyaya met on a few occassions and felt that there should a temple in Atlanta. In 1982 (on new year's eve) during post dinner chat at Dr. Vanapalli's house several members heard each others' views. Drs. Vanapalli, S.I. Naidu, I.J. Reddy and S.K. Naidu agreed to join in the effort. A quiet campaign commenced and Drs. Aruna Prasad, Raghava Reddy, Dronavalli, Mani, Kulkarni, Palghat Mohan and Kuppuswamy were on board. After initial deliberations and after visiting Nashville temple which was then located in a small house, a decision was made to proceed with the project. We thoght we each can contribute $10,000 and we can acomplish this goal, happily pray and provide a place of worship for our community and our children. Naivity? You bet. We searched for land and looked at five different pieces of land. Decided on current property because of its elevation and proximity to highways and biways. Fifteen of us bought the land from Mrs Jewel P. Quinn for the temple. The land was zoned for temple, thanks to philanthropic minded chairman honorable Charles Griswell and his excellent team of county commissioners.

Address:
THE HINDU TEMPLE OF ATLANTA INC.
5851, GA HWY 85
RIVERDALE, GA-30274

Phone: 770-907-7102
Fax: 770-907-6080
Email: lnsimhan@hindutempleofatlanta.org

Murugan Temple, Sydney, Australia.

Mother Temple of Besakih, Bali, Indonesia.

The Mother Temple of Besakih, or Pura Besakih, in the village of Besakih on the slopes of Mount Agung in eastern Bali, is the most important temple of Agama Hindu Dharma in Bali, Indonesia and one of a series of Balinese temples.

The temple probably dates to the fourteenth century. It was built on the south slopes of Mount Agung, the principle volcano of Bali. The temple is actually a complex made up of twenty-two temples that sit on parallel ridges.

Sri Venkateswara Temple, Bridgewater, NJ, US

Hindu Temple at Bridgewater is a temple for all Hindus. Main deity at the temple: Sri Venkateswara or Lord Venkateswara. Sri Venkateswara temple of Tirupathi, in Andhra Pradesh, India is said to be one of the richest temples in India. Lord Venkateswara is said to have the greatest power in granting 'boons' generously to those who pray to him whole heartedly. Now, coming to Bridgewater temple- being here is next to being in Tirumala. Opened over 10 years ago, the temple has grown from its humble beginnings, now it is well organized, well funded, well managed and is still growing. The location is central NJ, close to highways. Though main deity is Lord Venkateswara, there are other Gods for worship-Lord Ganesha, Lord Shiva, Sri Laxmi Narayan, Sri Parvathi, Laxmi and Saraswati, Sri RadhaKrishna, Sri Rama Pariwar, Sri Hanumanji, Navagrahas, Sri Satyanarayana and more...
The temple management has provided for a decent number of priests to provide services to visitors and devotees. The atmosphere is more traditional like in India. Weekends are especially busy from morning till closing time. There is a cafeteria that caters vegetarian food- South Indian style.

Hindu Temple & Cultural Society of USA, Inc.
Sri Venkateswara Temple (Balaji Mandir) & Community Center
(Non-Profit Tax-Exempt Organization.)
1075 Route 202/206, Bridgewater, NJ-08807
Ph: (908) 725-4477

Sri Murugan Temple “Batu Caves”, Penang, Malaysia.

Batu Caves is a limestone hill, which has a series of caves and cave temples, located in Gombak district, 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) north of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It takes its name from the Sungai Batu or Batu River, which flows past the hill. Batu Caves is also the name of the nearby village.

The cave is one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside India, dedicated to Lord Murugan. It is the focal point of Hindu festival of Thaipusam in Malaysia.

The limestone forming Batu Caves is said to be around 400 million years old.

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, London (Neasden Temple), United States

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir London was inaugurated on August 20, 1995 by Pramukh Swami Maharaj. BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Neasden (also commonly known as the Neasden Temple), is a Hindu temple in the London Borough of Brent in northwest London. Built entirely using traditional methods and materials, Neasden’s Swaminarayan Mandir is Britain’s first authentic Hindu temple. It was also Europe’s first traditional Hindu stone temple, as distinct from converted secular buildings. It is a part of the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) organization.

The Mandir was cited in Guinness World Records 2000, as follows:

"Biggest Hindu Temple outside India: The Shri Swaminarayan Temple in Neasden, London, UK, is the largest Hindu temple outside India. It was built by His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj, a 79-year-old Indian sadhu (holy man), and is made of 2,828 tonnes of Bulgarian limestone and 2,000 tonnes of Italian marble, which was first shipped to India to be carved by a team of 1,526 sculptors. The temple cost £12 million to build."

The Mandir was built and funded entirely by the Hindu Community and the entire project spanned 5 years although the Mandir construction itself was completed in two and a half years. Building work began in August 1992. On 24 November, the temple recorded the biggest-ever concrete-pour in the UK, when 4,500 tons was put down in 24 hours to create a foundation mat 6ft (1.8m) thick. The first stone was laid in June 1993; two years later, the building was complete.

Address:
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir
105-119 Brentfield Road, Neasden,
London NW10 8LD, U.K.
Tel: (+44-20) 8965 2651
Fax: (+44-20) 8965 6313
E-mail: info@mandir.org

Sri Siva Vishnu Temple, Washington DC, United States

Sri Siva Vishnu Temple is located in Lanham, Maryland and is about 12 miles from Washington D.C. It is one of the largest temples in the USA. The actual temple construction began in 1988 and the last deity consecration took place in 2002.
Timings:
Weekdays 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Weekends/Holidays 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Address:
6905 Cipriano Rd
Lanham, MD 20706-3806, United States
+1 301-552-3335

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir - Toronto, Canada.

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Toronto is a Hindu temple in Toronto, Ontario, opened on July 22, 2007 by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper with Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, Federal Opposition Leader Stéphane Dion, Indian Ambassador to Canada Rajamani Lakshmi Narayan and BAPS Spiritual Leader Pramukh Swami Maharaj also in attendance. The temple was constructed by 2,000 builders who were required to follow ancient Hindu rules. The temple was built using Turkish limestone and Italian marble.
The temple cost $40 million to build. The funds were raised by Hindu communities worldwide.

The Mandir shares its home with the Canadian Museum of Cultural Heritage of Indo-Canadians.

Timings:
Open to visitors from 9am – 8pm daily throughout the year.

Address:
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir
61 Claireville Drive, Toronto,
ON M9W 5Z7. Canada
Tel: 416 798 2277
Fax: 416 798 4498
Email: info@canada.baps.org

Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple of Greater Chicago - Aurora, Illinois, United States.

Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple of Greater Chicago is one of the best Traditional, peaceful and devotional temple in USA. Sri Venkateswara Swamy Prathima (Idol) resembles us Tirumala Tirupathi Venkateswara Swamy prathima in India. This temple is a must visiting place for every Hindu and all.

Timings:
Sunday - Saturday : 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM

Address:

Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple of greater Chicago
1145 W. Sullivan Rd
Aurora, IL 60506
Phone: (630)-844-2252
Fax: (630)-844-2254

Prambanan Shiva Temple, Central Java, Indonesia

History:

It was built around 850 CE by either Rakai Pikatan, king of the second Mataram dynasty, or Balitung Maha Sambu, during the Sanjaya Dynasty. Not long after its construction, the temple was abandoned and began to deteriorate. Reconstruction of the compound began in 1918. The main building was completed in around 1953. Much of the original stonework has been stolen and reused at remote construction sites. A temple will only be rebuilt if at least 75% of the original stones are available, and therefore only the foundation walls of most of the smaller shrines are now visible and with no plans for their reconstruction.

Location:

Prambanan is the largest Hindu temple compound in Central Java in Indonesia, located approximately 18 km east of Yogyakarta.

Lord Vishnu Temple, Angkor, Cambodia

Angkor Wat (Cambodia) is not only the largest Hindu Temple, but also one of the wonders of the word. Yet, unknown to many Hindus all around! An architectural marvel and a piece of world heritage.

History:

The initial design and construction of the temple took place in the first half of the 12th century, during the reign of Suryavarman II (ruled 1113-c. 1150). Dedicated to Lord Sri Maha Vishnu, it was built as the king's state temple and capital city, with the royal palace located between the temple and the north gate, and the city filling the remainder of the outer enclosure. In the 14th or 15th century the temple was converted to Theravada Buddhist use, which continues to the present day. Unusually among Angkor's temples, although Angkor Wat was somewhat neglected after the 16th century and required considerable restoration in the 20th century, it was never completely abandoned. Its moat also provided some protection from encroachment by the jungle. During this period the temple was known as Preah Pisnulok, after the posthumous title of Suryavarman. The temple's modern name means "City Temple": Angkor is a vernacular form of the word nokor which comes from the Sanskrit word nagara (capital), while wat is the Khmer word for temple.
Conservation efforts at the temple continue, notably the German Apsara Conservation Project (GACP), which endeavors to protect the devatas (or apsaras) and other bas-reliefs which decorate the temple from damage. The organization's survey found that around 20% of the devatas were in very poor condition, mainly because of natural erosion and deterioration of the stone.

Location:

The Angkor Wat Temple is situated at 6 km from the north of the Siemreab town, in the northwestern Cambodia, Southeast Asia.

Shiva-Vishnu Temple, Livermore, California,US.

Since its incorporation in 1977, the Hindu Community and Cultural Center (HCCC) has made great strides in its mission to build and operate a Hindu Temple. A nine- year odyssey, led to construction of the Shiva-Vishnu Temple in Livermore, CA., whose Kumbhabhishekam (Consecration) was celebrated in 1986, followed by Mahakumbhabhishekam (12th anniversary) in 1998. The Temple has been built to authentic specifications in the best of North and South Indian traditions, and is one of the few Hindu Temples in Northem California that offers comprehensive services for ritualistic worship of Hindu deities (Homas, Abhishekas, Archanas, etc).

In early 1993, the Temple enclosure was completed, with the construction of a roof and installation of sprinklers, a sound system, etc. In 1997, the Assembly Hall adjoining the main Temple was built complete with kitchen and dining facilities, a “Kalyana Mantapam,” (Assembly Hall) and an enclosed promenade. In September 1999, the shilpi work was completed and the interior and exterior walls were cleaned, scrubbed and painted, and the Temple facade has become more beautiful than ever before.

Contact Inforamtion:
Hindu Community and Cultural Center
1232 Arrowhead Ave.
Livermore, CA 94551
info@livermoretemple.org

Main Telephone : (925) 449 6255
Alt.Telephone : (925) 449 6254
Alt.Telephone : (925) 455 6229
Alt.Telephone : (925) 583 2077
Alt.Telephone : (925) 583 2078
Fax : (925) 455 0404
eFax : (925) 605 1731

Malibu Hindu Temple, Malibu, California,US

The Hindu temple Society of Southern California (HTSSC) was incorporated in the state of California as a non-profit religious organization on August 18, 1977.

In June 1997, several dedicated members of the Indian Community from the metropolitan Los Angeles met and resolved to build a Hindu temple. As a result of their hard work, the temple was incorporated as a non-profit religious organization on August 18, 1977 in the state of California.

Temple Hours:
The temple is open every day of the year.
Weekdays:
Summer hours:
9:00 A.M to 12:30 Noon and 5 P.M to 8 P.M.
Winter hours:
9:00 A.M to 12:30 Noon and 5 P.M to 7 P.M.
Weekends&Holidays:
Summer hours:
8:00 A.M to 8:00 P.M
Winter hours:
8:00 A.M to 8:00 P.M

Address:
1600 Las Virgenes Canyon Rd
Calabasas, CA 91302
Phone: 818 880 5552

Lord Venkateshwara Temple, Birmingham, United Kingdom.

The temple is set in a 21.5 acre site, with a number of different shrines and other facilities and it has grown over a 10-year period to become physically the largest South Indian temple precinct in Europe. Much more than simply a physical complex, it brings together a remarkably wide cross-section of Hindus into a vibrant, thriving organization, and is now recognized as one of the leading Hindu institutions in this country.
Current Temple opening Timings:
WeekDays Morning: 8.30 a.m - 1 p.m Evening: 4 p.m -9 p.m
WeekEnds Morning: 8.30 a.m - 2.30 p.m Evening: 4 p.m -9 p.m

Address :
Shri Venkateswara(Balaji) Temple of UK
Dudley Road East,
Tividale,
West Midlands,
B69 3DU,
England.