Malibu Hindu Temple

Malibu Hindu Temple
Religion
Affiliation	Hinduism
District	Santa Monica Mountains
Deity	Venkateswara and Shiva
Governing body	Board of the Hindu Temple Society of Southern California-President: Nadadur Sampath Kumar Secretary: Giridhar Athreya Treasurer: Venkateshwar Rao Bramharouthu Vice President: Jayashree Manohara (as of 2021) [1]
Location
Location	1600 Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, 91302
State	California
Country	United States
Shown within California
Geographic coordinates	34°05′42″N118°42′35″W / 34.095103°N 118.709687°W / 34.095103; -118.709687
Architecture
Style	Dravidian
Website
https://www.malibuhindutemple.org/

Another view of the temple

Malibu Hindu Temple is a Hindu temple built in the traditional South Indian style, and dedicated to the worship of the Hindu god Venkateswara. It is located in the Santa Monica Mountains, in the city of Calabasas near Malibu, California.

Overview

The founding president of the Temple was Vasan Srinivasan, a civil engineer living in the Los Angeles area. Srinivasan was instrumental in raising funds from local families, overseeing construction and bringing the priests from India. ^[2] During the early 1990s, Dr. Parameswar Mahadevan, an atomic physicist and one of the individuals involved in the Temple’s founding, served as president. ^[3] Later, and until his death in July 2017, Indian American tax consultant Nadadur Vardhan served as the temple's president. ^{[4] [5] [6]} Nadadur S. Kumar is the current president of the temple. ^[7]

Architecture and Deities

The complex has two temples – the upper temple with Venkateswara as the presiding deity and the lower temple with Shiva as the presiding deity. Both temples are constructed of concrete to emulate the Dravidian architectural style. In addition to the presiding deity, both temples have shrines for other deities. The complex includes a smaller shrine at each of the four corners, dedicated to Rama, Lakshmi, Bhoodevi, and Krishna. It also has a fifth shrine dedicated to Hanuman. ^{[8] [9]}

Notable visitors

In January 2006, the pop-star singer Britney Spears had her 4-month-old son blessed in a large ceremony by the Hindu priests of this temple. ^{[10] [11]} Congressman Brad Sherman also spoke at the temple on a few occasions. ^[6]

Further reading

• Holley, David. "Legacy of Peace : Devotees Enact Rich Ritual at Festival as Work Progresses at Nation’s Largest Hindu Temple." Los Angeles Times, October 27, 1985.
• Shampa Mazumdar and Sanjoy Mazumdar. "Hindu Temple Building in Southern California: A Study of Immigrant Religion". Journal of Ritual Studies, Vol. 20, No. 2 (2006), pp. 43-57.
• Shampa Mazumdar and Sanjoy Mazumdar. "Religious Placemaking and Community Building in Diaspora". Environment and Behavior, Vol. 20, No. 10 (2008).

See also

• List of Hindu temples in the United States

References

1. "First Meeting of the Newly Elected Board". Malibu Temple. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
2. HOLLEY, DAVID (1985-10-27). "Legacy of Peace : Devotees Enact Rich Ritual at Festival as Work Progresses at Nation's Largest Hindu Temple". Los Angeles Times. ISSN   0458-3035 . Retrieved 2018-01-15.
3. "California Coastal Commission, Staff Report" (PDF). December 21, 1995. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
4. Markon, Jerry (2004-12-29). "Americans donate on the Web". NBCNews.com . Retrieved 2023-07-16.
5. "Nadadur Vardhan Passes Away". IndiaJournal. 2017-07-06. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
6. Sherman, Brad (2019-07-19). "Tribute to Nadadur Vardhan (C-Span)". Congressman Brad Sherman Official YouTube Channel. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
7. Kumar, Nadadur S. (2022-12-31). "State of the Temple from 2018 to Present". Malibu Hindu Temple. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
8. Garcia, Kenneth J. (March 25, 1988). "Sight to Behold : Ornate Hindu Temple in Malibu Is Shrine Where East Meets West". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 12 July 2016.
9. Bharne, Vinayak; Krusche, Krupali (2014-09-18). Rediscovering the Hindu Temple: The Sacred Architecture and Urbanism of India. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. pp. 247–248. ISBN   978-1-4438-6734-4.
10. "Oops, Spears switched religions again". Today.com. 18 January 2006.
11. "Pop star Britney Spears spotted at Lord Venkateswara Temple in Malibu". indiatoday.in. 13 February 2006.

External links

• Official website
• Hindu and Sikh Traditions Came Together at This Elegant Malibu Wedding - Vogue Magazine, June 22, 2021
• 14th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo contest: Malibu Hindu Temple - 14th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest, March 2016
• Images of the Malibu Hindu Temple - UCLA Library Digital Collections, 1984.