Sri Venkateswara Temple | |
---|---|
Religion | |
Affiliation | Hinduism |
Deity | Venkateswara |
Location | |
Location | Penn Hills |
State | Pennsylvania |
Country | United States |
Geographic coordinates | 40°26′28″N79°48′19″W / 40.441001°N 79.805182°W |
Architecture | |
Creator | The Endowment Department of Andhra Pradesh |
Completed | 1977 |
Website | |
www |
Sri Venkateswara Temple, Pittsburgh is a Hindu temple in Penn Hills, Pennsylvania. Constructed in the style of the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati, India, it is the oldest Hindu temple in the United States built by Indian immigrants. It is a pilgrimage site for Hindus in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States and has been described as "the trend-setting South Indian temple in its celebration of expensive, time-consuming, and intricate rituals." [1]
During a Pongal celebration in January 1972, a group of Pittsburgh-area Hindus established a shrine with images of Hindu deities in a store basement. In the summer of that year, a granite Ganesha statue was donated to the group by Balakrishna Naidu of Coimbatore, India. Since Ganesha is worshipped before beginning an auspicious endeavor, the group saw the gift as "a good omen to invoke blessings to a larger project." [2]
The temple's groundbreaking occurred on April 17, 1975. After the groundbreaking, tensions developed between two factions of the community: those who thought the temple should reflect South Indian traditions and architecture, and those who wanted North Indian traditions and deities represented as well. This led to a split between the factions. The North Indians constructed their own temple in suburban Monroeville, and the South Indians' temple was built in Penn Hills. [1]
The Penn Hills temple was completed and consecrated on June 8, 1977, becoming the first Hindu temple in the United States built by Indian immigrants. [3]
In 2005, the temple was remodeled to resemble the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati at a cost of $1.5 million. [4]
In 2011, $15,000 in credit cards and jewelry was stolen from the temple. [5]
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The temple was designed by The Endowment Department of Andhra Pradesh. The temple is designed with two sides and a tower in the middle symbolizing two hands and a head. The temple operates a cafeteria as well in its basement. [6]
Venkateswara is a form of the Hindu god Vishnu and is the presiding deity of the Venkateswara Temple, located in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India. Venkateswara is also known by various other names.
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is an independent trust which manages the temples including the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Andhra Pradesh, India. The trust oversees the operations and finances of the richest and the most visited religious center in the world. It is also involved in various social, religious, literary and educational activities. TTD is headquartered at Tirupati and employs about 16,000 people.
Tirupati is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Tirupati district. The city is home to the important Hindu shrine of Tirumala Venkateshwara Temple and other historic temples. It is located at a distance of 150 km from Chennai, 250 km from Bangalore,406 km from Amaravati. It is one of the eight Svayam vyakta kshetras dedicated to Vishnu. Tirupati is a municipal corporation and the headquarters of Tirupati (urban) mandal, Tirupati (rural) mandal, and the Tirupati revenue division.
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