Malibu Hindu Temple

Malibu Hindu Temple is a Hindu temple in located in the Santa Monica Mountains, in the city of Calabasas near Malibu, California. Built in 1981 and dedicated to the Hindu deity Venkateswara, it features traditional South Indian style and serves as a centre for Hindu worship and cultural events in Southern California. The temple is maintained by the Hindu Temple Society of Southern California and is led by priests who perform daily rituals and special ceremonies.

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	34.095103°N 118.709687°W / 34.095103; -118.709687
Architecture
Style	Dravidian
Website
https://www.malibuhindutemple.org/

Another view of the temple

History

The Malibu Hindu Temple, located in Calabasas, California, was inaugurated in 1981.^[2] The project was spearheaded by Nadadur Vardhan, an Indian immigrant who mobilised community support and navigated logistical and financial challenges to complete the temple's construction. 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][better source needed]} Vardhan later served as the temple's president until his death in July 2017.^[4][5][6][7] Nadadur S. Kumar is the temple's president.^[8]

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.^[9][10]

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.^[11][12] Congressman Brad Sherman also spoke at the temple on a few occasions.^[7]

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