Top 10 Hindu Temples in the USA

Thanks to many immigrants from Southeast Asia, Indonesia, and the Caribbean, Hinduism is one of the major religions in the Americas. Hinduism is one of the oldest and largest religions in the world and has followers worldwide. According to 2021 National Survey statistics, there were an estimated 3 million Hindu citizens in America. Many top Hindu temples in the United States serve as important cultural and spiritual centers for the community.  The temples in the US are not only places of worship but also serve as community centers where people can come together to celebrate festivals and events—the top 10 Hindu Temples in the USA.

Here are the top Hindu temple in the USA

Shiva Murugan Temple

Shiva Murugan temple is one of the top 10 Hindu temples in the USA. The temple was first established in a small wood-framed house in San Francisco, California, in 1957, by an American- born Hindu practitioner, Sivaya Subramuniya Swami. 

Offering Pujas to murtis of Ganesha, Muruga, and Shiva, it was innovated on the traditions of Saiva Siddhanta and is known as the Palaniswami Sivan Temple. It may have been the first Hindu Temple to be opened in America that was beyond the compass of the various Vedanta centers at that time.

 It quickly became a popular point for the ever-growing crowd of recently arriving Hindus, some of whom personally knew of the Sage from Sri Lanka, YogaSwami, who initiated the American practitioner. 

Due to his efforts to make an orthodox temple on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, SubramuniyaSwami decided to vend the temple in Concord to the original Hindu Community in 1995. The Saiva Siddhanta Ashram was incorporated as a non-profit association, bought the temple in May, and changed the name to Shiva Murugan Temple. Overall it is one of the top Hindu temples in the USA. 

Sri Lakshmi Temple

Sri Lakshmi Temple is one of the top 10 Hindu temples in the USA. Located in Ashland and was built under the direction of Muthiah Sthapathi. The structure was built in the 1980s and covered an area of ​​12 hectares.

 Construction took two years. Ganapathy Sthapathi, an architect from the Tamil Nadu Institute of Architecture and Sculpture, developed the temple designs by Hindu scriptures. 

Hindu priests from India, Britain, and the United States have performed rituals to worship Hindu deities. At the end of the week, the priests carried large water jars filled with water from the Ganges in India and the Mississippi, Missouri, and Colorado rivers through the temple and poured the water over the temple towers.

The temple rises 50 feet above the ground. The temple’s administrators, founders, and devotees collectively believed that the United States brought fortune and happiness into their lives, which is why Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity, was chosen as the central deity. 

Other temple deities are Ganesha, Balaji, Nataraja and Parvati, Subramanya, Valli, Deivaanai, Navagrahas, Hanumana, Swami Ayyappa, and Garuda.

 The temple authorities organize various pujas, festivals, sloka courses, and Indian culture/language courses daily. The temple includes the deities Sri Maha Ganapati, Sri Mahalakshmi, Sri Venkateswara, Sri Nataraja, Sri Subrahmanya, Sri Hariharaputra, Garuda and Navagraha. Overall it is one of the top Hindu temples in the USA. 

Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago

Perhaps one of Chicago’s most famous top 10 Hindu temples, one of the top Hindu temples in the USA. It is situated on a hilltop with great views of the surrounding area. Inside the temple, there are also sections dedicated to the devotees of various Hindu deities, which is hard to find in other temples. 

It consists of a Rama temple and a temple dedicated to Ganesha, Shiva, and Durga. It consists of four buildings, the Rama Temple, the Ganesha Shiva Durga Temple, a community center connecting the two temples, and the spiritual center Vivekananda. 

The Ganesha Shiva Durga Temple of AD contains sacred images of Shiva, Ganesha, Durga Devi, Subrahmanya, Parvathi, Nataraja, Ayappasama, and Navagraha. The complex also includes the Swami Vivekananda Spiritual Center, which hosts many spiritual activities organized by the temple.

On the “Vivekananda Hill” next to the spiritual center stands a 10-meter-high bronze statue of Swami Vivekananda. There is also a cafe serving authentic Indian cuisine,, should you fancy homemade dishes like dosas and idlis, and a shop for religious souvenirs. Moreover, it is one of the top Hindu temples in the USA. 

Iskcon Chicago

Located in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood, ISKCON CHICAGO is one of the top Hindu temples in the USA. Srila Prabhupada founded it. It is one of the outstanding temples of the 5,000-year-old Hari Krishna movement. Founded in Illinois in 1974, the temple is a spiritual haven that offers many spiritual and educational programs.

 One of Chicago’s most famous temples, you will feel spiritually enlightened after visiting this traditional Indian temple. The puja ceremonies performed by poojaris are a must for any religious devotee, and the prasad offered after the prayer ceremony is the best part of it all. 

Their programs include Samaskara, Krishna Lunch, Vamsi Vaishnavas, etc. Their Sunday celebration includes a lively kirtan followed by lunch, mantra meditation, children’s activities, and lectures by eminent bhakti and is open to all, regardless of age. Moreover, it is one of the top Hindu temples in the USA. 

Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple

As a representation of Vishnu Sri Venkateswara, the temple is one of the top 10 Hindu temples in the USA. It is one of the oldest Hindu temples in America, built on 50 acres of land donated by Indo-American families.

 Padmasri M. Muthiah Sthapathy, a renowned temple building expert in India, collaborated with Sri Subhash Nadkarni, a famous Chicago architect, and Balaji admirer, and together they designed the temple. This design perfectly combines ancient Shilpa Shastra and modern architectural technology. 

The temple is located at 1145 West Sullivan Rd, Aurora. Lord Balaji, Lord Ganesh, Lord Shiva & Goddess Parvati are the other deity present in this temple. Renowned Hindu temple specialist Mutaiaiistapathy worked with Chicago architect Subash Nadkarni for several months to construct this magnificent temple. Sri Venkateswara Swami. No wonder it is one of the top Hindu temples in the USA. 

Malibu Hindu Temple

Built-in 1981 (Malibu Hindu Temple), it is one of the top 10 Hindu temples in the USA. It is owned and operated by the Southern California Association of Hindu Temples.  Srinivasan helped raise funds from local families, oversaw the construction, and brought in priests from India.

 Priests are located and live within the premises of the temple. The traditional South Indian style inspired the construction of the temple. The Hindu temple has two complexes – the upper complex with Lord Venkateswara as the presiding deity and the lower complex with Lord Shiva as the presiding deity.

 The temple houses many ceremonial gatherings and offers many meditation and picnic areas. It has an entire stage for special Hindu and cultural shows.  Overall it is one of the top Hindu temples in the USA. 

Shiva Vishnu Temple

The construction of Shiva Vishnu Temple is one of the top 10 Hindu temples in the USA. It began in 1999 with the help of 12 architects from Mahabalipuram. Ganapati Sthapati, an architect from Chennai, provided the guidelines for the construction of this Dravidian-style temple, an Indian-style temple. 

“South India is located in Broward County, South Florida. The Shiva Vishnu Temple was built with this ideology in mind to impart Hindu Shastra and knowledge and to help Florida-based Hindu families celebrate their holidays. The temple covered a vast area of ​​6,200 square meters.

 The temple and community center were built through donations from the community and international donations from Hindus worldwide. The architecture of the temple follows the architectural style of the Chola and Pallava dynasties. 

The entrance to the temple has two gates called vimana gopurams, and there are two towers above the temples of the two main deities. Dedicated to the god Ayyappa, the temple was built in Kerala architectural style. Prayers and mantras are chanted daily in the temple. 

Four well-trained pujaris pray to the gods and deities daily. If you wish to offer something to the god, temple etiquette recommends offering flowers and fruit. Alcohol and smoking are strictly prohibited. Undoubtedly, it is one of the top Hindu temples in the USA. 

The Ganesh Temple

On July 4, 1977, the second Hindu temple in the United States was opened. It is one of the top 10 Hindu temples in the USA. Before founding the Hindu Temple Society of North America in 1970, Alagappa Alagappan, one of its founders, held meetings for members in his living room. 

The organization acquired the site of the former Russian Orthodox Church and designed a traditional Hindu temple in its place. The temple is built of granite. He entered through the Gopuram gate. 

The main temple is dedicated to Lord Ganesha, while the other temples house the idols of Lord Balaji, Goddess Mahalakshmi, Lord Hanuman, and Sri Nagendra Swamy. 

Sacred images of Venkateswara, Lakshmi, Shiva, Parvati, Durga, Saraswati, Hanuman, Kumbha Chandikeshwara, Dhvani Chandikeshwara, Dakshinamurthy, Gayatri, and many others are dedicated in the temple.

 Below the temple’s ground floor is a vegetarian restaurant called Temple Canteen. The temple canteen was founded in 1993. The canteen serves 4,000 people weekly, including 10,000 during Deepavali.  Moreover, it is one of the top Hindu temples in the USA.

Swaminarayan Akshardham

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is one of the top 10 Hindu temples in the USA.  It was dedicated and opened to the public on August 10, 2014, as the largest Hindu temple outside India. Construction of the mandir began in 2010. Inside the mandir are dedicated murtis, sacred images of deities.

 In the central temple are the murtis of Swaminarayan, Gunatitan, and Swami, who are worshiped together as the Akshar-Purushottam Maharaj. The Mandir was built in the Nagaradi style from 68,000 cubic feet of Italian Carrara marble. Marble quarried in Europe was shipped to Rajasthan in India, where hundreds of artisans worked the stones. 

The Mandir was built mainly through the efforts of craftsmen and volunteers who put in around 4.7 million man-hours. Volunteers were involved in various tasks during the construction process, including design and engineering, coordinating sculpting and stone transport, site preparation, lighting, and providing medical services. 

The food offered to the deities is considered sacred and distributed to the believers as prasad. Aarti, a ritual in which devotees praise God while passing a lit wick in front of the murti, is performed five times daily. That’s why it is one of the top Hindu temples in the USA.

Sri Radha Krishna Temple

Sri Radha Krishna temple is one of the top 10 Hindu temples in the USA dedicated to Radha Krishna. Every Sunday at 5 p.m., there is a party and regular church services for students.

 The Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple exists primarily through the efforts of Charu Das and his activities at ISKCON. Charu Das, an American by birth, left the United States to protest and escape the Vietnam War. The temple features a natural amphitheater that can seat thousands of people. 

From March to October, the temple usually hosts entertaining events such as art and photography exhibitions, tours, food tastings, cultural exhibitions about India, the epic Ramayana gala procession, the burning of the 20-meter statue of the demon Ravana, weddings, and parties. 

 There is also a gift shop on site. There are many visitors, such as schools, scout units, summer or senior organizations, and family reunions. Overall it is one of the top Hindu temples in the USA.

Conclusion

As for the final say, these are some of the top 10 Hindu temples in the USA. These temples are well-built and are worshipped by millions of Americans and people from all around the world.