Malibu Hindu Temple
{{Infobox Hindu temple
| name = Malibu Hindu Temple
| native_name =
| image = Malibu Hindu Temple 25.jpg
| caption =
| deity = Venkateswara and Shiva
| tradition =
| Peetham =
| functional_status =
| temple_board = 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){{cite web
|url=https://www.malibuhindutemple.org/first-board-meeting/
|title=First Meeting of the Newly Elected Board
|accessdate=2023-07-15
|last=
|first=
|date=
|publisher=Malibu Temple
}}
| festivals =
| tower =
| temple_tank =
| temple_tree =
| location = 1600 Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, 91302
| district = Santa Monica Mountains
| state = California
| province =
| country = United States
| map_type = California
| map_alt =
| coordinates = {{coord|34.095103|-118.709687|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes =
| architecture_type =
| architecture_style = Dravidian
| creator =
| established =
| groundbreaking =
| year_completed =
| facade_direction =
| temple_quantity =
| monument_quantity =
| website = https://www.malibuhindutemple.org/
| footnotes =
}}
File:Malibu Hindu Temple 2005 12 29.jpg
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.
History
The Malibu Hindu Temple, located in Calabasas, California, was inaugurated in 1981.{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-10-27-me-12741-story.html|title=Legacy of Peace : Devotees Enact Rich Ritual at Festival as Work Progresses at Nation's Largest Hindu Temple|last=Holley|first=David|date=1985-10-27|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=2018-01-15|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035}} 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.{{Cite web |date=December 21, 1995 |title=California Coastal Commission, Staff Report |url=https://documents.coastal.ca.gov/reports/1996/1/Th9k-1-1996.pdf |access-date=August 28, 2022}}{{Better reference|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable (WP:NOTRS).|date=April 2025}} Vardhan later served as the temple's president until his death in July 2017.{{cite web |title=Nadadur Vardhan Passes Away |url=http://www.indiajournal.com/people/nadadur-vardhan-passes-away
|website=India Journal |access-date=17 April 2025}}{{cite web
|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna6767322
|title=Americans donate on the Web
|accessdate=2023-07-16
|last=Markon
|first=Jerry
|date=2004-12-29
|publisher=NBCNews.com
|url=http://www.indiajournal.com/people/nadadur-vardhan-passes-away
|title=Nadadur Vardhan Passes Away
|accessdate=2023-07-15
|last=
|first=
|date=2017-07-06
|publisher=IndiaJournal
}} Nadadur S. Kumar is the temple's president.{{cite web
|url=https://www.malibuhindutemple.org/state-of-the-temple-from-2018-to-present/
|title=State of the Temple from 2018 to Present
|accessdate=2023-07-15
|last=Kumar
|first= Nadadur S.
|date=2022-12-31
|publisher=Malibu Hindu Temple
}}
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.{{cite news |last=Garcia |first=Kenneth J. |date=March 25, 1988 |title=Sight to Behold : Ornate Hindu Temple in Malibu Is Shrine Where East Meets West |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-03-25-me-182-story.html |access-date=12 July 2016 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times}}{{Cite book |last=Bharne |first=Vinayak |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Rediscovering_the_Hindu_Temple/CGukBgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA247&printsec=frontcover |title=Rediscovering the Hindu Temple: The Sacred Architecture and Urbanism of India |last2=Krusche |first2=Krupali |date=2014-09-18 |publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing |isbn=978-1-4438-6734-4 |pages=247-248 |language=en}}
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.{{cite news|title=Oops, Spears switched religions again|url=https://www.today.com/popculture/oops-spears-switched-religions-again-wbna10696063|work=Today.com|date=18 January 2006}}{{cite news|title=Pop star Britney Spears spotted at Lord Venkateswara Temple in Malibu|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/eyecatchers/story/20060213-pop-star-britney-spears-spotted-at-lord-venkateswara-temple-in-malibu-785973-2006-02-12|work=indiatoday.in|date=13 February 2006}} Congressman Brad Sherman also spoke at the temple on a few occasions.{{cite web
|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTDhETyozIc
|title=Tribute to Nadadur Vardhan (C-Span)
|access-date=2023-07-16
|last=Sherman
|first=Brad
|date=2019-07-19
|publisher=Congressman Brad Sherman Official YouTube Channel
}}
Further reading
- Holley, David. "[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-10-27-me-12741-story.html 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. "[https://www.jstor.org/stable/44368960 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. "[https://escholarship.org/content/qt10n3w3kz/qt10n3w3kz.pdf Religious Placemaking and Community Building in Diaspora]". Environment and Behavior, Vol. 20, No. 10 (2008).
See also
References
{{Reflist|2}}
External links
{{Commons category|Malibu Hindu Temple}}
- {{Official|malibuhindutemple.org}}
- [https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/hindu-and-sikh-traditions-came-together-at-this-elegant-malibu-wedding Hindu and Sikh Traditions Came Together at This Elegant Malibu Wedding] - Vogue Magazine, June 22, 2021
- [https://photocontest.smithsonianmag.com/photocontest/detail/malibu-hindu-temple/ 14th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo contest: Malibu Hindu Temple] - 14th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest, March 2016
- [https://digital.library.ucla.edu/catalog?f%5Bcombined_subject_ssim%5D%5B%5D=Hindu+Temple+Society+of+Southern+California&f%5Bphotographer_sim%5D%5B%5D=Cohen%2C+Cassy&sort=title_alpha_numeric_ssort+asc&view=gallery Images of the Malibu Hindu Temple] - UCLA Library Digital Collections, 1984.
{{Calabasas, California}}
{{Malibu, California}}
{{Hindu temples in the United States}}
{{Religious-struct-stub}}
{{California-struct-stub}}
{{Hindu-temple-stub}}
Category:Calabasas, California
Category:Hindu temples in California
Category:Indian-American culture in California
Category:Religious buildings and structures in Los Angeles County, California