Malibu Hindu Temple, a temple of the
Hindu god Venkateswara, built in 1981, is located in the city of
Calabasas near Malibu, California in the Santa Monica Mountains. It is
owned and operated by the Hindu Temple Society of Southern California.
Built in the traditional South Indian style, it is frequented by
followers of Hinduism in Southern California.
The priests are situated and live on the
grounds of the temple. The temple has many gatherings for ceremonies,
and provides numerous space for meditation, picknicking, it has a full
stage for special cultural and Hindu programs.
Temple Complex
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. In addition to the
presiding deity, both complexes have shrines for other deities.
In Popular Culture
In 1997, the temple was used in a small
scene in the movie Beverly Hills Ninja starring Chris Farley, and in
1998 in a song in the Tamil film Jeans. 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. The event had world-wide
coverage in the media.
