Day 110: Old Vedanta Hindu Temple, San Francisco, California

📌APIA Every Day (109) - The Vedanta Hindu Temple, located in San Francisco, California, stands as the oldest universal Hindu temple in the West. Designed by Swami Trigunatitananda, who oversaw the Vedanta Society of San Francisco, along with architect Joseph A. Leonard, the temple's construction began in 1905, and it commenced services in 1906, just before the great San Francisco earthquake struck that same year. Remarkably, the temple remained undamaged. However, in 1914, it became the target of a bombing when a former student detonated explosives while Trigunatitananda was speaking during a service, making him the first martyr of the Ramakrishna Vedanta Movement.

Swami Trigunatiatnanda envisioned the temple as an architectural embodiment of religious harmony, echoing the central theme of his Guru Sri Ramakrishna’s message to the modern world. Thus, it does not follow a traditional Indian temple design. Instead, each of its four towers on the roof and the small tower at the entrance to the auditorium showcases unique architectural influences, drawing inspiration from Shiva temples of Bengal, the Varanasi temple, medieval Christian churches, the Taj Mahal, and Muslim mosques. The veranda running along the north and east sides of the building on the third-floor features sculpted arches in Moorish style. Beyond the auditorium, the temple also housed monks' quarters and administrative offices.

In 1959, major activities were relocated to the New Temple, constructed at the northwest corner of Vallejo and Fillmore Streets, a few blocks away from the Old Temple. The Old Temple underwent significant renovations, including seismic retrofitting. A Re-Dedication Ceremony for the Old Temple was held on October 29 (Kali Puja Day) and October 30, 2016, graced by a senior monk from Belur Math and attended by about a dozen monks from across North America. The temple's significance led to its recommendation by the NPS AAPI National Historic Landmark Theme Study for fulfilling Events and Architecture NHL criteria.

LEARN MORE:

India Currents: The Historical Old Temple of Vedanta Society In San Francisco

Vedanta Society of Norther California: The First Universal Hindu Temple in the West

Axios San Francisco: San Francisco is home to America's first Hindu temple

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