Sri Meenakshi Temple (Pearland, Texas)

Hindu temple in Texas, United States

Sri Meenakshi Devasthanam

Religion
Affiliation| Hinduism
Deity| Meenakshi (Parvati)
Location
Location| Pearland, Brazoria County[1]
State| Texas
Country| United States

Location in Texas

Geographic coordinates| 29°31′23″N 95°17′51″W﻿ / ﻿29.522919144347274°N 95.297626°W﻿ / 29.522919144347274; -95.297626
Architecture
Architect(s)| S. M. Ganapathy Sthapathi
Type| Dravidian architecture
Completed| 1982, 1995
Website
www.meenakshi.org
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The Sri Meenakshi Temple (also called the Sri Meenakshi Devasthanam) is a Hindu temple located in Pearland, Brazoria County, Texas, in the Houston metropolitan area. The temple's presiding deity is the goddess Meenakshi, an aspect of Parvati whose consort is Sundareswarar, an aspect of Shiva. The Sri Meenakshi Temple in Pearland is the only temple outside of India that is dedicated to Meenakshi and it is a replica of the Meenakshi Temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India.[2] The Sri Meenakshi Temple in Pearland was built in 1982 and was designed by Indian architect S. M. Ganapathy Sthapathi in the South Indian Dravidian style of Hindu temple architecture. It is also the third-oldest Hindu temple in the United States.[3][4][1]

The Sri Meenakshi Temple attracts Hindu devotees and visitors from across the Houston metropolitan area. It is considered one of Greater Houston's most prominent religious landmarks as well as a major visitor attraction in Pearland.[4][1]

## History

[edit]

The Sri Meenakshi Temple Society was established in 1977. The land for the temple, a five acre site, was acquired between 1976 and 1978. A plan for the site was drawn up by Ranjit Banerjee, a professor of architecture at the University of Houston. The temple's first permanent structure was a Ganesha temple. The first Mahakumbhabhishekam (inauguration ceremony) for the main shrine, designed by Indian architect S. M. Ganapathy Sthapathi, was performed in 1982, making it the third-oldest Hindu temple in the United States. Fundraising campaigns for the temple often included prominent Indian classical musical artists, including Parveen Sultana, M. Balamuralikrishna, Seerkazhi Govindarajan, and M. S. Subbulakshmi.[5][4][1]

The temple expanded in subsequent years, with the rajagopuram and corner temples being completed in 1995. The Sri Meenakshi Temple's architecture reflects the Dravidian architectural style of South Indian Hindu temples.[5][4][1] The temple is made of white granite.[6]

## Shrines

[edit]

The temple's main shrine is dedicated to Meenakshi, Sundareswarar, Venkateshwara (a form of Vishnu), and Lakshmi. Other shrines within the temple complex are dedicated to Ganesha, Murugan, Valli, Deivanai, Rama, Ayyappan, Durga, Nandi, and Garuda. In addition to the main shrine, the temple has four additional corner shrines – one at each corner. The temple also has sculptures of the Tamil Alvar and Nayanar poet-saints and gurus of Vedanta philosophy (Adi Shankaracharya, Ramanujacharya, and Madhvacharya).[4][1]

There is a separate temple dedicated to Ganesh which served as the original temple in 1977 and it was reconstructed in 2013.[4]

## Other facilities

[edit]

In addition to the temple and other shrines, the Sri Meenakshi Temple is home to a peacock sanctuary, a kalyana mandapam (function hall), library, and a canteen that serves South Indian vegetarian food.[4][1] There is also the Carriage House which houses chariots used for the deities for various festivals.[4]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g "Sri Meenakshi Temple Society". Sri Meenakshi Temple Society. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
2. ^ "Sri Meenakshi Temple, Houston". KERA. 23 September 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
3. ^ "Sri Meenakshi Temple Society". Visit Houston. Archived from the original on 11 December 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
4. ^ a b c d e f g h "Sri Meenakshi Temple Self-Guided Tour". Archived from the original on 1 July 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
5. ^ a b "Sri Meenakshi Temple, Pearland – The 40-year History". Menon Lifetime Thoughts. 19 December 2020. Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
6. ^ The Shape of Texas | Sri Meenakshi Temple - The Shape of Texas | PBS, retrieved 24 February 2024

* v
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* e

Hindu temples in the United States

* Akshardham
* BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Atlanta
* BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Chicago
* BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Chino Hills
* BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Houston
* Boise Hare Krishna Temple
* Durga Temple of Virginia
* Hindu Temple and Cultural Center of Birmingham
* Hindu Temple and Cultural Center of Iowa
* Hindu Temple and Cultural Center of Kansas City
* Hindu Temple and Cultural Center of the Rockies
* Hindu Temple of Atlanta
* Hindu Temple of Bloomington-Normal
* Hindu Temple of Central Indiana
* Hindu Temple of Dayton
* Hindu Temple of Delaware
* Hindu Temple of Florida
* Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago
* Hindu Temple of Greater Cincinnati
* Hindu Temple of Greater Wichita
* Hindu Temple of Las Vegas
* Hindu Temple of Minnesota
* Hindu Temple of Omaha
* Hindu Temple of St. Louis
* Hindu Temple of The Woodlands
* Hindu Temple of Toledo
* Iraivan Temple
* Kadavul Temple
* Karya Siddhi Hanuman Temple
* Maha Ganapati Temple of Arizona
* Malibu Hindu Temple
* Murugan Temple of North America
* Northwest Arkansas Hindu Temple
* New Vrindaban
* Prabhupada's Palace of Gold
* North Texas Hindu Mandir
* Oklahoma City Hindu Temple
* Radha Madhav Dham
* Radha Krishna Temple, Dallas
* Santa Barbara Vedanta Temple
* Society of Abidance in Truth
* Shiva Vishnu Hindu Temple of Greater Cleveland
* Shri Lakshmi Narayan Mandir Orlando
* Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Chicago (Itasca)
* Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Chicago (Wheeling)
* Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Downey
* Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, New Jersey (Colonia)
* Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, New Jersey (Weehawken)
* Sri Ganesha Temple of Alaska
* Sri Kasi Vishwanatha Temple Flint
* Sri Meenakshi Temple (Pearland, Texas)
* Sri Somesvara Temple
* Sri Siva Vishnu Temple
* Sri Venkateswara Temple of North Carolina
* Sri Venkateswara Temple, Pittsburgh
* Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam
* Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple (Spanish Fork)
* Vedanta Society Of Southern California, Ramakrishna Monastery
* Sri Lakshmi Temple, Ashland
* Vraj Hindu Temple
* Yogaville

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