Sri Venkateswara Temple, one of the first Hindu temples in North America, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
Ground was broken for the temple along McCully Drive in Penn Hills in June 1976, and work was completed in 1977.
Devotees began coming to the temple in 1976 to worship as the worked progressed, said Thulasiram Rajan, chairman of the temple’s board of directors.
Over the past 50 years, the temple has expanded and become a beacon for Hindu devotees.
“We get devotees from all over the nation and Canada,” Rajan said.
S.V. Temple is dedicated to Venkateswara, considered an incarnation of Vishnu, a deity associated with protection and preservation. The stone murti, or statue, of Venkateswara stands at the holiest spot in the temple. Images of other deities stand nearby, such as those of Lakshmi, goddess of prosperity, and Bhoodevi, goddess of the earth.
It is modeled after the famous Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Andhra Pradesh, India, Rajan said. S.V. Temple follows the same rituals as the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple.
S.V. Temple has 300 corporate members and draws 3,000 to 5,000 devotees each week, Rajan said.
“People coming from all over the states creates a major economic impact for Penn Hills, Monroeville and the adjacent communities,” Rajan said.
To honor the temple’s anniversary, board members began the 50th year Swarna Mahotsavam celebrations on Nov. 17, the exact date the temple was incepted in 1976.
“From then on, we’ve hosted a series of religious, cultural, educational and humanitarian initiatives,” Rajan said. “We have these programs every month, and it will continue until November 2026.”
The events have increased the amount of visitors the temple has seen lately, Rajan said.
“I would say (attendance) is increasing day by day,” he said. “For all these events, we see a surge of devotees, and we don’t see less of what we’ve seen in the past.”
The devotee number is rising to the point the temple has taken on fundraising efforts for a project dubbed the “devotee facility center” to help accommodate the number of people who visit the temple. On a monthly basis, Rajan said the temple provides free lunch for devotees who come to worship. Needing the space to feed 5,000 people at once is one reason the project is necessary.
S.V. Temple makes a point to give back to the communities surrounding it, Rajan said. In its five decades, the temple has given back to the community in the form of food drives, monetary donations and scholarships to the surrounding school districts — Gateway, Penn Hills, Pittsburgh Public and Woodland Hills.
The temple offers its own youth classes, teaching religious curriculum, language and dance classes. There also is a youth committee to think of initiatives and events for young devotees.
Rajan has been volunteering for S.V. Temple since 2004. He is serving as chairman for a year since the position rotates and is regularly filled by a different board membery.
“I feel proud volunteering at this temple,” Rajan said. “I would say one thing, personally to me, is the god is so powerful. So with the dedication, I feel so happy.”
In August, the S.V. Temple will host a multiday celebration from Aug. 13-16. On the last day, the board has invited local, state and federal political figures to attend, including Gov. Josh Shapiro and President Donald Trump. They also invited state and chief ministers of India as well as Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India.
To learn more about the temple, visit svtemple.org.