In Ashland, Massachusetts, United States, Sri Lakshmi Temple honours Lakshmi, with Ganesha, Balaji, Nataraja, Parvati, Subramanya, Valli, Deivaanai, Navagrahas, Hanuman, Ayyappa and Garuda. It is also known as New England Hindu Temple, NEHTI.
Sri Lakshmi Temple is widely described as New England's first traditional Hindu temple and serves as a central place of worship and cultural life for the Greater Boston area Hindu community, drawing devotees from South Indian, North Indian and other diaspora backgrounds. In 1978, a small group of Hindu immigrant families in the Boston area began gathering for weekly prayer, first at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Melrose and later at the Needham Village Club.
United States carries a distinct temple identity of its own: Home to the largest Hindu temple outside India, alongside decades-old community mandirs built by generations of the diaspora.
Darshan hours and daily worship
| Session | Timing (as published) |
|---|---|
| Morning | Monday to Friday: 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM |
| Evening | Monday to Friday: 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM; Saturday, Sunday and holidays: 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM |
Poojas and daily rituals
Private poojas, vahana pooja, and online pooja booking available through the temple
Festivals and special-day timings
Regular darshan hours are usually extended, or set aside entirely, on these dates.
| Festival | Period | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Krishna Janmashtami | August or September | Celebration of the birth of Lord Krishna. |
| Upakarma | Typically August | Annual thread changing ceremony observed by the temple community. |
History and architecture
Architecture
Traditional South Indian temple architecture designed according to Vastu Shastra principles by architect Ganapathy Sthapati of the Institute of Architecture and Sculpture, Tamil Nadu
History
In 1978, a small group of Hindu immigrant families in the Boston area began gathering for weekly prayer, first at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Melrose and later at the Needham Village Club. The temple committee purchased twelve acres of wooded land in Ashland in 1981, broke ground in 1984, and the completed temple was consecrated in May 1990 by priests from India, the United States and Britain. A major expansion in 2018 added an auditorium, library, commercial kitchen and dining facilities.
Planning your visit
How to reach
117 Waverly Street, Ashland, Massachusetts 01721, in the Greater Boston metropolitan area.
Where this information comes from
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