In Calabasas, California, United States, Malibu Hindu Temple is a shrine to Venkateswara, also known as Lord Balaji, in the upper temple; Shiva in the lower temple. It is also known as Sri Venkateswara Temple; sometimes called the Malibu Sri Venkateswara Hindu Temple, though its address is actually in Calabasas, not Malibu.
It is one of the oldest and best known Vaishnavite Hindu temples in the Los Angeles area, drawing devotees from across Southern California. It received mainstream media attention in 2006 when singer Britney Spears had her infant son blessed there. The temple was founded in 1981 by the Hindu Temple Society of Southern California and built in the Santa Monica Mountains near Malibu, though its physical address is in Calabasas.
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 | 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM on weekdays; continuous 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM on weekends |
| Evening | 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM on weekdays |
Hours vary on festival days and holidays. The approach road is single lane and can see congestion at peak visiting times.
Poojas and daily rituals
Daily aarti at 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM.
Festivals and special-day timings
Regular darshan hours are usually extended, or set aside entirely, on these dates.
| Festival | Period | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Sri Seetha Rama Kalyanam Celebration | Typically around Rama Navami, March or April | Commemorates the divine wedding of Sri Rama and Sita. |
| Panguni Uthiram Celebration | Tamil month of Panguni, typically March or April | A Tamil Hindu festival celebrating the marriage of Lord Rama and Sita. |
History and architecture
Architecture
Two separate temple complexes built of concrete in the Dravidian, South Indian architectural style. The upper complex houses Venkateswara and the lower complex houses Shiva.
History
The temple was founded in 1981 by the Hindu Temple Society of Southern California and built in the Santa Monica Mountains near Malibu, though its physical address is in Calabasas. It has two separate complexes, an upper temple for Lord Venkateswara and a lower temple for Lord Shiva, plus additional shrines for Rama, Lakshmana and Sita, Radha Krishna, Hanuman, Ganesha, Karthikeya and the Navagrahas. Nadadur Vardhan served as temple president until his death in 2017, and Nadadur S. Kumar has led it since 2021.
Planning your visit
How to reach
Address: 1600 Las Virgenes Canyon Rd, Calabasas, CA 91302, accessible from Pacific Coast Highway and the 101 Freeway. The approach road is single lane and can be congested at peak times.
Where this information comes from
Confidence: Medium. Hours, dress code and address confirmed on the temple's own site and cross-checked with Wikipedia. Only the two festivals actually listed on the temple's own events page were included since specific annual dates shift year to year; secondary aggregator sites also mention Diwali, Navratri and Brahmotsavam but those were not independently confirmed on the official site, so they were left out rather than guessed at.