Set in Lemont, Illinois, United States, Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago honours Rama Sita Lakshmana, Ganesha, Hanuman, Venkateshwara, Mahalakshmi, Radha Krishna, Shiva, Durga, Subrahmanya, Parvathi, Nataraja, Ayyappa, Navagraha. It is also known as HTGC, Lemont Temple.
One of the oldest and largest Hindu temple complexes in the Midwest United States, serving as the primary religious and cultural hub for the greater Chicago Hindu community across multiple regional traditions, and home to a notable 10 foot bronze statue of Swami Vivekananda. The temple society was established in 1977 by South Indian community leaders in the Chicago area, who evaluated around thirty sites before selecting eighteen acres of bluff land near Lemont for its accessibility and seclusion.
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 | Opens 9:00 AM, first archana around 10:30 AM |
| Evening | Last archana around 8:30 PM, closes 9:00 PM |
Overall temple hours are 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM daily; specific deity archana and abhishekam timings vary by day of the week.
Poojas and daily rituals
Sri Rama Abhishekam (Sunday 10:30 AM), Sri Rama Mahabhishekam (2nd Sunday), Sri Hanuman Pooja (Tuesday), Sri Dutta Pooja (Thursday), Sri Maha Lakshmi Abhishekam (Friday)
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. |
| Ganesha Chaturthi Mahotsavam | August or September | Multi-day festival honoring Lord Ganesha. |
| Radha Ashtami | August or September | Festival marking the appearance day of Radha. |
History and architecture
Architecture
Rama Temple built in the Chola dynasty style of South Indian temple architecture with an 80 foot gopuram tower; complex includes a separate Ganesha-Shiva-Durga temple, a community center connecting the two shrines, and the Swami Vivekananda Spiritual Center
History
The temple society was established in 1977 by South Indian community leaders in the Chicago area, who evaluated around thirty sites before selecting eighteen acres of bluff land near Lemont for its accessibility and seclusion. The foundation stone of the Rama Temple was laid in June 1984, and the Rama Temple was consecrated with a kumbhabhishekam ceremony on July 4, 1986. The separate Ganesha-Shiva-Durga temple on the same campus was consecrated in 1994.
Planning your visit
How to reach
Located at 10915 Lemont Road, Lemont, IL 60439, in the Chicago southwest suburbs; accessible by car from the Chicago metro area with on-site parking.
Where this information comes from
Confidence: Medium. Founding history and architecture are well corroborated by Wikipedia; specific pooja schedule was sourced from a secondary aggregator site (templesinindiainfo.com) rather than confirmed directly on htgc.org, and should be reverified; entry fee and dress code could not be verified.