Sri Maha Vallabha Ganapati Devasthanam - Queens, New York
The Hindu Temple Society of North America was incorporated in 1970, and soon after that acquired the site of a former Russian Orthodox Church to build what it says is the first traditional Hindu temple in America. Informally known as the Ganesh Temple, the massive and intricate granite structure was completed in 1977 and consecrated that summer.
Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple - Aurora, Illinois
Midwestern Hindu devotees came together in the 1980s, led by nine families who donated 20 acres of land that became the site of this sprawling Balaji temple. According to its website’s history section, “Since Sri Venkateswara swami (Balaji) temple is an institution that has to serve innumerable generations to come, plans were drawn on a magnificent scale related to the means available and the needs of the moment.”
