Houston Hindu Festival and Temple Guide

The Sri Meenakshi Temple in Pearland, the BAPS mandir in Stafford and Hillcroft's Mahatma Gandhi District.

Temples

Houston has some of the oldest Hindu temples in the United States. The Sri Meenakshi Temple in Pearland, consecrated in 1982, is a Dravidian-style granite temple modelled on Madurai's Meenakshi Temple. The carved-stone BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Stafford is the largest of its kind in Texas. Sugar Land, Katy and other suburbs have many more temples.

Festival season

Navratri — garba nights across the metro area.
Durga Puja — Bengali associations hold pujas in Houston and its suburbs.
Diwali — temple celebrations and community melas.
Ganesh Chaturthi — temple and community pujas.

Shopping for puja items

The Mahatma Gandhi District along Hillcroft Avenue in south-west Houston is the city's best-known Indian shopping area, with grocers, sari shops, jewellers and sweet shops.

See live listings: temples in Houston.

Visiting the Meenakshi Temple

The Sri Meenakshi Temple in Pearland is the heart of Houston's Tamil community. Its white granite rajagopuram, shrines to Meenakshi and Sundareswarar and peacock sanctuary make it worth a long visit; the temple canteen is popular after darshan.

Visiting the Stafford mandir

The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir on Brand Lane was carved from 33,000 pieces of marble and limestone. Allow time for the Understanding Hinduism exhibition, dress modestly and arrive early on Diwali and Annakut.

Timings for Texas

Houston's panchang is calculated for local sunrise in Central Time, so tithi dates can differ from India — check the Houston panchang before a vrat or puja.

Frequently asked questions

How old is the Sri Meenakshi Temple?

Its consecration (Mahakumbhabhishekam) was in 1982, making it one of the oldest Hindu temples in the United States.

Where do Houston families shop for Diwali?

The Mahatma Gandhi District on Hillcroft Avenue is the best-known Indian shopping area, with grocers, sweet shops and sari shops.