Tividale Tirupathy Balaji Temple

The Shri Venkateswara (Balaji) Temple (gbmapping|SO980906) is the first temple for the deity Shri Venkateswara (Balaji) in Europe. It is on Dudley Road East, A457 behind the Meadows School in Tividale, West Midlands, England, on the border between Tipton and Oldbury; it was designed to replicate the Tirupati Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati, India, which is the second busiest and richest religious centre in the world after the Vatican.

It opened on August 23, 2006 and was consecrated in a five-day ceremony between 23-27 August 2006. The Vishnu incarnation Lord Venkateswara is the presiding deity, with two other deities either side of him in the main temple- his wife Padmavati, an incarnation of Vishnu's wife Lakshmi, and Hanuman the monkey God featuring in the Ramayana epic. Outside there are two small Shiva temples to his sons Ganesh and Murugan, along with a hall for Navagraha or small astrological representations of nine celestial bodies. It is an increasingly magnificent, well appointed complex, very active with resident Brahmin priests; it is not necessary to be a Hindu to visit, but shoes are removed and photographing inside is not allowed.

Also on the site are a Hindu community centre, gatehouse, fountain and various developing lawn areas and walkways (in January 2008); the main building has two storeys, with the temple upstairs and service and administration below; Vedic tradition and Sanskrit language classes are held. Many of the Hindu community in the area speak Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam; the temple is a not-for-profit organisation.

=Links to

* [http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m71/SeanMcHugh02/Tividale%20temple/Tividaletemple029.jpgApproachway with Navagraha to the right]
* [http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m71/SeanMcHugh02/Tividale%20temple/Tividaletemple022.jpgGatehouse]
* [http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m71/SeanMcHugh02/Tividale%20temple/Templeportraits13-07-07020.jpgMain entrance]
* [http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m71/SeanMcHugh02/Tividale%20temple/Tividaletemple036.jpgGanesh temple]
* [http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m71/SeanMcHugh02/Tividale%20temple/Tividaletemple024.jpgVishnu on multi-headed primeval Shesha Naga]

ee also

* Nerul Balaji Temple, Maharashtra

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External links

* [http://www.venkateswara.org.uk/ Shri Venkateswara (Balaji) Temple official site]