Perth Shiva Temple

Perth Shiva Temple
பெர்த் சிவன் கோவில்
Perth Shiva Temple gopuram
Religion
AffiliationHinduism
DeityShiva and Meenakshi
FestivalsMaha Shivaratri, Pradosham
StatusActive
Location
Location271 Warton Road, Canning Vale WA 6155
StateWestern Australia
CountryAustralia
Perth Shiva Temple is located in Perth
Perth Shiva Temple
Shown within Perth
Coordinates32°05′00.1″S 115°56′58.6″E / 32.083361°S 115.949611°E / -32.083361; 115.949611
Architecture
TypeDravidian architecture
Groundbreaking1990 (1990)
Completed1991 (1991)
Direction of façadeEast
Website
hindu.org.au Edit this at Wikidata

The Perth Shiva Temple (Tamil: பெர்த் சிவன் கோவில்), officially the Perth Hindu Temple, is a Hindu temple in Canning Vale, in Perth, Western Australia, dedicated to the god Shiva and his consort, the goddess Meenakshi. The temple is run by the Shri Shiva Devasthanam, a non-profit religious organisation, and was completed in the early 1990s. It is the oldest Hindu temple in Western Australia.

History

Statue of the god Shiva at the entrance of the temple

Plans for a Hindu temple in Perth began in 1985. The land was consecrated in 1987 by Swami Shantanand Saraswati and construction was completed and the murtis were installed in February 1990.[1] It is the oldest Hindu temple in Western Australia;[2] another temple was built in Perth by Tamil Hindus.[3] The temple's construction, including a final Royal Tower (for which the Perth council contributed over US$600,000) took over 20 years and was completed in June 2008.[4][5]

In May 2022, in the lead-up to Australia's national elections, both major parties promised donations of A$1 million towards the development of the temple.[6][7][8]

Deities inside the Temple

Festivals and events

The temple priests perform pujas to specific gods and goddesses.[9] In addition, festivals celebrated at the temple include the following:

Maha Shivaratri

During Maha Shivaratri, the temple is open for an entire day and night of fasting and meditation in honour of the god Shiva.

Purattasi

Purattasi is a Hindu month celebrating Perumal (an avatar of Vishnu), with prayers and a vegetarian feast each Saturday.

Pradosham

Pradosham, involves bimonthly prayers to Shiva during the three hours surrounding sunset on the thirteenth day of every fortnight in the Hindu calendar, with an hour-long mantra sung in the temple.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Perth Hindu Temple history". Perth Hindu Temple. Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  2. ^ "Morrison government promises one million dollars each for Perth Hindu and Sikh Temples, if re-elected". NRI Affairs. 20 April 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  3. ^ Cush, Denise; Robinson, Catherine; York, Michael (2012). "Australasia, Hindus in". Encyclopedia of Hinduism. p. 60. ISBN 9781135189785.
  4. ^ Emery, Ryan (2 June 2008). "Temple a blessing for city's Hindus". The Australian Magazine, The Weekend Australian. p. 7.
  5. ^ "A towering achievement". Fremantle-Cockburn Gazette (Perth, Australia). 17 June 2008. p. 28.
  6. ^ "Around $270 million worth of promises have been made by Labor for WA. Here's a seat-by-seat guide to them all". ABC News. 23 May 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  7. ^ "Morrison government promises one million dollars each for Perth Hindu and Sikh Temples, if re-elected - NRI Affairs". 20 April 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  8. ^ "Political parties pledge millions in new funds to woo Indian Australian voters". SBS Language. 18 May 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  9. ^ "Poojas". Perth Hindu Temple. Retrieved 19 October 2022.