The Shri Venkateswara (Balaji) Temple () is one of the largest functioning Hindu temples in Europe. It is dedicated in the

Vaishnava Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...

tradition to a form of the Hindu god Vishnu. The temple is located in

Tividale Tividale is a district of the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, West Midlands. It straddles the borders of the towns of Dudley, Tipton, Oldbury. History Tividale Park has been known as Derygate (Deer Gate) Park; it can be traced back as f ...

West Midlands West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

between the suburbs of

Tipton Tipton is an industrial town in the West Midlands in England with a population of around 38,777 at the 2011 UK Census. It is located northwest of Birmingham. Tipton was once one of the most heavily industrialised towns in the Black Country, w ...

and Oldbury, northwest of

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

city. The temple was designed with inspiration from the

Tirupati Venkateswara Temple Venkateswara Temple is a Hindu temple situated in the hill town of Tirumala at Tirupati in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, India . The Temple is dedicated to lord Venkateswara, a form of Vishnu, who is believed to have appeared here to sa ...

Andhra Pradesh, India Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a States and union territories of India, state in the south-eastern Coastal India, coastal region of India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state by area covering ...

. The temple was consecrated and opened to the general public in August 2006. The primary deity worshiped at this temple is

Venkateswara Venkateswara, also known by various other names, is a form of the Hinduism, Hindu god Vishnu. Venkateswara is the presiding deity of the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, located in Tirupati, Sri Balaji District, Andhra Pradesh, India. Etymology ...

, a well known manifestation of

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

. Within the main temple complex are also shrines to his consort Padmavati(Alamelu). The temple also houses shrines to other major Hindu deities

Hanuman Hanuman (; sa, हनुमान, ), also called Anjaneya (), is a Hindu god and a divine '' vanara'' companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and on ...

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

Karthikeya Kartikeya ( sa, कार्त्तिकेय, Kārttikeya), also known as Skanda, Subrahmanya, Shanmukha (), and Murugan ( ta, முருகன்), is the Hindu god of war. He is the son of Parvati and Shiva, the brother of Ganesha ...

Ganesh Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva_(Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is ...

Ayappan Ayyappan an incarnation of dharma sastha, also called Manikandan, is a Hindu deity popular in Southern India, He is considered to be the epitome of dharma, truth, and righteousness and is often called upon to obliterate evil. Although devotion t ...

and the

Navagraha Navagraha are nine heavenly bodies and deities that influence human life on Earth according to Hinduism and Hindu astrology. The term is derived from ''nava'' ( sa, नव "nine") and ''graha'' ( sa, ग्रह "planet, seizing, laying hold of, ...

. The temple runs the Balaji School for Culture & Education which provides spiritual and cultural foundation for children and arranges classes on Veda (Hindu scriptures), music etc. The temple has a large Community Hall. The temple also provides free Matrimonial service by helps one find a suitable marriage partner. On site facilities include a large community centre, a gatehouse and a Gandhi Peace Centre. The temple operates annadhanam services, providing free meals for visitors funded by donations. Seeing up to 1500 visitors during the weekdays and 2500 visitors in the weekends, the temple does not only cater to the religious and spiritual requirements of Hindus. It receives over one hundred visits from special interest groups all across the UK and Europe, while playing an active role in supporting the community by welcoming school trips, hosting various cultural events and holding classes and teaching sessions in Vedic studies and Sanskrit for young people. The temple is a non-profit organisation and is a recognized charity in the UK.

References

External links

Shri Venkateswara (Balaji) Temple official site
Dead link Hindu temples in England Religious buildings and structures in the West Midlands (county) Tipton {{WestMidlands-struct-stub