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A number of Hindu temples dot the city of Sydney, all built strictly to architectural guidelines listed in the ancient Hindu scriptures.
- Sri Mandir (286 Cumberland Rd, Auburn) is Australia’s oldest Hindu temple, built in 1977. It caters to the spiritual needs of Hindus from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds.
- Completed in 1985, the Sri Venkateswara Temple (Temple Rd, Helensburgh) is dedicated to Lord Venkateswara, one of the forms of Lord Vishnu (the Preserver of the Universe).
- The Murugan Temple at 217 Great Western Highway, Mays Hill, is dedicated to Lord Murugan, the Hindu god of war and victory popular with the Tamils.
- The Mukti Gupteshwar Temple at 203 Eagleview Rd, Minto, is dedicated to Lord Shiva (the Destroyer of the Universe). Built in a cave-style, it was consecrated on 14 Feb 1999 when certain planets aligned in a fashion described in the epic Ramayana, an arrangement that reportedly occurs once every hundred years. The temple houses an auspicious symbol relating to Lord Shiva, water from the five oceans and from 81 rivers from across the world, and two million hand-written notes from devotees.
- Right next door at 201 Eagleview Rd, is another temple worth visiting, the Shri Shiv Mandir.
- The BAPS Swaminarayan Temple (40 Eleanor St, Rosehill) and ISKCON Temple (180 Falcon St,North Sydney) are two other popular temples.
- Sydney’s Sikh community worships at Sikh temples known as Gurudwaras (literally, ‘gateway to the guru’). The temples house the holy book of the Sikhs, the Guru Granth Sahib, and large dining halls where devotees eat Langar, the food of the Lord. The Gurudwaras in Sydney are at Revesby (14-22 The River Rd), Turramurra (81 Kissing Point Rd), Glenwood (8 Meurants Lane) and Penrith (15-27 Blaikie Rd, Jamiesontown).