01The first gopuram in Australia
The Sri Venkateswara Temple Association was formed in Sydney on 17 November 1978 by Indian and Sri Lankan families who wanted a temple built by the Agamas. They found land on the edge of the Royal National Park at Helensburgh, among gum trees on the escarpment above the coast. Sthapatis from India built the shrines, and on 30 June 1985 the Mahakumbhabhishekam consecrated Ganapathi as Sri Varasiddhi Vinayagar, and the main deities, Sri Venkateswara, Sri Mahalakshmi and Sri Andal. Later shrines of Shiva, Murugan, Durga, Ayyappa and the Navagrahas followed.
02Festivals by the escarpment
The temple is the centre of Hindu worship for Sydney’s south and the Illawarra, and Vaikunta Ekadashi and the annual Brahmotsavam bring crowds out of the city by road and train. Its Maha Kumbhabhishekam after the most recent renovation drew some 30,000 devotees, the temple’s fourth consecration since its foundation. The town has taken it to itself: the temple’s gopuram appears on Helensburgh’s street banners.
The life of this place
- 17 November 1978The Sri Venkateswara Temple Association is formed.
- 30 June 1985The main shrines are consecrated.
Temple Road, Helensburgh, about 45 km south of central Sydney; Helensburgh railway station is a short taxi ride away.
