Sri Venkateswara Temple of North Carolina

Starting in 1988, there was a growing demand by South Indians in the Research Triangle for an alternative South Indian style temple. The only Hindu Temple in the area was an eclectic Hindu Temple in Morrisville. In July 1998, a couple bought 2.8 Acres of Land in an undeveloped plot of land in Cary. On Jan 1999, a Bhoomi Puja was held to purify the land and allow construction to begin. In 2002, Cary approved the land to be zoned for the building of a Hindu Temple. Three years later, the plans and design for SV Temple were finalized and by 2007, construction began. In April 2009, The Temple was complete and on May 29, 2009, Prana Pratishtha, a ceremony dedicated to inviting a deity to live in the temple, was held and the Hindu Temple was open the following day.[2] The opening ceremony of the SV Temple was attended by over 10,000 guests including several politicians. During the ceremony a 9-foot, 2 ton, statue of Sri Venkateswara, a form of Vishnu, was installed along with 18 other deities. The total cost of the ceremony was over $1 Million.[3] Governor Roy Cooper signed a Diwali Proclamation at SV Temple North Carolina in 2017.[4] In 2019, Cary bought the Nancy Jones House, the oldest building in Cary, from SV Temple, NC for 100,000 dollars and is currently in the process of relocating it off of Temple Grounds. The reason for buying it was to preserve it for historical preservation.[5]

The Temple is modeled after the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Southern India and was designed with Murtis, Hindu Idols, common in Hinduism sects practiced in Southern India. Originally at 2.8 acres, the campus size has since expanded to 9 acres. Construction was estimated to be 6 Million but only cost 3.5 Million. 14 Artisans were brought in from India to hand carve Hindu idols into the marble.[6]