During the 1970's our founders had a dream; a dream to create a sanctuary for prayer & meditation to Lord Venkateswara (Lord of the heaven) and to establish a Hindu spiritual centre in this part of the country to fill the vast gap in the spiritual life amongst a large section of our community. The inspiration was the Thirupathi (heaven on earth) Temple in Andhra Pradesh in South India. The charity Shri Venkateswara (Balaji) Temple as a Charitable Trust was set up in 1984 by a dedicated group of Hindus.

Location Dudley Road East  Tividale West Midlands B69 3DU England

Legend 

The Thirupathi Temple which the Tividale temple is modelled on is set amongst seven hills in the lush tropical forest in the second oldest Rock Mountains called Eastern Ghats; the oldest being the Rocky Mountain in Americas. The natural beauty of the setting justifies its name meaning 'heaven on earth'. The Thirupathi temple is the most visited Hindu place of worship in the world and it is the richest in terms of offerings made by the devotees and this fund supports a large number of charities. After three decades of scouring the country for a suitable place for the temple, the trustees found the land here in Tividale. The nearest thing to Thirupathi we got was Brades Hall Farm – a disused farm and a tip called 'Monks Tip' bounded by a canal, a neglected stretch of river Tame and a narrow busy road A457. Who would have guessed that there would be a place of worship here? The site was acquired in 1995.

Architecture

The Hindu style of temple architecture evolved over many centuries has many distinctive features depending on the region and the period. Shri Venkateswara Temple reflects the South Indian Dravidian styles (Pallava, Chola & Pandya) with distinctive granite carved Gopuras (towers) incorporating many traditional stone carvings.

The East facing temple complex with shrines and the main Gopura are planned symmetrically about a truly East West axis. The access road leads one to the courtyard through the main Gopura opening on to a vista with shrines on both sides (yet to be completed) and the imposing main temple with grand ceremonial stairs in front. The community centre reflects the Buddhist style with distinctive vaulted horse-shoe roof form.

The temple complex consisting of the main temple, the shrines and the East tower covers an area measuring 450 ft long and 200 ft wide. The main temple is 166 ft long, 111 ft wide and 55 ft high to the crown. The assembly hall in the main temple is 120 ft long and 74 ft wide with space for up to 700 devotees. The site covers approximately 12 acres and has generous space for the planned seven faith hills and for open landscaped areas for reflective meditation and relaxation. Further 10 acres of landfill area is to be retained as open space mainly as nature reserve. The community Hall containing two assembly halls and a kitchen has the facility for educational, cultural and recreational activity for the community.

The overall plan for the complex includes seven symbolic hills dedicated to major faiths and as a first step, Lord Buddha's statue, carved in wood by a local artist was installed on a hill dedicated to Buddhism in May 2001. In 2008, the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Rowan Williams visited the temple and formally opened the Christian Hill installing a plaque with a quote from the bible.

 Darsan Dresscode

Park your car without blocking the access ways to other car users.

For information and assistance, enquire at the reception

Do not leave your shoes in the entrance lobby. There are designated areas on the ground floor for shoes in the inner lobby adjacent to toilets. Remove your shoes before going to the POOJA HALL on the first floor. Do not allow your children to wander about without supervision.

Help us to maintain the tidiness and cleanliness of the premises by putting your litter in the designated bins. Leave the toilets in as clean a condition as you would wish to find it yourself.

Do not enter into unauthorised areas such as priests’ quarters, kitchen, offices and store rooms which are clearly sign posted. Switch off your mobile phone before going to pooja Hall