Hindu temples beyond India

The journey in one line

7 stops in Nepal, Mauritius, Malaysia, United Kingdom, United States and Singapore so far. The first rung is 4 of them, and the list keeps growing.

Hindu practice has moved with people: with traders, with indentured labourers sent to sugar colonies in the nineteenth century, and with professionals who emigrated after the 1960s. Each wave built differently. Ganga Talao in Mauritius came from indenture. Sri Mariamman in Singapore came from early trade. The BAPS mandirs in London and New Jersey came from late twentieth century migration and were carved in India and shipped in pieces. Pashupatinath in Kathmandu is different again: not diaspora at all, but the national shrine of the only country that was a Hindu kingdom into this century.

These buildings are the record of a migration, and in several cases the community's first permanent claim on a place. They also show how much of the tradition can be carried. Robbinsville was assembled by volunteers over more than a decade from stone cut in Rajasthan and Bulgaria. The Penn Hills temple in Pittsburgh, consecrated in 1976, became the model that other American temples copied.

These are ordinary destinations in ordinary cities and most are free to enter. Ganga Talao is busiest at Maha Shivaratri in February or March, when hundreds of thousands walk there. Batu Caves is busiest at Thaipusam in January or February. The North American and British mandirs publish opening hours and welcome visitors outside worship times.

Where it goes

The stops, in order

What a visit means here. A visit means being in the authorised visitor area. Pashupatinath's main courtyard is open to Hindus only and the visit can be recorded from the public terraces.

1. 1

   Pashupatinath Temple

   पशुपतिनाथ मन्दिर

   Kathmandu, Nepal

   

   Pashupatinath on the Bagmati is the most important Shiva temple in Nepal and the seat of the country's guardian deity. The pagoda with its gilded roof dates in its present form to 1692. The ghats beside it are Nepal's main cremation ground.

   What counts as a visit

   The east bank terraces and the public areas of the complex. The main courtyard is for Hindus.

   Access

   Non-Hindus may not enter the main temple courtyard but can see it from the far bank. Photography at the cremation ghats is not appropriate. Checked 2026-09-17.

   Faith restrictedA place of reflection

   Check access · last checked September 17, 2026

2. 2

   Ganga Talao

   Grand Bassin

   Savanne, Mauritius

   

   Ganga Talao is a crater lake in the south of Mauritius that indentured Hindu labourers and their descendants made the island's holiest place. Water from the Ganga was added to it in 1972. At Maha Shivaratri several hundred thousand people walk here from across the island.

   What counts as a visit

   The lakeside temples and the public shore path.

   Access

   Footwear is removed at the temples. Macaques take food and bags. Checked 2026-09-17.

   Check access · last checked September 17, 2026

3. 3

   Batu Caves

   பத்து மலை

   Gombak, Malaysia

   

   Batu Caves is a limestone hill north of Kuala Lumpur with a Murugan temple in the main cavern, reached by 272 painted steps. A gold statue of Murugan stands at the foot. It is the focus of Thaipusam, when hundreds of thousands walk here.

   What counts as a visit

   The Temple Cave at the top of the stairs and the forecourt shrines.

   Access

   Knees and shoulders covered, with wraps available at the base. Macaques take food and bags. Checked 2026-09-17.

   Check access · last checked September 17, 2026

4. 4

   BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir

   London, United Kingdom

   

   The Neasden temple opened in 1995 and was the first traditional Hindu stone mandir in Europe. Limestone and marble were carved in India and shipped to London in nearly 27,000 numbered pieces. It sits beside a haveli of Burmese teak that holds the assembly hall.

   What counts as a visit

   The mandir, the haveli and the permanent exhibition.

   Access

   Free entry with a dress code. Footwear is removed before the mandir. Checked 2026-09-17.

   Check access · last checked September 17, 2026

5. 5

   BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham

   Robbinsville, New Jersey, United States

   

   The Robbinsville mandir opened in 2023 and is the largest Hindu temple outside India. It is built from Italian marble and Indian limestone, hand carved in India and assembled on site by volunteers over more than a decade. The main mandir stands in a campus of shrines, a step well and gardens.

   What counts as a visit

   The mandir and the public grounds and visitor centre.

   Access

   Free entry with a dress code covering shoulders and knees. Photography is limited inside the mandir. Checked 2026-09-17.

   Check access · last checked September 17, 2026

6. 6

   Sri Venkateswara Temple

   Penn Hills, Pennsylvania, United States

   

   The Penn Hills temple was consecrated in 1976 and was the first traditional Hindu temple built in the United States to a South Indian plan. Craftsmen came from India to carve the gopuram. It became a template for temple building across North America.

   What counts as a visit

   The temple and its public halls during opening hours.

   Access

   Footwear is removed at the entrance. Published daily hours. Checked 2026-09-17.

   Check access · last checked September 17, 2026

7. 7

   Sri Mariamman Temple

   ஸ்ரீ மாரியம்மன் கோவில்

   Singapore, Singapore

   

   Sri Mariamman is the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore, founded in 1827 by Naraina Pillai. The gopuram over South Bridge Road was added in the 1920s and is covered in tiers of figures. It is a national monument and still the main temple for the city's Tamil Hindu community.

   What counts as a visit

   The temple's public prayer hall and courtyard during opening hours.

   Access

   Footwear is left at the entrance and modest dress is expected. A photography pass applies inside. Checked 2026-09-17.

   Check access · last checked September 17, 2026

Respect and access

Footwear comes off at every one of these. Shoulders and knees stay covered and several have wraps at the door. Photography inside the shrine areas is usually restricted and sometimes banned outright. Visiting a diaspora temple is not a cultural attraction for the congregation who use it on a Tuesday evening. Keep out of the way of people who came to pray.

Faith restricted

The custodian limits entry by religion. Check the official terms before you travel. TravelDay does not ask what you believe and does not decide whether you qualify.

A place of reflection

This is a memorial or a site of atrocity. Visitors are asked to be quiet, to follow the custodian's guidance on photography, and to treat it as somewhere people grieve.

Opening times, prices, permits and eligibility change. Nothing on this page is a statement about today. Follow the Check access link on a place before you plan around it.

Sources

• whc.unesco.orghttps://whc.unesco.org/en/list/121 · checked September 17, 2026
• mauritiusnow.comhttps://www.mauritiusnow.com/attractions/ganga-talao/ · checked September 17, 2026
• malaysia.travelhttps://www.malaysia.travel/explore/batu-caves · checked September 17, 2026
• londonmandir.baps.orghttps://londonmandir.baps.org/ · checked September 17, 2026
• baps.orghttps://www.baps.org/robbinsville · checked September 17, 2026
• svtemple.orghttps://svtemple.org/ · checked September 17, 2026
• smt.org.sghttps://smt.org.sg/ · checked September 17, 2026

TravelDay selected and grouped these places. Naming a custodian, a government agency or UNESCO as a source is not a claim that any of them endorsed this journey.