Malibu Hindu Temple
Malibu Hindu Temple
4
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
1 within 3 miles
Attractions
53 within 6 miles
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.0
57 reviews
Excellent
24
Very good
24
Average
6
Poor
2
Terrible
1
Neelam Rawat
Los Angeles, CA920 contributions
Sept 2024 • Couples
Malibu Hindu Temple is a serene place with beautiful South Indian architecture. Peaceful, well-maintained, and welcoming, it's perfect for spiritual reflection or exploring Hindu culture. Worth visiting!
Written 12 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sachin K
New York City, NY6,552 contributions
Feb 2019 • Family
This temple in Malibu near Los Angeles is fantastic. Architecturally very beautiful inside out, one gets positive vibes inside the temple. Photography is not permitted inside the temple. Certainly would very highly recommend visiting the same to any traveler, when in LA area.
Written 7 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Colibrí Viajero
San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico977 contributions
Sept 2013 • Family
We were driving by the temple and decided to take a look. The architecture was quite impressive, like any temple in India. It takes about 15 minutes to visit, unless you go for puja (prayer).
I decided to have lunch there, but I didn't really like the food.
I decided to have lunch there, but I didn't really like the food.
Written 10 August 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
S V
1 contribution
May 2024 • Family
Call it temple Business🤑 car pooja $101 + forced tip starts at $30, $50 or more BEWARE!!
Can’t believe what just happened to us, we went to get car pooja done & we were charged $101 plus pooja stuff $16 dollars for 3 banana 1 coconut and 5 lemons.
When I heard the price I wanted to run but my spouse is very gullible and didn’t want to be counting money to do new car pooja so we paid got the priest to do the pooja.
But what made me angry & wanted to write here is this priest really had to be the worst I met in my entire life, after pooja he says give dakshina to bless you. We genuinely didn’t carry a lot of cash and had about 5 or 10 dollars which we offered all of it & he refused to take & asked us to Zelle at least close to $30 or $50 or more.
My goodness, he insisted we pay him thru Zelle for which my gullible spouse gave in again 😖
I am angry & disgusted to say the least. And they want us to come again.
Lord Venkateshwara lives in our hearts I don’t have to go to this temple and get fooled by these money hunger people.
Beware if you are ever going for car pooja!
Can’t believe what just happened to us, we went to get car pooja done & we were charged $101 plus pooja stuff $16 dollars for 3 banana 1 coconut and 5 lemons.
When I heard the price I wanted to run but my spouse is very gullible and didn’t want to be counting money to do new car pooja so we paid got the priest to do the pooja.
But what made me angry & wanted to write here is this priest really had to be the worst I met in my entire life, after pooja he says give dakshina to bless you. We genuinely didn’t carry a lot of cash and had about 5 or 10 dollars which we offered all of it & he refused to take & asked us to Zelle at least close to $30 or $50 or more.
My goodness, he insisted we pay him thru Zelle for which my gullible spouse gave in again 😖
I am angry & disgusted to say the least. And they want us to come again.
Lord Venkateshwara lives in our hearts I don’t have to go to this temple and get fooled by these money hunger people.
Beware if you are ever going for car pooja!
Written 16 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thangam M
Chennai1,459 contributions
Jun 2018 • Family
The Malibu Hindu temple is actually located in Calabasas about ten miles northeast of Malibu. The drive up to the temple is on narrow, really picturesque roads. The temple built of marble and white brick in traditional South Indian style, has a very scenic setting in the Santa Monica mountains.
Surrounded by expanses of open space, the white temple structure stands out against the backdrop of the lush green tree-dotted hills. The temple ‘gopurams’ (pyramid shaped towers) are finely worked with carved images from Indian scriptures and mythology. Dating back about 40 years to 1981, it is owned and run by the Hindu Temple Society of Southern California.
The temple is dedicated to two presiding deities – the upper temple complex for Lord Venkateswara and the lower temple complex has Lord Shiva. Apart from the presiding deities, both temple complexes have altars dedicated to other Hindu gods such as Ram, Lakshman, Sita, Hanuman, Ganesh, Padmavati, Bhoodevi, Krishna and Radha.
As per Hindu faith, there is only one god although in different forms – the religion is unique in that it encourages believers to worship their favourite god or goddess, because in the final analysis they are all manifestations of one God.
Walking barefoot on the cool and clean temple floors, one can inhale the fragrance of sandalwood and incense and hear the priests chanting their ‘mantras’ or conducting ‘pujas’ requested by visiting devotees.
Tiered chandeliers provide illumination within the temple. The priests reside on the grounds of the temple complex. A large subterranean Cultural Hall offers space for functions, music and dance recitals.
On weekends and holidays, the temple kitchen serves up reasonably priced, tasty, good quality vegetarian fare. The kitchen is in the Cultural Hall below the upper temple complex and all the food served here is prepared on site by volunteers.
All “poojas”, “abhishekams”, “aarathis”, and “archanas” require tickets to be bought at the Temple Office.
Apart from the regular ‘aarathis’, ‘archanas’ and ‘abhishekams’, the temple website lists the various ‘homams’ and ‘samskaras’ that can be done both within the temple and outside the temple on weekdays and weekends/holidays. The outside the temple option is more expensive compared to the same done within the temple and also requires travel expense to be met. The outside the temple option on weekends/holidays, costs more as compared to the outside the temple option on weekdays.
Wedding engagement and wedding ceremonies can be conducted at the temple on payment of the required charges. Apart from payment for conducting the ceremonies, a further payment needs to be made for use of the Cultural Hall for an 8-hour span – the payment for use of the hall is significantly less on weekdays as compared to weekends/holidays. Additional payments are required for the services of the priest and use of the kitchen. The person hiring the hall is responsible for cleaning it before handing over the premises back to the temple.
Photography of the temple exterior and its grounds is allowed – no photographs are permitted within the temple. Admission is open to all regardless of religion, colour, ethnicity, race or gender. Visitors are expected to be appropriately dressed – footwear is not allowed within the temple. Smoking on the premises is prohibited as also non-vegetarian food.
Temple trivia: This temple featured in the 1997 Chris Farley movie Beverly Hills Ninja and the 1998 Tamil film Jeans. In 2006, Britney Spears had her son blessed at the temple.
The Malibu Hindu Temple was most recently in the news in November 2018. There was great apprehension that the temple could be in harm’s way as winds fanned the flames of the raging Woolsey fire that decimated large stretches of nearby land and property including several celebrity homes. While the flames did come threateningly close and the temple was forced to close for a little over a week, perhaps it was collective prayers and divine grace that saw it finally come through unscathed.
The temple is open all days of the year. Timings are:
Weekdays: Summer 9am - 1230pm and 5pm - 8pm | Winter 9am - 1230pm and 5pm - 7pm
Weekends & Holidays: Summer and Winter 8am - 7pm
There are no entry fees but voluntary donations are appreciated.
The Malibu Hindu Temple is calm and restful even as it has an indefinable positive energy about it. It matters little whether you are a Hindu or not – being here is soothing balm for the mind and soul.
Surrounded by expanses of open space, the white temple structure stands out against the backdrop of the lush green tree-dotted hills. The temple ‘gopurams’ (pyramid shaped towers) are finely worked with carved images from Indian scriptures and mythology. Dating back about 40 years to 1981, it is owned and run by the Hindu Temple Society of Southern California.
The temple is dedicated to two presiding deities – the upper temple complex for Lord Venkateswara and the lower temple complex has Lord Shiva. Apart from the presiding deities, both temple complexes have altars dedicated to other Hindu gods such as Ram, Lakshman, Sita, Hanuman, Ganesh, Padmavati, Bhoodevi, Krishna and Radha.
As per Hindu faith, there is only one god although in different forms – the religion is unique in that it encourages believers to worship their favourite god or goddess, because in the final analysis they are all manifestations of one God.
Walking barefoot on the cool and clean temple floors, one can inhale the fragrance of sandalwood and incense and hear the priests chanting their ‘mantras’ or conducting ‘pujas’ requested by visiting devotees.
Tiered chandeliers provide illumination within the temple. The priests reside on the grounds of the temple complex. A large subterranean Cultural Hall offers space for functions, music and dance recitals.
On weekends and holidays, the temple kitchen serves up reasonably priced, tasty, good quality vegetarian fare. The kitchen is in the Cultural Hall below the upper temple complex and all the food served here is prepared on site by volunteers.
All “poojas”, “abhishekams”, “aarathis”, and “archanas” require tickets to be bought at the Temple Office.
Apart from the regular ‘aarathis’, ‘archanas’ and ‘abhishekams’, the temple website lists the various ‘homams’ and ‘samskaras’ that can be done both within the temple and outside the temple on weekdays and weekends/holidays. The outside the temple option is more expensive compared to the same done within the temple and also requires travel expense to be met. The outside the temple option on weekends/holidays, costs more as compared to the outside the temple option on weekdays.
Wedding engagement and wedding ceremonies can be conducted at the temple on payment of the required charges. Apart from payment for conducting the ceremonies, a further payment needs to be made for use of the Cultural Hall for an 8-hour span – the payment for use of the hall is significantly less on weekdays as compared to weekends/holidays. Additional payments are required for the services of the priest and use of the kitchen. The person hiring the hall is responsible for cleaning it before handing over the premises back to the temple.
Photography of the temple exterior and its grounds is allowed – no photographs are permitted within the temple. Admission is open to all regardless of religion, colour, ethnicity, race or gender. Visitors are expected to be appropriately dressed – footwear is not allowed within the temple. Smoking on the premises is prohibited as also non-vegetarian food.
Temple trivia: This temple featured in the 1997 Chris Farley movie Beverly Hills Ninja and the 1998 Tamil film Jeans. In 2006, Britney Spears had her son blessed at the temple.
The Malibu Hindu Temple was most recently in the news in November 2018. There was great apprehension that the temple could be in harm’s way as winds fanned the flames of the raging Woolsey fire that decimated large stretches of nearby land and property including several celebrity homes. While the flames did come threateningly close and the temple was forced to close for a little over a week, perhaps it was collective prayers and divine grace that saw it finally come through unscathed.
The temple is open all days of the year. Timings are:
Weekdays: Summer 9am - 1230pm and 5pm - 8pm | Winter 9am - 1230pm and 5pm - 7pm
Weekends & Holidays: Summer and Winter 8am - 7pm
There are no entry fees but voluntary donations are appreciated.
The Malibu Hindu Temple is calm and restful even as it has an indefinable positive energy about it. It matters little whether you are a Hindu or not – being here is soothing balm for the mind and soul.
Written 8 February 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TheSwedishBeaver
Goteborg126 contributions
Jul 2012 • Couples
This is obviously an insider destination for insiders. A big clean complex, lots of parking, absolutely no signs or guidance. Discovered a place for leaving my shoes, which was naturally followed. Imagine my embarrassment when it was discovered that everybody else was walking in bare feet and the kid was wearing stockings...
This is a seriously working temple. They are not set up to receive visitors, provide information, share ideas, or even giving out the most simple brochure.
Complements for opening up this temple to the public. Regrettably, the visit was not one of further education, orientation, or enlightenment......
This is a seriously working temple. They are not set up to receive visitors, provide information, share ideas, or even giving out the most simple brochure.
Complements for opening up this temple to the public. Regrettably, the visit was not one of further education, orientation, or enlightenment......
Written 27 May 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tad A
Santa Barbara, CA29 contributions
May 2014 • Couples
If you drive to temple from 1(beach), the drive is awesome just like thrupathi. The temple is ok. The food is ok. There are no priests in main temple and the building does not offer direction inside. On the top floor you have the main temple and in the ground level you have other gods. The office and canteen are down below the temple. I think they can do better.
Written 12 May 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RealScorz
Calabasas, CA16 contributions
Aug 2016 • Couples
A beautiful, ornate, pristinely white temple that is unlike anything you have ever seen. Certainly in the Sav Fernando Valley! It is a learning experience for those unfamiliar with Hinduism and worth broadening your cultural horizons.
Written 14 November 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
F1shst1kz
San Francisco, CA82 contributions
Jun 2014 • Friends
we were in malibu during rush hour and decided to stop by here to avoid traffic back to LA. worked out perfectly. this place is beautiful. you can walk around and take in the decor of the whole place. for me, it was a one time thing. but well worth it.
Written 16 July 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anandha Bharathi
Los Angeles, CA145 contributions
Feb 2018 • Family
The temple is clean, pure white. We had a tasty prasadam(for 3$) in lunch time.
Temple gave us a blessed feeling!!!
The idol is similar to thirupathi balaji!!!
Must visit for hindus!!
Best place for others!!
Temple gave us a blessed feeling!!!
The idol is similar to thirupathi balaji!!!
Must visit for hindus!!
Best place for others!!
Written 25 February 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
What is the mail ID of Malibu Temple ? How to convey some messages?
Written 22 February 2019
Yes, the 'Contact Us' tab on their website - they say they will respond in 24 hours ... alternatively they suggest calling (818) 880 5552 during temple hours
Written 23 February 2019
personal--yes
professional...just call and ask
Written 8 August 2016
Showing results 1-2 of 2
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing