Richmond Hill Temple near Toronto, Canada, is the biggest of its kind in North America! This is where would you see such an ensemble of Hindu Deities, attended to by highly dedicated and qualified priests in a very traditional way, much akin to some of the famous temples in South India / Sri Lanka.
The Richmond Hill Temple is in fact three temples in one, for it has three deities with their own respective main altars (“moola sthaanas”) and individual towers visible from the outside. The temple was originally conceived to be built as a Siva-Vishnu temple with two main altars, one for Sri Muruga, and the other for Sri Venkateshwara. Since it is always customary to have a Lord Ganesa’s altar first so as to get the temple project moving forward smoothly, the icon of Lord Ganesa was the first one to arrive.
In 1987-88, the main complex was designed and the construction commenced with lots of volunteers supporting the project, which resulted in significant cost reduction. The services in the main temple started with the installation of Lord Muruga in his present abode, on 2nd July 1988.
The overall design was done by the well known Mr. V.Janakiramana Sthapathi, who hails from the same architect family that built the famous Big Temple in Tanjavur in South India during the Chola period. He had designed and helped build the Temple with his team of sculptors, with consultations and advice from many religious experts and leaders including the Senior Sankaracharya of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam. The beauty and the greatness of the fine artwork are beyond description and can be appreciated only by a personal visit and experience.
The Richmond Hill Temple complex is said to be the largest Hindu Temple in North America built and run under the Agama Sastra traditions as specified in the scriptures.