About 20 years ago, a handful of Indian families who had migrated to the USA gathered together once a month in a local church or school to worship and celebrate festivals. These families nurtured a dream to build and maintain a full fledged Hindu temple in Delaware. Although it seemed a far flung idea back then, over the years the Indian community grew and the Hindu temple Association held fundraisers to build the temple. Through patience and planning, the ground breaking ceremony for the Temple was performed on Oct. 20th 1996 on about 4.5 acres of land in Hockessin purchased with donations of about 60 families who ardently wished to make this dream a reality. Thanks to divine intervention and financial help from the local Indian community and, construction began and the Hindu temple, Mahalakshmi Devasthanam was built. The main deity is Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity. The Hindu temple celebrated its Kumbhabhishekam in May 2002.

VISION

The Hindu Temple of Delaware will continue serve as a true beacon of Indian culture in the present times and strive to teach the modern generation of Indians, the age old and rich values of our culture. The Hindu temple at Delaware will provide a platform for all members to come together socially, culturally and religiously in harmony.

MISSION

The Hindu temple Association of Hockessin, is a non-profit association that caters to the religious, cultural and educational needs of a growing population of Indian families (6000+) in the tri-state area. The Hindu temple , Hockessin, Delaware is able to achieve this, thanks to an able board of trustees comprising people of various walks of life and profession and due to the countless hours put in by dedicated volunteers, staff priests and many others. The primary mission of the Hindu Temple is to cater to the spiritual needs of all Indian families and to celebrate all important milestones, rituals and festivals in a true traditional manner, thanks to our resident temple priests who are vedic scholars of Hinduism. The temple aims to get families together as a community and celebrate all important occasions in its premises. The Hindu temple aims to teach all youngsters the basics of Hinduism through scriptures and stories that highlight the important values of the religion. It also addresses the spiritual needs of adults through spirituality seminars and classes designed especially for adults The Temple also provides the infrastructure to teach children the most popular Indian languages through various language classes. The temple promotes cultural awareness by organizing cultural programs and shows on a regular basis to give our children and adults many opportunities to have a glimpse of the great culture, and a first-hand experience of how festivals are celebrated across diverse India.