Sri Venkateswara Swami (Balaji) Temple, Aurora
श्री वेंकटेश्वर स्वामी (बालाजी) मंदिर, ऑरोरा
📍 Aurora (Chicago), Illinois
🪔 Far away today? Offer an online puja to Shri Krishna →Chicagoland's Balaji temple on 20 acres in Aurora, begun in 1985 by nine families and designed by the master sthapathi M. Muthiah, with a pradakshina path around all its shrines.
ऑरोरा में 20 एकड़ पर शिकागो क्षेत्र का बालाजी मंदिर — 1985 में नौ परिवारों द्वारा आरंभ, स्थपति एम. मुथैया द्वारा रचित।
इतिहास History
Devotees in Chicago once drove all the way to Pittsburgh for Balaji's darshan. In 1985 nine families gave 20 acres with a farmhouse in Aurora for a temple of their own, and the first Mahakumbhabhishekam was held in June 1986.
Padmasri M. Muthiah Sthapathi designed the temple with the Chicago architect Subhash Nadkarni, joining the Shilpa Shastra with modern building methods. Unusually, its circumambulation path goes around all the major shrines, not only the main deity.
दर्शन की जानकारी Before you go
- Hours
- Open daily 9 am – 9 pm; the entrance closes at 8:45 pm. Car puja 11 am – 6:30 pm.
From the temple’s official website, checked in October 2026. Hours change for festivals and seasons, so confirm on the temple’s site or by phone before you travel. General temple etiquette →
दर्शनीय Don’t miss
- Lord Venkateswara in the main sanctum
- The pradakshina path that circles every major shrine
- Vahana (car) puja for new vehicles
- Cultural programmes and a youth summer camp
उत्सव Festivals
Photo: Infosvsbalajiorg · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons