The Bhumi Puja (ground breaking ritual) for Mata Kheer Bhawani Temple and Cultural Centre [@kheerbhawaniusa] was performed on 25th April 2026 at a 7.5 hectare site in Livermore, California, USA. The USA now boasts over 1,000 Hindu temples (and counting). This new temple stands out as exceptional and significant in the history of global Hindu Dharma as it is established by Kashmiri Hindus. It is first of its kind in the West and will become an important centre for preserving Kashmiri Hindu traditions. The site waa acquired for $2.4 million with donations from the community.
The presiding deity of the temple, Kheer Bhawani, is a form of Shakti and the kuldevi (clan deity) of many Kashmiri Pandit families. Also known as Ragyna Devi, her temple is located in Tulmulla, Kashmir, a major place of pilgrimage which traces its origins to the Ramayan. Following the violent Islamic invasion of Kashmir, many ancient Hindu temples were destroyed. With centuries of the systematic persecution of Kashmiri Hindus and forced conversions, many Hindu pilgrim sites in Kashmir were never reclaimed and many are now occupied by Mosques. The Kheer Bhawani temple is one of the few that were revived, and it remains active to this day. Following the expulsion of Hindus for Kashmir in 1990, the community in exile established replicas of the Tulmul temple in Indian cities such as Delhi and Jammu. These temples serve as anchors for the Kashmir Hindu identity, that Islamists for centuries have sought to erase.
About the image: The original Kheer Bhawani temple, Tulmulla (J&K, India)