Santa Barbara Vedanta Temple
| Santa Barbara Vedanta Temple | |
|---|---|
.jpg)
Vedanta Temple of Santa Barbara
|
|
| Basic information | |
| Location | 927 Ladera Lane, Montecito, California |
| Geographic coordinates | 34°26′45″N 119°34′49″W / 34.445806°N 119.580194°WCoordinates: 34°26′45″N 119°34′49″W / 34.445806°N 119.580194°W |
| Affiliation | Ramakrishna Order |
| State | California |
| Region | Santa Barbara County |
| Website | Vedanta Temple, Santa Barbara |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | Lutah Maria Riggs |
| Architectural style | Early South Indian wooden style |
Built and dedicated in 1956, the Santa Barbara Vedanta Temple is located on a 45-acre property situated between the foothills above the City of Santa Barbara, and below the peaks of the Santa Ynez Mountains. The temple has a clear view overlooking the Pacific ocean and the Channel Islands of California.
The Vedanta Temple is part of the Vedanta Society of Southern California and is a Western branch of the Ramakrishna Order of India.
Facilities adjacent to the temple include; a bookstore, a shaded sitting area for congregating after services, and a 12th-century Japanese-cast temple bell (which was once fastened to a Chinese military ship) that is rung three times per day at dawn, noon, and dusk. A path behind the temple leads up a hill to a pavilion where classes are held with the swamis and the nuns.
The temple is open daily to the public. A convent of nuns manage the bookstore, oversee maintenance of the grounds, and facilitate the temple's public activities; including daily worship (i.e. Puja), meditation, and vesper services (i.e. Arati). There are also regular Sunday lectures and pujas.
The temple hours run from 6:30 am to 7:00 pm every day with a daily puja, and arati at 6:00 pm. Sunday lectures are at 11:00 am. The bookstore is open Monday through Saturday (except on Wednesdays) from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm, and on Sundays from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm.
The inner sanctum of the temple is adorned with a 44" x 50" oil on canvas painting of the Indian Paramahansa and yogi Sri Ramakrishna, painted by Swami Tadatmananda (1932-2008) in 1962.
The temple was built on a mostly undeveloped estate donated by Spencer Kellogg to the Vedanta Society of Southern California in 1944. The property was largely covered with thick chaparral shrub, and included a house, a small shrine building, and an art room. It has been published that Spencer Kellogg offered the property on two occasions to Swami Prabhavananda (founder of the Vedanta Society of Southern California), but was turned down due to the Swami's concern for possible financial imprudence or solecism. However, he eventually changed his mind on the following account:
...
Wikipedia