AUSTIN, TEXAS AND THE HINDU CULTURE

Austin, Texas has a fairly large Hindu population, drawing more than 8,000 devotees to its religious festivals each year.  Austin has several Hindu temples, including Barsana Dham, which is one of the most largest and ornate Hindu temples in the United States. 

The following are a list of Hindu Temples and their descriptions:

Barsana Dham

400 Barsana Rd.

Austin, TX 78737

Barsan Dham is a non-profit center and temple in Austin that offers educational programs to teach people about Hinduism and India.  It also provides community settings for traditional Hindu weddings and other family and cultural activities.  Many Hindu festivals are also held at this temple along with

http://www.barsanadham.org/about-quick_facts.html

Austin Hindu Temple

9801 Decker Lake Rd.

Austin, TX 78724

The goal of Austin Hindu Temple is to promote and practice ideals of Hinduism and Hindu Religion through Worship, Education and Teaching.  Austin Hindu Temple also provides a summer camp for young boys and girls that provide educational and enjoyable activities.  Weekly services are held along with other priestly services provided by a fee.

http://www.austinhindutemple.org/

Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple of Austin

2509 W. New Hope Dr.

Cedar Park, TX 78613

The Sai Austin Temple in Cedar Park, Texas promotes global harmony through prayers, feeding the hungry, and service to others. Sai Baba's teachings advocate feeding the poor, helping others, and selfless giving for personal spiritual growth. The Temple is open to all people from all backgrounds and faiths.  This temple also takes part in helping the homeless in Austin by making 700 sandwiches a week which are distributed downtown.

http://www.saiaustin.org/

Brahma Kumaris

1823C River Crossing Circle

Austin, TX 78741

This center located in Austin is part of The Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual Organization (BKWSO).  The BKSWO is a non-profit organization where followers of Hindu are able to be led through different types of meditations to increase their spiritual awareness.

Chinmaya Mission Austin

8650 Country Road 100

Round Rock, TX 78680

The purpose of Chinmaya Mission is to provide to individuals, from any background, the wisdom of Vedanta and practical means for spiritual growth and happiness, enabling them to become positive contributors to the society.  Spiritual and cultural orientations are provided for children and young adults.  These orientations teach children the ancient cultures of Hinduism and India along with providing them tools to develop their individuality.

http://www.chinmayaaustin.org/

Resources in the Community:
Since there is such a large Indian and Hindu population in the Central Texas area, there are also several community outreach opportunities for persons who practice Hinduism and people with Indian heritage.  Websites can also be great ways for people who practice Hinduism to find resources in the Austin community.

Indian Community Center of Austin, Texas

Provides a range of resources for the Indian community in central Texas.  Some of the information that is provided are information about Indian grocery stores, language classes, and restaurants.  Events are also held at the ICC which provide a place for the Indian community to come together and provide a support system for one another.

http://www.iccaustin.org/index.html

Asian American Cultural Center

11713 Jollyville Road

Austin, TX 78759

The Asian American Cultural Center provides a wide range of resources for the Asian community in the Austin area.  There are classes for the Indian population which include language, cooking, and art and culture.  After school classes are also provided for children along with pre-school and language classes.

Austin Indian Community Website

Austin Indian Community Portal for Indians living in and around Austin, TX. Austin, TX Indian provides you complete information on Indian Restaurants, Indian Grocery Stores, Indian Events, Indian Classifieds, Indian Roommates, Movies from India and a lot of other topics of relevance to Austin, TX Desi Indian Community.

www.austinindian.com/

Kannada Koota Austin

This is a website designed to link the Indian community in Austin with Indian businesses, restaurants, and resources specifically designed for this population.  A list of Hindu temples in also provided.  This website also gives information on how to contact immigration attorneys.
http://www.kannadakoota.com/allKannadakoota/kkAustin.html


Saheli Austin

Support. Advocate. Heal. Empower. Listen. Inform. SAHELI is a nonprofit organization based in Austin, Texas, that provides assistance to Asian families dealing with domestic violence and abuse.  SAHELI helps and empowers Asian victims and survivors of domestic abuse, improves their access to services and increases community awareness of various forms of violence and oppression.  There are many obstacles that these women could face when seeking mainstream abuse services, including language barriers, lack of family and friends in the United States, and religious and cultural beliefs that are different from the majority.

http://www.saheli-austin.org/index.html

Entertainment:

For Indian music lovers there is also the Indian Classical Music Circle of Austin (ICMCA).  The ICMCA is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1975 to bring about Indian music in culture to Central Texas. Many concerts are held throughout the year, and attendance over the years exceeding 40,000 people. 

For persons who are wanting to learn how to sing and play traditional Indian music there are several opportunities for places for them to learn.  The Austin Asian Cultural Center provides many music classes and has the widest range of musical teachers to learn from. 

There are also Hindi movies shown in several theatres in Austin.  Most are shown in South Austin at the Tinseltown located on IH-35 North. Some movies include subtitles while others do not.  The Hindi movies referred to as Bollywood have become extremely popular in the last few years.  Bollywood is the largest film producer in India and one of the largest centers of film production in the world.

List of Indian Restaurants

Indian cuisine encompasses a variety of bold spices and flavors that make for a lively and unique dining experience. The Indian restaurants of Austin (unfortunately, we were unable to find any in San Marcos) embody that eclecticism. From Indian-East Asian and Indian-American fusion to authentic vegetarian, these dining establishments located throughout the Austin area give a sampling of the varying tastes of India.

Bombay Bistro                             Bombay Express

10710 Research Blvd.                  13000 N. IH 35
Austin, TX 78759                            Austin, TX 78753

(512) 342-2252                               (512) 491-5055

Bombay Grill                                   Clay Pit

3201 Bee Caves Rd.                      1601 Guadalupe St.
Austin, TX 78746                             Austin, TX 78701    

(512) 329-0234                                (512) 322-5131

Curry in Hurry                                 G'Raj Mahal

2121 W. Parmer Ln.                        91 Red River
Austin, TX 78727                             Austin, TX 78701

(512) 821-0000                                (512) 480-2255

Hot Breads Bakery & Cafe          India Kitchen

7318 McNeil Dr.                              2410 E. Riverside Dr.
Austin, TX 78729                             Austin, TX 78741

(512) 249-9109                                (512) 448-7773

Hot Breads-where we ate Indian food for our first time!

Indian Palace                                 Indian Spicy Kitchen

3616 Far West Blvd.                      500 Canyon Ridge Dr.
Austin, TX 78758                            Austin, TX 78753

(512) 241-1732                               (512) 828-6909

Madras Pavilion                             Masala Wok

9025 Research Blvd.                      1100 Center Ridge Dr.
Austin, TX 78758                             Austin, TX 78727

(512) 719-5575                                 (512) 251-9696

Some of the Indian Cuisine we tried as a group

New Indian Cuisine                       Sarovar

2304 S. Congress Ave.                  8440 Burnet Rd.
Austin, TX 78704                             Austin, TX 78757

(512) 445-9727                                (512) 454-8638

Shalimar                                          Spicy Monsoon

9310 N. Lamar Blvd.                      13717 N. MoPac Expy.
Austin, TX 78753                             Austin, TX 78727

(512) 719-3700                                (513) 255-6060

More food we tried!

Star of India                                     Swad 

2900 W. Anderson Ln.                    9515 N. Lamar Blvd.
Austin, TX 78757                             Austin, TX 78753

(512) 452-8199                                (512) 997-7923

Taj Palace                                        Tandoori Bistro

6700 Middle Fiskville Rd.               1605 E. Oltorf
Austin, TX 78752                              Austin, TX 78741

(512) 452-9959                                 (512) 383-8210

Tandoori Hut                                   Tarka Indian Kitchen

13717 N. Mopac Expy.                    5207 Brodie Ln.
Austin, TX 78727                              Austin, TX 78745

(512) 238-0500                                 (512) 892-2008

Whip In

1950 S. IH 35
Austin, TX 78704

(512) 442-5337