Hinduism in San Antonio

Hinduism in Bexar County may not be limited to Helotes but arguably it's centered there. The Hindu Temple of San Antonio is actually in Helotes and it's been there since 1984. In 2012, San Antonio Magazine had a feature titled "Keeping the Faith" wherein eight "religious leaders of different beliefs" were interviewed. Representing Hinduism was Dr. Rama Krishna Rao. He came to San Antonio in 1979 "to complete a fellowship in perinatology at the University of Texas Health Science Center". Dr. Rao and his wife "built a facility for Hindu services on their scenic property" in 1984 and Hindus in San Antonio have been coming ever since.

On YouTube, you can watch a couple of videos where Dr. Rao tells the story of the temple's history:

• San Antonio Hindu temple history (Part 1)
• San Antonio Hindu Temple history (Part 2)

As you'll see listed below, newer temples have come into existence within the last ten to fifteen years, and they are located in San Antonio, including the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, founded in 2010, and the Shirdi Sai Baba Temple of San Antonio, founded in 2013. Other communities have rebranded, like The Bliss House Meditation Center of San Antonio, that's located where the Krishna Temple of San Antonio once was, and the Bhakti Yoga Center of San Antonio, formerly identified as the Iskcon Haré Krishna Temple Bhakti Yoga Center of San Antonio. 

There are several locations in San Antonio where Hinduism is represented:

The most well-known is actually in Helotes: The Hindu Temple of San Antonio, founded in 1984, and located at 18518 Bandera Rd, Helotes, TX 78023. 

Nearby, off of 1604 at 5044 N. Loop, 1604 W, San Antonio, TX 78249, is the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, which is part of the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha expression of Hinduism. This temple was founded in 2010.

Also nearby, off of 281 at 27320 US-281 North, San Antonio, TX 78260, is the Swaminarayan Gurukul Rajkot Sansthan, San Antonio Branch. This temple is also affiliated with the Swaminarayan branch of Hinduism. 

Shirdi Sai Baba Temple of San Antonio, founded in 2013, is located at 12911 Babcock Rd, San Antonio, TX 78249. Sai Baba of Shirdi (d. 1918), the founder of this expression of Indian spirituality, is revered as both a Hindu and Muslim saint/fakir.

Other locations associated with Hinduism include The Bliss House Meditation Center of San Antonio, located at 6722 Spring Hollow St, San Antonio, TX 78249 (where the Krishna Temple of San Antonio was once located) and the Bhakti Yoga Center of San Antonio located at 6407 Laurel Hill Dr, San Antonio, TX 78229 (formerly identified as the Iskcon Haré Krishna Temple Bhakti Yoga Center of San Antonio).

The following articles discuss Hinduism in the San Antonio area:

• Abe Levy, MySA, "New Hindu temple slated to open Saturday" (October 7, 2010)
• Mike Sutter, MySA, "Activist slams New Braunfels beers named for Hindu god" (
• Webdunia, "Hindus urge all Texas cities to produce Diwali events like City of San Antonio" (October 17, 2017)
• Emily Martin, KSAT 12, "13th annual Diwali SA Festival of Lights returns to Hemisfair" (October 19, 2021)