As per 2014-15 Pew Research Center’s survey on America’s changing religious landscape, Hinduism in America is a minority religion, representing about 0.7% (less than 1%) of the U.S. population although the number for Hinduism followers in America has been on the rise. For most Hindus, Hinduism is practiced more as a daily philosophy of life rather than a totally ritualistic and strict religion. Hindu in the US include immigrants from India (Bharat), other countries, and converts to Hinduism although conversion to Hinduism is controversial and complex. As Hindu population in the USA grew, they discovered the need for establishing houses of worship, Hindu Temple or Mandir. The first Hindu temple was established in San Francisco in 1906. As time went by, a Hindu temple opened in Hollywood in 1938 and another one in Santa Barbara in 1956. Following the trend and lead of California temples, Hindus from all over the United States including Ohio, began to plan and establish temples in other states of America. Based on a similar movement, entrepreneurial and religious Hindus in central Ohio saw a need to establish a formal Hindu Temple in Columbus, Ohio.
