San Francisco is home to America's first Hindu temple

Nestled away in the Cow Hollow neighborhood is an architectural gem — the Vedanta Society's Old Temple, which boasts the title of America's first Hindu temple.

How it happened: In 1900, Swami Vivekananda established a local branch in San Francisco to share the teachings of Vedanta , one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy.

• Designed by Swami Trigunatitananda and architect Joseph A. Leonard, the monastery was constructed in 1905 and began holding services in January 1906.
• The mix of architectural styles, with influences from the Taj Mahal, Bengal temples and European castles, was intended to symbolize the harmony of all religions.

Amazingly, the great 1906 earthquake did no damage to the temple , per the Vedanta Society of Northern California.

• The temple did, however, become the target of a bombing in 1914, when a former student detonated explosives while Trigunatitananda was speaking at a service , according to SFGATE.
• The former student died, and Trigunatitananda succumbed to his injuries within weeks.

The big picture: Today, the Old Temple hosts Friday scripture classes and Sunday school lessons for children while the New Temple, located at the corner of Vallejo and Fillmore Streets, serves as its headquarters.

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