Vedanta Society of Southern California

The temple is open daily to the public. Temple activities include a daily worship, meditation and vespers services, special puja celebrations, Sunday lectures, classes, Ramnams, retreats, seminars, and workshops. In Hollywood, the center has a monastery and a convent.

The Vedanta Bookshop in Hollywood carries over 3500 titles including sections on comparative religions, Hinduism, basic as well as hard-to-find Vedanta scriptures, modern Vedanta literature, Christianity, Buddhism, Islam and Sanskrit. A fine selection of music tapes and CD's of religious music and religious gift items are also available. Come visit our store any day except Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.

Directions
From the North:
Take Highway 101 South.
Exit at Cahuenga.
Go right at the end of the ramp onto Cahuenga.
Turn left on Franklin.
Turn left on Ivar and go under the freeway.
Turn right on Vedanta Terrace.
Turn right on Vedanta Place.

From the South:
Take Highway 101 North.
Exit at Cahuenga.
Go left at the end of the ramp onto Cahuenga.
Turn left on Franklin.
Turn left on Ivar and go under the freeway.
Turn right on Vedanta Terrace.
Turn right on Vedanta Place.

History
The historical roots of the Vedanta Society of Southern California can be traced back to Swami Vivekananda's visit to Los Angeles in the late 1890s when he stayed with the Mead sisters in their South Pasadena home. Thirty years later, one of the sisters, Mrs. Carrie Mead Wyckoff, became acquainted with Swami Prabhavananda, a young monk sent to America by the Ramakrishna Order of India. At that time, Mrs. Wyckoff had a house tucked away in the Hollywood hills which she offered to the swami as a gift.

Soon afterwards, in 1929, Swami Prabhavananda moved to Hollywood from Portland, Oregon to establish the Vedanta Society of Southern California. In 1934, the Vedanta Society of Southern California was officially established as a non-profit organization "to promote harmony between Eastern and Western thought, and recognition of the truth in all the great religions of the world."

The Vedanta Society steadily grew, and soon there became a need for a larger hall. In 1938, with money donated by Mrs. Wyckoff, a small, white, 3-domed temple was completed and dedicated. In the early 1940s the Vedanta Society was attracting such noted writers and intellectuals as Gerald Heard, Aldous Huxley and Christopher Isherwood.

The influence of these distinguished writers, and their literature, stimulated more growth for the Society. Sincere men and women interested in monastic life began to come, and soon nearby houses were acquired to house a convent and a monastery. The headquarters of the Ramakrishna Order in India gave permission for American monastics to receive their vows in 1946.

Swami Prabhavananda, the founder of the Vedanta Society of Southern California, passed away in 1976, and Swami Swahananda became the spiritual head of the center.

Over the years, branch centers were started in Santa Barbara, Trabuco Canyon, San Diego, and South Pasadena.