New Hindu temple introducing itself to Olympia with Lakefair food booth

For Olympia’s Indian community, the nearest Hindu temple has always been at least 60 miles away in Bellevue, an hour long drive, if you’re lucky enough to avoid traffic.

But that changed last August when the Olympia Hindu Temple and Cultural Center opened its doors.

Located on Black Lake Boulevard, the OHTCC has already become a community hub for hundreds of families. The temple’s WhatsApp group chat used to inform members of upcoming events has at least 400 participants, according to board member Muthu Ganesh.

Velmurugan Viswanathan said the temple is a “dream come true.”

“You know, it’s been 25 years. I’ve lived in Olympia for 25 years,” Viswanathan said.

“My dream, whenever I want to go to temple, I need to go to Bellevue, or Portland or something. So now the dream’s come true, I can go to the temple here.”

While the OHTCC was slated to open in 2020, Ganesh said the pandemic delayed its opening to last summer.

“We opened the temple in August of 2024, and we started the planning process even before COVID,” he said. “We were originally planning to open the temple in late 2020, and everything got put on hold, basically.”

Since it opened, the OHTCC has been welcoming community members in all seven days of the week, in the morning and evening. The temple is open to everyone.

“Our goal is to promote Hindu culture in Olympia, and it’s not just Indian culture, anyone is welcome to come in,” he said.

In addition to providing a space for worship, OHTCC has also embarked on the search for a more permanent home. The temple’s current location is being leased to the organization, but Ganesh said one of OHTCC’s primary goals within the next few years is to construct a permanent temple and cultural center for Thurston County’s Hindu community .

“Our goal is to acquire the land by the end of 2026, and early 2027 we start the planning and construction process. … The bottom line is, by 2031, we’re thinking of reaching a permanent place.”

However, this project is expected to cost OHTCC millions, on top of regular costs supporting daily activities at the temple’s current location.

OHTCC’s Lakefair debut

This year, to get the word out about OHTCC and raise funds to cover a portion of the temple’s expenses, the temple has joined in on one of Olympia’s biggest annual traditions: Capital Lakefair.

The 68th Lakefair kicked off in mid-90s temperatures on Wednesday afternoon while locals lined up to check out OHTCC’s booth on the festival’s Food Row, located under a white tent at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Water Street Southwest.

The OHTCC is selling Indian snacks and delicacies such as samosas, vegetable puffs and dosa.

Viswanathan, who was working at the stand, said all proceeds from this year’s Lakefair sales will go toward OHTCC.

“This is purely going to OHTCC. … We use it as an introduction and fundraising for the temple,” he said.

Olympia’s Indian community is also diverse within itself, with people who come from all across the Indian subcontinent. Viswanathan said he hopes OHTCC can help bring the local Indian population together.

“We have a big Indian community in Olympia,” Viswanathan said.

“You know, India is a big country with different languages and states. … So we try to bring the community together.”

While Lakefair only lasts for five days, he said the temple will continue to be a “central place” for Olympia’s Indian community.

“And we have almost 500 families here, so we need a central place for us. So that’s what started the temple. The community started the temple, and now with the Lakefair, we are introducing [it] to our community,” he said.

This story was originally published July 17, 2025 at 5:00 AM.