Water is precious. If you live in the Bay Area and experienced a few droughts, you’ll know this perfectly well. So, it might not comes as a surprise that there are a few water temples around.
I already talked about the water temple in Sunol. If you find yourself near Filoli in Woodside you should consider stopping at the Pulgas Water temple.
As a monument to the engineering of the Hetch Hetchy Project, that brought water 160 miles from the Sierra Nevada to the Bay Area, the Pulgas water temple is a tribute to the ancient architecture of Greece and Romans. The 20 year project finished in October of 1934.
The inscription “I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people.” underlines the importance of drinking water after the 1906 earthquake and the raging wildfires that followed the quake.
I was surprised at how many people were exploring the monument. Some relaxing on the lawn, some horsing aro
und the pool. The reflecting pool, a great backdrop for wedding photography and other photo opportunities was widely used as such.
The water temple is open seven days a week, from 9 am – 4 pm, but on the weekends the parking lot is only available for permitted events.
How do you hail to the water?