Plans for the first Hindu temple in Wisconsin were made in the mid-1990s to serve the state's growing Indian population.

Though the temple primarily honors Vishnu, its main hall has shrines to several Hindu deities popular across India.

Before HTW was established, Hindu families in Wisconsin frequently traveled to temples in Aurora and Lemont, Illinois, or met in each other's homes and basements.

In 1997, there were about 1,000 Indian Hindu families in the state, which had gone up from 300 a decade earlier due to an increase in technology jobs.

[4] Indian architect Muthiah Sthapati led the construction alongside the firm Kapur & Associates.

[5] The committee chose a rural location for the temple as Hindu families were spread across the state,[1] and the cost of building in Pewaukee was lower than in Milwaukee.

[1] The project faced no opposition from residents, who were glad it limited business development, and it defeated a bid for a community center.

[5] On August 9, the temple held a ground blessing ceremony, following Hindu tradition, which was attended by about 350 people.

[12] After the September 11 attacks, it held a meeting to honor the victims, condemn racial harassment, and fundraise for the American Red Cross, which was attended by Representative Tom Barrett.

[15] Along with other religious groups in Wisconsin, it provided donations and volunteers to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina.

[17] After the 2012 mass shooting at the Sikh gurdwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, the temple held a vigil, attended by hundreds of people including Barrett.

He designed the temple to resemble those in India, with stone stucco walls and golden domes above the windows.

[14][25] On the second-floor foyer, next to the skylight, is a bronze relief sculpture, Geetopadesh, which depicts a scene in the Bhagavad Gita of Krishna and Arjuna riding a chariot with five horses.

The sculpture was designed by Pawar, his daughter Deepa, and University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee professor emeritus Narendra Patel.

[14] It has a homa kunda in the northeast corner with downward smoke pipes to meet fire hazard regulations.

[10] These are placed on the edges of the hall, without columns obscuring them, to emulate traditional outdoor spaces for circumambulation.