"One of the devotees, who lives close to the shrine, discovered anti-Hindu and anti-India graffiti in black ink on an exterior wall of the building, and the local administration was immediately informed," Bhargav Raval, the spokesperson for the temple administration, told ANI.
The temple authorities were 'shocked' by the incident, the spokesperson added.
Calling it a 'targeted incident', Jonathan Arguello, a police captain for the city of Newark said that the incident was being investigated.
"Based on the graffiti, we believe it was a targeted act, and it's going to be investigated with full thoroughness," Arguello told Reuters.
"We're handling this investigation as a hate crime at this point, based on our conversations with you and the physical evidence we've seen," he added.
Condemning the incident, the Indian Consulate in San Francisco said on Saturday, "We strongly condemn the defacing of SMVS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir at Newark, California with anti-India graffiti. This incident has hurt the sentiments of the Indian community."
"We have pressed for quick investigation and prompt action against the vandals by the US authorities in this matter", the Consulate further added in a post on X.
The exterior walls of the Swaminarayan temple in Newark, California, was defaced with 'anti-Hindu and anti-India' graffiti, the temple administaration said.
While the police said that the incident came to light on Friday, temple authorities claim that the incident occured on Thursday night