April, 2025. My husband and I visited the ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness)…read moretemple for the wedding of a Hindu friend and his new bride. The temple is set on a beautiful forested 12-acre tract in a suburb of Washington, DC. While most of the guests had links to Nepal, and spoke Newari and Nepali languages, the Hindu priest regularly took the time to explain, in English, what he was doing in the marriage rituals and their significance, before returning to the actual prayers in Sanskrit. The atmosphere was very festive, with a "stage" beautifully decorated with abundant flowers, and women all decked out in bright (especially red) saris and men wearing traditional vests and topi hats. While the ceremony was going on, guests were encouraged to visit the adjacent room for hearty "snacks" and mango lassis; there was a full vegetarian buffet for guests after the couple were declared husband and wife. It was a special day. After returning home (two hours away), I realized that I didn't know much about the temple, so I visited their website. ISKCON is dedicated to the practice of Krishna Consciousness, also known as Bhakti Yoga. It's monotheistic, with the belief that there is a single source of all life, Krishna. Values include equal vision, without cruelty, humility, choice, nurturing right choices, and affection. It is also referred to as the Hare Krishna Temple of Washington, DC. The temple is very welcoming to all (including non-Hindus) and offers an Open House on Sundays from 12-3. Guests are welcome to come for an hour or a day. They offer a meditation workshop, discussion groups, Kirtan (chanting), and a free vegetarian lunch (prasadam). We didn't know what was going on, but we were actually leaving the wedding at the same time that the lunch was going on. There were outdoor tents set up, and dozens of people enjoying their buffet lunches.

So I would rate my experience good, but I am going to balance it with my sister's perspective…read more Apparently, my sister was suppose to have a blessing ceremony done back when the pandemic hit. In fact, she had scheduled it before the pandemic and the pandemic caused all the states to shutdown a week before she was to do this. On the backend, there was a lot of slighting she felt this temple did or the priest. The priest had withheld funds and put it as a donation instead of just giving it back because a service was never given. Fast forward to a few days ago and he came through. Well, according to my perspective, had I not known about the backend of all this; I would state that he DEFINITELY came through. The blessing ceremony was first described to us in English and then in Sanskrit (which is necessary for the ceremony). Now days, I feel like any priest has to be able to be fluent in both English and Sanskrit as newer generations are never really taught Native Indian languages or meanings of Sanskrit. I also liked the fact that he offered us all coffee and water before performing the ceremony. It is almost like an Americanized...hey...have beer...kind of relationship. Just good etiquette. The crazy part was it was decaf! Man...there are hotels I am still after (Drury Inn...cough cough) who give beverages, but most options are caffeinated. He also stated that all beverages, soft drinks, the temple serves is also decaffeinated. I found that great. The food that was made in temple and offered was also delicious. Mutter paneer and cholay were great. They also like and adopted cats...there is a big grey one named Govinda. How cool is that?

this is my favorite temple at home! the priests are friendly, and the food is tasty. came here on…read morenew years day so it was pretty busy, but the crowd management was good. thank you to all of the temple volunteers!

I spoke with a Telugu priest! He was extremely knowledgeable and helpful…read more Thanks so much

Hi Everyone, Anyone…read morelooking for sai baba temple, and also aarti on thursday, this is the place to go. Sai Bhajans and Shejaarati at Hindu Temple on Every Thursday from 8:00 PM - 09:15 PM. The temple is located in Adelphi. Bhajans and aarti are done every thursday. This is really a good place if you are a devotee of saibaba. :)

One of the better Hindu places of worship in the DC metro area. Temple is clean and well laid out…read moreand has plenty of parking too - a dream for most Hindu temples! Priests are friendly and well versed with Hindu rituals too.

Great Hindu temple with South Indian deities and delicious dosa!…read more In the center, there's a large statue of Sri Venkateswara or Tirupati Balaji, which is another form of Lord Vishnu worshipped in the South. There are a handful of deities that are more prevalent in the North like Ganesha, Hanuman, Durga, etc. Even though I'm North Indian, I enjoy coming to the temple and worshipping all the deities. There's a wonderful cafeteria downstairs with scrumptious masala dosas, warm tea, and some other apps. There's a great Deepavali annual celebration with fireworks and puja for a few days along with a special Thali and other types of food offered during the festivities. There are events at the temple which you can easily find online. The Thali is a bit different than a traditional Thali with a ginormous Puri, which is more like a Batura, the dhal/kitcheri was quite tasty. The channa chick peas were a bit undercooked and the rice had a spicy kick! While the Thali was fun to try, I'd stick to the Masala Dosas. The heated tile floor downstairs will keep your feet nice and warm. Don't forgot to bring socks for sanitation/hygiene in the bathrooms. My favorite local Hindu temple and always look forward to returning for some worship and dosa!

Just came back from the temple(08/24/2019) and had the absolute worst experience one can have in a…read moretemple. I visited here with my mom. Inside the temple across the main section, there a small murti. To go to that murti, you have to go along the railing. It is Janmashtami and my mom went there to pay her respect. As she was walking along the railing, this pujari shouted at the top of his lungs that that area is closed. It was extremely disrespectful. My mom came back and I confronted this pujari about his rude behavior. He just kept shouting back at me "you know you are wrong". The area in question did not have any sign saying it was closed. No one could tell it was closed unless told. Even telling us politely that this area was closed would have sufficed. This so-called pujari is supposed to preach the word of god but does not have a clue how to have a word with another human respectfully. It was an utterly disappointing experience from the last person you would think in a temple. Shameful!! To be fair, the temple itself was clean and beautiful.

Their toilets have bidet facility of sprinkler with hot water. Very nutritious Mahaprasadam is also…read moreserved. Very spiritual environment with invitees of Swami's who have deep knowledge of Sanatan Dharma and with the main purpose of connecting people to their roots and culture.

This Temple was breath taking....The scenery was straight out of a movie once you step foot up to…read morethe temple it transforms you to a calm relaxed, meditative state. Once inside the temple you are blown away by the marbel floor only to pass out from the totally awesome painting on the ceiling. They even have a shop right there in the temple and the people there were eager to assist us. They were professional, informative and extremly helpful. It made me remember another temple where the staff thought that they were kings and how dare you interrupt their day. Moving on when you enter the prayer room it was a sight to behold. I would definately recommend this place to visitors.

I love this Temple. One the Priests are dedicated unlike some of the other Temples. The head…read morePurohit Krishnama Charia, is an inspiration for upholding genuine religious ceremony. My hubby died recently 9/25, I went to a big temple. It was not professional and the manager was horrible. Nothing was smooth it was highway robbery. I decided to go with this temple. I am a very satisfied customer of the planning and prayers. Thank you for the continued support of the plan

Good one. Must visit when in Virginia.. I was in Virginia for few days and visited this temple..read more

Wow . This temple is a hidden gem . Have been in VA so many times and never visited this temple …read more This location was a little far from where we stayed but it's worth a visit . This temple has been built over acres of land ... so good . Anjaneya Moorthi was so good . Overall sanctity of the temple was so positive . Amazing positive vibes ! Temple was crowded when I went . Parking was crazy . It took me more than 20 mins to park . Canteen was also super crowded . I was standing in line and then they said the billing counter was outside . Wish there was a sign which said that . Very very slow service in the canteen ! Nice temple overall.. there was also a sai temple next to it .

A nice quiet small temple, but still has a good amount of visitors. I love that they have cows here…read moreand a cafeteria/canteen in the back. While I didn't get to try the food this visit, I look forward to it next time! I've heard good things.

It's always peaceful to attend service on Thursday evenings. This time I attended at lunch time…read more Very nice service and the priests are attentive . So many people attend but always orderly and everyone respectful. Om Sai Ram

Religious place , loved to visit this place on Thursday during Aarti time 6PM . Shej Aarti is at…read more8:30pm

What a wonderful temple it is.. Valli Devasena sametha Sri Subramanya swamy.. God bless me.. I…read morereally liked the temple and the serenity it brings to me, also the food really great. The cafeteria has many options like idly, dosa, puliogare.. and to the price point its very reasonable..

Al always a peaceful and must visit temple in Maryland .. positive vibes always . Murugaaaaaread more