Founded in 1979, this temple serves the religious, cultural and social needs of the Indian…read morecommunity in the Connecticut. The temple is very traditional, the architecture is typical of a Hindu temple with a soaring tower, a sanctum for the main idol, surrounded with many shrines to accommodate worshipers from several different Hindu sects. The temple has been recently renovated. There are volunteer opportunities, pooja services, cultural activities, concerts, festival celebrations and more. Plenty car parking available on premise.

I visit this temple frequently and this place really well kept and always takes me back to my…read morememories in india. Recently this place is renovated and looks very neat, plenty of parking space and usually crowded on weekends. They also celebrate all festivals and have special pooja happening time to time.

Have been visiting this temple since I995. It has been a…read moreplace of divine worship, peace and soulful connections. The Main One with God and others with our fellow community members. It is definitely a place to get blessings and love.

love this temple. the priests are very nice. place is well lit. the priests are more than happy…read moreto help you with a puja. there is a nice shrine for the nine planets too. very good energy here. everyone is nice and welcoming to non-hindi speaking folk too.

We had our wedding here (originally scheduled May 202, rescheduled to May 2021) and had a wonderful…read moretime. Everyone we interacted with was very professional, helpful, and happy to go above and beyond to make sure everything went smoothly. The temple was very flexible in terms of working with us to set up prior to the wedding. We had a multi-racial wedding and my husband's family and our non-Indian friends were never made to feel uncomfortable at the temple. Rescheduling a wedding can be a mess as you can imagine but Shailja made the process very smooth for us and was one of our easiest vendors to work with. The temple made for an affordable and beautiful location for a wedding; we had a beautiful baraat before the wedding and there are grassy areas around the temple for pictures.

Went there for Diwali on Saturday night. Very nice North Indian Temple. A puja was held, it was…read morewell organized. One of the better temples in the Tri-State area.

Priest was rude to me and my family. He made me feel horrible and I left in tears. The other people…read morethere were very kind and receptive

This is a wonderful center open to all in Stratford, CT. Daily services are held in this Hindu…read moreTemple by two extremely experienced Hindu priests. The Hindu Community Center of Connecticut holds Hindi & Tamil language classes, bansuri flute classes, Kathak dancing and Indian Carnatic music classes as well as yoga classes. The community is warm and loving!

Wow... definitely a privilege for my 100th review and to think I would reach such a milestone so…read moresoon. The Brooklyn Hindu Temple, a place where solace and devotion reside. I've been a member for roughly about 18 years now and will continue to support this temple. At times where I was lost, I have found guidance here. The moments of despair where things might have felt like it was the worst, this is where I sought refuge and found hope. So many values, morals, and ideals have been instilled within my character due to my experiences here; I can and will never forsake my temple. Having being grown and reared by my fellow church members, this temple has shaped a portion of who I am. So many things it has given me, and it asks for nothing in return but complete and selfless devotion in whichever way I could. Whether it be through the medium of music or simply just opening my mouth and joining in simple hymns, there is no requirement or limitations on prayer. A simple reminder, service is usually held on Sunday mornings from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and major Hindu holidays are usually observed. God does not discriminate and materializes himself/herself in many different forms and ways. There is only one way to immerse yourself in this temple, and that is to come and experience it for yourself. Jai Shri Ram.

One of our favorite temples in NY NJ area . Just amazing and positive vibes all around …read more. Ranganatha swamy is just blissful. Everytime I go to this temple , I get so much of positivity ! Narasimhar is also our fav here . this is the only temple where the Prasadam is free and super quality . They have so many volunteers working day in and day out , in the canteen . Parking is good . Overall this is an amazing temple !

The temple is good but unexpectedly I had a very bad experience at the food place. One of the…read morevolunteers was very rude and rough when questioned about hygiene. I was not prepared for this type of treatment at the temple food place. I would advise visitors to be prepared for this type of treatment because the food is given free but the volunteers are not trained well to be polite with visitors and devotees Another thing I was surprised was the temple allowing commercial activity at the food place. Insurance company agents and Financial company consultants were displaying their products and disturbing the calm atmosphere at the place of worship

Beautiful temple! My family had a Vivah Sanskar here today,…read moreand everything went smoothly. Everything was prepared by the staff of the temple, and arranged the way requested by the family. The ceremony started promptly on time, and finished by 4pm. The timing was spot one for all the different poojas that were conducted. After the ceremonies, we were able to go into the main temple room and offer our prayer and get blessings from the swamai's. It was beautiful, and a day well spent celebrating 2 lives coming together for happy ever after.

Beautifully architected temple. Has a lot of deity idols which can't be photographed. Eg Rama,…read moreKrishna, hanuman, kamakshi. The place is very organized and came across as well run. The canteen is downstairs and has excellent food. If you are looking for a South Indian temple atmosphere, this place is perfect. I'll be visiting again for sure.

I friend took me hear recently, as a christians since birth, I was more than dubious of what would…read morebe there at a Hindu temple. I found it to be a completely different experience from what I am traditional used to in that, the place was not crowded it all and everyone was nice, their statues were also set up very well with all their different gods and goddesses. I had a nice chat with one of the priests and feel like I have gained some new perspectives about Hinduism. Any Non Hindus should not be turned away from this place, because it's extremely welcoming!

From the owner: A Mandir is a Hindu place of worship - a haven for spirituality and a place of paramount peace. It…read moreis also a center vibrant with social, cultural, and spiritual activities. Mandir - Temple/place of worship. Murti - Sacred image of the Deities and gurus. Darshan - Seeing the Deities with reverence and adoration. Arti - Ritual waving of lighted wicks before the Deities. Thal - Ritual offering of food to the Deities."

This temple holds a special place in my heart because it is the first Hare Krishna (Gaudiya…read moreVaishnava) temple I ever stepped foot in my life (fifteen years ago). The management has changed since then, but this has become my favorite temple in the New York metropolitan area. I first became Gaudiya Vaishnava approximately fifteen years ago, and since then I made friends all around the world, and did a pilgrimage to India. What's very important to Hare Krishna is association, or a congregation. I am very hesitant to join a congregation, but I found all the people here to be very nice. Prasadam (food offered to Krishna) is very important to the faith, and you can have a vegetarian dinner with the congregants every Sunday. It's very good indeed. I highly recommend the books sold at this temple. If you'd like to read up more and buy a Bhagavad Gita, this is the only New York area congregation that I am aware of which sells reprints of the 1972 edition of the Bhagavad Gita As It Is by Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (the guru who brought Hare Krishna outside of India). As many devotees are aware, subsequent reprints of the Gita have extensive and controversial edits. During high festivals such as Janmastami, they have a nice outdoor setup in the backyard. Very nice atmosphere. Whether you're a newcomer, curious, or someone like me who is from another mission (Hare Krishna is not from one single organization but many), you may visit and feel very welcome.

The Shiva Mandir is one of the loveliest temple in Elmhurst Queens, walking distance from…read morea few near by bus stops. I came to the Shiva Mandir for a coworker son's wedding and was very impress with the overall decor. Basically the Shiva Mandir has three levels. The first level is where the prayer services, puja, engagement or marriage ceremonies are held. Considering I went to India I am familiar with what to expect in a temple. With that said they have some lovely statues of the Hindu Gods- Shiva, Ganesh, Ram, Vishnu and Krishna. My mother and I were touch by the Hindu Goddess/Mothers - Saraswati, Lakshmi and Durga. Usually in a temple, one is expected to sit on the ground during a service. However, I noticed more temples in Queens have chairs for those who are not used to sitting on the ground. Now the basement level is where the food is prepared and they also have benches where they serve only vegetarian food, tea, non alcoholic beverage and delicious sweets. Awesome place to have a Hindu wedding ceremony. Keep it simple in a holy place that's close to the mighty one and your love ones. If in the area, do stop by ring the church bell, take your shoes off, and learn more about the Hindu religion and culture. For females, just be sure to wear a long skirt or dress. Thanks for reading!

No matter what your religion is, you do not have to be afraid of coming to the Shiva Mandir temple…read more The people who attend services are beyond nice and even when I attend a service, other religions are mentioned and it does not matter to them what your religion is. When people walk into the temple, they take off their shoes and turn off their cellphones before going into the main room. There is a bell that can be rung for clarity of the mind (I do it for fun.) Upon walking through the main doors, Hindu believers kneel a bit and touch the ground first and then touch their head all with their hands. They do a similar action when they touch the Gods feet and the holy water. If they are holding a plate of candles and sacrificial fruits, they lift the entire plate up to make a three circular motion paths around each God. The Gods' platform on bright blue ceramic tiles is brightly lit with a beautiful sky and mountainous background. In addition, there might be lighted props, holy objects, or plants nearby and the windows decorated. During the services, I typically see a child or two walk around even though they are not supposed to. The entire room is carpeted dark red and everybody sits on the floor unless the person has difficulty sitting on the floor. In that case, foldable chairs are provided at the back of the room where mostly the elderly or disabled sit. The person who leads the service, called the Pundit, sits in what looks like a bed, but is not. While he speaks mostly English and some Hindi, there is always live music in the background with a band including a harmonium, electric piano, guitar, and drums to name a few. The music is broadcast through microphones and loud speakers and the entire room is brightly lit with many lights. There are also special people who sit up in the front, though I am not familiar as to what their roles are, but one of them is a singer while the other VIPs who wish to do the service sit and do the service. In between speeches, the band and singer(s) segues into a song. Towards the end, people are allowed to make announcements such as birthdays and events happening at the Shiva Mandir. After the end of the service, contributions are given, prays are done to a candle light, and everyone accepts a spot of milk to drink on their palm. Then, after the upbeat music is over, everybody goes down to the basement level to eat what I believe is Trinidad, Indian, and various vegetarian food and snacks prepared with soda or water and provided by volunteers who use a big kitchen and storage room to prepare it. It's like a mini-party every time I go for Thursday services, especially if it's around somebody's birthday. The women dress in beautiful traditional sari clothes while the men either wear traditional clothes or in their semi-formal attire. I even wore a sari myself when I attended Shiva Mandir for the first time. The looks of wonderment and surprise came from some temple goers and even people who live in the block. They loved how I tried to dress in a sari. Everybody is positive and everybody has fun here and now I know why going to the temple is the highlight of my co-worker's life.