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.

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.

A serene environment of sanctity allows one to offer prayers in peace at this Hindu temple…read more I have visited the temple on many occasions to attend service and shall certainly be back several times in the future.

Great place of worship.I like going there to pray. They provide prasad too. The Priests are…read moreknowledgeable and give their blessings to all the temple goers.

Like what Jack S said, it's a nice temple. It seems like a lot of work and restoration has been…read morehappening within the past year. Downstairs is a gift shop where you can purchase books, meditation CDs, small statues, etc. There's also a small cafeteria next to the gift shop. A bus from Main Street will drop you off right there. Also around the corner from this temple is Dosi Hutt. You can't lose.

Nice temple with a Gujarati community. However, when you go in, take a left and their store sells…read moresome of the BEST sweets and namkeens ever. Most of them are actually made by people who go to the temple, not in a factory.

I experienced racial profiling at Namaste Crystal Shop, on March 21, 2026, at 2:05 PM. I am a…read moreAfro-Latina woman and was the only Black person in the store. The difference in how I was treated compared to other customers was clear and unacceptable. I was not greeted or offered help at any point, while other (white) customers were. Instead, I was closely watched the entire time I was in the store. At the front of the store, a male employee pretended to organize items but was actually staring directly at me for several minutes while I was looking at incense. I paid attention to see if he was actually working or watching me, and it became clear he was pretending to organize while staring at me. When I called him out, he denied it and walked away. In the middle of the store, while I was looking at the incense you can hand pick, a female employee was also staring at me and following my movements. I purposely moved side to side to see if she was following me, and she mirrored me each time. I called her out, she denied it, and walked away. Still in the middle of the store, when I moved to look at Florida Water, that same male employee continued staring at me from the register. When I asked him for help, he went to the same female employee who had just followed me instead of helping me himself. She told him the answer, and he relayed it back to me, showing he was not knowledgeable about the products yet was quick to follow and watch me. Then I went to the back of the store to look at mala beads, and from the middle of the store that same male employee continued staring at me again. This happened multiple times within about 20 minutes. I confronted him again and asked why he kept staring at me and why I had not been greeted or asked if I needed help. He admitted that he did not greet me or ask if I needed help, and when I had to ask for assistance, he didn't want to help me and was not knowledgeable about the products I had questions about. I went next door to their sister store, Namaste Bookshop to ask for a manager's contact information. The employee was hesitant to provide it and incorrectly said there was no email. When I called the number given, no one answered. In the past, I've shopped here and this never happened to me, which makes this even more disappointing. Based on this experience, I will not be returning.

One meaning of Namaste is, "I give reverence to the spirit in you which is also in me" and it is in…read morethis spirit that the community is invited in. The store smells wonderful and inviting here." The space is small yet the shelves and space are filled with an array of books on various subjects, written by world renowned Philosophers. They carry a unique and large selection of Eastern & Western philosophy books, tarot cards, crystals, pendulums, calendars, wind chimes, incense, greeting cards, yoga accessories, meditation cushions, instructional & music CD'S & DVD's, salt lamps, and booked in Spanish version. The sections include Buddhism, Western Philosophy, Eastern Philosophy, Yoga/Ayurveda, Mantra/Tantra, Meditation, Bodywork/Reiki, and many more. ---------------------- Summers are one of my favorite times to disappear with a great book. My goal is 800 pages of reading three - four days a week. Walking towards Union Square I found this intriguing book store. Saw the large Buddha out front and the words Namaste, drew me through the doors like moth to a flame. According to the business the meaning of Namaste is; "I give reverence to the spirit in you which is also in me" and it is in this spirit that the community is invited in. The store smells wonderful and inviting here." The space is small yet the shelves and space are filled with an array of books on various subjects, written by world renowned Philosophers. They carry a unique and large selection of Eastern & Western philosophy books, tarot cards, crystals, pendulums, calendars, wind chimes, incense, greeting cards, yoga accessories, meditation cushions, instructional & music CD'S & DVD's, salt lamps, and booked in Spanish version. The sections include Buddhism, Western Philosophy, Eastern Philosophy, Yoga/Ayurveda, Mantra/Tantra, Meditation, Bodywork/Reiki, and many more. The book store did not disappoint. The service is great, and knowledgeable. The value for the service, and products are fairly priced. One of my favorite authors is by Vietnamese Thien Buddhist Monk and Peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh. Will share some of the books interested me, in addition to the beautiful crystals. Great experience, will be visiting again soon!

A very nice quiet place....in my eyes At a time in need for…read moreprayer and feeling helpless I really could let my hair down and take in the precious moments given to me.

This is an updated review. I previously posted this review for Heavenly Grace Buddhist Temple but I…read morewas told by another yelper that this temple is at 200 Centre Street while the one I was reviewing is actually on 214 Centre Street. I have been coming to this temple for over 10 years and it has not changed at all throughout the years. The decor has not changed at all and the kitchen downstairs that serves a free vegetarian lunch most days has remained exactly the same. It seems to be a pretty authentic temple, except for the random disco ball above the Buddha, which I have never been able to figure out why it is there. The free vegetarian lunch here is very good, if you don't mind eating it in a rather dungeon looking basement. On Chinese New Year, this place is PACKED. The lines goes around the block and it seems like at least a thousand people pass through this temple on one day. The line goes pretty quickly and even though it was looped around the entire block, we waited only an hour. Halfway through the line, they give out a snack and hot tea, which was amazing. Inside, there is pretty much an assembly line and there is no time for prayer. They give you a red envelope and fruits as you pass through the line to go downstairs to get a lunch box.

No doubt temple is very good but priest is rude. They should be polite and respectful to everyone…read morewho visit temple.

A Lovely temple right next to the Indian Street in Journal Square. The temple has idols of Raha…read moreKrushna, Durga Maa, Ganesh, Sai Baba, Shiva Linga and Nava Graha. Its a small but beautiful place for Hindu religion. They have special aarti every thrusday for sai baba followed by Langar (Prasad Sevan).

If my memory serves me correctly, this is the location of my favorite Hindu temple in Queens…read more I discovered this place through a recommendation. Seven years ago, I had a conversation with a Indian woman about Durga. She suggested that I should try this place. The minute I walked in, I fell in love. I will be totally honest here; haven't visited this space in a while because basically, I moved. I'm kinda partial to this place, because it was the first Hindu temple I've ever visited. Even attended a Puja here once. Despite the fact that I wasn't Indian, I still felt welcomed by everyone. Some of the women even taught me a few traditional dances.

Very intriguing temple in an industrial neighborhood. The mandir is very large with beautiful…read moremurtis. You can easily get lost in the Game of Thrones looking alcoves, however the xmas decorations on the ceiling spoil the look in the main hall. The holy man was very welcoming and offered a blessing despite being a complete stranger. There is a small, dusty 40x40 room that can be used for private events ~$150/hr.