Holy Pilgrimage - Hindu temples in USA

Shirdi Saibaba Temple, Phoenix, Arizona

Sadguru Shirdi Saibaba, the ultimate master has been blessing his devotees when in life, after Samadhi and till date. The central message of the life and teachings of Saibaba are:

Love which is synonymous with universal brotherhood transcending all the man made barriers of segregation (Nationality, Religion, Race, Regionalism, Caste, Creed, Financial inequality and etc.,)
Unassailable faith in the existence and mercy of God
If you take one step towards Me, I will take ten steps towards you" - Saibaba. Sainathar is the doorstep to the process of salvation

The instruction to start the temple for Shirdi Saibaba in the state of Arizona was initiated under the guidance of Saibaba through one of His disciple Shri Saipaadha Meiyadimmai
Construction of the Samadhi-Mandir : Baba came close to him and ordered distinctly - "Build the Wada with the temple. I shall fulfill the desires of all..........after the temple is complete I will come there to stay" and staring at the Wada He added - "after the Wada is complete, we shall use it ourselves, we shall live, move and play there, embrace each other, and be very happy." - chapter 39 - Sri Sai Satcharitra.
Thursday is a special day for Shirdi Saibaba and Sai devotees regularly perform a special Sai Aarathi every Thursday evening as far a possible. Under the guidance of Shri Saipaadha Meiyadimmai, five families started Sai aarathi every Thursday evening. As more and more devotees came to know about this aarathi they have been joining the group and now it has become a much awaited weekly celebration for all the members. Sai’s mercy and grace that our group has crossed 50 celebration and is counting. Off late our group is finding it difficult to accommodate all the members at the time of aarathi.
Hence we all have decided under the auspice of Shiri Saipaadha Meiyadimmai we locate a place to start a Saibaba temple so that we can perform regular poojas for Shirdi Saibaba and also continue the Sai aarathi. On venturing into the process now we have come to know that the state of Arizona doesn’t have a Saibaba temple, there are similar Sai devotees group who are performing Sai aarathi and there are a few ardent Sai devotees who regularly fly to LA to pay their homage to Saibaba. Belessed are we who have been given this opportunity to start a Sai temple in the state of Arizona. We believe that it would act as a nodal center for all the Sai devotees to offer their prayers to Saibaba and to serve Him. Sai never sends anyone empty handed from his door step, a promise he made at the time of His Samadhi and is keeping it till date. A true Sai devotee will realize the truth in the above mentioned sentence. The Sai is merciful enough to shower his devotees with material benefits or Spiritual guidance according to what a devotee is longing for. What we are searching is our priority. Apart from material benefit, all are invited to receive the eternal benefits from our Sadguru.
We all are overwhelmed by the mercy showered upon us by Shirdi Saibaba who has blessed us with the opportunity to start a temple for Him in Arizona
Arati

Kaakad - 6:30 a.m
Madhyaan - 12:00 p.m
Dhoop - 06:30 p.m
Shej - 8:00 p.m

Regular Events:
Thursdays | 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM SAI Bhajans
Saturdays | 6:00 PM - 6:30 PM VISHNU Sahasranamam
Every Pradhosham | 7:15 PM - 7:45 PM SHIVA Sahasranamam

Address:

3210 W Bell Rd, Ste #106, Phoenix, AZ - 85053
Landmark: Subway Complex, Bell & 33rd Ave.

Contact :

Anil Anugula : 602 410 2645
Pradeep Vuppala : 612 205 1653
Siva : 757 639 6330
eMail: services@ShirdiSaibabaAz.org

Hindu Association of North West Arkansas, Bentonville, AR (HANWA)

Welcome to the Hindu Association of Northwest Arkansas. Our goal as an organization is to serve the religious, cultural, social, charitable, and spiritual needs of Hindus in our community. We're on an incredible journey with the mission of building the first Hindu temple in Northwest Arkansas. We call our project "Bringing Mathura to Arkansas".

Goal of Project Mathura: To Make our temple debt free by 2013 (Raise $550,000 Loan Amount)
Objective : Raise Remaining $450,000 before December 31/2013

We have got tremendous request as well as response for Shirdi Sai Aarti and Bhajans and it will performed every Thursday from 0630-0730 PM

Sriman Ubhaya Vedanta Venugopala Swami Gattu will be available to perform any kind of religious rituals in NW Arkansas. For more details,

Call (479) 259-2593 or e-mail at PriestServices@nwahindutemple.org with the below details
Name , Contact phone# & email id, Ritual name, Where to perform the ritual, at Temple or home?

Priest will not be available for private poojas during Temple opening hours. Please abide by the Temple rules. Do not call this number for any other inquiries other than Priest Services.

Our temple runs on Volunteerism and we always appreciate and respect their time and efforts. For any other inquiries, please call Niru @ 479 381 3527

Directions

New Temple site Address:
2500 SW Regional Airport Blvd.,
Bentonville, AR 72712

Mailing Address:
PO Box 262
Bentonville,AR 72712

Driving Directions to the new temple Site from Exit 85 Rogers/Bentonville

1. Take the US-71-BR/AR-12 exit, EXIT 85, toward AIRPORT/ROGERS/BENTONVILLE. 0.3 mi

2. Turn LEFT onto US-71 BR/AR-12/W WALNUT ST/SE WALTON BLVD. Continue to follow US-71 BR/AR-12/SE WALTON BLVD. 1.5 mi

3. Turn LEFT onto SW REGIONAL AIRPORT BLVD/AR-12. 1.7 mi

4. 2500 SW REGIONAL AIRPORT BLVD is on the RIGHT opposite to World's Gym.

Malibu Hindu Temple, Malibu, California

Malibu Hindu Temple (Tamil: மாலிபூ ஹிந்து கோவில்), a temple of the Hindu god Venkateswara, built in 1981, is located in the city of Calabasas near Malibu, California, in the Santa Monica Mountains. It is owned and operated by the Hindu Temple Society of Southern California. Built in the traditional South Indian style, it is frequented by followers of Hinduism in Southern California.
The priests are situated and live on the grounds of the temple. The temple has many gatherings for ceremonies, and provides numerous space for meditation, picnicking, it has a full stage for special cultural and Hindu programs.

Temple complex

The Hindu temple has two complexes – the upper complex with Lord Venkateswara as the presiding deity and the lower complex with Lord Shiva as the presiding deity. In addition to the presiding deity, both complexes have shrines for other deities.

Temple hours

The temple is open every day of the year.
Weekdays: Summer hours: 9:00 A.M to 12:30 Noon and 5 P.M to 8 P.M. Winter hours: 9:00 A.M to 12:30 Noon and 5 P.M to 7 P.M.
Weekends & Holidays: Summer hours: 8:00 A.M to 7:00 P.M Winter hours: 8:00 A.M to 7:00 P.M
Aarti
12:00 pm & 6:45 pm

Temple Kitchen

Temple Kitchen is open during temple hours all days.
Lunch is available on Saturday & Sunday from 11:00 am to 2:30 pm

In popular culture

In 1997, the temple was used in a small scene in the movie Beverly Hills Ninja starring Chris Farley, and in 1998 in a song in the Tamil film Jeans. In January 2006, the pop-star singer Britney Spears had her 4-month-old son blessed in a large ceremony by the Hindu priests of this temple. The event had world-wide coverage in the media.

Mandir, Irvine, California

Mandir is a Hindu temple, opened in 2004, located in the city of Irvine, California. The temple is managed by Sahayaks (volunteers) who work under the guidance of the Samiti (Committee).

The Shiva Murugan Temple, Concord, CA

The Temple is a non – Profit organization

The temple was originally established in a small wood framed house in San Francisco, California, way back in 1957, by an American born Hindu guru, Sivaya SubramuniyaSwami. It may have been the first Hindu Temple to be opened in America that was beyond the scope of the various Vedanta centers that existed at that time.
Offering Pujas to murtis of Ganesha, Muruga and Shiva, it was founded on the traditions of Saiva Siddhanta and known as the Palaniswami Sivan Temple. It quickly became a popular site for the ever growing populace of newly arriving Hindus, some of whom personally knew of the Sage from Sri Lanka, YogaSwami, who initiated the American Guru. grow over the years, and on traditional festival days, the small temple could hardly accomodate the crowd of devotees. In 1988, to better facilitate the Hindu community, the temple was moved to a larger site in Concord, CA. The site was chosen due to availability and the fact that it had always been a place of worship.
First owned by the Lutherans and later by the Greek Orthodox, structures on the site include the temple proper with a social hall in the basement, a separate building that's used as an office and classrooms, and a private residence for the Priests.
Due to his efforts to build an orthodox temple on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, SubramuniyaSwami decided to sell the temple in Concord to the local Hindu Community in 1995. The Saiva Siddhanta Ashram was incorporated as a non-profit organization, purchased the temple in May, and changed the name to Shiva Murugan Temple.
The Temple Management has, till date, brought three Priests from India to oversee the daily rituals. The first few years have been most generally spent in maintaining the buildings and a dependable schedule of religious events. The Board of Directors continues to look for ways to enhance the temple's services to the Hindu community by considering the expansion of Temple structure, religious and cultural services.

Directions

From South

1. From I-680 NORTH toward SACRAMENTO

2. Take exit #50 onto CA-242 NORTH toward PITTSBURG/CONCORD - go 0.7 mi

3. Take the CLAYTON ROAD exit toward CONCORD - go 0.2 mi

4. Turn Left on MARKET ST - go 0.1 mi

5. Turn Right on WILLOW PASS RD - go 1.2 mi

6. Turn Right on 2ND ST - go 0.1 mi

Arrive at 1803 2ND ST, CONCORD, on the Right

From North

1. From I-680 SOUTH toward SAN JOSE

2. Take exit #51/WILLOW PASS RD toward TAYLOR BLVD - go 0.2 mi

3. Turn Left on WILLOW PASS RD - go 1.9 mi

4. Turn Right on 2ND ST - go 0.1 mi

Arrive at 1803 2ND ST, CONCORD, on the Right

Service

Archanas can be performed in Tamil whenever possible

Please contact Kausalya Hart at 510-525-1793 between 6PM-8PM for sponsoring Annadhanam (Meals for devotees) on festival days

Address

The Shiva Murugan Temple

1803, second street, Concord, CA 94519 USA

Tel : 925 – 827 – 0127

Hindu Community and Cultural Centre,

Shiva Vishnu Temple, CA

Hindu Community and Cultural Center was incorporated in 1977. The need for a place where Hindus can pray, study religion and have cultural programs was seen as necessary and it was in this mood the birth of this organization took place...

HCCC Historical Information

Individual Samskaras

The objective of the Samskaras, are several. The removal of evil spirits, invoking blessings from Gods for material gains, longevity and good progeny, are a few of these. Different Mantras are chanted and different gods are worshipped depending upon the ceremony.
1. Vivaham
All the traditions and Sampradayas agreed that marriage is a divine samskara to get along Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. The Temple helps in conducting marriages. For the Muhurtha (auspicious time), one can get the help of the priest.
You are required to bring these items for conducting a marriage. In fact, you can request the Temple to conduct the wedding in the Temple Assembly Hall or out side
2. Seemantham
Performed in the 7th or 8th month of pregnancy. You can consult the priest for the auspicious time and the items needed. Veda parayana, Santhi pata pravachana also can be arranged at home or in the Temple. Please contact manager if you need more information.
All the other birth related Samskaras like, Pumsavana (Performed in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th month), Jaatakarma (immediately after child birth), Nama Karana (child naming cermony 10th or 12th day after birth), Punyaha Vachana, Anna prasana (First feeding of cooked rice to child, at 6th month), Mundana, Akshara-abhyasa make the child eligible for the next samskara and purify the body to recive the spiritual vibrations very quickly.

3. Upanayana (Thread Ceremony)
A sacred thread is prescribed for the three classes like Brahmana, Kshatriya and Vaisya in their respective traditions and they are advised to consult the priest for their sampradaya. In order to get the eligibility to the Nitya Karma, Veda adhyana and Yajna - Yaga sacrifices, one needs to get the samskara. To set the auspicious Muhurtha you can get help from any priest.

4. Ayushya Homa
Normally when a child completes his/her first year, the Ayushya Homa is recommended by the Rishis for the long life of the baby.
In addition to the above items for the samskaras, these following items are needed.
New clothes for the baby, ghee (2 lbs), firewood - preferably kindling wood (1 pkt), cooked rice (1 cup), dry fruits - cashews, almonds, raisin (1/2 lbs each), home cooked prasada like sharkar pongal.
If you do the same in a grand scale for the 60th Birthday (Shashtiyabhipurthi) Shanthi, Sahasra Chandra Darsha Shanthi at the age of 80, some more items may be needed. Please contact the Manager for more details.
5. Satyanarayana Puja
Conducted every Saturday and Sunday from 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm in the Temple. This is the most common worship for the general well being and for individual benefits. Performing this puja on a full moon day is very auspicious. One can perform this worship at home or within Temple, collectively or individually.
6. Vahana (Car / Truck) Puja
Bring 4 lemons, 1 coconut, flowers, fruits, karpoor or camphor (one small pkt).
7. Bhoomi Puja
While construction is going to take place the puja is recommended in the sastras as Bhoomi worship.
8. Grihapravesam
While entering into a new or already dwelling home to please the presiding deity of the place. A vastu puja is recommended.
9. Shraaddha (Service to departed souls)
Paying respects to the departed souls is considered as the most sacred ceremony in the Vedic tradition. The Temple assists in performing this at Temple or at devotee's home.
Items Needed:
Rice, vegetables (uncooked) Indian jaggery, milk, yogurt, sesame seeds, Toordhal, one coconut and fruits. Devotees can contact the manager for more details with regard to the Death Rites, Maasikas, Anna Shraaddhas with Homas.

Note:
Anna Shraddhas or Pinda Pradana can be performed only outside the Temple premises. Please contact manager for more details.

For Ganapathi Homa, Mrutyunjaya Homa, Rudra Homa, Trisati Homa, Pancha Sukta Homa, Sudarshana Homa, Chandi Homa, Shree Sukta Homa, Durga Sukta Homa, Lalitha Sahasranama Homa, Lakshmi Homa, Navagraha Homa, etc.,

A homa, or fire offering, is a sacred ceremony in which the Gods are offered oblations through the medium of fire according to Vedic scriptual injuctions while special mantras are recited. A Homa is performed during specific auspicious occasions for the benefit of the entire world as well as the participants.

One must understand that the actions of the Homa are a nourishment for the Devatas, who all correspond to basic principals of nature. By nourishing those energies one gets the support of nature. All objects which are offered into Agni refer to specific deities. These deities who are governing different main aspects of Nature, bless us with overall health and well being.

You can consult the concerned priest for the items to be brought for the particular homa of your choice. Contact Manager for more details.

Please note
Identification of a specific solution requires in-depth knowledge of the subject and the systems. Seeking advice from knowledgeable and experienced vedic scholars is very crucial. Performing Puja/Homa/Japa with all devotion to God and not as a ritual is the key to utmost satisfaction

Timings

Monday-Thursday
9 AM to 12 Noon
6 PM to 8 PM

Friday, Saturday, Sunday & Holidays
9 AM to 8 PM

Kanada Durga Devi Temple

Monday-Thursday
9 AM to 12 Noon
6 PM to 8 PM

Friday, Saturday, Sunday &
Holidays
9 AM to 8 PM

Address:

Hindu Community and Cultural Center
1232 Arrowhead Ave.
Livermore, CA 94551
info@livermoretemple.org

Main Telephone : (925) 449 6255
Alt.Telephone : (925) 449 6254
Alt.Telephone : (925) 455 6229
Alt.Telephone : (925) 583 2077
Alt.Telephone : (925) 583 2078
Fax : (925) 455 0404
eFax : (925) 605 1731

Ddirections

From I-580 in Livermore:
Exit N. Vasco Road.
Left on Scenic Ave.
Left on Arrowhead Avenue.
1232 Arrowhead Avenue.
Temple is on your right.

Hindu Temple of Delaware, Hockessin

Hindu Temple of Delaware at 760 Yorklyn Road, Hockessin is one of many Hindu temples in the USA. The main deity is Goddess Mahalakshmi, the Goddess of wealth and prosperity.
There are over 7,000 families in Delaware Valley Tri-state area who visit this temple.
History
About 20 years ago, a handful of Indian families who had migrated to the USA gathered together once a month in a local church or school to worship and celebrate festivals. These families nurtured a dream to build and maintain a full fledged Hindu temple in Delaware. Although it seemed a far flung idea back then, over the years the Indian community grew and the Hindu temple Association held fundraisers to build the temple. Through patience and planning, the ground breaking ceremony for the Temple was performed on Oct. 20th 1996 on about 4.5 acres of land in Hockessin purchased with donations of about 60 families who ardently wished to make this dream a reality.

Thanks to divine intervention and financial help from the local Indian community and, construction began and the Hindu temple, Mahalakshmi Devasthanam was built. The main deity is Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity. The Hindu temple celebrated its Kumbhabhishekam in May 2002.
Mission
The Hindu temple Association of Hockessin, is a non-profit association that caters to the religious, cultural and educational needs of a growing population of Indian families (6000+) in the tri-state area. The Hindu temple , Hockessin, Delaware is able to achieve this, thanks to an able board of trustees comprising people of various walks of life and profession and due to the countless hours put in by dedicated volunteers, staff priests and many others.

The primary mission of the Hindu Temple is to cater to the spiritual needs of all Indian families and to celebrate all important milestones, rituals and festivals in a true traditional manner, thanks to our resident temple priests who are vedic scholars of Hinduism. The temple aims to get families together as a community and celebrate all important occasions in its premises.

The Hindu temple aims to teach all youngsters the basics of Hinduism through scriptures and stories that highlight the important values of the religion. It also addresses the spiritual needs of adults through spirituality seminars and classes designed especially for adults The Temple also provides the infrastructure to teach children the most popular Indian languages through various language classes.

The temple promotes cultural awareness by organizing cultural programs and shows on a regular basis to give our children and adults many opportunities to have a glimpse of the great culture, and a first-hand experience of how festivals are celebrated across diverse India.
Vision
The Hindu Temple of Delaware will continue serve as a true beacon of Indian culture in the present times and strive to teach the modern generation of Indians, the age old and rich values of our culture. The Hindu temple at Delaware will provide a platform for all members to come together socially, culturally and religiously in harmony.

Rajagopuram

Rajagopuram-(Raja meaning king, Gopuram meaning, the edifice) literally as the very name implies means the "grand entrance tower of the temple." The Rajagopuram is a tall pyramidal tower built at the entrance to a Hindu temple. It generally serves as the main entrance to the Hindu temple. They are usually five storeys tall, each with a pair of small cross-windows, which represent the five senses of human beings. The rajagopuram has meticulously crafted colorful sculptures of hundreds of idols, gods and goddesses on the lateral sides of the tower illustrating episodes from Hindu puranas.

In the old days the Rajagopuram was the tallest structure in the city. The Rajagopuram is a fine representation of Hindu temple architecture. It has many sculptures and decorations placed in it, meeting the requirements of a solid structure. When the deities are taken out of the temple, they leave and re-enter the temple via the Rajagopuram.

Through a process dubbed Indianization, sculptors, also called shilpis, convert the masonry structure into an ornately sculptured traditional Hindu temple. These highly skilled artists are flown in from Chennai, India, to work on the Rajagopuram. A phase of Indianization for the main temple was completed a few years ago. The next phase of actual sculpting has already begun inside our temple. This Indianization process will sculpture the new Rajagopuram and wedding hall and additional temple walls etc. It is being done by shilpis Kulundaivel Muthuswamy, Kaliyaperumal Senthilkumar, Gopal Sankar, Duraikannu Sureshbabu and Rajangam Subramaniyan and Gowrishankar Ramachandran under the able architectural guidance of Sthapathi Paramasivam. Many traditional Hindu figures, such as flowers and elephants, have already been worked into the design. Once completed, this exquisite Rajagopuram tower and entire temple, adorned with all its embellishments and sculptures will be majestic and profound.
Please stop by and take a look at the exquisite works of art on display at the temple and sponsor the Rajagopuram project generously through various schemes available. Do not miss this once in a lifetime opportunity for you and your family own a part of history by being a part of the grand Rajagopuram construction project for generations to come!!
Vidwan Program
The unique Vidwan program ( gaana samarpanam) of the Mahalskhmi Devasthanam, Hindu temple, DE was the brainchild of our President and Chairman, Mr. Patibanda Sarma. This program took shape 8 years ago and has reached its present form due to the efforts of the Temple cultural committee and the Elite Priest Team and boasts of true community involvement.

Many singers with a passion for music joined together to brainstorm and set melodious tunes for the various shlokas decided by the priest team. These include various dhyanam shlokas on all deities, the group song which is sung by the whole community together in unison during the pooja and many arthi songs, sahasranamam recordings etc. These mellifluous tunes are learnt and sung by all the vidwans during the pooja. Vidwans are assigned singers every year for each day of the yagnam and for other auspicious religious occasions. These standardized shlokas serve as an embellishment to the poojas, abhishekams, special events etc. performed at the temple. The cultural committee has compiled and distributed CD’s of all shlokas and songs every year before the yagnam for the past 8 years!

We sincerely thank all our Vidwans and elite team for having put in time and effort to keep this program going. We encourage all singers(adults and youngsters) and devotees to learn all the tunes which are now available on the website and come and offer their prayers through gaana samarpanam at the temple.

We also have a special “Nritya Samarpanam” program by dancers during all yagnams and special festive and religious events at the temple and welcome participation by all.

For further details about both programs and for participation, please contact the temple office at 302-235-7020

The following tracks have been recorded so far in the vidwan program:

Deities :
Ayyappa, Balaji, Durga, Ganesh, Lakshmi, Navgraha, Ram pariwar, Satyanarayana, Subrahmanya, Shiva,
Saraswathi and Wedding Hall
Address:

760 Yorklyn Rd, Hockessin, DE Ph : (302) 235-7020

TEMPLE TIMINGS
Monday - Friday : 08:00 am to 12:30 pm & 05:00 pm to 08:30 pm
Saturday, Sunday & Holidays : 08:00 am to 08:30 pm

MAHA LAKSHMI DEVASTHANAM
HINDU TEMPLE
760 YORKLYN RD, HOCKESSIN, DE 19707
302-235-7020, WWW.HINDUTEMPLEDE.COM

hna Mandir, West Bromwi

Om Tat Sat

(Continued...)

(My humble salutations to the great devotees , wikisources and Pilgrimage tourist guide for the collection )

Hindu Vedic Philosophy (Holy Pilgrimage - Theertha Kshetra)