Limited Options on Temples in My Area

[fem_phoenix1109]

Namaste,

Lately I have been really wanting to visit a temple, but after doing some searching online it seems as though my options are very limited, as I can only find 2 temples in my area. I live in Columbus, OH, and it is a decent sized city, so I find it hard to believe there would only be 2! Perhaps there are more, but just not easily found online. That's what I hope anyway.

One of them is an ISKCON temple (http://iskconcolumbus.com/), and I have to admit after reading on here a bit I am a little apprehensive about getting involved in ISKCON. Also, I consider myself a follower of Shiva, so would it be appropriate for me to go to ISKCON? I know ultimately they are all one and the same, but Shiva is where I feel connected, and I would love to share my love of Shiva with others.

The other isn't as close, and I'm not sure about at all: http://www.columbushindutemple.org/. Reading through the website, the first thing I notice is how there is a charge for almost everything, and you have to join and pay a membership fee. Is this normal?. I understand that it probably costs money to run a temple and the services offered are probably very valuable, but the money thing seems a bit overemphasized. Hopefully I am just misunderstanding.

I would love to hear the thoughts of more experienced members on this situation. Where would you go? How can I find other temples besides these two?

Thank you. :)

[Believer]

Namaste,

Here is a third one, although a small one,


SRI LAKSHMI GANAPATHI TEMPLE & HINDU CULTURAL CENTER OF OHIO


A nonprofit organization under 501(c) (3)


2764, Sawbury Blvd,


Columbus, Ohio 43235


(614) 987-5775 / (614) 668 9884


sastry@satyanarayana.org


http://www.satyanarayana.org


www.hindutemplecolumbusohio.com (http://www.hindutemplecolumbusohio.com/)



Of the three, the ISKCON one is dedicated to Bhagwan Krishna, and therefore of not much use to you, if you want to focus on Lord Shiva. The second one seems to be a multi-denominational one with multiple deities, where you could pray in front of your choice deity. The third one is a start up.

There never is a fee for visiting a temple or participating in the puja (services). Probably a misread on your part. But I would encourage you to visit as many temples as you can in your area before you decide which one you feel comfortable at and get some spiritual vibes at. Here is a link to prepare you for your much dreaded :) first visit.

http://hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=102215&postcount=15

Pranam.

[Eastern Mind]

The other isn't as close, and I'm not sure about at all: http://www.columbushindutemple.org/. Reading through the website, the first thing I notice is how there is a charge for almost everything, and you have to join and pay a membership fee. Is this normal?. I understand that it probably costs money to run a temple and the services offered are probably very valuable, but the money thing seems a bit overemphasized. Hopefully I am just misunderstanding.

I would love to hear the thoughts of more experienced members on this situation. Where would you go? How can I find other temples besides these two?

Thank you. :)

Vannakkam: Believer has done some good work in finding another one. I can add a bit about your concerns on fees. There is never ever an entrance fee. For special pujas there usually is, although some temples do function on donations alone or 'suggested donation'. This is to cover the cost of the materials used in the rites for each individual ceremony on the list, and a bit of a bonus for the priest's extra time.

The members of a temple society make decisions on how that particular temple is run. They have a general meeting at least once a year, elect trustees, and facilitate the management of that particular temple. One would only become a member if they wanted a say in how it's run, or if they wanted to volunteer on the Board of Directors. Consequently, it is only usually a small percentage of the devotees ho attend any particular temple that are members. Hope this helps.

Aum Namasivaya

[fem_phoenix1109]

Namaste,

Thank you both for taking the time to respond and clarify. I am especially interested in that other temple you found Believer. I think I might like to visit that one when I am ready.

Also thank you for clarification on the monetary aspect of temple membership. I feel much better about it now that I understand how that works.

Pranam.

[fem_phoenix1109]

Namaste,

Can I show up at the temple anytime, or should I go at a particular time or day? I don't want to be disruptive or disrespectful by showing up at the wrong time or in the middle of a service.

Thank you all.

[Friend from the West]

Hari Om

Namaste FemPhoenix

First, it is good to see that JaiJi and BelieverJi, who were two members who were helpful in their postings and responses in leading up to my first visit a few years ago, are still going strong. Had spent much time in Monasteries, but never Temple. So even though a wee bit older (muuuuch older) then you, something new can cause apprehension for sure.

Next Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, will be in Columbus, Ohio. Just an offer, but would go with you to second Temple, in Powell, Ohio. This is some distance from my business, but not too far for this experience. If you are interested in having someone else experience this Temple for first time and not so far removed from first visit to any Temple, would be glad to meet you there and go in with you.

If you have any interest, please just PM me. This is one of cool things with HDF, two members helped me as they have helped others, and I get gift of doing same thing.

Regardless, best of luck to you.

Om NamahShivaya

FFTW

[Believer]

Namaste,

Namaste,

Can I show up at the temple anytime, or should I go at a particular time or day? I don't want to be disruptive or disrespectful by showing up at the wrong time or in the middle of a service.

Thank you all.
The temples are usually open in the morning till about noon time and then in the afternoon/evening from 4 (or 5) till 7 (or 8). You may visit them at any time they are open. If the service is going on when you get there, you may sit on the ladies side on the back and when the service is over, you may go to the front to pay your respects to the deities. Most places have their 'big' weekly puja on Sundays - either at mid-day or in the evening. So, going there during the week when there are no crowds might be less intimidating.

There is no wrong time to visit the temple. Don't worry about doing anything wrong. Just visit and go with the flow.

Pranam.

[Sudas Paijavana]

Pranam-s,

I too have limited options on temples in my area. Therefore, I am making an organized schedule in order to fit in weekly temple visits - it was easier to visit during the summer and the driving distance didn't matter. But, since the fall semester just started, I have been really busy.

[Eastern Mind]

Namaste,

Can I show up at the temple anytime, or should I go at a particular time or day? I don't want to be disruptive or disrespectful by showing up at the wrong time or in the middle of a service.

Thank you all.

Vannakkam: All temples differ, even ones of the same sect. Management generally brings what they remember from back home, a natural occurrence. If you can go and watch what others do, that is always beneficial. Keen observation helps. Best wishes with it. You won't regret it. :)

Aum Namasivaya

[Eastern Mind]

Pranam-s,

I too have limited options on temples in my area. Therefore, I am making an organized schedule in order to fit in weekly temple visits - it was easier to visit during the summer and the driving distance didn't matter. But, since the fall semester just started, I have been really busy.

Vannakkam: Which city or area. Perhaps Believer or I or someone else could suggest some place you don't know of.

Aum Namasivaya

[fem_phoenix1109]

Namaste,

I think I am going to visit a temple tomorrow. I'm just trying to decide where to go, as there are 3 options.

The one furthest from me seems like it may be best option, as they have a lot of regular services going on. It is called Bharatiya Hindu temple (http://www.columbushindutemple.org/) There are 2 services going on tomorrow, the Divya Prabandham Recitation (1 hour), and the Satyanarayana Puja and Katha (2.5 hours). Any suggestions on which one I should attend?

The second one is the one I have been feeling drawn to more for some reason: Sri Lakshmi Ganapathi Temple & Hindu Cultural Center of Ohio (http://www.srilakshmiganeshtemple.org/Home). The schedule information on the website is pretty outdated though, and the website is incomplete, so it's hard to know much about it. I did send an email asking when would be a good time to visit though. I hope I hear back from them.

The third one is very close to where I live, and it is an ISKCON temple. Even though I want to eventually check out as many temples as I can, I wonder if I should avoid this one altogether? This is based mostly on things I have read here. I am very unsure on whether or not I should even go there. Should I go and check it out for myself and make my own opinion, or trust in the knowledge of others and stay away? I'm confused.

[fem_phoenix1109]

Namaste!

So I finally made it to the temple, and it was quite the experience!

I ended up going to the Sri Lakshmi Ganesha Temple. When I got there, there was already a puja going on. I stood outside of the room for a moment because I was unsure if I should just go in or not. A gentleman saw me and I asked if I was looking for someone, and I told him no, I just had never been there and wasn't sure if it was okay to just go in. He was very nice, and told me to come on in and went in as well.

There weren't many people there at the time, maybe 10 or 15. The priest was sitting on the floor in front of the shrine chanting something in another language, and everyone else was also sitting on the floor. Men and women were not separated at all, everyone was just sitting where ever. Some people were dressed in Indian clothing, some weren't. There were a few small children there, acting as small children do, and a few adolescents, one of whom was doing her homework. I was the only white person there. I got a few curious glances but that was about it.

I sat down and just listened to the priest and observed the people. As the service went on, more people trickled in, most of them bringing fruit and placing it behind the shrine. Some people had their own puja items in front of them on the floor and would do certain things with it as the priest instructed them to. Every now and then he would say a few words and we would repeat. After the puja, he told a few stories about the puja itself. It was the Satyanarayana Puja. While telling stories, he would place pieces of the fruit in front of the shrine, and there was a couple sitting on the other side of the shrine who would wave a small lamp in front of it. There was a young boy, maybe 3, starting to get unruly, and the priest offered him a banana.

The whole thing lasted a few hours. I'll be honest, I was pretty uncomfortable and unsure of myself, as I was way out of my comfort zone, but at the same time I enjoyed it and am glad I went. When I first went in, when he was chanting things in another language, I tried to just meditate on his voice. I definitely felt something divine in the atmosphere. It's hard to explain, but it was there. I really enjoyed the stories as well.

When that was done, we all lined up and there was a candle where we kind of waved the flame toward our face, then the priest put a small amount of milk in our hand, and we took a sip then ran hand through hair. I think the priest could tell I was unsure what to do. He told me to put out my hand for the milk, then kindly and jokingly said, or I could get you a cup if you need it! Then someone handed me a banana. There was another thing I guess I forgot to take as well, but a young girl came up to me and handed it to me. It was a small, sweet snack, I'm not sure what it was though. It was sweet, some sort of dense, moist carbohydrate, and had raisins in it. I ate it, as I saw others eating theirs, and took the banana with me, since I didn't see anyone else eating their banana.

Then when leaving the main room, there was a table set up with food, and people handing it out. They handed me a rather large bowl of this food, I have no idea what it was, and a spoon. It was a lot like the snack mentioned above, sweet, dense carbohydrate, but there were 3 different flavors. One part of it had the raisins and some nuts in it, and almost a lemon taste to it, the 2nd was bright orange, and the third I could not place. It reminded me of a very thick cream of wheat. I ate a little there, and noticed that most people were taking it home with them, so I took the rest home. I have to be honest, one of the flavors I really did not like. When I got home I ate as much as I could, as it was a rather large bowl. I felt very guilty that I did not eat the whole thing. Was I supposed to?

All in all it was a positive experience and I am glad that I went, and I will go again.

[Dharmi]

Namaste,

Lately I have been really wanting to visit a temple, but after doing some searching online it seems as though my options are very limited, as I can only find 2 temples in my area. I live in Columbus, OH, and it is a decent sized city, so I find it hard to believe there would only be 2! Perhaps there are more, but just not easily found online. That's what I hope anyway.



Two alternatives? I would be happy if i even had only one :Cool:

[Believer]

Namaste,

Sorry, did not see your post earlier. You must have already made the trip. How was it?

Regarding ISKCON mandir, I would suggest that you go for the Sunday evening service and see how it feels. We are all highly opinionated here with strong biases. So, I would not read too much into what others say. Find out what you feel by visiting it yourself at least once.

The one that you sent the email to, various mandir functions are taken care of by volunteers who are householders with busy lives. If I were to take a guess, the chances of you getting a reply are slim to none. So, just go.

The one with lot of services, those might be long discourses perhaps in one of the native tongues, and might not be of much use to you at this stage. It would be better to go for a regular weekly service, perhaps over the weekend, when the whole thing is more structured and easy for a first timer. During the week, you might go there outside of the special puja hours to visit the deities and sit there for a while in meditation.

Pranam.

[fem_phoenix1109]

Hi Believer,

You can see my details on the visit in a post above. Since it had to be approved first it showed up before your post, but after you posted it (I think!). I didn't want you to think I was not replying.

All in all, it was a great experience, and I will go again!

Namaste.

[Believer]

Namaste,

Thanks for the first visit post, which showed up after my last post due to the moderation lag.

Glad to know that you enjoyed the experience. Sweet dense carbohydrate with nuts in it could probably be 'halwa'. It is prepared by roasting wheat flour in a pan with some oil and then adding water, sugar, raisins and nuts to it. That is the traditional prasad given out at the end of a puja (service). Other things, I have no clue as to what they were. Prasad may be refrigerated for later consumption, but if the taste of some of the items does not agree with you then I guess they have to be discarded.

Keep going there, be observant about the etiquette, and avoid being overly self conscious, which is the self imposed reason for your uncomfortableness. I would assume that their weekly Sunday puja draws bigger crowds, has people gender-separated for seating and is a bit more structured. Just go with the flow and stay focused on the spiritual aspects of the whole thing. The chanting was most likely in Sanskrit, the language of gods, in which all the Hindu scriptures are written. Good luck.

Pranam.

[fem_phoenix1109]

Namaste,

I just wanted to update about my journey exploring the temples. After my visit detailed above, I have visited a different temple a few times now. I still feel somewhat nervous when I go, and have not yet gotten into a habit of going regularly. It is a bit overwhelming - I am very shy and nervous being around new people, and both the temples I have gone to I have always been the only person who is not Indian. I know that shouldn't matter, but it does make me feel self conscious and I can't help but worry about what others might be thinking. I have found though, that every time I go it gets a little easier, I enjoy more, feel more comfortable, and get more out of the experience spiritually.

Last night was my best experience yet. I went to the Bharatiya Hindu Temple (http://www.columbushindutemple.org/), and got to experience the Shiva Abhishekam puja. It was my first time worshipping Lord Shiva at the temple. Other services I have gone to have been for the Mother Goddess and Satyanarayana Puja. Last nights service there was chanting while washing the Shiva Linga with different things. It started out with milk I think, and then something that looked like milk but thicker, and then something that was even thicker and was an off white/yellowish color, and then something that looked like syrup or honey. Everyone was chanting out of a book, it had Lord Shiva on the cover, and most of the cover was white, and there were some green words on the back. Does anyone know what book this might be? I might like to get a copy so that I may follow along next time. Then we sang bhajans. It was beautiful. Then we stood and lined up and there was some more chanting, and at one point everyone turned in a circle 3 times and then prostrated, which was something different from the other pujas I have attended. Then we lined up, and proceeded each to stand in front of a flame and wave the flame towards our faces (we also did this several times during the puja after every time the Shiva Linga was bathed in something different) and then had milk poured in our hands and drank, and were given a piece of fruit. When I tried to drink the milk, it ended up dripping all down my arm and I was only able to get a little of it actually in my mouth. Is there a trick to that or something?

After that, I was getting ready to leave, and a man stopped me and told me to make sure I go downstairs and enjoy some food. He showed me where to go, and I got a plate of rice with a yellowish colored soup, some spicy beans (chick peas maybe?), some potatoes with a green sauce on them and a tortilla. It was absolutely DELICIOUS! They gave me a lot and I ate every bite.

Then (this is the best part!) an older couple sat down next to me and the woman started a conversation with me. It was the first time I've spoken with someone, aside from the general 'hello' or the man telling me to get some food. She started off asking if it was my first time, and I told her no, it was my second at that particular temple. Then she asked if I was in school or college (I think maybe she thought I was doing a class project) and I told her that no, I wasn't. So she asked 'you are just interested in learning about the religion then?' and I told her yes, and how amazing and beautiful I thought it was. She seemed a little surprised but pleasantly so. We had a wonderful conversation, and she was very nice. She even gave me her phone number, and told me I could call her if I ever had any question or wanted to talk to someone! She said she had been in America for 40 years. She introduced me to the man sitting next to her (I think maybe her husband, but not positive b/c she didn't say so explicitly) and started telling me about how he works with a group called the Interfaith Association, and he told me about some of the work that they do.

I can't even express how much it meant to me just to have that little bit of contact with someone there, and how welcome they made me feel. It was wonderful. I think I may reach out to her next time I go, if nothing else to have someone to sit next to during the puja.

I apologize for such the long post. I wanted to make sure to share this experience while still fresh in my mind, as it meant so much to me.

Pranam.

[c.smith]

Hari Om!

The vibrancy in your post is undeniable and I am so pleased that you made the first step in this direction. May Lord Shiva continue to bless you abundantly.

Please continue to go to these pujas as they are integral to your spiritual growth. Sounds like you went on a Monday for Maha Abisheka. Is this so?

Please continue to share your experiences as this is so very exciting.

Om

[fem_phoenix1109]

Hari Om!

The vibrancy in your post is undeniable and I am so pleased that you made the first step in this direction. May Lord Shiva continue to bless you abundantly.

Please continue to go to these pujas as they are integral to your spiritual growth. Sounds like you went on a Monday for Maha Abisheka. Is this so?

Please continue to share your experiences as this is so very exciting.

Om

Namaste, and thank you for your response!
This was actually last night, which was Sunday evening.

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam Fem:

Very nice post, and it brought back memories. I can help you a bit with the questions in your post.

The substances were most likely milk, yoghurt, yellow sandalwood, honey, and most likely rosewater at the end, but you wouldn't notice that.

Most likely they were chanting Sri Rudram, a famous ode to Siva from the Vedas. The books would have been in Sanskrit.

The liquid they give you to drink is called teertham, and is actually a mixture of all the sacred substances applied before, and collected at the bottom of the murthi. Yes there is a trick to drinking it. If you cup your hand correctly, there is generally a line (think of it as a valley) going towards the wrist. If you put it near your mouth with the teertham in it, then make a quick dumping motion, rather than pouring slowly, there will be less spillage. Practice at your sink with water.

The yellow soup is called sambar, and the tortilla is either roti or chappatti, but similar.

I'm so happy the lady introduced herself to you. Sounds like you'll have many more enchanting visits.

Aum Namasivaya

[Anima Deorum]

Hari Om,

Wonderful! It is such a joy to hear of your trips to these temples. I am so happy for you.

The Lord's miracle is everywhere. His Maya is inexplicable. His magnitude is unfathomable. It's time to rejoice. :)

I live in Michigan, and your post inspires me to drive south to visit these temples. Let me share my first couple visits with you:

http://hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=11350 (http://hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=11350)

Love and Radiance

[Aanandinii]

Namaskar Fem Pheonix,

Thank you so much for your wonderful experience! I am also exploring local Temples for the first time, and I empathize completely with your self-consciousness. I feel it too, while the friends I have made in my local community are always so surprised and amused by my anxiety.

I echo C. Smithji and EMji, please write more of your experiences? Others have made the point that these posts help more people to take the first steps past our anxiety and go to Temple and join community, and how important that is. I agree, it certainly helped me, and I remember reading your earlier posts in this thread before my first visit here in the US as well. :) Thank you for that.

Maha Abishekham is my favorite puja, it was my first experience of Lord Shiva. I will be going this Monday, your post makes me look forward to it even more.

Pranams

[allhindutemples]

Namaste,

Lately I have been really wanting to visit a temple, but after doing some searching online it seems as though my options are very limited, as I can only find 2 temples in my area. I live in Columbus, OH, and it is a decent sized city, so I find it hard to believe there would only be 2!


Namaste,
I just looked up the temples in and near Columbus Ohio and here are the locations of the temples.

http://i.imgur.com/UyEHtbJ.png

Sorry could not attach the image, for some reason the Upload failed on the forum, hence attaching an external link

http://allhindutemples.com/?multi_city=Ohio