Project Home

Western Places to Visit

Eastern Places to Visit

Rajdhani Mandir

4525 Pleasant Valley Rd, Chantilly VA
703-378-8401

by Susan Casale

On March 2, 2003 a classmate and I had the opportunity to visit the Hindu Temple in Chantilly, Rajdhani Mandir. We had checked the temples website prior to the visit so we knew that puja had been scheduled for the period Saturday to Sunday, followed by a classical concert on Sunday. I have to admit I felt very nervous and unsure of the proper mannerisms for entering a Hindu Temple. We were very fortunate to have been entering into the temple at the same time as a woman named Kavita Khanna, who was also the director of the children's program at the temple. She greeted us with open arms and offered us a personal tour of the temple. 

Kavita brought us into the shoe room where you take off your shoes and wash your hands before entering the main worshiping area. Kavita knew the short cut; she wore mules so she did not have to touch her shoes - which meant she did not need to wash her hands. Then we went into the worshiping area where the members sat on the floor and mediated or stood in front of the specific deity to which they were praying. I was very impressed at the way the deities were decorated with the beautiful clothes and jewelry. The deities were all made from marble and they started with Ganesha, son of Shiva, on the left side of the room. Figures of Vishnu, Shiva, Rama, & Krishna were in the front of the room on a raised platform. On the right side of the room were statues for Buddhist and Jain worshipers. The complete list of deities included: Shri Ganesh ji, Shri Bala ji, Mata Durga ji, Shri Hanuman ji, Shri Mahavir ji and Shri Parshvanath ji, Shri Balasubramanyam ji, Shri Lami Narayan ji, Shri Radha Krishna ji, Shri Ram Darbar, and Shri Shiv Parivar.

Next, Kavita introduced us to the Chief Priest, Pandit Amar Nath Ji. Kavita told us that he was much respected in the Hindu community. Pandit Amar Nath ji started in this area worshiping at homes until this temple was inaugurated in March 2000. He seemed very pleased that had come to visit his temple. He explained his responsibilities and invited us to ask questions. He told us that he works with Fairfax County schools in orienting them about the Hindu religion and how the Family Life Education Program affects the Hindu community. He then presented us with a beautiful copy of the Srimad Bhagavad-Gita, containing the original Sanskrit text as well as English and Hindi translations. We were most appreciative of his warm and friendly manner. 

Pandit Amar Nath ji, then invited us to stay and eat lunch with everyone. This was quite an experience. Kavita and I talked about the different Indian restaurants in the area and we both agreed Haandi Restaurant is one of the favorites. We asked the priest if all Hindus were vegetarians and his response was that 99% of Hindus are vegetarians and that most Hindus are very healthy for this reason. Unfortunately, we had eaten lunch before we visited the temple but we did try some of their food which was very good. We were served a unique milk drink that was quite sweet.

At the end of our visit, Kavita gave us her email address and asked if we would send her a copy of our encounter paper when we finished. I also told her about the Hindu essay and the essay I had prepared on the exhibit at the Sackler Museum. She seemed interested in looking at those papers as well. I feel that we were very warmly welcomed and I think they appreciated others being interested in their religion. The temple visit made our textbook studies come to life, as we more fully appreciated the Hindu worshiping style. We were able to witness first hand the devotion of the worshipers present. I walked away very much enlightened by this experience.

Return to top