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Shiva Vishnu Temple
6905 Cipriano Road, Lanham Md. 20706

by Aneela Ijaz

For my second encounter report I visited a Hindu temple in Maryland, which is called Shiva Vishnu Temple. Hinduism is a western religion and which I didn't have much idea about how they go about worshipping. When I got to the temple, there were stairs to go up and then a cherry wood gate that you had to go through. When I walked to the gate, I noticed how clean the temple was. It was quite big with cream yellow walls. When I walked in there was red carpet only in the center and wood floors around. The first thing I saw when I walked in was a deity in the middle of the temple with a few stairs in front of it. It was the God Shiva. Shiva was put in the middle I was told because the name of the temple was Shiva Vishnu. Vishnu is another God, but Shiva was the center*. There was a restroom with also a place with a faucet for people to step in the small tub and wash their hands and feet. All around the temple were deities. They were very attractive and eye catching. The deities had like their own space for one  to  do puja.  Each God represented something for example Saraswati represented singing, and Laxmi represented money. 

They were very colorful with gold trim around them and these long pretty necklaces. Around each deity or God was fruit, money that people put there and flowers. I also saw few plates with candles lit in the middle. While I was there, it was not fully packed but there were a few people there. There was a pandit who performs puja too. The purpose of him I was told was if someone wanted a blessing of something as in buying a new house, car and a baby being born, the pandit did a special puja for that event. The pandit was actually sitting in the office when I was there. The office right next to the entrance was where people would go to donate money to the temple. This is what happened when I was there. People would go to each God and ring the bell that was hanging above each God about once to twice. They would then put their hands together say prayer and put a red dot on their head. I saw most people put the red dot on their head before performing puja. It was some kind of color mixed with water for the dot, and it was called khaku. 

They chanted something at each God, and the time depended on how long they prayed at each one from 1 to 5 minutes. Not all but some people took the plate with the candle circled it around the God and lightly threw and red carnation at the God. All ages were there, even little kids who went around with their moms to each deity. After they went around some went to the center where Shiva was and prayed. Some actually prayed first at Shiva and then went around the other deities. At the end was a table where you could buy stickers for your car and cassettes with hymns. There was also this box of sweets that each person picked up a piece of before leaving. The setting was peaceful and relaxing. People weren't just standing there and talking they were there to pray. The Hindus looked very involved and so dedicated when they performed puja. It was quite a different experience for me comparing it going to a mosque, much different. It was outside where people would stand and talk, but inside it was all about puja. I have a friend who is Hindu and he said that when the holidays come around that is the best time to be there, because so much is going on. At first I felt nervous and weird, because I didn't know what to do in the temple and what reaction would be from others. I look Middle Eastern but they could tell that I was not Indian. They respected people from other religions to come to their temple and experience it. I would tell people who don't know about the religion and want to gain a little knowledge about Hindu worship and rituals to surely visit one. 

Correction: Shiva is not in the center. Karthikeya (Muruga), the eldest son of Siva, is in the center of the temple. Shiva is to the left and Vishnu is to the right.  Here's a map of the temple: http://www.ssvt.org/Deities/deities.asp. Just place your cursor over the shrine and a photo will appear.