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.

This temple is amazing and the people are great. I attend as much as I can. As soon as you walk in…read moreyou are greeted by friendly face and the most down to earth people.

Very good and bless place to be ..always forgets a your problems when your here because of the…read morelovely blessings of Maa and the wonderful people here..I will advise anyone to come here and enjoy the blessings of Maa.

Beautiful Temple…read more.. We were there for Durga Pujo. To be honest, every temple in NJ was charging $40-80 for visit. And we find this temple in queens where nothing like this happens. Though we did donation part. Coming to temple, it is a small but beautiful temple. We went there continuously 2 years for Durga Pujo. Hall is big enough to accompany 100 people. Durga idol is very beautiful. They also perform Kali puja in Diwali. The only problem is you won't find parking over there. Just 2 blocks away, there is a gas station. You can park over there for $10

Festive air of acceptance...if you can find parking nearby! Everyone was in such a good mood-for…read morethemselves & for us too!

This temple was established to capture our heritage and Culture which we were losing here in our…read morenew adopted homeland the United States. Our aim to promote the madrasee Worship and furthermore have unity, harmony and peace within our community. The general public are welcome. Service every Sunday's at 10:00 am sharp.

Nice temple. Swamiji gives good pravachan. People worship there and celebrate Indian festivals.read more

I was not aware of this beautiful temple in queens. We were here for Durga puja and saw the Geeta…read moreashram board. from the outside, it does not give a vibe of a temple, and it's just a board. but go inside and feel the vibe. it's HUGE... ignore outside, and enter - you will see beautiful Shivling with a backdrop of 100s small shivlings (i don't know the count). it's amazing. the temple has all the Hindu deities and it's serene. they have also replicated the Vaishno Devi cave. God Shiva, Hanuman, Ram-Janki, Krishna Ji, Vishnu, Durga Ji - one can not miss this temple when around. all the Sati rupa (52) murti are there along with 9 grah. I was finding deities at all corners. hope this review and pics encourage someone to go and visit this temple.

Excellent customer service and commitment to the people. They have been providing on going service…read moreto the families/ communities around the tri-state.

I grew up in Prem Bhakti Mandir over the past 10 years. Throughout the ups and downs, the mandir…read morehas always felt like a second home to me. I have learned how to play the harmonium, sing, dance, and speak Hindi from the free classes they offer. I also made some lifelong friends and continue to do so whenever I attend Sunday service and get involved with their talented youth group. The people of Prem Bhakti Mandir are kind, thoughtful and welcoming. The mandir itself is beautiful and perfect for holding any special occasions. Once you visit this mandir, you will definitely want to come again and bring your loved ones.