Dear Friends,
You may or may not be aware of the completely authentic Hindu temples that are in Flushing, Queens NY. They are magnificent works of art and profound places of worship and centers of spiritual wisdom. They are numerous, and several are very close together — within one or two blocks of each other. As we did host this event back in the Year 2013, 2015 and 2018, we received more favorable comments than any event we have ever done. People were very moved by this window on to another world — and a profoundly beautiful and spiritual world at that – we are excited to take you on another Hindu Temple tour, again in 2022.

We plan on visiting (3) Hindu temples today – If time permits we will cover 2 more.

First Temple:
Ganesh Temple
45-57 Bowne Street, Flushing, NY 11355
http://www.nyganeshtemple.org/
Temple represents Dravidian (Southern India) Architecture – First Hindu temple in North America. We’ll meet here for Veg*n lunch @11:00 am – 1:00 pm, Tour temple/ deities @ 1 – 2 pm followed by Q&A session with temple authorities.

Second Temple:
Shirdi Sai Baba Temple
46-16 Robinson St, Flushing, NY 11355
https://www.dwarakamaishirdi.org/
Temple represents Shirdi Sai Samadhi Mandir(Near Nashik) Maharashtra, India. We’ll meet here around 3:00 pm onwards.

Third Temple:
Hindu Center
4552 Kissena Blvd, Flushing, NY 11355
http://www.hinducenternyc.org/
Temple represents the place of worship from Northern India. We’ll meet here from 4:30 pm onwards

If Time permits, we will cover the following temples –
Fourth Temple:
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir
44-38 Bowne Street, Flushing, NY 11355
http://www.baps.org/Global-Network/North-America/NewYork.aspx
Temple represents the place of worship from Swaminarayan sect.

Fifth Temple:
Om Sai Mandir
45-11 Smart St, NY 11355
http://www.omsaimandir.org/
Temple represents Shri Sai Temple at Devotee’s home.

We will be visiting temples during the Diwali (aka Deepavali) period. Diwali is a multi-day Festival of Lights, and Saturday, Oct. 22nd is the first day of it. (“Main Diwali” is on Mon. Oct. 24th, 2022). Celebrated all across India & overseas, it is a multi-day festival spiritually signifying the victory of light over darkness.

A quick note about the lunch at the Ganesh temple canteen: We have requested more vegan options during our visit – Food is 100% vegetarian at the canteen but not all vegan. Also, the food is very reasonably priced compared to anywhere in New York City. You will not find better South Indian Veg*n fare in the Tri-state area.

After lunch, our group will be touring temples all within walking distance from each other – Temple tour will begin at 1 pm by Holly Ave (bet. Bowne St. and Smart St.) outside Ganesh Temple Entrance – Feel free to join us anywhere on tour, and it is entirely OK to leave early if you need to. Even visiting just the Ganesh Temple is fantastic.

What to wear: Please dress comfortably, warm clothes and stay hydrated. As respect to the place of worship, Please No shorts, mini skirts and ripped jeans. Shoe can be worn at the temple canteen, but at all locations while entering the temple, shoes must be left outside in the designated areas (you can leave socks on).

Train/ Bus Directions: Take the Flushing-bound 7 Train to the last stop – Flushing-Main Street Station. Transfer to Q27 bus on Main Street/39th Ave after about 10 mins – 8 stops get off at Holly Ave- Robinson St – walk 234ft to Ganesh temple. Or Transfer to Q65 bus on Main St/ Roosevelt Ave after about 5 mins – 4 stops get off at 45 Ave / Bowne St – walk 0.1 mile to the temple. If you wish, you could also walk from the Main St. subway station to the temple ~ 1 mile walk, check for directions on Google Maps.

Driving and parking directions can be found here https://nyganeshtemple.org/directions on the temple website.

Looking forward to seeing you on October 22nd, join us for this profound, moving, beautiful experience and Celebrate Diwali with us!!

Thanks,
Karthik R

Image Courtesy: https://untappedcities.com/