Sri Durga Devi Devasthanam — Attraction in Sydney

Subject: Complaint Regarding Incident at Regents Park Durga Temple

Dear Regents Park Management,

I am writing to report an unpleasant experience we had at the Durga Temple. We had booked a Satyanarayana Vratam at the Regents Park Sai Mandir, and I was under the impression that the Durga Mandir and Sai Mandir were managed by the same administration. Consequently, we parked at the Durga Mandir, only to realize that the event was actually taking place at the Sai Mandir next door. Assuming the management was the same, we went in for the ceremony at 3 PM and returned around 6:45 PM on May 19th.

Upon arriving at our car, a man working at the Durga Temple aggressively confronted us, yelling about the parking being reserved exclusively for Durga Temple visitors. Although we apologized and expressed our willingness to comply with the rules, asking him to either fine us or have the car towed, his aggressive behavior was unacceptable. He charged towards us and screamed at us, despite the fact that I was with my husband and our 10-year-old child.

Another temple visitor witnessed this incident, recorded a video, and intervened on our behalf, only to be yelled at and threatened by the security guard as well. The guard angrily shut the gate and stated he would call the police.

My concern is not about the parking rules, which we were ready to follow, but about the unacceptable manner in which your security guard treated us. We had apologized and were prepared to move our car, yet he continued to behave aggressively and disrespectfully.

While we have already talked to the Police and dealing with the complaint against him now ( as we have the video proof ),I would like to know how the Regents Park management plans to address and justify this security guard's behavior. Visitors come to the temple seeking peace and a pleasant experience, and such behavior is completely contrary to that.

For future visitors to the temple, I would advise caution around this individual Mahendra , as he has the potential to significantly disrupt...

The pooja and Temple were amazing. I went during the mid morning time.

But when I was at the stairs wearing my shoes to leave the Temple. Then an elderly Sri Lankan man asked me if I have a bomb in my bag.

When I told him this is a gym bag and he could clearing see I’m leaving. When I confronted him, I should have said I am clearly leaving why did you have make such a mean comment and an explanation about all the attacks in the world. He kept going on about keeping an eye on “people like me” because I have look ethnic and carry a big bag.

Lesson for me is to not carry a big bag. Understand disturbed people also volunteer at the temple. You just have to stay away.

He didn’t apologise instead he asked me if I can’t take a joke. Then I told it wasn’t nice to treat devotees like that who come for peace. Apparently “people like me” need to be monitored. I get that but a comment is unnecessary when I was clearly leaving with a smile on my face. If I was a man and big he wouldn’t have dared to pick on me “as a joke”. It's an irony of insulting a woman at the Shakti temple..

I went there for peace but returned with a combination of good experience and insults that were not even needed. Don't take Sri Lankan man with glasses’ jokes seriously . Other than that an amazing devotional...

DO NOT VISIT !!!!!! We had our own puja sardam and offerings and we were trying to inaugurate our car by worshipping the Ganesh statue outside the main temple. The volunteers, especially a senior one who seemed perpetually angry and impolite, jumped on us demanding that we buy a ticket or “Go on the road outside and do the puja”. He kept on ranting about the maintenance costs of the temple and demanded that we leave the temple immediately or complete the puja on the road!!

We didnt want to ruin our puja and went to buy the ticket but there was no one at the counter to ‘sell’ the puja tickets.

The temple clearly believes that spirituality should come with a price tag. If you so desperately want money from every devotee entering the temple, PLEASE HAVE BOARD THAT OUTLINES THE CONDITIONS OF ENTRY and fees associated for temple darshan and puja. The arrogance and unprofessionalism of staff/volunteers is beyond measure. A temple should be a place for...