Hindu Society of Central Florida — Attraction in Florida

The temple itself is beautiful and peaceful, but let me be very clear: the management and so-called volunteers running this place are the absolute disgrace of Sanatan Dharma. They hide behind the façade of service while behaving like petty tyrants drunk on their false sense of authority.

Years ago, during Dussehra, my 5-year-old son—just a child excited about fireworks—momentarily crossed a rope fence. He was nowhere near danger, nowhere near the Ravana statue. Yet some arrogant, power-hungry volunteer threatened to throw him out of the temple. Imagine that: a grown man screaming threats at a five-year-old child inside a Hindu temple! It took an elderly gentleman to calm me down, otherwise this pathetic display of ego could have escalated in front of hundreds of people.

Fast forward to today—nothing has changed. While offering a simple "abhishekam" to Lord Shiva with about two spoons of water, I was publicly yelled at by another temple “authority” who went as far as to threaten that he would ban me from the temple. Who gave these men the right to decide who can or cannot worship God? Every Shiva temple across the world welcomes devotees offering water in the morning. But here in Orlando, they have turned devotion into dictatorship. Instead of humility, they thrive on arrogance. Instead of guidance, they spew insults.

This is not management; this is bullying in the name of religion. These individuals are not guardians of faith — they are gatekeepers of their own egos. They project themselves as protectors of Hinduism while embodying everything that drives people away: arrogance, hypocrisy, rudeness, and colonial-era superiority complexes.

The sad truth is this: the Orlando Hindu Temple could have been a shining beacon of Sanatan Dharma in America. Instead, it has been hijacked by people unfit to represent the values of our religion. Until the temple cleanses itself of this toxic mindset and these self-appointed dictators, it will remain a place where the divine peace of God is polluted by the arrogance of men.

If you want a temple run by humility, love, and true devotion, look elsewhere. If you want to witness the ugly face of hypocrisy dressed in religious clothes, this...

The temple structure is serene and divine, but the management is nothing short of disgraceful. The so-called volunteers and organizers act less like devotees and more like petty dictators intoxicated with power. Instead of humility, they exude arrogance. Instead of welcoming devotees, they bully and threaten them.

My first experience was during Dussehra, when my 5-year-old son, excited about the festival, briefly stepped near a rope fence. He was not near the Ravana statue, nor in danger. Yet a volunteer screamed at him and even threatened to throw him out of the temple. Imagine the audacity of a grown man publicly threatening a child inside a sacred place. Only the intervention of an elderly gentleman prevented the situation from escalating.

Years later, nothing has changed. During a morning puja, I offered just two spoons of water to Lord Shiva — a practice that is universally sacred in every Shiv temple. Suddenly, a management member started shouting at me and threatened to bar me from entering the temple again. If their rule was different, he could have spoken with humility. But humility is foreign to this management; rudeness and ego are their only language.

This temple is supposed to be a house of worship, not a stage for arrogant men to parade their false authority. They have reduced Sanatan Dharma to a petty power game, driving people away from faith instead of guiding them toward it. Their behavior is toxic, hypocritical, and destructive to the very values they pretend to uphold.

The temple deserves five stars for its sanctity, but the people running it deserve none. Until this poisonous management is reformed, Orlando Hindu Temple will remain a place polluted by ego and hypocrisy rather than elevated by devotion...

In this review I would like to highlight about the cafeteria run by the Hindu Society of Central Florida temple. Thanks to very dedicated and loving volunteers, the devotees of the temple can enjoy authentic south Indian food that includes masala dosa, idli, medu vada, dahi vada, upma, and different types of rice at a very reasonable price four times a week (Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday). Taste wise the food is very good, much better than similar food served at many Indian restaurants in Orlando. Many devotees regularly stop by for sumptuous F/M night dinner or S/S afternoon meal. Again all this is possible because of the sincere, dedicated and very hardworking volunteers. Many of these folks are retired. Lot of admiration for these people running the cafeteria. If you haven't tried the Hindu Society of Central Florida Temple Cafeteria food, you don't know what you are missing. Please check the cafeteria timings on the...