Sri Sharadamba Temple, SVBF SOUTH — Attraction in Sugar Land

Very poor experience with this temple. Today - May 12,2025- attended satyanaryana vratham. Very poorly condicted. The hot headed young purohit ( Telugu ) was racing through it. Please try to follow other temples such as Shiridi Sai baba mandir and how they do the vratham in detail and precisely allowing devotees to chant along (if they know the Vedas). The stories r very short read In English ! And by devotees. This temple is biased and hot headed priest proceeded to disrespect me among 4 other women because I told him he went very fast and I couldn’t chant along with him - the Veda suktams that I knew( there is no boundary for learning ) . He proceeded to tell me what I shouldn't do. I will chant and keep up with my learning and roots! We r in America and should support our culture and rituals respective of gender. There r many Hindi Brahmin women priests - Marathi mandal who do many rituals here. Did your/ priests 10 th grade teacher tell you not learn anything ! This is land of different members ( married, single moms, divorced and many step into different roles in life ) in society and they r many Americans who are also embracing Hinduism irrespective of their past life and practices. It clearly shows me -the way this purohit is raised back home- in a male dominated society and how his mother was treated at home and that to for him to speak to 60 year old women! Pl remind him he has job here because of donations from devotees and he should learn to encourage all genders here and be kind . Anger has no place in a temple - this is not my first experience. Some of admins r also very rude! While they talk in the sanctum area they proceed to repeatedly child if devotees talk. Biased! Seen this happen many times. Sanatana dharma allows - Adi Shankarcharya believed in reaching out to devotees irrespective of caste. This particular priest embarrassed me only for telling him he went very fast and I couldn’t keep up with him. Really! He has utmost respect for Dasicharkars wife and why is that! - becoz you provide salary to him . But he is allowed to disrespect all other women/ devotees . Please remove him and replace me with more learned and broad minded priest who can be calm. He ears were in fumes today! Look at the video!I kept peace and walked away been older! It’s sad - Telugu priest / he is closer to god and couldn’t practice it! I also feel that only one family is always doing important pooja and others from community r not given a chance here like in other temples! This will be last pooja...

Pranams to all Devotees of Sharadamba temple. Our temple, community center and the priest quarter complex are an overseas extension of Sringeri Mutt or monastery for the benefit of all USA resident SANATANA DHARMA devotees irrespective of the geographical location they come from. The local temple administration implements the principles of Advaita philosophy as directed by our Gurus. We do follow the dress code and temple etiquette as prescribed for a monastery that is based on our PURANIC TEACHINGS. The temple administration always considers exceptions to the dress code for those who have physical and medical issues that prevent a devotee from following the guidelines. Elderly persons, handicapped devotees and devotees with joint disorders are routinely exempted from following some of these guidelines. If a temple volunteer requests a devotee to follow the code, you just need to say that you had a specific reason for not following the codes and we consider it as our duty to accept it. Please do not take it personally and attack the volunteers of the temple and politicize the event. Before you place a comment on the social media, talk to the temple administration first and resolve the event that upsets you instead of posting comments on social media by adding your own personal interpretation of an event. The volunteers, devotees and the most visitors of this monastery are aware of these guidelines that are also posted in the temple premises. They donate a lot of their time, money, work hard several hours a day, with dedication to create an atmosphere of serenity to all devotees and to preserve the SANATANA DHARMA to future generations. Insulting a volunteer on social media with personal prejudice and without understanding the values of our Dharma is not helpful in general and in particular to any nonprofit community...

The lady who sat across from Guruji everyday during sundar kand path on the chair (along with her husband, I guess is a volunteer ) was extremely rude to me today (Ram navami 2024). I came to the temple with my hair down, she started insulting me in front of everyone saying I’m being disrespectful to the temple because I let my shoulder length hair down. There were other ladies with their long hair down, but she did not say anything to them because maybe they were South Indians, with me she knew I was from north India and she thought it is okay to insult me. In temple, the only one who can be the judge is GOD. I come to this temple every single day and maybe there is a reason for that, she does not know why I leave my hair down, maybe there is a reason for that also. People go through a lot in their lives, unfortunately arrogant people like her do not have that understanding. You sit in front of the GOD reading holy books and praying for hours and the next minute you insult someone in front of everyone. Whatever punya was earned by her reading sundar kand was just wasted because of the arrogance. Temple is a community place, it is for everyone. I hope she reads this review and learns to be humble and non-judgmental towards other devotees. Atleast in temples let GOD be...