Hindu Temple Bridgewater Nj

The Hindu Temple and Cultural Society of USA Inc. (HTCS) was established in September of 1989. Our Temple was designed by Indian Temple Architects (Sthapati) according to ancient Indian Temple building codes and was inaugurated (Kumbabhishekam) in 1998. You are going to enter one of the most Beautiful Hindu temples in North America. Now you are standing close to a tall brass cased wooden pillar. This is called the Dhwajasthambham or the flag staff of our Temple. Most Hindu Temples have a Dhwajasthambham in front. Temple worship starts from this point. You may see worshippers touching this pillar. Some may go around this one to three times. Some men place their body flat on the ground in front of this pillar. Prostration on the floor is called Sasthanga Namaskara. Women also do similar prostration on the floor in a bent way without placing their whole body on the floor. This symbolizes complete surrender of ones ego in veneration of the Lord. These are traditional ways of offering one‟s respect to God. Some may place their palms and fingers of both the hands together, hold the hands close to the chest, and meditate on God. This is a very common way of offering respect to God or when you greet someone. When you go into the Temple, you will see more worshippers doing this. From this point (Dhwajasthambham) you also notice an elevated walkway around the Temple. This is called the Prakaram. This is also a traditional part of Hindu Temples. Worshippers walk around the temple on the Prakaram (in the clockwise direction) and offer prayers to God. One can go around as many times as they wish. This process is called Pradhakshina.