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History
The seed for the idea that a Hindu temple should
be built in the nation's capital was planted in 1976 among a few friends. By
1980, that idea had been nurtured and shared with others, and the Sri Siva
Vishnu Temple Trust was formed. Its goals seemed fitting for immigrants
thousands of miles from their ancestral home: to unite Hindus in America,
individuals diverse in their customs but unified in their devotion and values,
and to offer a place where Hindu culture could thrive among immigrants, their
children and their children's children. In 1984, the SSVT Trust acquired a plot
of land with a small house in suburban Washington. This house was the Balalaya,
where the shrines were initially installed. As more people began to share in the
vision for a grand temple of traditional architecture and sculpture, plans were
drawn up, with the blessings of the Shankaracharyas, under the direction of
eminent
temple architect Dr. Ganapati Sthapati.
Fourteen hundred people witnessed in 1990 the consecration and installation of
the first shrines in the temple building we see today. In 1991, the Temple held
its first Kumbabhishekam, as shrines for several deities were built and
consecrated. Over the years, SSVT adapted to the growing needs of the
congregation, acquiring more land and adding shrines for Venkateshwara and
Ayyappa. In 2002 the Mahakumbabiskem ushered in the majestic Rajagopuram and the spacious Vasantha Mandapam. In July 2003, the new
gopurams for Venkateswara and Ayyappa were completed. In addition, the temple has a auditorium for concerts, dance performances
and other special events, a large dining hall to meet the devotees needs and 2
homakundams, a large one for Temple Homams and a smaller one for personal Homams.
Both the auditorium and the dining hall can be rented out for weddings and other
personal functions.
Today, the Temple is the enterprise of dedicated volunteers, administrative
staff and eight priests, and the symbol of a community's joint aspirations and
efforts.
Let us now review
the various gods and goddess' of the SSVT
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