In Lanham, Maryland, United States, Sri Siva Vishnu Temple is a shrine to Shiva, worshipped as Ramanathaswamy, and Vishnu, worshipped as Ananthapadmanabha, co-presiding. It is also known as SSVT.
It is one of the largest and oldest Hindu temples in the United States, uniting Shaiva and Vaishnava worship under one roof along with numerous subsidiary shrines, including Ayyappa, Durga, Rama, Krishna and Hanuman, and it serves the Greater Washington D.C. Hindu community. The idea for the temple began among Hindu immigrants in the Washington D.C.
United States carries a distinct temple identity of its own: Home to the largest Hindu temple outside India, alongside decades-old community mandirs built by generations of the diaspora.
Darshan hours and daily worship
| Session | Timing (as published) |
|---|---|
| Morning | 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM on weekdays; continuous 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM on weekends and holidays |
| Evening | 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM on weekdays |
Suprabhaatam, the temple opening, is at 9:00 AM daily, Abhishekam is at 9:30 AM daily, and Evening Arathi runs 6:00 PM to 6:30 PM daily.
Poojas and daily rituals
Suprabhaatam 9:00 AM; Abhishekam 9:30 AM; Evening Arathi 6:00 PM to 6:30 PM, daily.
Festivals and special-day timings
Regular darshan hours are usually extended, or set aside entirely, on these dates.
| Festival | Period | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Ayyappa Mandala-Makaravilakku Season | Seasonal, dates vary by year; the temple publishes an annual Ayyappa Mandala Makarotsavam schedule | Devotees observe Mandala vratam, take Irumudi, and ceremonially climb the shrine's 18 holy steps, modeled after the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple in Kerala. |
History and architecture
Architecture
Blends Mayan, Pallava, Vijayanagara, Kerala and South Canara South Indian temple architectural styles, designed by architect Dr. Ganapati Sthapati. A Rajagopuram and Vasantha Mandapam were added at the 2002 Mahakumbhabhishekam, and a separate Ayyappa shrine replicates the 18 holy steps of the Sabarimala temple.
History
The idea for the temple began among Hindu immigrants in the Washington D.C. area in the late 1970s, and the Sri Siva Vishnu Temple Trust was formally established in 1980. The Trust purchased land in Lanham, Maryland in 1984, and main temple construction began in 1988. The first shrines were consecrated in 1990 before roughly 1,400 witnesses, with additional deity shrines consecrated through the Mahakumbhabhishekam in 2002.
Planning your visit
How to reach
Address: 6905 Cipriano Rd, Lanham, MD 20706, about 12 miles from Washington, D.C. and roughly one mile from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
Where this information comes from
Confidence: Medium. History is corroborated across the official site and Wikipedia, but the official hours page displays timings as an image rather than text, so exact hours were cross-checked through indexed search results rather than direct extraction. Entry fee and dress code were not confirmed from any source and were left blank rather than guessed.