Shiva Vishnu Temple of South Florida

This temple is absolutely beautiful. My South Indian friend introduced me to this temple a couple of years ago and I attend at least twice a month and hope to go every Monday. If you decide to go on a Sunday they have a beautiful array of simple but home made dishes for a small fee.
The priest are absolutely kind and the people are welcoming. As a Hindu born and raised in Trinidad I would say I am familiar with the Puja etc but some of the rituals are a bit different to what I am accustom to. I like that they are open 7 days a week.
I love going on a Monday evening for Shiva worship. If you do, I would suggest you pick up a gallon of milk, flowers and some fruits to offer.
I am happy I found a piece of paradise and heaven in South Florida.
Har Har Mahadeva

Oddly the last time I laid offering and prayers to Shiva or Vishnu or any Hindu god of that matter I was visting Venkateswara Temple in Andra Pradhesh while on a quest for knowledge in Southern India.
I found this temple by doing a random Unilocal search while shopping for exotic tropical plants at Flamingo Gardens. I was somewhat surprised a place like this existed right under my nose unbeknownst to me.
The Shiva Vishnu Temple of South Florida is located in Southwest Ranches, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, hidden in rural plains of west Broward county.
This is a traditional Hindu temple, not an American «Hairy Krishna» temple.
This temple is sited on multiple acres of flat green manicured land and is a perfect setting to hold outdoor events.
The temple design is classical Chola and Pallava style architecture typical of the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana, and Andhra pradesh.

Before entering the temple you must take off your shoes and leave them on the outdoor shoes rack.
The Interior is magnificent with marble floors and 14 individual crème colored shrines dedicated to varying HIndu gods, with Shiva and Vishnu’s shrine being the most prominent.
List of enshrined gods: Murugam, Shiva, Venkateshwara (Vishnu), Ayyappa, Saraswathi, Lakshmi, Andal, Kamakshi, Uthsava Murthis, Ganapati (Ganesha), Krishna, Rama, Anjaneya and the Navagrahas.
I love that they’ve also maintained the idols in traditional Dravidian appearance, which unlike North India has cultural and religious influence from the Persian’s, British and Indo-Greek’s.
I was kind of caught by surprise that the temple doesn’t offer nor sell incense devotee’s can use for offering. But the temple priest did inform me most people bring their own fruit’s as offering.
So basically I started from the left and prayed at each shrine ending at the Shiva shrine, my favorite gods being Murugam, Shiva, Venkateshwara and Laksmi. I was caught off guard when encountering Ayyappa and Kamakshi, being I was unfamiliar with them, but I prayed to them nonetheless.
Hour’s — weekdays 9 am– 12 pm and 6 pm to 9 pm.
You can also hire the priest’s to do daily, weekly or yearly offerings and prayers to the varying gods on your behalf for a fee.
The temple appears to do daily events for the gods and communal chanting and praying, many of the events require a fee.

Om Namah Shivaya, Shiva Vishnu Temple OSF is a good place to go for those who chant the Sri Lalitha Shahashranama. Sunday Devi Worship at 10 or 11am (check the website calendar) has Durga suktam and archana for Divine Mother. The last Sunday of the month is the biggest archana. South Indian vegetarian lunch, idli, dosai, sambar, chutney etc. is served after in the kitchen/​homam house for a donation. If you are more familiar with South Indian culture, this will be like a spiritual home for you. Some of the photos above by Shri G. are of the North Indian temple, The South Florida Hindu Temple on Griffin road, which is also a beautiful place to visit and worship in the North Indian custom. Not far down the road is also a Sikh Gurudwara, The Sikh Society of Florida on Stirling road. All of these places are welcoming in their various traditions and offer a good refresh to your soul. Om Parashaktyai Namaha.

Came here for a wedding ceremony (at the back hall behind the main temple). Terrific venue for any religious ceremony with the convenient location off Sawgrass. Appeared to be easy for external food vendors to work with.
The main temple houses over a dozen giant gorgeous murtis.
Appeared to be a pretty active religious community, and the priests are EXCELLENT. Were all very friendly and easy to communicate with.
Will be back here soon!

I have visited this temple a few times and have always, always felt welcomed by the priests and the people worshipping there. As I study and learn more about Hinduism, I am very fortunate to have this temple in my neighborhood.

I have lived in Dallas, Chicago (places known to have lots of Indians)…but frankly this is the best temple I have been to… I am not talking about the architecture or the temple itself but about the people here. The priests are very courteous and very nice. I love visiting the lunch room as they always have wonderful people. Every time I go here it feels like home. People are warm, super nice.
This is the first temple I have been to that made want to go again and again.

If you have a choice between going to this temple or going to the Hindu Temple of South Florida on Griffin Road. I’d suggest you go there (first). The Mahaprasadam at the HTSF on Sundays is much better than any of the over-​priced choices at the Shiva Vishnu Temple, not to mention that there is no charge for food and it all comes from donations from devotees (the way that temples are meant to be run). Agreed that the proceeds may go to help the temple, but to set a price tag on what devotees are to give, goes against my principles.

It is true, there really is an ‘odd gringo’ always here! But, to its credit (and to its patrons), they are treated respectfully and have found all following rules of simple decorum (no shorts/​jeans; no revealing tops; cell phones on silent or off).
This is a beautiful temple, starting with its elaborate, bright white exterior and extending to its marble flooring and hand carved idols inside. The ceiling also has several strategically placed windows, so there is a lot of natural light inside. It is a large area capable of holding quite a few people and does get extremely busy on holidays or full moon days (no drum circles, but there is some singing!).
There is a separate building in the rear for educational programs, which are usually run on the weekends as well as music or dance programs, which can be a bit pricey.
Across the street, in a small building facing the road, food is served on weekends. It is basically homemade South Indian food (dosa, idli, tamarind rice, yogurt rice) and it is hit and miss in terms of quality, but a bit pricey again (all proceeds support the temple).
If you have been to a temple in a major city (say, near Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, DC), you may be disappointed in this one (at those temples, you can have a wonderful vegetarian feast for under $ 10!), but, the homespun feel of this one gives it a special vibe.

I’m not really sure how to rate a temple. It is not the most elaborate Hindu temple I have seen in India or the states, but it is probably my favorite in South Florida. As the name implies, it is a temple dedicated to both Shiva and Vishnu, so Shaivites and Vaishnavites can all come to the same place to worship, I guess. It seems like this temple caters to a South Indian clientelle mostly, although there is the odd gringo wandering around now and then. Everyone is encouraged to visit the temple, but there are some etiquette guidelines posted online for the first timers (leave your shoes outside, no photography, etc.). As well as religious education the temple serves as a linguistic and cultural teaching place as well and free classes in Tamil and Sanskrit are offered weekly.
In the canteen are served home-​style South Indian meals around lunch time, made by volunteer aunties with tasty coconut and chiles. Masala dosai wa pretty decent, and the idly was about as good here as it is anywhere. For a few dollars more you can get a good sized serving of tamarind, lemon and curd rice which are all good too. Don’t make my mistake and rub your stomach as you walk in, saying «Mmmm, I could eat everything, it all looks so good» Everything will set you back about $ 18 (not bad, for two people and leftovers, really).
Definitely worth a trip if you are interested in a religious adventure. Try and pick a day with some cultural activities going on for added value.