The Sri Vidya Temple was founded in 1998 by
Sri Chaitanyananda (Aiya) and his wife, Srimati
Jnanamba. Ever faithful to his Guru’s wish, Aiya has dedicated
his life to teaching Sri Vidya, the ancient
tradition of Mother worship. He has founded the
Sri Vidya Temple as a place where all sincere devotees can learn, participate, and develop their inner connection with Sri Rajarajeswari Amman. A UNIQUE
VISION FOR THE TEMPLE
Universal Access: As we all are children of the
Divine Mother, Aiya insists that we all have the
right to approach Her and touch Her lotus feet, regardless of gender, caste or creed. In our Temple,
the privilege of touching and worshipping the
holy murtis is not reserved just for priests. This unprecedented open access in a traditional Temple is designed to empower all devotees to realize their
profound heart connection with their Divine Mother
and to experience personally Her loving blessings
for health, wealth, peace, divine love, and inner purification. Group Participation: Teaching that active participation magnifies the grace received, Aiya encourages all visitors to find a way to be involved in the pujas, either by chanting, doing abhishekam, or doing any kind of seva in the Temple. Volunteer-Run: There are no paid employees in
the Temple, and even the pujaris are volunteers who have devoted themselves to studying the art and science of performing pujas and homas. Empowering the Next Generation: We believe it
is our sacred duty to educate and empower the next generation of devotees, so that our great Sanatana Dharma will continue to flourish for millennia. In our Temple, you’ll often see youth of every age taking an active role in preparing for festivals, cooking, chanting mantras and suktas, and even performing some of the pujas. Through classes, workshops and a summer youth Camp, we are ensuring that the spiritual principles behind our sacred traditions are passed on to future generations.
