Sydney Durga Temple

About Sydney Durga Temple

The Sydney Shri Durga Temple, usually called the Sydney Durga Temple, stands on a one-acre site in Rose Crescent, Regents Park, in Sydney's western suburbs. It is run by the Shri Durgadevi Devasthanam, a non-profit religious organisation, and its three main deities are the goddesses Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati.

The temple complex has three levels. The upper level holds the main temple, raised above the car park; the ground level has the entrance; and the basement holds a wedding hall (auditorium) and an educational hall. The auditorium, completed in 2010 with a six-metre ceiling, has been described as the first Hindu community hall built within a temple complex in Australia, and it is used for weddings, cultural programmes and classes.

As a temple of the Goddess, the Durga Temple is especially busy during Navratri, when devotees come each evening to worship Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati in turn, and on Fridays, the day traditionally devoted to the Goddess. The Devasthanam's aims include teaching religious, educational and cultural values to the next generation of Hindu Australians and helping disadvantaged people.

History

The Sri Durgadevi Devasthanam was established in October 2002, and weekly Friday pujas were first held at Homebush High School. In 2005 the Devasthanam secured the site in Regents Park; the foundation ceremony took place in August 2006, and the deities were moved to a temporary prayer hall on the land later that year. A second stage of building, from August 2009, added the wedding and educational halls. The completed temple held its first Maha Kumbabhishekam (consecration) on 7 May 2017, after eight days of yagasala rituals, witnessed by about 5,000 devotees.