Shri Lakshmi Puram Govind Bhattar

Shri Lakshmi Puram Govind Bhattar is the Head Priest of our Temple. Bhattar hails from Lakshmi Puram, a district in Andhra Pradesh, India. Bhattar is trained in Pancharatha Aghama Sastra and holds an Honours certificate in it.

Bhattar joined the Temple in 1996 when it was still in its infancy and has seen it grow through the years. During these 27+ years of service to Temple, his continued guidance and leadership enabled Temple to expand through the different phases of construction and the installation of all the deities in the Temple. Bhattar also guided to celebrate and conduct many regular pujas, and special festivals like Shikhar Sthapana, Maha Kumbhabhishekham, as well as the 8-day Annual Brahmotsavam celebration of all the main deities. The Temple has also initiated and celebrated many other celebrations and Kalyan Utsavams. More recently, in 2020-2021, the temple had the Navagraha, Dwajasthambam, and Ganesh Mandap Sthapana under Bhattar's guidance.

In 2024, Bhattar was selected for the prestigious Archaka Bhushana Award to be conferred at the North America Hindu Mandir Executives Conference in recognition of his dedication and service to Temple, our Devotees and Sanatana Dharma.

Bhattar has conducted many weddings in Rochester and outside the State and has been invited as a guest priest by many Temples in and outside of New York. Bhattar's welcoming demeanor is a signature of the Temple. His ability to understand their needs and offer personalized blessings creates a profound connection, making each visit a truly enriching and spiritual experience.

Shri Govind Bhattar is fluent in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada.

Shri. Manish Kumar Sharma

Shri. Manish Kumar Sharma has joined our Temple as Priest in 2022

Manish has traveled across India and Japan to perform a variety of spiritual rituals, including pujas, havans, abhishekhams, and stapanas for all deities, as well puja's for life events such as birth, thread, anna-prasanam etc. Manish has also conducted havans for health, wealth, and peace, featuring deities such as Dhanvantari, Mrityunjaya, Kuber, and Laxmi. Manish joined a gurukul in Kashi at the age of 9 and later completed his schooling and undergraduate studies at the Sampurnanand Sanskrit University in India. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the Hindu Banaras University, a Bachelor of Education from the Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Rajasthan Sanskrit University, and diplomas in both yoga and computers.

Manish enjoys reading and practicing yoga in his free time and is fluent in English, Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi, and Sanskrit.