1. Submit the request
Fill in the online form with the pooja you have in mind, your preferred dates, and whether it should be at the temple or at your home. If you are unsure of the exact pooja, describe the occasion and leave the rest to us.
Home › Priest Services
Poojas & CeremoniesPriest Services & Poojas
Our priests serve both temples on the New Hope Drive campus and travel to devotees' homes across the Austin area. Every service begins with a single request form, and the temple office takes it from there.
What we offer
A priest for the moments that matter
A priest service is simply a priest's time and guidance — for an abhishekam at Baba's sannidhi, an archana in your family's name, a homam before a new beginning, or a ceremony that marks a birth, a wedding or a passing.
Services can be performed in the temple, where the murti, the materials and the hall are already prepared, or at your home, where the priest comes to you with the procedure and a list of what to keep ready. Both are equally welcome, and the office will tell you honestly which makes more sense for what you are asking for.
You do not need to know Sanskrit, own the right vessels, or have done this before. Tell us the occasion and we will help you choose the pooja that fits it.
- In the temple — at the Sai Baba sannidhi or the Sri Venkateswara Temple, during posted hours.
- At your home — grihapravesham, satyanarayana vratam, homams and family ceremonies.
- In the community hall — weddings, upanayanams and larger gatherings on campus.
Four steps
How to request a pooja
Everything starts with the online Pooja Services Request form. Nothing is confirmed until the office has spoken with you, so there is no risk in asking.
2. The office confirms
Temple staff match your request with an available priest and a time that suits the muhurtam and the temple's schedule. Fees and dakshina are confirmed by the office at this stage — they are never assumed from the website.
3. You get a checklist
Before the day, you receive a list of the materials the pooja needs — flowers, fruit, cloth, ghee, and anything specific to that ritual — so nothing has to be arranged in a hurry.
4. The pooja is performed
The priest leads the sankalpam in your family's name and performs the ritual with you. You will be told what to do at each stage, and prasadam is offered at the end.
Temple hours today
7:00 AM – 8:30 PM
Requests are handled in the order they arrive. For a fixed date, a wedding or a muhurtam, please write to us well ahead of time.
Open the request form
Sai Baba Temple
Sevas at Baba's sannidhi
These are the sevas most often requested at the Shirdi Sai Baba Temple. Several are also part of our weekly Thursday and Sunday programs — Vishnu Sahasranama, Sai Baba Abhishekam, Pallaki Seva, bhajans and Ganapati Abhishekam — which anyone may attend without booking.
Sai Baba Abhishekam
The ceremonial bathing of Baba's murti with water, milk and honey, followed by alankaram.
On request
Request
Archana
Names and offerings made in your family's name, with the gotra and nakshatra you provide.
On request
Request
Satyanarayana Swamy Vratam
The vratam performed for thanksgiving and new beginnings, in the temple or at your home.
On request
Request
Pallaki Seva
Baba's palanquin procession, carried through the temple with bhajans and lamps.
On request
Request
Deepa Alankara Seva
The offering of lamps arranged before Baba, sponsored in the name of your family.
On request
Request
Udi & Vibhuti prasadam offering
Sacred ash from Baba's dhuni, offered and packed for you to carry home or send to family.
On request
Request
Annadanam sponsorship
Sponsor the free meal served to everyone present, in memory of or in gratitude for someone.
On request
Sponsor
Every seva above is offered on request. Because the materials, the priest's time and the occasion differ from one family to the next, the temple office confirms the dakshina with you directly rather than publishing a fixed figure here. Call 512-528-0807 or write to info@saiaustin.org if you would like to ask before submitting a request.
Sri Venkateswara Temple
Poojas on the Balaji side of the campus
The Sri Venkateswara Temple shares our grounds, and its priests offer the following services. Timings depend on the deity, the day and the calendar, so the office will confirm when each can be performed.
Lord Shiva Abhishekam
The abhishekam of the Shiva lingam, offered with water, milk and bilva leaves.
Hanuman Chalisa
The forty verses to Hanuman, recited for courage and for protection on a journey.
Subramanya Abhishekam
Abhishekam to Lord Subramanya, often requested by families on Shashti days.
Ram Parivar Abhishekam
Offered to Rama, Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman together as one family.
Radha Krishna Abhishekam
Abhishekam and alankaram to Radha and Krishna, with bhajans where families wish it.
Navagraha Abhishekam
Offered to the nine planetary deities, commonly requested to settle a difficult period.
Padmavati Abhishekam
Abhishekam to Sri Padmavati Devi, the consort of Lord Venkateswara.
Parvathi Abhishekam
Abhishekam to Goddess Parvathi, often requested alongside the Shiva abhishekam.
Shani Puja
Worship of Lord Shani, undertaken for patience and relief during a Shani period.
Sankata Hara Chaturthi
The monthly Ganapati observance kept on Chaturthi for the removal of obstacles.
Samskaras
Ceremonies for the turns of a life
From a first home to a last rite, our priests are available for the samskaras that mark a family's life. These are usually performed at the devotee's home, or in the temple's community hall when the gathering is larger.
Griha Pravesham
House-warming — the first entry into a new home, with the kitchen and hearth blessed.
On request
Request
Namakaranam
The naming ceremony for a newborn, performed with the family's chosen name and nakshatra.
On request
Request
Annaprasana
The child's first solid food, offered first to the deity and then given by the family.
On request
Request
Upanayanam
The sacred thread ceremony, with the Gayatri upadesham given to the young initiate.
On request
Request
Vivaham — wedding
The full marriage ceremony, planned with the family around the muhurtam and the hall.
On request
Request
Ayushya Homam
The fire ritual offered for long life and health, often kept on a birthday.
On request
Request
Shashtipoorthi
The sixtieth-birthday ceremony renewing a couple's vows before family and community.
On request
Request
Last rites & annual ceremonies
Rites at the time of a death, and the yearly remembrance kept for a parent or elder.
On request
Request
If a ceremony needs more room than a home allows, the temple's community hall can be booked for the same day. For a bereavement, please call the office directly at 512-528-0807 rather than waiting on the form — we will make arrangements as quickly as we can.
Book the community hall
Availability
When priests are available
Priest services follow the temple's hours, with one standing exception: there are no priest services between 2:00 and 5:00 PM on Saturday and Sunday. Home visits are arranged around these hours, so the office may suggest a time outside them.
| Day | Temple hours | Priest services |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 7:00 AM – 8:30 PM | Through the day, by appointment |
| Tuesday | 7:00 AM – 8:30 PM | Through the day, by appointment |
| Wednesday | 7:00 AM – 8:30 PM | Through the day, by appointment |
| Thursday | 7:00 AM – 9:00 PM | Through the day, by appointment. Baba's day — the weekly program runs into the evening |
| Friday | 7:00 AM – 8:30 PM | Through the day, by appointment |
| Saturday | 7:00 AM – 8:30 PM | No priest services 2:00 – 5:00 PM. Available before and after, by appointment |
| Sunday | 7:00 AM – 8:30 PM | No priest services 2:00 – 5:00 PM. Available before and after; the weekly program runs in the morning |
Festival days, muhurtams and travel to home poojas can change what a priest can take on in a given week, so the office confirms the exact time with you rather than the calendar deciding it.
Full visitor information
Before you book
Questions families ask
What should I bring for a pooja?
After your request is confirmed you will receive a checklist of the materials that particular pooja needs — typically flowers, fruit, betel leaves, a new cloth, ghee and the items specific to that ritual. Please also have your family's gotra and the nakshatras of those taking part, since the sankalpam is made in your names.
How far in advance should I book?
As early as you reasonably can, and especially for weddings, upanayanams and anything tied to a muhurtam or a festival week, when priests are already committed. For a simple archana or abhishekam at the temple there is usually more flexibility. Submit the request and the office will tell you what is possible for your dates.
Can poojas be performed at my home?
Yes. Griha pravesham, satyanarayana vratam, homams and most family ceremonies are regularly performed in devotees' homes around the Austin area. Mention your address on the request form so the office can arrange the priest's travel along with the time.
I don't know which pooja I need. What do I do?
Describe the occasion — a new house, a birth, an anniversary, an illness, a difficult stretch — in your own words on the form, or call the office at 512-528-0807. Our priests will suggest what is appropriate and explain what it involves. Nobody is expected to arrive knowing the right name for it.
Are fees fixed?
No fixed amounts are published here. What a service costs depends on the pooja, the materials, whether it is in the temple or at your home, and how long the priest's time is needed — so the temple office confirms the fee and dakshina with you before anything is scheduled. If cost is a concern, please say so; it should never be the reason a family goes without a ceremony.
Do I have to be a member of the temple?
No. Priest services are open to anyone who asks, member or not, and you are welcome whether or not you have been to this temple before.
Start here
One form begins everything
Whether it is an archana this Thursday or a wedding next spring, the Pooja Services Request form is where it starts. Tell us the occasion and your preferred dates, and the temple office will call you to confirm the priest, the time and the dakshina.
Questions first? Temple office 512-528-0807 · Sai Baba Temple 512-260-2721 · Sri Venkateswara Temple 512-986-7269 · info@saiaustin.org