Visting the largest Hindu Temple in North America!

The Hindu Temple Society of Canada - Richmond Hill Ganesha Temple

Our fam loves Doors Open Ontario where participating buildings are open to the public—whether they be a heritage site or an interesting structure. We get to check out places we wouldn’t normally go to or even be invited to. This year, one of the places we checked out was the Ganesha Temple in Richmond Hill.

Built in the ‘80’s, the Richmond Hill Ganesha Temple complex is said to be the largest Hindu Temple in North America built and run under the Agama Sastra traditions ( in conformance with the scriptures for rules of worship, temple building, rituals, etc).The Muruga idol in the temple is also said to be the tallest in the world!

outside the Richmond Hill Ganesha Temple

We took our shoes off upon entering the building. There were a lot of friendly staff and volunteers who advised us what to do and where to go. We were assigned a couple of boys who took us through the temple and explained the stories behind each god and figure. They explained the customs—among which were the food that was offered, the bell which rang across the temple, the powder they placed on their foreheads.

When visiting a Hindu temple:

1. Dress accordingly—as with other churches or temples, this is a sign of respect
2. Take off your shoes
3. If you have long hair, tie it. There were containers of elastics in the hall in case you forgot.
4. You are supposed to circle the temple clockwise
5. The main diety is in the middle or main shrine and there are secondary dieties alongside
6. Offerings of fruit on trays can be purchased outside the temple and then placed on tables before the shrine

inside the Richmond Hill Ganesha Temple

inside the Richmond Hill Ganesha Temple

I will not even attempt to recount the stories of Ganesh and Shiva, but I can tell you that they were very, very interesting. We enjoyed learning about the Hindu religion and I loved that the girls were getting exposed to a different culture.

Outside the temple, in the hall, there were musical performances. After the temple tour, we went down to the basement where they served snacks and refreshments. For the adventurous like us and usual temple-goers, they had some vegetable sambal (sweet potato and eggplant in a spicy curry) which we took with some rice. If you don’t like spicy, there were McDonald’s coffee and croissants. 

having some Sambal

After our snack, the girls and I had some henna tattoos done on our hands (they stayed on our hands for over a week!).  They even had giveaways as we left.

Henna Tattoos!

We spent a good 2 hours in there. Overall it was a great experience. Glad to have been able to enter the temple and to have our personal guides to boot!

Mexican Brunch at The Mule and the thing I regret

Tacos @ The Mule, Hamilton

Hubby knows that I do not only love Mexican food, but that I also love trying new places. So, for Mother’s Day, he took us to have brunch at the newest taco bar, The Mule, in Hamilton. This crowdfunded bar and restaurant serves up some pretty awesome tacos and tequila and bourbon based drinks. Interesting to know that this joint was born without a bank but that explains the numerous plaques of names on the walls.

Vibrant dining @ The Mule, Hamilton

We couldn’t decide what to get so we just got 3 of everything on the taco menu. We had the following and I rank them in the order of my personal favourites:

-- Fish: Loved the crispy whitefish, full of flavor and topped up with lime crema and chipotle mayo

--Chili cheese dog: how can I refuse? They got me at chili cheese

--Chorizo, Egg and Potato: with crunchy chunks of chorizo and French fries

-- Fried Halloumi (cheese made from a mixture of goat’s and sheep’s milk)

--Spiced mushroom (with egg and salsa verde)

--Taco bell (the traditional spiced pork/beef version)

Taco Bell @ The Mule, Hamilton

They have other brunch items on the menu—Huevos Ranchos, Eggs Benedict and even Chocolate Johnnycakes, but the three of each taco item on the brunch menu was enough for us.

Each taco was a pretty decent size and we loved the lime crema and spicy mayo dressings. Kids finished about 2 each while the adults had 3 to 5. Prices ranged from $3.25 to $5.00 so we racked up a significant bill on tacos alone. But it was good and worth it. 

Chorizo, Egg and Potato Tacos @ The Mule, Hamilton

If this place were just in Downtown Toronto, I can say for sure that I will be back. I will go back not only for the super delicious fish tacos, but because I regret not ordering the beautiful Caesar that the mom in the other table had. A few other moms eyed that drink and she did confirm it was absolutely awesome—one mom couldn’t resist and asked! I wasn’t given the A-OK by the girls that it was fine to consume tequila before noon (even if it is 5 o’clock somewhere!) so I just settled for some lime Jarritos. All in all a wonderful meal and a true gem in Hamilton!