Yelper Tushar is truly on point when he says this is "one of the best temples in the country" cause that also where I would rank. Its certainly so much better than the Memphis Temple!
Also certain holy places have a lovely quiet peacefulness, and just going there calms you down, and this is what the feeling here is like. A lovely heavenly smell of incense floats in the air (this temple reminds me of Catholic Churches in that respect) and there is a really cool shop, before you climb the steps that take you into the actual temple itself.
So what I really liked about the Temple Shop was that it has these really cool comic books about Indian Deities and the Hindu Belief system as well as CDs of bhajans, mantras and prayers. They sell ladoos and chiwda mixtures for very reasonable prices. I would also suggest taking a few minutes to also check out the small photo display they have related to the building of the temple.
After leaving the shop and walking up the stairs to the main temple areas, the first thing that hits you is the lovely sense of light! I reckon is cause the building has these lovely glass skylights- there was just so much light flooding inside! There's another set of stairs (fairly steep) and then you find yourself in the outer room of Sri Venkateswara's sanctum. Look to the right and find a table where you can purchase bananas, nuts and fruits for the priests to perform a puja for you. (soooo.... I didn't realize this was the protocol and unknowingly gatecrashed another family's pooja! But they were very decent and neither they or the priest made a fuss. Nevertheless, I was massively embarrassed when I found out and as they were still around, went later and apologized to them).
Shout-outs to the staff who are just fantastically friendly and I also echo all the other reviews re: the canteen. The food is fantastic and very reasonable for the price. I'm super glad I came here and will definitely try and come back again, when next in Pittsburgh.
Yelp Review 69/2018