Sri Sri Gour Nitai Mandir, a temple tucked under the BQE

Trucks and cars rumble in opposite directions on the elevated Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. A few buildings up from the endless traffic, at 128 33rd Street between Third and Fourth avenues, there is a tenement building amid three unfinished and seemingly derelict hotels, an auto repair shop and wood-frame two-family houses, with stairs that go below grade, then up again into a cloistered alleyway.

Passing through the alleyway, one goes under a series of iron A-frame-like structures painted red and mounted to the wall. They could hold a tarp to form a pitched roof. At the end of the alleyway is a ramshackle wooden structure with a poster bearing Bengali words, colorful religious icons and, in large letters, “Welcome, Shree, Shree Gour Nitai Mandir.”

On the left side of the poster is an old door that leads into the basement of the tenement, which is a Hindu temple serving Bangladeshi worshippers.

“We heard about this from some family friends, and then we started showing up. It’s a nice experience getting to know people, and it’s a religious thing,” Shawrov Paul, 23, who lives in Bensonhurst and sat on a metal chair during the service, told the Sunset Post.

Every other Saturday, worshippers gather at the temple. On this day, a few arrived at about 10 a.m. to start cooking. Sabita, who has been a member for the last 25 years, wore a sari and prepared fruit and flowers, arranging them on a steel plate that was left on a tiled, elevated stage with a dozen statues of deities, shrines and candles. She cleaned the area and prepared it for the ceremony.

The curtain on the stage was closed before the morning service started, hiding the ceremonial statues and a wall of flowers strung together by the attendees.

The men and women sat separately on carpets covering soft foam mats. About a dozen worshippers sat together on the carpets.

Metal folding chairs were lined up behind the carpeted area. They filled slowly as more people arrived during the service. Beyond the metal chairs, on one side of the room, tables held aluminum trays filled with rice, creamy spiced cauliflower and okra, spinach and potatoes.

“We have to do vegetarian” while in the temple, Partana Nath explained as she held her 2-year-old daughter, Gauri. Opposite the food was an assortment of cushioned chairs where members relaxed and spent time together.

The service that day started in the early afternoon. It was a series of songs and chants in Bengali, sung by worshippers who also played an assortment of percussion instruments. Members remained there until about 10 p.m., worshipping, eating and talking, as they do every other Saturday at the temple.

The curtain opened, revealing the flowers, statues of deities and ornate decorations. The worshippers prostrated themselves.

One of the women walked through the space and sprinkled drops of water on each attendee while smiling and chanting.

Milan Karmakar, a longtime member of the temple, said there are about 60 members.

Nath first came to the temple with her father when she arrived from Bangladesh at age 14. She said her husband is usually one of the leaders of the singing, but that day he wasn’t able to join his family because he had to work as an attendant at a gas station. Talking about what she likes about the temple, she said, “We come together, we sing, we pray.”

Although Nath lives in Flatbush, she says it is worth traveling to attend. “Even though it’s a bit far from where we live, I love coming here.” It is the warmth of the people who attend that inspires her to return, she explained. Asked whether a priest leads the service, Nath responded, “The priest comes when there’s special services, like special offerings to deities.” She explained that day’s gathering was like a normal Sunday church service for Christians.

While some members live in the surrounding blocks in Sunset Park, others travel from distant parts of Brooklyn or Queens. AJ Paul, 24, who teaches physics at Fort Hamilton High School, has attended the temple since 2010. He moved from Bangladesh to Brooklyn with his family at age 6, he said. His family — three siblings and both parents — lived for many years in Sunset Park in a one-bedroom apartment on 42nd Street near Ninth Avenue. The rent kept going up, and it was crowded. They eventually moved to a larger apartment in Ozone Park, Queens. But every two weeks, AJ drives his parents to the temple in Sunset Park.

Asked why he travels from Queens to this temple twice a month, he responded, “It’s the community. The people we have known for a very long time, and they” — his parents — “just prefer to be here.” Among the attendees that day were his aunt, uncle and cousin.

Samir sponsored the large trays of hot food that were served. Asked why he sponsored the meals, which he cooked himself, he said it was to honor a pilgrimage he recently made to New Vrindaban, a Hindu temple and retreat in West Virginia.

Asked about the temple’s origin story, one worshipper who introduced himself as Sabu explained that the space was originally a Hindu temple for a Guyanese community. Dipak, a founding member of the temple, said the Guyanese temple began in 1970.

In 2000, the Guyanese owners wanted to sell the building but did not want to close the temple. Several groups were interested in buying the building. But “they cannot abolish the prayer room,” Sabu said. With the assurance that the Hindu temple would remain, the Guyanese owners sold the building to the Bangladeshi group.

Dipak, who was part of that group and continues to help oversee the temple, told the Sunset Post, “Because everybody loves spirituality.”