Awashed
So I am back after washing away my sins with visits to Kalahasti and Srirangam, temples I had not visited before. It was awesome and humbling.
The temple towns themselves are ghastly. It is indeed surprising how temple towns in India can be so dirty. Methinks that only Indians can have it so. I was also amazed to see how shamelessly greedy the priests and the temple personnel are. If these places are holy it is so because of the devotion of the thousands who visit every day. Not because of the so called learned men of God.
Nothing of all this however took away my awe while in the temples. I think I even forgot to pray.
And then of course I loved the train rides I had after many many years. It’s lovely watching the country side whizz past while you lazily sit static. The vendors making their way selling ‘cooldrinksater’ (cool drinks water), ‘bhajjivazhkaibhajjibreadomlettedosaivadai’, all in one breath.. (I guess I don’t have to explain that).
And then again I had a pleasant time catching up with the various aunts, uncles and cousins in Bangalore.
So until my next pilgrimage, I will be praying to my Lord who has wall space between my fridge and the kitchen shelf.
posted by Sandy @ 6:27 AM
2 Comments
2 Comments:
ashok and i had the exact same expeience wen we went to some temples up north,,,,the priests are greedy and they ask for dakshina even wen they guide us towards water to wash our feet...
there was a beautiful temple we went to on the banks of gomathi river, but the river was so polluted that it took the beauty away...
A. Kalahasti and Srirangam were …. Awesome and humbling
[ The great grand temples of ancient India like these were built by local Maharajahs/ Emperors with mind boggling budget and inimitable devotion. They also granted / gifts to the temples in form of cash/ lands / staff for decent maintenance. However with our Govt run Hindu Endowment Boards run on the parallels of a sarkari daftar and local political patronage , the entire temple property and lands have disappeared in thin air. ]
B. Dirty.
[ As a result the bare minimum funds for even basic maintenance is missing after seepage through greedy usurp age by any number of authorities . Since the supervision is done by same dept personnel, you know the result product!! To say…. being dirty is a under statement.]
C Shamelessly greedy the priests and the temple personnel.
[ Under local Maharajahs/ Emperors, these priests and the temple personnel were granted free housing and annual grants for their livelihood. This vanished with Hindu Endowment Boards taking over the administration. These people living in a environment where every one is prospering while they are struck with the System, naturally lower down to … fleecing/ grabbing/ emotional black mails/ plain looting. Not surprising a state of being!! ]
D. So until my next pilgrimage, I will be praying to my Lord who has wall space between my fridge and the kitchen shelf.
[ I will love people who really love our ancient great grand temples of ancient India to come forward and adopt any one of their choice temple and do what they can do for that Temple in terms of regular maintenance. We have taken up our own Village temple at Kabistalam, Thanjavur Dist, TN for up keep and been contributing to the same from the time I came down to south on retirement in 1997. ]
Nothing of all this however took away my awe while in the temples. I think I even forgot to pray.
[ To be in awe………………………… in it self is the greatest prayer/ response …… when one faces what one finds something spectacular/ thrilling/ mind boggling!! ]
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