Saint Etienne Protestant temple, Mulhouse

This week let us zoom all the way to France. Your bee is heading to the Saint Etienne Protestant church in Mulhouse, a city in eastern France. Mulhouse is the second largest city of the Alsace region after Strasbourg. The roads in some parts of the city are still cobbled, retaining the centuries’ old roads. They look as good as new! The city is close to the German and Swiss borders.

The St. Etienne church is located in the centre of the city, with a bell tower that can be spotted from quite a distance away. Renovations are going on, and will take a few years to be completed. It is around 12 noon, and the sun is blazing! We are grateful to enter the cool confines of the church. We walk in through the tall wooden doors. 

The facade of the church

A long, wide hall welcomes us inside. Strips of thick white cloth are tied across the church in a criss-cross pattern. A small board near the entrance tells us that it is to support an upcycling project. 

The strips of cloth draping the entire interior

The notice about the project

Stained glass paintings depict different portions from the Bible on long French windows across the church. Stone pillars at intervals support the inside. There is a big altar, and as characteristic of a Protestant church, there is no cross or any image. A slightly elevated seat for the celebrant who conducts the service stands in the centre of the altar. Above this seat is a wooden balcony sort of structure.

The altar

On the walls are hung contemporary art depictions of Biblical stories and characters. Near the altar is a huge star that is made of what appears to be seaweed! A lot of the notices are in French, so I am unable to make out much of what is written.

Stained glass paintings on the windows

We follow the others who take a small stone spiral staircase that leads us to the first floor of the church. The renovation has blocked out a portion of the seating area. Visitors and tourists happily click pictures of the beautiful interiors. Here too there are stained glass paintings of portions from the Bible. Each vertical panel has sub text in the bottom in French, German and English. We slowly make our way over the creaking wooden floorboards. The sun rays pass through the stained glass, leaving multi-coloured patterns on the floor, creating a beautiful art form! 

The dance of the sun rays

The strips of cloth all over the church

The first floor is possibly not being used by the worshippers during service, as it is almost entirely blocked for the renovation. We slowly make our way down to the beautiful melody of the church piano. A lady is sitting at the piano and churning out a lovely tune, adding to the overall atmosphere. We spend a few minutes admiring her music, and walk towards the entrance. There are small baskets for devotees to drop money.

We step out, back into the sun to continue on our sojourn of the ancient city. I leave you here for now readers; I hope you enjoyed your virtual tour. Till we meet again, stay safe, and stay devout! 

Banashankari Devi temple, Bangalore

The Banashankari Devi temple in Bangalore is one of the older temples of the city. When it was built, it belonged to the outskirts of Bengalooru, possibly with thick trees and not many houses around it. It was built in 1915, according to a notice. Today, the temple is at the heart of activities, with the metro construction on at full swing just in front of it, and a crowded junction and a BMTC bus terminus next door.

We head to the temple, which is unique in many different ways. The faithful flock to Goddess Banashankari with varieties of offerings. The word ‘Banashankari’ is made up of two words - vana or bana meaning forest, and Shankari meaning the consort of Lord Shiva. There is a famous Banashankari Devi temple in Badami, Bagalkot in Karnataka. 

A view from the parking lot

Getting inside the temple is a little tricky if you are coming from the direction of Jayanagar, but once you enter, it is all worth it! There is ample parking space inside for a small fee, and facilities include paid restroom as well. The temple is being renovated and developed continuously, thanks to devotees' donations. We park and have to walk to the other end of the compound to keep our footwear. We wash our hands and feet at the row of taps just next to the footwear stand and proceed.

One of the features of this temple is that special prayers are held for the Goddess during the Rahu Kalam, which is traditionally considered to be an inauspicious time by most Hindus. The superstitious ones avoid doing any important tasks during the Rahu Kalam. However, here the special prayers are held during the Rahu Kalam! A small board outside indicates the prayer timings. 

Devotees enter the main temple of Banashankari Devi through a small door on the side. We enter and pay our respects to Lord Ganesha. The queue moves straight on (we cannot do a pradakshinam here) to Goddess Banashankari. 

Amma is beautiful in black stone, with a silver crown, and in a silver sheath. She is depicted in a rare form as riding her vehicle, the lion. Strangely, what looks like a tortoise is seated in the traditional position of the deity’s vehicle (facing the Goddess). We are heralded forward by the incessant crowds. Next to Devi Lord Shiva is worshipped. We pay our respects to the Lord, and walk to the front of the shrine, away from the queue to stand and pray in peace. 

We step out on to the covered circumambulatory path, where some people are lighting lamps on lemon peels. This is believed to be a special offering to Banashankari Devi. We complete the pradakshinam, and pay our respects to the navagrahas, housed in a small shrine to the left of Devi. 

The pillared circumambulatory path

We then head out to the shrine of Shakhambari Devi. Shakhamabri means the Goddess who feeds the hungry. ‘Shakha’ means vegetables, and ‘ambari’ means one who bears. A small well and a peepul tree stand in the compound just in front of Devi’s shrine. The utsava murthys of Devi and Lord Shiva are worshipped just before Shakhambari Devi. We pay our respects to them, and move out of the queue to do a pradakshinam.

Goddess Shakhamabari's shrine

We complete our prayers, and head to the footwear stand. It is early evening, and the crowds are picking up. Having had a peaceful darshan, we slowly head out.

The well and tree

I hope you enjoyed today’s temple visit. Next week, we will go to another devalayam. Till then, take care, and stay devout! 

Santhome Parish Church, Bangalore

This week let us take a small detour and head to Hulimavu, in South Bangalore. A spanking new church stands tall and catches our attention. We curiously walk in eager to add to Devalaya Tirtham. The church has been coincidentally consecrated only a few hours before we visit! 

The church

There is a roomy parking lot in the compound, but it might not suffice on Sundays and festive days. We park and go straight in. The ground floor holds a newly inaugurated community hall. The priest’s office is to the right of the hall before the entrance. We spot balloons and steamers floating around. A board directs us to the church, which is in the first floor. 

It is early evening, and the devout have returned after their prayers, leaving us to be the only ones apart from the church staff. The building is lovely, with French styled windows and a charming dark grey brick wall. We spot a notice that tells us to leave our footwear outside before we enter. However, we cannot find a designated footwear stand, so we leave it in a corner before we step in.  

The entrance to the church on the first floor

We walk in through the tall wooden doors to the welcoming hall. It is a wide and roomy hall, with a few pews on both sides. Maybe they will add to the seating over time. There is a balcony prayer section as well. The steps outside continue to the balcony. As we sit admiring the church, the secretary walks in and greets us warmly. He excitedly tells us that the community hall of the church was inaugurated just this morning. It turns out that the church was consecrated just a year back. After exchanging pleasantries, he excuses himself to get back to work, and leaves us to continue with our prayers. 

The altar is large. A tall cross with the Christ upon it stands at the back. Mosaic images on the wall depict the holy family of Mary, Joseph and the child Jesus on one side of the cross, and Jesus on the other side. We go close to the altar to pay our respects. There are donation boxes on either side of the altar. Small pictures of saints like Father Chavara (a Keralite Syrian priest who was canonised in 2014), and Saint Alphonsa (a Keralite Syrian nun – the first Indian to be canonised – in 2008), adorn the wall. Other saints like St. Sebastian, St. John, and St. Paul also adorn the wall. The way of the cross (the steps that Jesus has to take on his way to be crucified – being made to wear the crown of thorns, carrying the cross, stumbling on the way et al), is also depicted in a picture format.

We sit for a while and absorb the silence in the devalayam. After having our fill of the peace, we reluctantly make our way outside, to face the cacophony of the road again!

I hope you enjoyed this brief account of today’s tirtha. Next week, we will go to a different devalayam. Until then, take care, and stay devout! 

Ragigudda Anjaneya swami temple, Bangalore

This week I’ll take you to the famous Ragigudda Anjaneya swami temple at JP Nagar, Bangalore.

We enter the arch of the temple to the narrow street that leads to the main gates. Finding a place to park here is quite a tough job. We have come on a Saturday, which makes it all the more difficult as the temple is open for longer hours. We somehow park in a by lane and move on. The devout can buy flowers, coconuts and other offerings from the vendors who sit around near the temple gates. 

We enter the gates, and go to deposit our footwear. There is an interesting practise at the Ragigudda temple. As we enter, we should put our footwear in gunny bags that hang on a stand. Then we continue in the queue and give the cover to the staff, and pick up the tokens. This is a hygienic practice to ensure that the staff need not touch anybody’s footwear!

The queue moves on, past the Hanuman Dhara that flows from the Hanuman temple, which is on a higher level. On the way we wash our hands at taps, and a constant flow of water on the ground ensures that our feet are washed as well! 

The Hanuman Dhara stream that flows from the Hanuman temple. Note the Garuda on the top

The winding covered path leads us to the Ganesha temple first. As we enter, we can buy rice bags from the counter. This is offered to Annapoorneshwari Devi, who sits a little ahead. The rice is used for the annadanam at the temple. Just ahead of us is Suryanarayana, the Sun God, seated on his chariot drawn by seven horses. We pay our respects to him, and go ahead to prostrate before Lord Ganesha, the remover of all obstacles. Just opposite to him is the murthy of Annapoorneshwari, the Goddess of food and nourishment. Next to Lord Ganesha sits Lakshmi Devi. We pay our respects to them and exit to the path that continues.

The front view of the Ganesha temple

The Ragigudda temple is built on a small hillock, which makes the path uneven. Steps have been built on the rock, and the stairway is covered, but narrow. A quick climb leads us to the shrine of Lord Anjaneya, the epitome of strength and loyalty. Just before we enter, a murthy of Lord Shanmukha welcomes us at the entrance. 

The view of the Hanuman temple from below

The queue leads us to the left, where Lord Shiva sits. A copper coloured Nandi sits before him. The Lord is in his Shivalinga form, in a distinct green shade. Perhaps it is a saligramam or an emerald? Despite the crowd, we manage to admire the beauty of the Lord, and go ahead.

We walk on to bow before Lord Hanuman. He stands in black stone, covered by a silver sheath. We accept the aarathi and teertham, and move ahead to the shrine on the Lord’s left. Lord Rama, Sita Devi, and Lord Lakshmana are worshipped here. As is customary, Lord Hanuman is also present with them. We pay our respects to them, and exit the main shrine. 

We walk down the steps and accept teertham and puliyogare prasadam distributed at the foot of the stairs. Ahead to our right is the dining hall, and a little ahead is a stage for cultural programs.

We take the small path behind the dining hall that leads us to the stone carvings. The trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshwara are carved on a stone that stands larger than life! We slowly make our way out, and walk the distance back to the exit, past the Hanuman Dhara.

The holy trinity carved on rocks

We leave after a fulfilling darshan. I hope you enjoyed today’s tirtha. Next week we will go to another devalayam. Till then, take care, and stay devout! 

Kapaleeshwarar temple, Mylapore, Chennai

Chennai is an interesting city. It is cosmopolitan yet retains the typical old world charm. There are parts of the city where disco lights and party beats rule the scene, and right next door the strains of the veena would sing sweetly, and the fragrance of fresh filter coffee surround the air!

Mylapore is one of the oldest localities of Chennai. It is where art and culture find home amidst the chaos and din. There are many classical art classes held in and around Mylapore. It is a very colourful place too, with small lanes that sell everything from gold to vegetables to the sacred thread (worn by brahmin males). Lord Kapaleeshwarar sits in the centre of this old locality in his beautiful and ancient temple. Today, let us visit the Lord and pay our respects to him.

Lord Kapaleeshwarar is a form of Shiva. He is named so because of the kapali or skull that he holds. Brahma and Vishnu fought over Lord Shiva’s fire lingam, and in order to win the contest, Brahma cheated. A furious Shiva plucked out the fifth head (which is supposed to be on top of Brahma’s head), as a punishment. This left Brahma with only four heads. Lord Shiva is said to have used this skull as a begging bowl (I will write a detailed post on this legend later). 

Image courtesy - PlaneMad via Wikimedia Commons

There are two entrances to the temple. Built in typical Pallava architecture, the tall gopuram and an equally huge set of gates welcome us inside. There is a large tank in front of the west gate. 

Temple tank 

Image courtesy - Nsmohan via Wikimedia Commons

We enter through the east gate, after leaving our footwear at the footwear stand. As we enter Lord Narthana Ganapathy welcomes us. To his left is the shrine of Lord Jagadeeshwarar. Next to the Lord are the Navagrahas. We walk ahead, with the circumambulatory path easing to our left. Lord Annamalayar, the presiding deity of Thiruvannamalai is installed in a shrine. Next to him, is his consort, Unnamulayar Amman. 

We continue on the path to greet Palani Andavar. The Lord Subramanya who sits in Palani is said to have renounced the world. He stands on top of Palani hills in only a small loin cloth, and no ornaments. To our right is a shrine dedicated to Shringara Velavan, another form of Lord Subramanya. Here the Lord is depicted as a handsome man, decorated in silks and jewels, and is worshipped with his two wives Valli and Devayani.

Valli Devayani sametha Sri Shanmukhan by Raja Ravi Varma

Image courtesy - Redtigerxyz via Wikimedia Commons

To our left is the large Navarathri mandapam. It is an open hall supported by pillars. Cultural programs are frequently held in this hall. The day we visit, a religious group is conducting a sandalwood grinding drive. We are told that it is a seva, and anyone can offer to grind sandalwood paste in the large round stones that the group is carrying around. The ground paste will be used to adorn Lord Brihadeeshwara at Tanjore. We excitedly join in, and grind some sandalwood as our small contribution to the Lord.  

Image courtesy - Sinha via Wikimedia Commons

We then continue on the path to pay our respects to Lord Kapaleeshwarar and his consort, Devi Karpagampal. A small board says only Hindus are permitted inside the temple. We cross the tall golden flag mast (kodimaram), and first enter devi’s sannidhi, which lies to the right of the Lord’s. We pay our respects to Ambal, accept the kumkumam prasadam and proceed to circumambulate the small enclosed shrine.

We proceed to the Lord’s sannidhi, which is fairly crowded. Kapaleeshwarar is worshipped in a lingam as usual. We offer our prayers to the Lord and step out after accepting the vibhuti prasadam. With the Lord are the 63 nayanmar (Tamil Shaivite poet saints) immortalised in stone around the shrine. Goddess Durga and Lord Chandikeshwara are also present in the Lord’s shrine.

We are ushered out as it is almost 12.30 p.m., closing time. We step out, and make our way to the exit, happy to have had a good darshan of the Lord.

Next week I shall take you to a different devalayam. Till then, stay safe, and stay devout! 

As we pray

It is always an exhilarating experience to worship at a devalayam. The peace and tranquillity that we experience is similar to the Lakshman jhoola, the iron bridge built over the Ganges River in Rishikesh. Apparently, the river is turbulent and vivacious throughout, but is tranquil and calm at the bridge. Similarly, when we visit a devalayam, it gives us a few moments of peace in the midst of a chaotic life.

No matter what we are in our everyday lives, if we enter a house of God in the spirit of worship, we are transformed into docile beings. We have so many things to ask God. Some want good results in the exams, some want a steady job, some want to be married, some want a house of their own, some want to win the elections, some want their trade to prosper. How many wants reside in the human heart!

Yet, despite all the things in our mind, I personally find myself unable to ask for any of the blessings I want when I stand with folded palms before the sannidhanam. I strangely end up being tongue tied, and am only able to exult in my glorious fortune of being able to stand before the Lord! If I am at the temple to dance, I ask that I be able to do a good job, and offer my dance to the Lord completely. I am sure we all feel that way! Don’t you, readers? 

Now I can guess what you must be thinking. ‘We don’t need to go to a devalayam to pray or ask for favours, we can do it anytime, anywhere.’ I agree, we can pray wherever we are. However, the desire to have a conversation with our Lord when we face her or him is always there. There are the truly devout, who do not desire petty material possessions, but unfortunately I am yet to attain that status! 

For majority of devotees who make the pilgrimage the rewards are the peace that they are blessed with upon darshan. The long journey to the devalayam, the tiring queues that can take several hours in some places, the unruly crowds around (despite the fact that everybody’s goal is common there is very little mutual understanding), much stepping on the toes, inordinate amounts of sweat, all is forgotten for the few moments when you have the blissful sight of the Lord or Goddess. The pushing and shoving continues after that, but the purpose has been met. All the hard work will bear fruit when we meet the gaze of the dear Lord. 

Lord Krishna asked his aunt Kunti, the mother of the Pandavas, if she wanted any boon or wish. Kunti said, ‘give us difficult times, so that we may think of you often.’ When I heard of this story as a child, I did not understand the wisdom behind Kunti Devi’s wish. It is only when we are in deep trouble do we call out to the Lord in deep faith. On a regular day, we carry out our regular prayers, but when we find ourselves in a tight spot, we call the Lord several times, over and over again!

Dear readers, please add your thoughts to this. How do you feel when you are standing before a deity to worship? Post your comments right here, and let us have a spiritual discussion. Till we go to our next devalayam, I wish you all good health and wish that you stay devout! 

Ulsoor Someshwara temple, Bangalore

Your friendly bee has made her way to Bangalore again, this time to the heritage temple of Lord Shiva. Tucked away in the by lanes of Ulsoor stands the Someshwara temple. Located in the by lane just opposite the Police Station, the temple is one of the oldest in Bangalore. Squeezing through the small lanes and battling the signal and the one-way road, we make it to the threshold of the temple. This part of the city is an era behind the speeding Metro trains that run nearby, quite close to the temple. 

The tall wooden gates

The tall and imposing gopura at the entrance beckons us indoor, and we walk in through the massive wooden doors. The compound is shaded by the branches of the trees that still stand around the temple. To the right is a small shrine to Lord Ganesha. The temple is being renovated, and new structures are being added. There is a hall under construction next to Ganesha’s shrine, possibly for the navagrahas (the nine planets).

The gopura viewed from inside

To the left of the entrance, almost easy to miss, is a small shrine with a Shiva linga. 

Ahead of us is a covered hall supported by pillars. The entrance to this hall is marked by a sculpture depicting the wedding of Shiva and Parvathi. We walk towards the big golden coloured Nandi who sits guarding the entrance of the garbhagudi. We find devotees whispering wishes in the ears of Nandi in the hope that the Lord’s vahana will convey their wishes to his master. 

The pillared hall

To our left, before we enter, are the murthys of Lord Shiva and Parvathi seated on a swing. The life-size murthys are covered in a glass case, with an open front. Some devotees give a push to the swing, sending the Lord and Devi on a to and fro. We enter the temple. 

There is a short wait as the nada is closed. We are lucky to come during the opening time when the crowds are thin! Soon, the curtains are removed and we see the Lord in the linga form. There is a small Ganesha murthy next to the sanctum. The worship area is divided into two sides, one for ladies and the other for men. There is not much space inside, and I discover how painful things can get when I hit my head against a stone carving jutting out of a pillar. 

To the right are the murthys of Lord Nataraja and Devi, possibly utsava murthys. We exit the sannidhanam, and take the small covered circumambulatory path inside the temple. There are small shrines to different deities including four of the primary Nayanmar (devotees of Shiva, who have contributed greatly to Shavite Tamil literature). The structure is entirely made in stone. Despite having a few tube lights, the path is dark for most part. 

We exit and come to the outer circumambulatory path. A small Narthana Ganapathy is installed on the outer wall. The temple compound has many trees and flowering plants, making it a pleasant shaded walk. The compound wall has stone sculptures of different deities around it.  

A part of the outer path

The sculptures on the wall

We reach the shrine of Kamakshi Amman, the Lord’s consort. Her sannidhi is to the left of Someshwara’s. A small golden lion guards her entrance. Here again, there are separate lines for ladies and gentlemen. We pay our respects to Devi, and continue ahead to the shrine of Lord Hanuman. A few feet ahead is a peepal tree that shades Nagaraja, the serpent deities.

After completing our worship, we sit down in the pillared hall. We spend a few peaceful minutes and slowly get up to leave the temple.

I will take you to a different temple next week. Till then, stay safe, and stay devout.