Banaswadi Anjaneya temple, Bangalore

Our next stop - Nammooru Bengalooru! Banaswadi Anjaneya temple, located at Banaswadi in Bangalore is where we are headed. One of the oldest temples in Bangalore, the Banaswadi temple is a favoured pilgrim destination for many. We land there on a Saturday morning, and find it packed. It is a small temple, and there is not much space to find your way about. Even the location of the temple itself is at the end of a small galley (alley) and the roads that lead to the temple are quite small. We have to stop a few times to ask for directions and even head off in the wrong direction for a bit before we enter the correct lane. Thankfully, the temple has a parking arrangement. However, the space available is limited, and there could be a crunch on crowded days like festivals. If you are on a bike, you can accommodate it, but with cars, things can get tricky.

The presiding deity Hanuman is a great favourite. Many flock to the Banaswadi Hanuman to fulfil vows of betel leaf garlands, vada garlands, offerings of butter and annadanam, or meal sponsoring. To the faithful, Lord Hanuman hears prayers instantaneously, and grants boons to all those who seek him. He is known famously as the dasa, or humble servant of Lord Rama, and the son of Pavan, the God of wind. Hanuman dispels fear from the mind, and blesses his devotees with strength in both mind and body.

The threshold of the temple has vendors who sell flowers, coconuts and other offerings. As we enter the temple, there is a small office to the right, where you can buy the tokens for offerings and special prayers. Turn left to face a small passage that leads queues to the sanctum sanctorum. There are two taps attached to the wall for devotees to wash their hands and feet, as you enter the passage. We pause to wash our hands and feet, and move ahead to enter the sanctum.

The shrine is quite small, with people jostling for space. You will simply have to find a convenient spot and make yourself comfortable. Most people just crowd around the sanctum, making it difficult to catch a glimpse of the Lord, unless you have a height that is above average. The best thing to do in the situation is to wait till you are able to get a darshan, and then move on, so that others behind you can have their turn. We stand on our toes, toddle around a bit, and finally catch sight of the Lord. The idol of Hanuman is carved on black stone, covered with silver, and decorated with many flower garlands. He has a silver crown upon his head. The naamam, the three vertical marks of a Vaishnavite adorns his forehead The Vaishnava symbols of the shanku (conch) and chakra (disc) appear on either side of the idol. His right arm is raised in blessing and his left hand is placed on his waist.

Having had our fill of the sight of the Lord, we go ahead with the circumambulation or pradakshanam.

As we walk around, we spot the small idols of Hanuman, which are placed on the wall around the sanctum, adorned with paper garlands. Devotees have tied up small bits of paper, and tied them all together to create garlands. The slips of paper doubtlessly contain the prayer, ‘Sri Rama Jayam’, (victory to Sri Rama) written several times. Upon the walls hang paintings of Hanuman, Lord Rama, and the classic picture of Sri Rama, Sita Devi, and Lakshmana. Some are hand painted, and are exquisitely done. We spend a few minutes craning our necks to admire the paintings, and then head out.

After exiting the Hanuman sannidhi, we move to visit the other shrines in the temple. As is the custom in most Hindu temples, there is the presence of other Gods in the temple compound. It goes without saying that Lord Rama, Sita Devi, and Lakshmana also reside here. As we walk out, the path leads straight to the sannidhi of the trinity of Lord Rama Sita Devi, and Lakshmana. We spend a few minutes at the sanctum softly chanting the Rama naama and walk ahead to pay obeisance to Lord Shiva at his shrine.

The temple offers free meals to devotees. We spot the building that houses the dining hall right after we circumambulate the temple. All are welcome to partake of the meals that are considered prasadam of Lord Anjaneya. Darshan completed, we slowly step out, pick up our bike, and head home.

I’ll see you all at my next post. Take care, and stay devout! 

Padmanabhaswamy temple, Thiruvanathapuram

The legendary Padmanabhaswamy temple, located in Kerala’s capital city of Thiruvananthapuram, is one of the oldest temples of Kerala. Lord Padmanabha, the presiding deity at this temple is Lord Mahavishnu in Ananthashayanam, or the reclining position. Ananthashayanam roughly translates to sleeping upon Anantha, the celestial serpent. The city of Thiruvananthapuram also known as Trivandrum, is named after Lord Adisesha, or Anantha, upon whom Narayana rests.

Image courtesy - Vinayaraj via Wikimedia Commons

The idol of Lord Padmanabhaswamy is life-size, stretched out across three horizontal doors, a rare feature in any temple. This temple has another distinction. That of being a temple with the sacred trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshwara present together in the sanctum sanctorum.

I visited the temple in October 2013, during the Navarathri festival. The Padmanabhaswamy temple, like most temples in Kerala, has a strict Hindus-only rule. Non-Hindus are not allowed inside the temple premises. Security is tight, and there is a strict dress code for both men and women. Men should enter with a bare chest, and should either wear a mundu (the white dhoti), or formal pants. Jeans, lungis, or shorts are not allowed. Little boys are allowed to wear shorts; however, they too must enter the temple bare-chested. Women should wear saris, (or the Kerala set mundu, worn by women). Jeans, sleeveless tops, and shorts are not allowed. Of late, the salwar kameez rule has been relaxed in most Kerala temples, but it is safest to wear a sari, than be turned away from the temple doors. Little girls can wear pavada, (or langa davani), skirts, and frocks.

Those who are not suitably attired are not allowed inside the temple. Some of the major temples in Kerala have shops in and around the temple premises where one can buy dhotis. This is for the benefit of pilgrims who turn up for darshan unaware of the dress code. The Padmanabhaswamy temple also has a few stalls where you can pick up an emergency dhoti if you have forgotten to pack one. Even women who come in salwars can buy a mundu, and wrap it around, below their kurtas.

Mobile phones, cameras, and similar electronic devices are not allowed inside the temple, nor are handbags, airbags, or luggage of any kind. Only small purses and wallets can be taken with the devotee. There are booths outside where you have to leave all bag and baggage, for a small fee. This is for two reasons – one being photography is strictly prohibited inside the temple, the second being security.

Two of my maternal uncles have been running a travel and tourism enterprise in Trivandrum for close to thirty years until recently, when they retired from work. The older one has traded the bustling city for a village for a quiet life. So we head to my younger uncle’s house when we arrive in Trivandrum.

We reach the temple for the evening darshan. All temples in Kerala have strict timings. The Padmanabhaswamy temple opens at 3.30 in the morning, for the nirmalya darshanam till 4.45 a.m. The next darshan is from 6.30 a.m. to 7.00 a.m., the subsequent morning darshans are between 8.30 a.m. to 10.00 a.m., 10.30 a.m. to 11.10 a.m., and 11.45 a.m. to 12.00 p.m. The temple remains closed for major part of the afternoon. The evening darshan starts at 5.00 p.m., and is open till 6.15 p.m. The last darshan is between 6.45 p.m. and 7.20 p.m. The temple closes at 7.20 p.m. We got there a little early, around 3.30 p.m., so to pass the time; we slipped into the Kuthira Malika, the small palace next to the temple, which has been converted into a museum. It is the place where the legendary king Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma, the doyen of Carnatic music created his vast body of compositions in his brief life of thirty three years.

The main gates open shortly before the sanctum sanctorum is opened. With the result, a serpentine queue is formed. We stand in the queue for about half an hour, wondering when the queue would begin to move. Finally the nada doors are opened and the queue starts moving pretty quick. Things are sped up by the presence of security personnel who regulate the crowds, chiding anybody who spends a moment too long at the nada or the inner sanctum.

Standing in the presence of any deity is a powerful experience, and this time is no different. In spite of the hordes of people around, I find calm in the presence of the Lord. The Lord, richly decorated with gold and flowers of different hues, peeps out of the first door, with a benign yet slightly naughty smile. His face is turned towards the ceiling, in the typical Ananthashayanam pose. A golden crown fit for a king adorns his head. He seems to assure you that he will take care of every worry you bring to him. It looks like the Lord is saying, ‘relax and take a cue from me, life is a breeze’! His right arm is thrown protectively around a Shiva linga. As I move to the second door, the navel of Mahavishnu is visible. The celestial lotus that springs forth his navel, with Lord Brahma seated on it is quite an artistic marvel. The stalk of the lotus is not too thick, yet it supports the small the lotus, and the idol of Lord Brahma. The idols of Sridevi and Bhoodevi, the consorts of the Lord are also visible from the second door, facing the devotees. The third door has the golden feet of the Lord.

All too soon, it is over, and we are ushered out. As we walk around, circumambulating (doing the pradakshinam) the temple, we spot the lovely Kerala mural paintings drawn on the temple walls. In the recent years, restoration work has been taken up for these priceless artefacts, which were painted on the temple walls centuries ago. Made from natural colours, these paintings are a distinct hallmark of Kerala art, with an expressive beauty.

Amma points out the controversial vaults that have been opened in 2011, revealing the unaccountable wealth of Lord Padmanabhaswamy. The vaults were ordered opened by the Kerala High Court, based on the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Sri. T P Sundara Rajan, an ardent devotee of the Lord. Out of a total of the six vaults Vault A was opened, which revealed wealth that named the Padmanabhaswamy temple as the richest world, a distinction that had so far belonged to Lord Venkateshwara of Tirupati. The second vault containing the image of a serpent on the door remains closed, as the Lord’s displeasure was indicated by an oracle.

The temple premises are fairly large, with several smaller nadas to house other deities like Krishna, Sri Rama with Sita and Lakshmana, Thiruvambady Krishna etc.

We walk out of the temple premises and visit the Navarathri Mandapam, next to the Kuthira Malika. The Navarathri Mandapam is set up during the nine days of the Navarathri festival. A small idol of Saraswathi Devi is brought out of the main temple, and installed in the Mandapam, to be worshipped here for the nine days. Renowned musicians are invited to sing each day of the festival. Maharaja Swathi Thirunal had composed nine krithis in praise of the Goddess, for each day of the festival. Each evening one of the nine compositions is sung by the invited artists. Prince Ashwathy Thirunal Rama Varma, the descendant of Swathi Thirunal, himself a well-known musician, has been enthusiastically spearheading the activities during the music festival. Prince Varma also organizes the Swathi Sangeethotsavam, a music festival which is held every year at the Kuthira Malika.

Darshan completed, let us slowly walk out of Thiruvananthapuram and come to our next devalayam. Until the next post, take care, and stay devout!