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. 

Sri Krishna temple, Udupi – part two (the outer prakaaram)

Part One 

As we exit the Krishna temple, there is an open auditorium, where cultural programs and discourses are held. Opposite to the open auditorium is a building named Gita Mandira. We go around the temple tank to re-enter Car Street. Immediately next to the Krishna temple is the shrine of Lord Chandramouleeshwara. This is a small shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva as the Lord with the crescent moon as his crown. Another version also says that the moon, Lord Chandra worshipped Shiva, and so he is called Chandramouleeshwara. The Lord is worshipped in the linga form. 

Around the entrance of this temple there are paintings depicting different stories associated with Lord Shiva, like Markandeya, the taming of Ganga, and Parvati worshipping the Linga. We accept teertha and prasadam, and step out. 

We exit and walk through Car Street to reach the next temple, which is a few feet away. There are small shops on the street that sell things like toys, holy beads and amulets, blocks of sandalwood, the stones to grind sandalwood, packets of dhoopa or sambrani, incense sticks, and images and pictures of deities. The tall wooden chariot is parked on the narrow street. 

Image courtesy - Vinayaraj via Wikimedia Commons

Next up ahead of us is the Anantheshwara temple. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, this temple is built in the shape of an elephant’s body. The structure is rounded behind similar to the round rear of an elephant. The Anantheshwara temple is slightly bigger in size, and seems to have more activity (compared to the shrine of Chandramouleeshwara). It is believed that Madhwacharya vanished from sight in this temple compound. 

We accept teertha and prasadam, and go further. There is a small passage to the left inside the temple, which leads to shrines of other deities. I pay my respects to Lord Someshwara (another form of Shiva), Lord Subramanya, and Lord Ayyappa.

Car street at dusk

We take a pradakshinam of the temple and walk around the tulasi plant before stepping out. It is dusk already, and light is dimming. Car Street is a lovely place for those who love the old world charm. There are several small shops around that sell books, prayer utensils, silverware, and keepsakes. We slowly step out of Car Street and hurry to the bus stand, at peace after worshipping Udupi Krishna.

I will be back with a new temple next week. Till then, take care, and stay devout!  

Sri Krishna temple, Udupi – part one

Udupi, south Karnataka, lies in the lap of lush greenery. Think of Udupi, and the mind conjures up images of beaches, great food, and of course Lord Krishna! The famed Udupi Krishna matha is said to have been established by Guru Madhwacharya. Madhwacharya propagated the dwaitha (dual) philosophy, which maintains that the individual soul is separate from the Supreme soul.

A trip to Udupi is incomplete without a visit to the matha, and I make a trip there exclusively to pray at the temple. Having spent a few years there, I am familiar with the city and the temple. The temple, known locally as Krishna matha, is located close to the city bus stand. It is a short walk away, and the friendly locals are happy to guide you.

I will be splitting this narrative into two parts, one for the Krishna matha, and one for the other shrines outside.

The temple is located in the midst of what is called Car Street or Chariot Street. One will have to park vehicles a little away and walk the last few feet. The streets that lead to Car Street are narrow and lined by shops that are almost falling onto the street. 

The kanaka Gopura outside

As the temple comes into view the kanaka gopura welcomes you. Just below the gopura is the famed Kanakana kindi. Legend says that Saint Kanaka dasa, a Krishna devotee was not allowed inside the temple due to his low caste. Back then, only the upper caste Brahmins were permitted inside temples. The distraught Kanaka dasa stood near the wall and poured out his misery in a song he composed (look up Bagilana theredu seveyana kodu Hariye). The Lord was so touched; he broke the compound wall, and turned 180 degrees to give darshan to his pious devotee.

Kanaka dasa's window

Since then, devotees should view the Lord through Kanaka dasa’s window and only then enter the temple. We go ahead and keep our footwear at the stand, wash our feet at the taps and go in. A board near the entrance states that the temple permits only Hindu devotees inside.

We enter the temple from a door behind the murthy. The Lord sits behind yet another window with nine small openings. We view the Lord through each of the opening, which symbolises the nine planets. Above this window is a stone carving of Mahavishnu sleeping on Lord Anantha, with Lakshmi Devi at his feet. The Lord is worshipped as a small child here. He holds a kadagola (a wooden stick used traditionally to churn butter from buttermilk) in his right hand. Lord Anantha the serpent stands guard over him. 

There is an interesting legend behind Lord Krishna’s murthy. It is said that the Lord of Brindavan’s murthy was so deeply covered with sandalwood paste that it looked like a ball of sandalwood. A merchant took this sandalwood with him on his ship, which headed to Malpe port (in Mangalore). Madhwacharya divined that the murthy was hidden in the sandalwood, and asked the merchant for it. The Acharya then cleared the murthy of the sandalwood and set up a temple for the Lord.

There is a namaskara mandapam in front of the sanctum sanctorum. Thirtham and chandanam prasada is distributed nearby. Behind the namaskara mandapam is a raised corridor where other deities are worshipped. This corridor is right in front of Kanakana kindi. Lord Garuda, Mahavishnu's vehicle and Hanumantha, Rama’s dasa are worshipped on either end of the corridor, facing each other. Devotees can sit on the floor on this corridor. 

We walk on and pay our respects to Balarama, who is seated behind Krishna. We then exit the main temple, and walk ahead. There is a narrow passage that leads us to a hall, where Hanuman is revered.

We walk ahead to prostrate before Subramanya. There is a dining hall right behind this shrine, where all devotees are given free meals. We continue on the path to bow before the Navagrahas. There are curio shops here where you can buy pictures, murthis, and the like. There is a goshala or cow shed ahead. We peep in to spot cows relaxing inside. Having completed darshan of the Krishna temple, we step out. There is an open auditorium where cultural activities and religious talks are held. There is something going on every evening. This evening, a prabhassanam, or spiritual talk is going on.

We now head out to visit the other deities in the vicinity of Chariot Street. I will post the second part of the Udupi temple soon. Stay tuned! 

Part 2