Temples In India-1.pdf - Vivekananda Kendra Prakashan

VIVEKANANDA KENDRA PATRIKATEMPLE RITUALSSHRI SHANKARACHARYA SWAMIGALOF KANCHI KAMAKOTI PEETAThere is some special feature associatedwith the worship in each temple. Forinstance, the special feature of Tirumalaiis the offering of wealth which takes theform of dropping cash or jewels in the hundi.In Palani, people carry and offer kavadi.At Rameswaram, the bathing of the deitywith water brought from the Ganges isconsidered sacred. In the West Coast, eachtemple has its special form of offering. AtAmbalapuzha, the offering to Sri Krishnatakes the form of pal payasam (a sweetpreparation with milk and rice). Thefavourite offering to Sri Mahadeva atVaikom is the conduct of feasts, at whichhundreds of people are fed sumptuously.During the annual festival at another SriKrishna temple, boat races are conductedin the water course in front of the temple.At Tripprayar, where the presiding deity isSri Ramachandra, offerings take the formof detonation-a number of cylinders,packed with gun-powder, are set fire toand they explode one after another in quicksuccession with a loud report (athir vettu).The sound of athir vettu reverberates fromthe temple all round the clock. AtEttumanur, money is offered, as is beingdone at Tirumalai. At Trichur, ghee offeredby devotees, is poured over the deity, withthe result that the deity remains practicallyhidden under the solidified ghee.The temple at Trichur is a famous Sivashrine and the deity is known asVadakunathan. The place is also referredTEMPLE INDIAto as Vrishasailam. The temple is situatedon the crest of a hump-like formation, theterrain sloping in all directions from thetemple proper. Local tradition has it thatthere was a visionof a huge bull and, thereafter, a Siva Lingawas installed and consecrated. During myKerala tour, I visited the temple on aSivaratri, intending to remain there onlyfor a few minutes. But the Nambudiris, whoare in charge of the worship there, inducedme to stay longer, representing that theywould have no other opportunity of meetingme in their life. When I asked them whythey thought so, they told me that theyhad been dedicated for performing theworship at the temple while young and thatthey are enjoined to lead the life of aBrahmachari (celibate) throughout their life,living always within the temple precincts.If a visit to the family home becameimperative for any of them, he was escortedto and from his home in the manner a kingis escorted to any place to which he goes.Members of the public take vows to performbhajanam there for a specified number ofdays. During this period, the devoteesremain in the premises of the temple,cutting off all contacts with the outsideworld. Another noteworthy feature of thistemple is that the accumulated ghee withinthe sanctum sanctorum is removedperiodicallyand this ghee, often a hundredyears old, purchased by AyurvedicPhysicians, as purana ghritam (old ghee)is a specific for skin diseases. It is at thistemple that the parents of Sri SankaraBhagavatpada prayed and obtained theblessings of the Lord for getting a son.Another sacred and historic temple in Keralais that of Lord Sri Krishna at Guruvayur.19