Temples In India-1.pdf - Vivekananda Kendra Prakashan

VIVEKANANDA KENDRA PATRIKAtaken from him rose to a very high figurewhen added with the interest payable.The Lord of the seven Hills is said to havepromised to repay the loan by the end ofKaliyug and until such time, chose to remainin the Hills as a deity for worship. It is saidthat the amount recovered from the coffersof the temple accounts for the interestalone, leaving the original loan intact. (Thiswould give an indication of what a hugesum the loan must have been!) Shri GovindaRaja Swami enshrined in the temple at thefoot of the hills, is reported to be Kuberahimself regulating the loan repayable byLord Vishnu.The temple at Tirupathi is a classic exampleof the Dravidian architectural splendour.The temple envelops an area ofapproximately two acres and shows arectangular shape. The structure of thetemple can be divided into two parts : i)the prakaras, ii) the gopuras. There arethree prakaras aptly titled MukkotiPradakshini, Vimana Pradakshini and theSampangi Pradakshini and there are twobeautiful gopuras majestically welcomingthe pilgrims to this holy shrine. The AnandaVimana over the sanctum sanctorum isan imposing three-storeyed structure risingto a height of above 35 feet and the kalasa,on the top of the vimana glitters in brightsunlight evoking the visual response of thedevotees even from a long distance.To stand in the sanctum-sanctorum of thetemple, in front of the benevolent Deity, isa moment full of spiritual joy and devotionalupliftment. The Deity is in the standingposture, seven feet high with the left handpointed towards the left thigh and the righthand in the posture of the varada-hasta.As the surging crowd pushes one onwards,TEMPLE INDIAa devotee may be lucky to receive only afew seconds of darshan of the presidingdeity. But within these few seconds ofspiritual ecstasy, the devotee becomestotally aware of the supreme mercy andbenevolence of Sri Venkatachalapathi.Later, as one circumambulates around theprakara, the memory of those blissfulmoments keep recurring in the mind.The Daily RitualsVenkatachala Itihasa Mala is a book thatcontains details of the daily rituals and theirmode of conducting them. The rules andregulations laid down in this book arestrictly adhered to while performing thedaily rituals of the temple. Next to the‘Suprabhatam’ sung in the early hours ofthe morning to awaken the Lord is theperforming of the Thomala Seva which isfollowed by the chanting of Sahasranamaarchana. Throughout the day, severalpoojas are conducted and devotional hymnsare broadcast nonstop for the benefit ofwaiting devotees. The day ends when it isnearing midnight after the performance of‘ekanta seva’.The Venkatachala Itihasa Mala is a sacredtext divided into seven parts. The initialthree parts purport to the Vaishnavaconnection of the Deity and the laterportion is full of details of the works of SriRamanuja and his prescription of the dailyrituals at the temple according to theVaikhanasa Agama. Saint Ramanuja is saidto have conducted exclusive repairs on theAnanda Vimana on finding it in a ruinedstate.Among the varied customs at the temple,mention may be made of the ever-popular58