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Articles: Devotion | Living Treasures- 2
- Prof. venkata ramanamurty mallajosyula
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.TIRUMALA TEMPLE : God of big things: It is the world’s most active religious, destination with more visitors than the Mecca and St.Peter’s Basilica. On any given day , the Sri Venkateswara Temple, atop Tirumala in the arid Chittoor, draws more than 40,000 worshippers, standing and sitting in a series of steel cages, to get a fleeting glance of and pay obeisance to the fascinating life-size idol of Lord Vishnu,/ Venkateswara/ Srinivasa/ Balaji. About 15,000 have their heads shorn to fulfill a vow or pledge. Every year more than nine million devotees offer money and gold to make it the richest Hindu shrine. The belief is that the offerings go back to pay the dues to Kubera , the Hindu God of wealth, who gave a loan to Balaji when he was marrying Godess Pdmavati. Thirty thousand people are offered free meals and 1,50,000 are given laddoos every day – the much sought after prasadam of Tirumala that travels around the world. Made at the cost of R 13,it is sold for Rs 5 only. Funds are never source for worry. The bounty of faith is, well, bountiful. In 2006,the temple earnings are estimated to cross Rs 730 crore- and previous year, were Rs 675 crore. An electric mix of modern management and traditional fervor keeps Tirumala ticketing. While wristbands have a bar code with a time imprint to manage queues while e-hundis enable devotes to donate at the click of a button wherever they are in the world. Total collection from hundi offerings alone are Rs 300 crores while Rs 170 crore accrues annually from bank deposites. In God, truly, Thirumala’s managers trust.
2. MADURAI – The Meenakshi ( Fish eyed Godess)
Located o the south bank of the Vaigai River, Tamil Nadu’s oldest city, Madurai, was built over 2,000 years ago around the twin temples of Meenakshi. Sundareswar. Subsequently rebuilt many times, “it stands testimony to Dravidian architecture,” says M.P.Vasimalai, head, DHAN Foundation, working to regenerate temple tanks in South India. As legend Hs it, a three-year old girl Wlked out on a yagna performed by a childless Pandya King. Maanakshi, or the fish- eyed one, was an incarnation of Parvati, and Lord Siva came to Madurai as Sundareswarar to marry her. The Chitrai festival, that attracts lakhs of people every day, celebrates their wedding around April-May. Spread over 65,000 sq m., the city isan exquisite mix of structures built by the Nayakas in the 17th century. The roads that run parallel to its four sides are named after seasons. The hall of thousand pillars has every pillar displaying high, ornate, bold scriptures that appear to be in a straight line from which ever angle you view it. The outer corridor showcase the legendary musical pillars, each producing a different note when tapped. The gopurams at the entrance in the temple stand out for their sheer size, some measuring more than 55 m.
It is often compared to Athens.And rightly so.
-Prof: Venkata Ramanamurty Mallajosyula
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