The past several months saw the husband and me travelling to faraway states to visit famed temples. During the first leg, we visited Somnath and Dwaraka and were enthralled with the beauty of Shiva and Dwarkadheesh deities.
Next was the Amba Bai Mahalakshmi temple at Kolhapur wherein the deity was resplendent in her jewelry. The loveable Udupi Krishna came next where the deity was to be viewed through a nine holed window symbolising the nine heavenly bodies as also the nine types of devotion.
Our next trip was to the famous triumvirate, Prayagraj-Varanasi-Gaya. The first hosts the holiest “triveni sangam” where a dip with devotion is claimed to wash away the sins. Varanasi is home to the mighty Shiva amidst the pristine ghats, and Gaya is where one pays obeisances to one’s dear departed souls.
The one common observation at all the places was the huge crowd thronging every temple. It is not as if our homes do not have the statuettes of all these deities and more. One worships them every day within the sanctum sanctorum. Then why is the desire to visit faraway temples, spending time, money and energy?
Standing in the queue is no small matter, especially for the old and disabled. Yet people visit in hordes. The reason is the history that goes back hundreds or thousands of years, the deity having been found at such places or consecrated by renowned saints. Such a deity and place acquire unequalled power and radiance, and bestow immense benefit on the ardent devotees.
It is believed that rituals performed or donations given at such places are more effective than at one’s home. This is because of the divinity of the place called “kshetra mahime'' in Kannada. No wonder then that lakhs of “warkaris” walk annually on a “wari” pilgrimage to Pandharpur, the abode of Panduranga Vittala - another form of Krishna - or devotees observe a strict penance before visiting Sabarimala. The same piety is observed in people visiting Velankanni or the renowned dargahs.
The pilgrimage brings solace to the mind and forms part of annual sojourns for many. The benefit may not be material in all cases but surely the currency will accumulate in one’s spiritual wallet helping to cleanse the soul, which is the purpose of life.