Science in skies and spirituality on ground: India joins hands to pray for Chandrayaan-3

Their hands folded, raised to the skies or joined together in supplication, thousands of Indians gathered in temples, dargahs and gurdwaras on Wednesday to pray for the success of India's Moon mission Chandrayaan-3 -- science and religion segueing into a uniquely Indian syncretic combo.

As the Vikram Lander touched down on the lunar south surface at the scheduled time of 6.04 pm, prayers were also offered in schools, universities and other complexes across the country. Science in the skies and spirituality on ground, it was about ardas and aartis, havans and namaz being offered in various corners.

From Mathura to Mumbai, the devout - with a prayer on their lips and their focus on the Moon -- looked to the gods, their form of worship different, their hope the same. That India should join the exclusive club of countries landing probes on the Moon - Russia, the US, China and now India - and become the first country to explore the uncharted lunar south pole.

If special prayers were held at a Govardhan temple in Mathura, in Mumbai’s Mahim dargah, devotees offered a chadar to pray for the successful touchdown of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft.

"Not only was the Giriraj Chalisa recited 11 times, a Chappan Bhog was also offered to the deity to pray for the success of the mission,” said Pawan Kaushik, the priest at the temple.

"The whole of India is praying for the success of Chandrayaan-3. We, too, at the Mahim dargah have offered a chadar... We are certain that India will set a new record and subsequently enhance its stature worldwide," added a devotee at the Mahim shrine.

Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri joined a special ardas at Delhi’s Bangla Sahib Gurudwara here to pray.

Not far away, 150 girl students of Al Jamiatul Islamia Islahul Banat madrassa at Mandoli were also part of a special prayer held hours before the scheduled landing of the Chandrayaan lander.

The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) organised a yagna at the city’s Sant Nagar locality.

"We have unwavering faith that god will definitely listen to our collective prayer done with pure mind and special mantras of Vedas," said Vimlesh Bansal, a Vedic scholar at an Arya Samaj temple.

As scientists at space agency ISRO did last-minute checks and the scientific community looked on anxiously, the pattern of multi-faith prayers was repeated across the country with the lines between rituals, spirituality and scientific temperament blurring for many.

In Varanasi, a Ganga aarti was performed on the banks of the river and devotees in the eastern Uttar Pradesh town conducted a special ‘Navagraha Puja’ in the Batuk Bhairav Temple. The rituals included offering milk to the Moon. At the western end of the state, a group of students of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) prayed at the mosque of the Sir Syed House.

In Prayagraj, the city of the Sangam, a havan was performed in maths and temples. Prayers were also offered for the successful landing at several other temples.

The Darul Uloom Farangi Mahal Eidgah in Lucknow organised a special prayer in support of the scientists of ISRO.

"I extend my heartiest congratulations to all the scientists of ISRO. We organised a special dua at the Eidgah in which madrassa students participated in large numbers," said Sunni cleric and chairperson of Islamic Centre of India Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahli.

In a madrassa in Rajasthan’s Bikaner town, the prayers came from young women students.

Across the breadth of the country, in Odisha, a group of priests at the famed Lord Jagannath Temple assembled in front of the 12th century shrine’s Lion's Gate and lit lamps seeking divine blessings.

"Lord Jagannath is worshipped as the master of the universe. His blessings are most essential for India’s lunar mission. According to Vedas, all the planets revolve around the Sun as per the directions of Maha Vishnu, the Lord Jagannath," said Bhaskar Mishra, a researcher.

People across West Bengal also held special prayers in temples. A yagna was performed at the Bhole Baba temple on the banks of river Hooghly in Kolkata. It was the same at a Kali temple in Raiganj in the state’s Uttar Dinajpur district.

Devotees also gathered at the Sankastahara Ganapathi Temple in Bengaluru.

In Jammu and Chandigarh, people gathered at different temples and performed aarti holding the tricolour and posters of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft.

With anticipation building up through the day, several politicians were seen knocking on the doors of the almighty.

While BJP leader Mohsin Raza, for instance, prayed for the success of the Indian lunar mission at the Hazrat Shah Meena Shah Sarkar Dargar in Lucknow, the BJP Minority Cell head offered prayers in Mumbai's Mahim Dargah.

Besides, Shiv Sena workers from south Mumbai performed an aarti in Mumbai’s Siddhivinayak temple.