Hyderabad's famed 'Visa' temple's cure for coronavirus: Recite stotrams

The priests at the famous Chilkur Balaji – Hyderabad’s “Visa Venkateswara” temple have come up with a “cure” to contain the coronavirus outbreak.

The temple on Thursday held special prayers and the devotees were asked to recite the Apamarjana Stotram (hymns) and the Sudarshana Ashtakam repeatedly to eradicate the virus.

“We had held prayers once before, last month, but with COVID-19 cases being reported in Hyderabad, we are conducting special prayers,” C S Rangarajan, the temple’s famed priest, tells DH.

“The devotees prayed for Indians to remain safe from coronavirus which has killed thousands in China and infected nearly 98,000 globally.”

The Apamarjana stotram is a prayer addressed to various forms of Lord Vishnu and the Sudarshana Ashtakam is recited to cleanse the body and mind of sickness, the priest explains.

The temple near Hyderabad has been famous for its “Visa granting" powers for about two decades now. Scores of techies looking for a job abroad, students aspiring to study in the US, do pradikshanas (circumambulation) around the temple wishing for a speedy Visa approval. Given the US craze among the Telugus, a US consulate was opened in Hyderabad in 2008.

Now, at a time when the coronavirus scare has restricted all travels abroad, hundreds of devotees are participating in special prayers in the Visa Balaji temple.

Earlier this week, Assam's BJP legislator Suman Haripriya has suggested that cow dung and cow urine “with medicinal factors” could prove beneficial in eradicating coronavirus.

Read: 'Gaumutra', 'gobar' could cure coronavirus: BJP MLA tells Assam Assembly

Parties, accused exempted from personal appearance in courts

With coronavirus cases being reported from the state, the Telangana High Court’s registrar general has instructed the lower courts to not insist the presence of parties, accused and production of the accused form the jails.

In a circular sent on Wednesday, the registrar general asked all the unit heads in the state to take necessary steps to reduce the footfall in the court premises and “not pass any adverse orders against the parties/accused, who remained absent for the time being.”

The note also asked the courts to ensure sanitation, maintenance of the court premises in hygienic condition and providing masks to all officers, staff and litigants. The registrar general also asked for two doctors deputed in the district court complex and in other places, medical teams made available on call to attend to the suspected cases of coronavirus.

Calling for sensitization efforts, the circular also directs distribution of preventive homeo-pills for the virus to all those visiting the courts.

“We are taking all such precautions in the High Court complex too,” Venkateswara Reddy, registrar general told DH.