A trip to Sri Kalahasthi

It all started one fine day when chatting with one of my close friend's family who is from the land of "Golden Temple".
They have visited a famous astrologer and as per the advice they need to perform a pooja for "Kaal Sarph Dhosa" in Sri Kalahasthi temple. I volunteered to pile on to offer the "Language Support".

Thanx to Googles and Wikipedia's of the world we found the route map and other pooja related information, we decided to venture out to the place and as a first step enquired the possibility of hiring a cab and the result was a heart attack on looking at the approximate charges. This lead us to decide on driving down in our own car.

We started on misty morning from Bangalore and keeping our fog lights for quite some time. The roads were really good, though few sudden pot holes caught us by surprise and the steering has to be kept on circles during these testing times. We landed well on time with decent expectations about what we have read.

The pain starts the minute you step out of the car - -

1. I don't know how obvious it is for those shop keepers to decide we are strangers to jump on you with flowers, pooja items, so on and so forth... We escaped from this
2. Somehow they want to get atleast Rs. 2/- from you and forcing you to leave the slippers inspite of a big hoarding outside the temple "Free Chappal Stand".. We escaped from this
3. Now the trauma starts - We searched for the ticket counter where you need to buy the token and there goes the differentiation - In the name of god, they canvas you to go for tickets ranging from 250/- , 600/-, 1000/-, and 1500/- and the logic out here is the more you pay the more closer to God.. Wish it was so easy, for all those filthy rich people to reach the almighty whenever required.. They sense your comfort zone and play with the timings - Sir, 250/- queue will take more than 3 hrs., but 1500/- is the best and you will finish the entire pooja with special darshan in less than 1 hr. .. We decided on this option
4. An interlock to this 1500/- option is you will be accompanied by a guide (suppose to a temple appointed person) and to your surprise you will see most of them chewing pan and resemble a "goonda giri" when the other side of the movie world trying to capture "gandhi giri".. We had to fite out and explain to this guy that only if he make sure we get the best, he will get his commission
5. From there the "guide" leads us to the ticket counter and with the ticket you will get pooja items and gets directed to the people who have access to the inside of the temple and for us an elderly person was appointed.. We started our journey inside the temple with all the pooja items
6. We reached the place where the pooja is performed near "Sahasralingam" without a clue of what will happen and to our surprise we had many poor souls waiting in the same level of anxiety - We were made to sit on a wooden plank and at the same timing all the guides started assembling the pooja items - The pooja items consist of 2 silver snakes, 2 clothes (black & white), turmeric, kumkum, flower petals, leaves and coconut - We started waiting for the priest
7. Enter the priest with a face like "I'm doing a favor to you" and not with the intention of serving the god or the people who have come from different parts with so much of belief. To my surprise, most of the people in the batch we sat were from Northern and Eastern part of India and language was a big issue for them - A flashy ring tone and Mr. Priest is busy attending the call - (Mobile phones are not allowed only for the public) !!!
8. The priest starts talking to his own and in that crowd they don't even thought about using a microphone, so that everyone performing the pooja would hear what he says - - Oh God !! - - Even this shout is hard to reach the almighty - He starts speaking in Telugu and Tamil and people who come with translators who know these languages could save themselves to do things in order - Else, follow your neighbor.. - The pooja got started
9. He asked them to pray first, followed by some mantras which he recited to himself - Wish we had great ears to capture the same to repeat.. Then, some pooja to those 2 silver snakes with flowers, leaves, followed by the mixture of turmeric and kumkum and in between he asked them to continue till he comes back from a call he got again !! - Poor souls all of them kept doing the same without even knowing why they have to do this! - This hungama continued for 20 mts. and then suddenly he lit a camphor and incense sticks and gave it to the couples to take turns to perform the "Aarthi" for those 2 silver snakes infront of them - This hungama continued for 10 mts. and that's it - Pooja over and with that your Dhosa also over !! - - Only the "Sahasralinga" knows how truthful the priest was - - Now came the shocker..
10. Once everybody settle down after winding up with all the pooja procedure, the priest announces to keep Rs.301/- as his "Service Charge" - - Hahaha (Unwritten rules of people).. We got to keep it and then took the 2 silver snakes to drop in the "Hundi" near the main Shiva sanctrum.
11. Inside the main sanctrum also, unless you keep Rs.10/- as the best amount you will be treated like a unwanted soul in the campus - Poor god inside is almost fed up of all this !! - We dropped the 2 silver snakes in the Hundi and I guess this is what will return to the people again ??
12. We then have to run towards the main Shakthi sanctrum and here too the same procedure - No money in the "Aarthi Plate" keep moving - No mercy !!
13. We then moved towards a long queue to take a deep prayer towards a "Joola" (supposed to be the bedroom of Shakthi Maa) and here people go down on their knees and pray for what they have come here for and offer to return for thanx giving once they acheive the good results for their prayer - - Don't forget Rs.10/- !!
14. We were then taken to a place where they give a "Shawl" and "Blouse Piece" as return gift for offering the pooja and here too do not forget Rs.10/- !!
15. Now the ultimate turn, the guide took us to the place where his superior is waiting with the notepad to give his instructions in "Shakesphere English", which only he can understand and then command for the guide charges - Pls. note when they start the tour it is mentioned that you can offer the guide as per your interest and out here it is a "Command".. We gave Rs.100/- and the reaction from him was furious and the way he reacted was as good as scolding us in bad words and the demand was Rs. 500/-.. I lost here and started retaliating and finally settled for Rs. 200/- .. I told him that he and the guy who begs outside does not have any difference and atleast if you drop a Rs.10/- in the beggar's plate he or she will wish from the bottom of the heart - Believe me, the "goonda giri" who directed us near the token counter was promptly here to collect his share and if you think the chapter ends here, NO WAY....... The saga continues,
16. It is the turn of the old man who accompanied us inside the temple to ask for the money inspite of getting his share from his superior and we have to settle with him for another Rs. 150/-.. We litreally ran out of the temple.
17. Imagine for people who know the language and can retaliate to their level has to go thru. this, people who cme with no help and especially from non - southern parts of India will definitely have a tough time..
18. In every sense, I could feel the discomfort of my friends who came with so much of belief and it is only b'cas I'm close to them they din't spit on my face and did not ask a very obvious question "whether all south indian temples are like this?".. I admit here that due to my insistence only they agreed to come and I was in unexplainable situation to have forced them to go thru. this..
19. Whatever certain and done, even if they visit any other temple in future in south india, "the first experience was the worst experience for them"
20. In all these, we never bothered to look at the other deities in the temple and should I even cite the reasons for the same??

It is with a deep inside thought, I'm writing this statement: (It's only my personal opinion)

If you would like to offer a pooja anywhere (unless you are sure that it is done with due respect and you get your mental peace for the amount you spend), use that budget to offer food to poor and needy (or) donate to charity (or) wherever it may be of good help and I'm sure if you are a believer of God is everywhere those wishes from the bottom of the heart will help your prayers to achieve full colors.

God Bless everyone and even those temple folks !!