Temples are commercialised

Discussion in 'Religious places & Spiritual people' started by PushpavalliSrinivasan, Jun 27, 2007.

  1. PushpavalliSrinivasan

    PushpavalliSrinivasan IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear friends,
    I feel that temples are commercialised almost everywhere, and feel very sad about it. We should have influence or should be willing to throw money to have darshan at famous temples. Hence I go to temples on special occasions with friends or relatives. Being a vaishnavite I had almost completed visitng the 108 divya desams. But now I am satisfied praying at home in our puja room. As I had mentioned I do visit temples with relatives and friends when they want me to accompany them.
    Love,
    Pushpavalli
     
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  2. puni88

    puni88 Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    Hi,
    I agree with you, now a days Temples are commercialised.
    I was very much surprised when I visited Puri Jagannatha temple in Orissa.
    At the entrace itself many priest will bargain with you for taking you inside the temple.
    Now at Tirupathi temple also lot of rules have changed for visiting hours, money etc.
    It is so sad to see all these things happening.
    I strongly feel that praying anywhere (at home) with good heart reaches god, it is not required to visit temple.
    ~Punitha
     
  3. lalithasai

    lalithasai Senior IL'ite

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    Dear Mdm. Padma,

    I had lost all my interest in visiting Temples in my teens itself because of Worship Places becomming Money Makers. It's a sad plight.

    When I was a kid, my Mom used take us all to the near by Shiva Temple and we loved it. It was calm, serene and felt heavenly. But a few years later, this temple too had become commercialised.

    While I was in Chennai for a couple of years, I totally stopped going to Temples. Every street had small temples and the Priests would only focus on money. I guess in one way I'm very happy and I personally have no regrets now as my faith has grown deeper and God seems to be everywhere. Yet in the corner of my heart I feel our culture is being lost. I feel as people, we are all responsible for this. Just to have a great image, most people show off flashing money in Temples. We are corrupting the Purity that's the key to every place of worship.

    Hope people change and give their offerings to God with love to keep their heart content rather than their EGO.
     
  4. Abha

    Abha Bronze IL'ite

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    Hi Mrs. Pushpa

    I completely agree with you, i feel strongly that temples have been commercialised too much. everywhere you go, 50 bucks for this prasad 100 bucks for this darshan and what not...

    I too feel more comfortable in praying in my own puja room, rather than goin to temples... What I feel is that, we should make our house seem like a temple, by doing good deeds, and having a clean heart... in fact that way you have a temple within yourself. so why go out.

    ~Abha
     
  5. slp807

    slp807 Bronze IL'ite

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    its very true that temples are commercialised , i feel so bad that we need to pay money to do darshan.

    there is one temple in Hyderabad, Chilkur Balaji temple its very famous (people call the lord Balaji as visa GOD becoz who ever are planning for their higher studies in foreign countries will do 11 rounds(pradakhanas) and after our wish gets fulfilled we need to go and do 108 rounds.and almost everyone's wish will be fullfilled), in this temple there is no HUNDI and they dont collect money at all.we are not supposed to put even a single penny anywhere in the temple premises. even if you are a VIP u need to stand in the Queue as everyone and do the darshan.

    i feel very peace in visiting the temple and when ever i visit india i will make sure to do the darshan.

    cheers
    sreelatha
     
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  6. honeybee

    honeybee Gold IL'ite

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    Dear Mrs.Pushpa
    How true! The special "deeparadhanai " we get to see when we place a 10 rupee note on the priest's deeparadhanai thattu" is the simplest example.
    Tamil nadu tops the list in "commercialisation".:tongue Isn't the sanctity lost?
    The Kerala temples deserve special applause in this aspect..

    Regards
    Honeybee
     
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  7. PushpavalliSrinivasan

    PushpavalliSrinivasan IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear sreelatha,
    I had also visited Chilkur Balaji Temple at Hyderabad some years back and I'm glad to know that even now they are not accepting either money or offerings from devotees. I feel charging entrance fee in some temples is too bad. Even in Calcutta Kali Temple devotees are fleeced by the pujaris. Though it is prohibited to enter Garbagraha in temples other than the priests, politicians and VIPs are allowed to enter. Public are made to wait until they leave.
    Pushpavalli
     
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  8. sathya

    sathya Gold IL'ite

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    hello


    kaasedaan kadavulada
    antha kadavulukkum
    athu theriyumada...

    HE watches silently
    the way HE is sold
    for just a tenner..!!
    He smiles knowingly
    what we wouldnt bribe
    for a favour?
    He laughs silently
    the all knowing...!!

    my uncle who was working with the customs was very straight forward...no bribes etc..he will get the work done if it is legally possible ...but his peon was not like him ...he used to get the bribe on behalf of my uncle..saying my uncle hates to get it himself..and use it for his own purposes ...he built two houses in his lifetime with marble etc and my uncle stayed in a rented house all his life...

    so it is with HIM too the poojari gets the bribes and HE will do it if HE can...!!

    visit smaller temples enjoy the serene surrounding and pray that HE doesnt run away to chanting and famous temples.....ahaha...bribe him by saying will visit everyday...!!


    sathya
     
  9. Abha

    Abha Bronze IL'ite

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    hey everyone

    The famous "baanke Bihari (krishna) temple" In Vrindavan (UP) is also one of the temples where anybody and everybody can enter there are no seperate queues for different categories... the mandir is huge so anyone can have a darshan of the god from anywhere in the mandir... they make food of their own and we can buy the sweets and then offer to bhagwan, its totally on our own discretion... they dont offer bhog from anywhere outside except their own kitchen...

    The style of worshipping is more of on the feelings, so there are is a bed , toys for bhagwan and an old style huge manual fan. Also the concept of the bhog being made in their own kitchen is that the food will be more heigenic. the temple is closed for the afternoon nap of bhagwan after lunch... and closes soon after the evening bhog is offered.

    There is a curtain in front of the Idol, and they keep puling the curtain backand forth... cos the priests are afraid that some "bhakts" mite be soo powerful and loving that the god mite just walk away along with them.

    ~Abha
     
  10. srinivasan_vanaja

    srinivasan_vanaja Gold IL'ite

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    Dear Mrs. Pushpa,

    I strongly agree with you, that temples have been commercialized.

    That too on occasions, we need to look after the household pooja rites and need to manage time to visit the temple too. There again when you see a long queue for everything your mind vacillate between the house and the darshan.

    When I find less members in the queue, I stand for the darshan. Otherwise I just take darshan from the internal gate. Triplicane Parthasarathy Temple is quiet comfortable, where you can see the deity clearly from the distance. So I always prefer such temples.

    I totally against this ticket darshan and believe only in darma darshan. In Tirupathi it is unavoidable.

    regards,

    Vanaja
     

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