temple for childless couples

Re: temples for childless couples

Simhachalam is a small pilgrim centre. About 3 hrs are needed to walk around and imbibe the spiritual experience it offers. Unfor­tunately, sanitation and hygiene leave much to be desired in this sthala.

Varahalakshminarasimha Temple
The front gopuram, decorated with fig­ures of gods and goddesses, is the Vara­ha­lak­shmi­­narasimha Swamy Temple’s most imp­res­­­­sive feature. Here, from the side entrance, the queues snake up 50 easy steps to enter the temple through the western doorway. Covered in sandal paste, the deity is seen in resplendent nityaswarupa (nitya means daily).

The Kappa Sthamba, a pillar to the left of the sanctum, is decorated with bells and silk cloth. A fee of Rs 10 is charged for embrac­ing this pillar, widely believed to bless childless couples with progeny. Its spiri­tual significance is that a Sanathana Gopala (Krishna as a child) Yantra has been placed under it. On the southern wall of the sanctum, a standing image of Lord Nara­simha tears open the demon Hiranyakasipu in a unique repre­sentation. Devotees, espe­cially from Orissa and coastal Andhra, offer calves to the lord and, as a token of their respect, take them around the temple in what is called the Kode-Dooda Pradakshinam. A thousand steps lead to the temple from the foot of the Simhachalam Hill. It takes an hour to climb up and 40 mins to descend. Though partly in shade, it’s a tough climb.
Location 500m south of the bus stand and 100m south of the bazaar Timings 7-11.30 am, 12.30-9 pm (no darshan between 2.30 and 3 pm) Temple Tel 0891-2715242
Related info The Suprabhatam Seva (rituals to awaken the lord) takes place at 4 am and the Ekanthaseva (the last puja of the day) at 9 pm. Photography is not allowed. Free darshan is possible. Tickets of Rs 2, Rs 10, Rs 30 and Rs 100 are also available. The first two lines take longer to reach the sanctum. Rs 100 ticket-holders have direct access to the sanctum
Puttukoppulu (200m west of the tem­ple; open 7 am-8 pm) is where devotees get their hair tonsured (Rs 5). It is crowded and dirty. Gangadhara (150m west of temple) is a small stream, where pilgrims have a bath. It is also crowded and not too clean.

WHILE IN SIMHACHALAM
With green trees and cool breeze, Simha­chalam lends itself to strolls. There is a good view of Visakhapatnam from here. You might come across several species of birds that inhabit the forest nearby.

AROUND SIMHACHALAM
Visakhapatnam (16 km S)
Go boating in the Vizag harbour at Rs 50 for a 30-min ride between 8 am and 6 pm. The Indira Gandhi Zoological Park (9 am-5 pm, Mon closed) on NH5, 12 km south of the city, is interesting and well laid-out. The Kailasagiri Hill (11 am-8 pm), 6 km south of the city, has huge idols of Shiva and Parvati, and offers breathtaking views of the city, hills and sea. A cable car ride costs Rs 40. The Vuda Park (9 am-9 pm; entry fee Rs 3), located 6 km south on Beach Road, has nice gardens and a playground. The Rushi­konda Beach, about 6 km south of the city, has golden sand and surf. Set right upon the beach is the old, 91-m long ‘Kursura’, now the apt venue of the Sub­marine Museum (open 8.30 am-12.30 pm, 2-8.30 pm, Mon closed; entry fee Rs 25).

Araku Valley (112 km NW)
Visit the beautiful valley, with its Borra Caves and their spectacular stalagmites and stalactites, the Botanical Gardens and Tribal Museum.

 

If children love hot dogs, pizzas, chocolates and cola, surely their goddess too will like these. That's exactly the thought behind these unusual offerings made by devotees at the temple here of Jivantika Mata, a goddess of children, according to the Hindu scriptural text Skanda Purana.

<TABLE cellSpacing=5 cellPadding=0 width=205 align=right border=0>Source of picture: www.jivantikaadyasthan.comRajkot (Gujarat), Aug 14 (IANS) -- This principal city of Gujarat's Saurashtra region has the only temple dedicated to Jivantika Mata. Gujarati devotees from the state and abroad visit the temple and make large offerings when their wish is fulfilled.

"When they ask us what they should offer, we suggest anything that children like to eat, which means pizzas, hot dogs, burgers... even soft drinks," Aimprasad J. Dave, the temple's keeper, told IANS.

The goddess is offered chocolates and peppermints daily, apart from fanciful fast food. The traditional prohibition against the use of garlic and onions in food, common in most parts of Gujarat, does not apply here, Aimprasad said.

The offerings are later distributed among children in the neighbourhood and in slums.

Dave's family has been devoted to Jivantika Mata for the past four generations and spreads awareness about the goddess. It was his father, Ambelal Dave, who built a small temple inside his house and installed the goddess' idol there 38 years ago.

A retired railway employee, Ambelal built the temple from his savings and the family continues with the tradition of not accepting any charity for its upkeep.

Aimprasad, who works with an insurance firm, has been working to create more awareness about the goddess by travelling abroad and by putting up a website dedicated to her - www.jivantikaadyasthan.com.

As more and more people come to know about Jivantika Mata, described as a provider, protector and benefactor of children, many women in the state are visiting the temple to carry out the ritualistic vrat of the goddess.

Childless couples or parents of sick children too make a beeline to the temple.

"Non-resident Indians also come to do darshan in good numbers. And the goddess is mother to all, so it is not only to fulfil a child-related wish that they come here," Aimprasad said.

To serve the increasing flow of devotees, the Dave family has built a pick-up point near the city's main bus stand, for which local authorities provided land free of cost.

A majority of visitors make token financial contributions that are used by the Dave family for charitable purposes. The family's donations to the local cancer hospital are used to treat one patient at a time free of charge.

On auspicious days, children visiting the temple are served special dinners from these funds since they are seen as representatives of the goddess, Aimprasad said.

 

LANGOOR FAIR


The ongoing 10-day Langoor fair, which started on the first day of Navratri festival here, is eagerly awaited by various childless couples across the country, who throng Bara Hanuman temple inside Durgiana temple during this time.

The first day witnessed a huge number of devotees coming from across the country, making a beeline to pay their obeisance before Lord Hanuman's statue here.

And, the ones, getting blessed with a child, come here as a mark of respect.

Barefooted children as well as adults donning silver striped satin dresses and conical caps and holding silver sticks visit this temple on the precincts of Durgiana Temple both in the mornings and evenings during the Navaratri festival.

Located outside the Lohgarh Gate, the Durgiana temple stands amidst a tank and has a dome. It is also known as Lakshmi Narayan Mandir

Childless couples from various parts of the country and even abroad visit this temple. The couples come here praying for a son and when blessed, they bring him, masqueraded as a Langoor at Lord Hanuman's service.

"It is a very old tradition over here. After their wish is fulfilled they return with the child to thank God. People come here from far off places after their wishes get fulfilled," said Ajay Kapoor, a devotee.

"I had made a wish here and it was granted. I have been coming here for many years, and I am very happy now," said Prince, another devotee.

People irrespective of religious belief visit Bara Hanuman temple, especially, during these days.

"People come here to wish for a boy child, when their wish is granted they come back again to prayer and thank God. Parents with no male issue come here for a boy. People come here from far off places with their wishes," said Pandit Om Prakash, a priest.

This year about five thousand "Langoors" are expected to arrive with their parents from every nook and corner of the country during the ongoing festival at Bara Hanuman temple. The management of Durgiana Temple has made elaborate arrangements for the thronging devotees

According to the ritual, throughout the ten days, the "Langoors" (the blessed children) are expected to remain barefoot, sleep on floor and adhere to strict regimen and religious rites.

However, for other visitors and tourists, the sight of these masquerading Langoors in their red tunics and conical red caps embellished with gold and silver motifs is a special sight.

Bara Hanuman Temple has a large size idol of Lord Hanuman in sitting posture, which is a unique image of the deity in the country.

Legend has it that the temple was built at a place where the mythological Lord Rama's Vanar Sena or, army of Langoors had converged to counter the challenge of Luv and Kush, the children of Lord Rama. The kids had caputrued a horse meant for Ashwamedha Yajna. When Hanuman came to release the horse from Luv and Kush, they also caught him and tied him to a tree.

Designed on the lines of Golden temple, Durgiana temple is a revered place for Hindus.

Located outside the Lohgarh Gate, the temple stands amidst a tank and has a dome. The Temple is also known as Lakshmi Narayan Mandir. Lakshmi is the Goddess of wealth and Narayan known as Lord Vishnu - the preserver of universe.

 

AMRITSAR: Following the age-old tradition, thousands offered liquor at the shrine of Muslim seer Baba Rode Shah near here during the three-day annual fair, which concluded on March 24.
The devotees visit the shrine situated in Bhoma town, 34 km from here, with offerings of liquor meant for Baba Rode Shah. As a ritual they bring bottles, pouches and buckets containing a heady cocktail of drinks ranging from cheap country-made liquor to foreign brands.
The alcohol, offered in response to fulfilment of desires, is later distributed among the devotees. Harbans Singh, a devotee, said, "It is not that we only offer liquor. There are religious prayers as well. There is nothing wrong with this tradition, which has been going on for years and will continue forever. People have great faith in this fair, as prayers offered bring them jobs, happiness and success in life".
It is believed that Rode Shah underwent austere penance and was blessed with mystical powers. Today the shrine is known for its miraculous cures. According to the devotees, by offering liquor at the shrine childless couples have been blessed with children and people have achieved prosperity.
According to a myth, Baba Rode Shah moved to this village in 1896 and lived on the outskirts. He was a holy man and soon the miracles he performed to help people in distress made him popular.
The Baba was a teetotaller. Once when one of his devotees offered him liquor to show his gratitude for the fulfilled wish, the Baba distributed it among his disciples. And, later this became a tradition. Balbeer Singh, a devotee, said, "all kinds of liquor is offered at the shrine here, be it country-made liquor or expensive foreign-brewed whisky". This "parsad" is given to the devotees in the form of liquor in small plastic bags.
Though heavy security arrangements are made at the fair, police tend to go a bit easy on devotees who, most of the time, end up in a drunken stupor on the pavements.
"There is no question of any grant of permission. The administration does not want to hurt anybody's religious feelings", said Paramjit Singh Teja, a police official. Many policemen even believe that if they stop the devotees from drinking, the Baba's wrath will turn them blind

 

The Lourdes of South India
... Vailankanni

A Ganesh Nadar
[SIZE=+2]W[/SIZE]e inaugurated a three-part series on the Christian pilgrimage places of Tamil Nadu with a trip to Uvari. Today we journey to Vailankanni.
Vailankanni


The bus reached Vailankanni at 6 am.
We had passed lush green fields and many small rivers during the last hour. For the past half hour we started seeing bright blue boards that demanded our attention.
'This way to Vailankanni'.
'This way to Vailankanni'.
'This way to Vailankanni'.
I could not really lose my way, could I?
The Tamilians call her Annai Vailankanni; annai means mother. Others refer to her as Our Lady of Health. When I reached her town I discovered myself to be in another world. A world where life revolves around Annai.
Velankanni is the Indian Christian world’s Tirupati.
The first mass in Tamil had already began at 5.45 am. People are walking leisurely towards the church.
I opted to wash up first at the Golden Sand, where I am staying. My hotel had a board that proclaimed: 'If everybody swept the area in front of their house, it would take half an hour to clean all of Paris'.
A fellow lodger wanted to know, "Why Paris? And not Bombay?"
"May be it is easier to clean Paris than Bombay," I said. Or maybe there was some vague link because Vailankanni is also called the Lourdes of the East.
We eat at the Hotel Chandra, which is clean and filling, but as expensive as Madras city, before heading for the church.
Though it is only 9 am, the basilica is crowded. The church is huge. Two young ladies are walking on their knees from the door to the altar. Some groups are dressed in saffron. Pants, shirts, saris, salwar-kurtas… all saffron. A trend picked up probably from Hindu temples, where Ayya devotees wear purple, Amman devotees wear red and Murugan devotees wear green.
People are offering long candles, coconuts and flowers. There are two hundial boxes. One for money and the other for gold and silver. The altar has Our Lady of Health with a child in her arms. A statue of Jesus Christ is by her side. They are making their offerings on the left of the main altar. A child runs to a priest and says, "Father bless me." He blesses her joyfully.
The main shrine -- though it hardly looks the way it apparently used to; lots of additions have been made – has a main decorative arch built by the Portuguese, that has been left alone. Decorating the high altar are rare porcelain plates that illustrate scenes from the Bible. They were brought by the Portuguese from China.
A path from the main shrine leads the pilgrim to the place where Annai first appeared before a shepherd boy. As the story goes, a lame boy was selling yoghurt to passers-by. In the afternoon while he was resting, a lady with a child appeared before him. She asked him for some of the yoghurt for the child. The boy gladly gave it. She told him to go to a Catholic gentleman in the village and to tell him to build a church for her there. The boy told her, "I am lame. I cannot go to the village now."
She smiled, "Get up and go." And vanished. The boy got up and ran for joy. When he told the gentleman to build the church, he readily agreed because he too had seen the mother in his dreams. The villagers built a small shack where the lame boy had seen the lady. And Our Lady became famous for her healing powers.
Years later a Portuguese ship sailing from China to Colombo ran into a fierce storm. The sailors prayed fervently to Mother Mary to save them and promised to build a church where they landed. They storm subsided and the ship reached the shores of Vailankanni on September 8. Local fishermen took them to the Church of Our Lady. The Portuguese built the church to replace the shack that was already there. On subsequent visits they brought many gifts for the church and further embellished the shrine. September 8 is now the day of Vailankanni's annual festival.
On the left side of the path going away from the basilica are images representing the life of Jesus on the cross. On the right side are images from the life of Mary. On this path, devotees pray with rosaries in their hands. There is a lovely small chapel at the ‘Place of Apparition’. Here you can see Annai accepting yoghurt from the boy.
The first floor of the main basilica houses the blessed sacrament. The annexe basilica was built in 1975. It is used on special occasions and during the annual festival. The church has a hardware shop and a carpenter shed. There is also a unit that manufactures soap and washing powder. There is a huge generator room that can supply electricity around the clock if the need arises. Two hundred and twenty-five cleaners, I discovered, are employed to keep the place sparkling clean.
I want to meet the head of the parish on the first floor. There is a crowd waiting to meet him. I wonder how long it will take if he meets each one individually. Five hours, likely. But suddenly the doors are thrown open. And everybody troops in together. A group of Hindu swamis have come to meet him. They give the father small gifts. After listening to them patiently, he gives them a picture of Annai and blesses them. A young couple want a special mass conducted for their marriage anniversary. They also want to gift a sari to Our Lady. He asks a young priest to help them.
Father Muthuswamy is summoned to guide me about the church.
The church is spread over a very large area, which is exceptionally well maintained and green; lots of beautiful trees. And lots of homes. A home for the Aged, an orphanage, the Mercy Home for the Handicapped and a hospital where people are treated at a nominal charge. Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity run a home for the aged and handicapped. There is a higher secondary school nearby and an English medium school and a girls school. The church runs schools and chapels in four villages.
In fact the whole neighbourhood is an island of charity with multiple charitable and religious activities taking place. The more I toured the place the more I was startled by the range, variety and depth of the activities.
There is also an institution that offered a diploma in Mariology, affiliated with Rome. I needed a dictionary to figure that one out. Mariology is the study of the holy mother. I learnt that 15 students are enrolled for the course; laymen as well as members of the parish. There is also a meditation centre and a retreat home with 80 rooms. Visiting priests can stay here free, but have to pay for their food.
On a tree, childless couples tie numerous small cradles -- a way of beseeching Annai for a child. This practise is followed in many Hindu temples. Says Muthuswamy, "It is the Indianisation of Christianity. Though the religion came from the West, we remain Indians."
Nearby is a ‘Tonsure Hall' where pilgrims shave their heads.
Up ahead is the Museum of Offerings that sells blessed oil. The museum had innumerable letters of thanks, lovely articles in silver and gold to Annai for blessings received; many of them for stolen jewellery Our Lady helped recover. People had donated eyes, hands, legs, stethoscopes and hearts made of silver and gold depending on the ailment she had cured. Everything is framed and kept tidily. Some had donated miniature gold or silver cars, cows, crosses. Some had even donated mangalsutras. One person had made a replica of the church with coins.
On a shelf are pieces of wood which had floated to Vailankanni from all over the world. The wood was hollow. People sent messages and offerings to the mother in these pieces of wood. Legend says that the messages always reach the shores of Vailankanni. Even coconuts with distinguishing features are preserved in the museum. They are said to be offerings from Fiji that had come via the ocean.
Countless miracles and cures are attributed to offerings. A few too many to relate here. I heard about a 45-year-old woman who held Annai responsible for the child she had conceived at that late age.
A young man named Raja had come from Bombay to pay obeisance to the Ma because his brother had a child eight years after marriage.
A retired Hindu school teacher related to me at length his experience at Vailankanni. Murugesan worked in a Christian school. Father Francis, who worked in his school, took him to Vailankanni, when he grumbled to the father that he had four daughters and deeply desired a son. The following year he got a son. In memory of the Matha (mother in Tamil), he named his son Mathavan. Thrice he took his son to the church and shaved his head there in thanksgiving. Photography is prohibited inside the church. Unheeding Murugesan clicked a photograph of the altar. When he printed the photographs: 35 out of the 36 shots were fine. "The photograph of the altar depicted verum pugaimoottam (there was only white smoke)."
Outside the main shrine is a small Tamil-style chapel or kursadi. It has an image of Annai with Jesus on her lap, after he is brought down from the cross. The flag pole, Muthuswamy explained, was said to contain a piece from the original Portuguese ship which landed here.
Like Hindu temples, pilgrims offer the Mother anything from cows, goats, paddy, tea to coffee, elachi, oil and saris. When Annai dons a new sari – given to her by a devotee -- small pieces of her old saree are given to devotees. It is called the Blessed Sari.
People of all religions visit Vailankanni throughout the year. During Onam one can see lots of Keralites. During Dassera one can bump into plenty of folks from Karnataka. And during the annual festival a lot of Bombayites descend. Foreign tourists are frequent visitors too. Some come with worries. Some with illness. Some to say thanks. But they all exit from the church with an identical look of peace, serenity and satisfaction.

 

· The Temple of Hathor at Dendera

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A particularly ancient and important Egyptian deity, in an era when religious veneration tended to be extremely localized, Hathor was worshipped over a very large area, at one time extending as far as modern Syria. Sinai was considered under her dominion but her cult center was in Dendera. The ancient Egyptians seemed to have perceived it as the navel of the world, much as the Greeks did Delphi. Hathor was particularly concerned with women, their health and affairs and was believed capable of imparting fertility. To this day, temple visitations are made by women pursuing rejuvenated fertility. The recommended ritual is to leap over the carved figures, particularly that of Bes, protector of women and provider of children. Women are also recommended to pass their hands over the figures of Hathor and her consort Horus while praying for a successful pregnancy.
· Tanis
The rituals at Dendera, ancient though they may be, are shared by local women as well as with goddess-worshipping tourists from abroad. Another area, replete with ritual, remains more of a local secret. The city of Tanis was the 11<SUP>th</SUP> century BCE national capital and military stronghold. Half a statue of Pharaoh Ramses II remains. Childless women from the area, journey to the statue bearing jugs of water, which they then pour over themselves. The jugs are then broken and the women depart, expecting to conceive shortly. Perhaps it's hoped that Ramses' own reproductive capacities may be contagious. Ramses II is reputed to have sired at least 100 sons and over 50 daughters.
· Cairo
Two other sites reputed to boost fertility exist in Egypt's modern capital.
The Mosque of Sayyida Zeinab is considered so sacred that it is one of only two mosques in Cairo completely off-limits to non-Muslims. Sayyida Zeinab, the granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammed, is the matron saint of the city of Cairo and a particularly beloved and venerated saint. The mosque named in her honor houses her mausoleum. Her tomb is the site of many pilgrimages and many women attest to her generous assistance in matters of conception and safe pregnancy. Prayers and petitions offered at the screen surrounding her tomb are deemed especially effective.

Cairo's Ben Ezra Synagogue is Egypt's oldest synagogue. Tradition has it that it was built on the site where Moses was pulled from the bulrushes. Inside there is a marble monument dedicated to Moses. Women of all faiths come to touch this monument in the belief that it aids conception. The synagogue is located at Sharia Mari Girgis, Old Cairo.

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