The neighbourhood temple

The neighbourhood temple

Vaikunta Ekadasi is a special day of great significance. People make it a practise to visit famous vaishnava temples like Srirangam, Thiruparkadal, Thirvallikeni Parthatsarathy perumal etc. Being a person with a faith of a different kind I am not one to go to temples when it is overly crowded. Yet I too wanted to visit a temple.

As luck would have it, on the day before this ekadasi, while on my evening walk along the ghat road near our Home, I saw a man going around a small ulagalandha perumal (Thrivikrama) temple that I have come across earlier but found closed all the time. I asked the man when the temple would be open. He said during the month of margazhi the temple is open from 6 to 7.30 a.m. everyday. And he further elaborated that the pooja starts at the nearby big banyan tree which has a lingam embedded in its main trunk.I have heard about this tree and have seen it. I can even see it from my bedroom window. In the last couple of weeks, I have heard the blowing of the conche early in the morning and have wondered where it came from.

I was so happy to have this information and made up my mind to visit this temple the next day, though it required a little adjustment in my early morning schedule.

On the morning of the ekadasi, I was at the tree by 6.30 a.m., walking along a barely visible single file track, over-grown with weeds on either side.

At the site there were only half a dozen men including the priest. I was the odd women, but didn’t feel odd, as I have always considered trees to be my friends. I look at all trees as bodhi trees. A rain tree (thoongumoonji maram in Tamil) has ones helped me get out of my depressive mood, by talking to me, telling its own life story and philosophy about life. (It was published in Mangayar Malar, Oct ’88.)

I could feel connected with this tree and its ancient wisdom. I went around the ‘tree’ temple placing the palm of my hand on some of its aerial prop roots that have grown into thick woody trunks. In the early morning serene ambience it felt heavenly. After the pooja there, the men moved on to the temple that is on the main road walking along another track almost invisible. I had the pleasure of the company of the trustee of the temple to guide me.

The temple though not very impressive from the outside was remarkably well cared for on the inside. The flowers that adorned the deity and the coconuts that have been offered showed the commitment of the organiser. I was so happy to be part of this worship where I could communicate personally with the God. Had a prasadam of aval and vellam (beaten rice mixed with jiggery)

The happiness lingered all during the day as i shared it with all my fellow residence of the Home.