to tirupati and back
here is a longer version of the previous post:
the night before leaving for tirupati (the same evening that i reached chennai), my mind was so active in its excitement for the upcoming trip that it took me a while to fall asleep. and in just a few hours, dad's alarm rang for me to awake (at 5). my train was at 6.30 (the saptagiri express).
initially, i was to travel alone (and happy to do so), but by a complete last-minute turn of events i'll soon describe, s - a family friend/close friend's sister who lives in chennai joined me as well. the chennai train station, even that early in the morning, offered a memorable olfactory experience :). i had looked forward to my window seat in the chair car, but of course, someone was seated there already, and it mattered none that i showed him my ticket with the seat number on it :). the understanding was immediate, and i found another seat.
the train ride was three hours long, and closer to tirupati, i was finally able to recover my seat when s took the adjacent one. years had passed since our last meeting, and so the conversation that ensued was entirely engaging. she told me then that although she'd always been spiritually inclined, she'd never been too keen on visiting temples. (this is a sentiment i identified with, and have only recently transformed. more in a later post.) a week ago, however, a close friend had described her high-impact tirupati experience to s, and s found she was keen to visit as well - a first.
although dad had intended to call and visit s's family during the time that i was in tirupati, he phoned them the night we landed instead - to determine the location of their residence. when dad explained that i was visiting as well and why, uncle immediately said that s would join me. this was at 8.30pm, and the ticket counter at the station was closed, only to open the following morning - just before the train's departure. dad and i didn't think it would/could possibly happen, but somehow, they managed to procure a ticket at 6.15, and while my compartment was booked, s also managed a spot by paying the difference. all in all, she was quite struck by the way things unfolded. as was i, when we shared details with each other.
after a memorable conversation on spirituality, meditation, advaita theories passed on to her at a very small age by her grandmother, we reached tirupati at 9.30. the two people (r and u) who received us (and took us around for the day), as i found later, spoke only telugu. i was immediately grateful to have s around :), telugu being her native language. the entire day, then, was spent in us communicating in translations back and forth. this exercise was an illuminating lesson in itself, enjoyable along with, and naturally led to greater knowledge.
we first stopped at valmiki kutiram - the guest house - for five minutes, then proceeded to the temple complex. since we were in the 'vip' line, our wait was considerably shorter. (indeed, it took me a few days to transform the feelings of guilt that ensued thus.) it was a thursday, and we were to attend the kalyanam darshan which was special in that one could see the eyes of sri venkateswara (sans the white of the naamam). standing in line was a powerful experience, as we all stood united by common purpose. there were devotees calling out 'govinda' all along the way, little boys especially. along the stone walls, devotees across the years had left their mark - coins twisted out of shape and inserted into the spaces between stones, holy beads left hanging. the heart was enveloped in shraddha - that within, and so apparent without. my mind chanted om sri venkateswaraya namah as i walked on.
i loved how our feet were cleansed before we entered the temple area - by walking over water that flowed across the stone floor. i do not know how widespread this practice is (i am told the golden temple has it too), but it was the first time it had struck me (though i have visited tirupati before). given the constant procession of devotees, it's a brilliant idea, yes?
as we got to the main (the gold) gopuram (anandanileyam), we formed a line to wait for the doors to be unlocked. in this time, a brawl broke out in the waiting area outside, and a multitude of thoughts went through me. i remember praying earnestly for calm to prevail, for the devotees to remember again why they were there, for positive energy to win over... but this was god's land after all, and humbly i realized that he would tend to it best.
the doors were finally unlocked, and as i entered, i remember how overwhelmed i was by it all - the beauty, the anticipation, the faith in abundance - and was brought, almost, to tears. s and i held hands to ensure we weren't pushed apart, and i do believe it strengthened both our prayers. there were female scouts whose task it was to simply push the crowd on - fascinating! the priests chanted "govinda, govinda, govinda" constantly, in an attempt to push us to move faster. this was all overwhelming, and gosh, did it happen fast! when we finally found ourselves before sri venkateswara, however, all was forgotten. no really, all was forgotten. for that much-longer-than-expected period, there was no one between me and him. in that long moment, i said all the prayers i had been running through my mind for days. in that moment i heard s tell me to toss in some coins, and i followed dutifully. the next second, someone said not to toss in any money (for the hundi was outside), and i stopped dutifully. we came out, and i wished there had been a way to walk backwards. the sight of sri venkateswara's eyes had indeed been special. but the image, i found, was hazy as soon as i lost sight of it. later, i was told that that is how it is. apparently, one can remember the height of the statue, the lamps burning on the sides, but not the idol. i wonder why this is, but it's true that there is much i remember, and not his face.
and in a flash, it was over.
we came out, and proceeded to receive the tirtham and blessings from the priests outside. the experience had been so surreal for both s and me, that we decided to take a few minutes to sit outside in silence. this time was spent in un-overwhelming and observing the devotees outside, realizing the immense diversity that was present - after all, tirupati sees the most number of visitors among all places of worship across the world.
we walked around, and observed the restoration work in progress to preserve the holy inscriptions on the walls of the temple. we then learned the story of sri vimana vekateswara swamy, represented on the gold gopuram. this representation had been for the untouchables who were previously un-allowed within, so that they could still worship sri venkateswara.
next, we saw the statue of yoga venkateswara swamy. as s translated, the deity is considered to bless devotees with the power of meditation. we dutifully spent several minutes in meditation before him. by this deity was the first pillar of the temple, and we went around this three times. just after, we were introduced to the 'writing' stone with water flowing over it. s translated that if we wrote our prayers on this stone (by hand), and wrote the names of those we prayed for, our prayers would be answered. so we wrote, perhaps for minutes and minutes. and i made sure i had written every name i could think of. (later, a mentioned that i shouldn't tell everyone that i prayed for everyone including my cook, but i think the important thing is that blessings from sri venkateswara are on their way, regardless of whether you are special enough to me or not :).)
the prasadam - pulihora (tamarind rice) - was delightful! after eating this, we were on our way out, walking again over the water whose flow had earlier cleansed our feet. in minutes we were out of the complex, and found ourselves amidst the shops selling tirupati souvenirs. i visited several of them, purchased a few souvenirs, and we headed out. as we debated upon where to eat, by the roadside or elsewhere, we found a wishing tree and sought our blessings. and just after, i remembered that a had recommended i eat at hotel mayura. asked if that was a possibility, and there we headed.
mayura has been renamed sandeep, but the menu still says "hotel mayura". honestly, the meal we had was one of the most memorable ever, indeed the most fulfilling that is in memory. there, we also spoke to various people who sat by us, and i was heartened again to witness the diversity of origin. in fact, the waiter was thrilled to find that s spoke telugu. in andhra pradesh, i suppose this excitement speaks of the last percentage of visitors from outside.
oh and before eating, u, who had accompanied us, also asked if we'd like to offer our hair. we decided we weren't brave enough to go bald this time, but then learned that we could make a small offering nonetheless, which we did. for this, we went to kalyana katta, where we each lost three locks - an unnoticeable loss, as it turned out. the experience was novel.
after spending a short while at valmiki kutiram after lunch, wherein we heard story after story of the wonders of tirupati from u (who was born and brought up there), and all three of us put our heads together to write the notes that led to this post, i was grateful to find a few moments to photograph the temple complex. the power of photography is reinforced when i look at these photos days after my visit - the images, the aura come back in an instant.
our train back to chennai was at 5.30 (the next time, we resolved, we'll stay overnight for the morning darshan as well), so we had little time left. setting out, we drove down the hill (taking in the wondrous sights of tirupati city below) and visited the padmavati temple. here, we were able to go all the way into the inner sanctum, and for a few minutes. the experience, once again, was something else. and again, no matter how hard i tried to record the sights within, there is little i can remember now. all i can remember is the feeling of an aura, no more.
we were running late, and rushed to the train station. these images are easier to recall. seats were easier to find this time, since the train was hardly as crowded. there are also some pictures of the station and the saptagiri express. the train left at 5.20 as scheduled, and we were on our way back to chennai. after two hours of stimulating conversing that left my head, neck, throat hurting :), s and i spent our last hour in the train contemplating our experiences in silence. at 8.30, we found ourselves at the chennai train station yet again. in 14 hours, life was much changed.
that was the tirupati darshan, but i find it necessary to add that these words do no justice to (easily) one of the most powerful, peaceful, and memorable days of my life. that they may assist in my reconstruction of the images within, i am hopeful. photographs have been duly posted, with captions to follow.
(nb: i shall update this post as other undocumented memories find their way in.)
the night before leaving for tirupati (the same evening that i reached chennai), my mind was so active in its excitement for the upcoming trip that it took me a while to fall asleep. and in just a few hours, dad's alarm rang for me to awake (at 5). my train was at 6.30 (the saptagiri express).
initially, i was to travel alone (and happy to do so), but by a complete last-minute turn of events i'll soon describe, s - a family friend/close friend's sister who lives in chennai joined me as well. the chennai train station, even that early in the morning, offered a memorable olfactory experience :). i had looked forward to my window seat in the chair car, but of course, someone was seated there already, and it mattered none that i showed him my ticket with the seat number on it :). the understanding was immediate, and i found another seat.
the train ride was three hours long, and closer to tirupati, i was finally able to recover my seat when s took the adjacent one. years had passed since our last meeting, and so the conversation that ensued was entirely engaging. she told me then that although she'd always been spiritually inclined, she'd never been too keen on visiting temples. (this is a sentiment i identified with, and have only recently transformed. more in a later post.) a week ago, however, a close friend had described her high-impact tirupati experience to s, and s found she was keen to visit as well - a first.
although dad had intended to call and visit s's family during the time that i was in tirupati, he phoned them the night we landed instead - to determine the location of their residence. when dad explained that i was visiting as well and why, uncle immediately said that s would join me. this was at 8.30pm, and the ticket counter at the station was closed, only to open the following morning - just before the train's departure. dad and i didn't think it would/could possibly happen, but somehow, they managed to procure a ticket at 6.15, and while my compartment was booked, s also managed a spot by paying the difference. all in all, she was quite struck by the way things unfolded. as was i, when we shared details with each other.
after a memorable conversation on spirituality, meditation, advaita theories passed on to her at a very small age by her grandmother, we reached tirupati at 9.30. the two people (r and u) who received us (and took us around for the day), as i found later, spoke only telugu. i was immediately grateful to have s around :), telugu being her native language. the entire day, then, was spent in us communicating in translations back and forth. this exercise was an illuminating lesson in itself, enjoyable along with, and naturally led to greater knowledge.
we first stopped at valmiki kutiram - the guest house - for five minutes, then proceeded to the temple complex. since we were in the 'vip' line, our wait was considerably shorter. (indeed, it took me a few days to transform the feelings of guilt that ensued thus.) it was a thursday, and we were to attend the kalyanam darshan which was special in that one could see the eyes of sri venkateswara (sans the white of the naamam). standing in line was a powerful experience, as we all stood united by common purpose. there were devotees calling out 'govinda' all along the way, little boys especially. along the stone walls, devotees across the years had left their mark - coins twisted out of shape and inserted into the spaces between stones, holy beads left hanging. the heart was enveloped in shraddha - that within, and so apparent without. my mind chanted om sri venkateswaraya namah as i walked on.
i loved how our feet were cleansed before we entered the temple area - by walking over water that flowed across the stone floor. i do not know how widespread this practice is (i am told the golden temple has it too), but it was the first time it had struck me (though i have visited tirupati before). given the constant procession of devotees, it's a brilliant idea, yes?
as we got to the main (the gold) gopuram (anandanileyam), we formed a line to wait for the doors to be unlocked. in this time, a brawl broke out in the waiting area outside, and a multitude of thoughts went through me. i remember praying earnestly for calm to prevail, for the devotees to remember again why they were there, for positive energy to win over... but this was god's land after all, and humbly i realized that he would tend to it best.
the doors were finally unlocked, and as i entered, i remember how overwhelmed i was by it all - the beauty, the anticipation, the faith in abundance - and was brought, almost, to tears. s and i held hands to ensure we weren't pushed apart, and i do believe it strengthened both our prayers. there were female scouts whose task it was to simply push the crowd on - fascinating! the priests chanted "govinda, govinda, govinda" constantly, in an attempt to push us to move faster. this was all overwhelming, and gosh, did it happen fast! when we finally found ourselves before sri venkateswara, however, all was forgotten. no really, all was forgotten. for that much-longer-than-expected period, there was no one between me and him. in that long moment, i said all the prayers i had been running through my mind for days. in that moment i heard s tell me to toss in some coins, and i followed dutifully. the next second, someone said not to toss in any money (for the hundi was outside), and i stopped dutifully. we came out, and i wished there had been a way to walk backwards. the sight of sri venkateswara's eyes had indeed been special. but the image, i found, was hazy as soon as i lost sight of it. later, i was told that that is how it is. apparently, one can remember the height of the statue, the lamps burning on the sides, but not the idol. i wonder why this is, but it's true that there is much i remember, and not his face.
and in a flash, it was over.
we came out, and proceeded to receive the tirtham and blessings from the priests outside. the experience had been so surreal for both s and me, that we decided to take a few minutes to sit outside in silence. this time was spent in un-overwhelming and observing the devotees outside, realizing the immense diversity that was present - after all, tirupati sees the most number of visitors among all places of worship across the world.
we walked around, and observed the restoration work in progress to preserve the holy inscriptions on the walls of the temple. we then learned the story of sri vimana vekateswara swamy, represented on the gold gopuram. this representation had been for the untouchables who were previously un-allowed within, so that they could still worship sri venkateswara.
next, we saw the statue of yoga venkateswara swamy. as s translated, the deity is considered to bless devotees with the power of meditation. we dutifully spent several minutes in meditation before him. by this deity was the first pillar of the temple, and we went around this three times. just after, we were introduced to the 'writing' stone with water flowing over it. s translated that if we wrote our prayers on this stone (by hand), and wrote the names of those we prayed for, our prayers would be answered. so we wrote, perhaps for minutes and minutes. and i made sure i had written every name i could think of. (later, a mentioned that i shouldn't tell everyone that i prayed for everyone including my cook, but i think the important thing is that blessings from sri venkateswara are on their way, regardless of whether you are special enough to me or not :).)
the prasadam - pulihora (tamarind rice) - was delightful! after eating this, we were on our way out, walking again over the water whose flow had earlier cleansed our feet. in minutes we were out of the complex, and found ourselves amidst the shops selling tirupati souvenirs. i visited several of them, purchased a few souvenirs, and we headed out. as we debated upon where to eat, by the roadside or elsewhere, we found a wishing tree and sought our blessings. and just after, i remembered that a had recommended i eat at hotel mayura. asked if that was a possibility, and there we headed.
mayura has been renamed sandeep, but the menu still says "hotel mayura". honestly, the meal we had was one of the most memorable ever, indeed the most fulfilling that is in memory. there, we also spoke to various people who sat by us, and i was heartened again to witness the diversity of origin. in fact, the waiter was thrilled to find that s spoke telugu. in andhra pradesh, i suppose this excitement speaks of the last percentage of visitors from outside.
oh and before eating, u, who had accompanied us, also asked if we'd like to offer our hair. we decided we weren't brave enough to go bald this time, but then learned that we could make a small offering nonetheless, which we did. for this, we went to kalyana katta, where we each lost three locks - an unnoticeable loss, as it turned out. the experience was novel.
after spending a short while at valmiki kutiram after lunch, wherein we heard story after story of the wonders of tirupati from u (who was born and brought up there), and all three of us put our heads together to write the notes that led to this post, i was grateful to find a few moments to photograph the temple complex. the power of photography is reinforced when i look at these photos days after my visit - the images, the aura come back in an instant.
our train back to chennai was at 5.30 (the next time, we resolved, we'll stay overnight for the morning darshan as well), so we had little time left. setting out, we drove down the hill (taking in the wondrous sights of tirupati city below) and visited the padmavati temple. here, we were able to go all the way into the inner sanctum, and for a few minutes. the experience, once again, was something else. and again, no matter how hard i tried to record the sights within, there is little i can remember now. all i can remember is the feeling of an aura, no more.
we were running late, and rushed to the train station. these images are easier to recall. seats were easier to find this time, since the train was hardly as crowded. there are also some pictures of the station and the saptagiri express. the train left at 5.20 as scheduled, and we were on our way back to chennai. after two hours of stimulating conversing that left my head, neck, throat hurting :), s and i spent our last hour in the train contemplating our experiences in silence. at 8.30, we found ourselves at the chennai train station yet again. in 14 hours, life was much changed.
that was the tirupati darshan, but i find it necessary to add that these words do no justice to (easily) one of the most powerful, peaceful, and memorable days of my life. that they may assist in my reconstruction of the images within, i am hopeful. photographs have been duly posted, with captions to follow.
(nb: i shall update this post as other undocumented memories find their way in.)
1 comment:
hey! i think we ate at mayura/sandeep too! :)
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