By and large we Indians are religious by birth and visiting temples, pilgrims is an integral part. Being into a profession of sales for many years I was able to scale nooks and corners of India. Though I traveled across, but it was all day’s hectic work and then another travel to next destination . Even though I was regularly visiting these cities, but I had few very unexpected unplanned visits to temples of these cities which made me speechless, perhaps I found the reason for what we often say “when God wants you at HIS doorstep He make sure you are there”… Its God Calling
It was a regular visit to Guwahati for a review meeting. After finishing the meeting, next day morning, I had a very vague thought and desire of visiting a temple , first I thought of Kamakhya temple but then though it would be too crowded and dropped the idea. But the desire to go a temple was there somewhere and I expressed it to my local colleague and he immediately suggested Uma Nanda – A Shiva temple. God knows how but we immediately agreed and walked through the lanes of Guwahati to reach a ferry station to board a ferry. The climate was so beautiful, I could see ocean like Brahmaputra river in front of me, the breeze was strong and surrounding was full of devotees going to the temple with flowers and other offerings in their hands. As we were heading towards the island of Umananda temple I could see crowd all over in a queue, with little bit of disappointment I enquired the reason and was excited to hear that it was a day of Mahashivratri. We landed and joined the queue . we knew that its going to be a long wait now but to my surprise the queue started moving really fast and within 20/25 mins we were at the gate of Sanctum Sanctorum. A lady in front of me in the queue turned back and asked do you have water to offer to the God? I was bit taken a back and before I could say no, she gave a small plastic glass with water and few “Bel Patra” I was just speechless. I thanked her and went inside to offer water and Bel Patra to the God, bowed in all my love and respect and thanked HIM for calling.
It was just another regular day when I landed at Madurai for a field work. We generally had day’s works and an overnight so that next day afternoon I can board a train to Thiruvananthapuram. After a long day of work before getting off the car I told my driver to come early next morning as I wish to visit Meenakshi temple. Driver was surprised as all these days I never expressed my desire to visit Meenakshi Amma Temple. Though he suggested to visit in the afternoon, but we have only morning hrs to visit. He came early next day and dropped me at the end of the street to go walking, he knew that its a 2/3 hrs program for me. I walked through the street and entered the huge campus of temple. The vibrations of serenity were so strong that one automatically gets merged into the ecstatic environment. I walked through the corridors and to my surprise I could not find a huge crowd anywhere. I kept walking towards the main entrance, Just before the entrance I realised that I haven’t brought any offering to Goddess and was bit disappointed with myself but the moment I turned around the corner I saw a lady sitting with bunch of Lotus flowers . I immediately got 2 beautiful Lotus flowers and entered the main Sanctum sanctorum. In south Indian temples, devotees are not supposed to stand in front of the deity, but they stand in a queue on the side-lines facing deity. I Climbed the staircase and what I see is Goddess Meenakshi . I was so thrilled . I couldn’t believe that i just walked in and now having Darshana. My thrill went many folds and beyond imagination when I saw the priest who was walking from the inner Sanctum sanctorum came towards me and took Lotus flowers from me and offered it to the Goddess. It was a “goose bump” moment for me I just fell down prostrating on Her feet. I came out thrilled and happy thinking Is God always so accessible (or only when He calls... )
