TEMPLES

TEMPLES AND REGIONS There ia pattern in the temples of different Gods in India. In Uttar Pradesh, Ram temples are there in almost all villages. He is supposed to be born in Ayodhya and so this is to be expected. Poor Ram ; he has suffered in most of his life , except for the days he spent in Chithrakood, till his wife was stolen by Ravan. Afterwards , he had to banish her into the forest . She was not even told what her crime is. Seeta too is a symbol of suffering. She was found in the earth , abandoned by her mother. Let us return to the main theme. In Maharashtr, the deity is Ganesh. Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated all over the land with great fanfare. The festival lasts for ten days; in the end the earthen idol is immersed in water; sea or river. Further south , in Andhra Pradesh, the predominant God is Shiva . This is true of Tamilnadu also. Tirupathy is an exception. Originally it was a temple of tribal people and we d not know what the deity was. In Tamilnadu, Mariyamman covils are popular. It is a Goddess. The Devi (she god) cult is prevalent throughout the country. Vaishnodevi in Jammu is famous Saraswathy , Goddes with the musical instrument veena is worshipped only once in the year. I do not think there is any temple of Saraswathy. Snakes are worshipped in Keralam, only once in the year. When I was a boy, I was deputed to do this pooja in several homes in the village. In one place , a real snake appeard; I was not unnerved. I threw the water in the kindi (pitcher) on its head. It went away !