Sometimes, somethings happen, often unexplainable, visiting temples has been one of them for me! And so when I googled a list of temples that I should visit, considering I am in Bengaluru, this temple turned out to be the number one temple to visit. And if you are a traveller, visiting temples in Bengaluru, I think you will be astonished. Not just because of the grandeur of these temples, but the existence of parallel simplicity! Some of the most important, most blessed temples in Bengaluru are either in a locality with the normal everyday life happening, some of them are in the middle of the market, as if, as if telling us that temples are a part of everyday’s life. Or a reminder in some sense that no matter what you do, or where you go, God’s always there and you must remember this energy!
When I read about Chokkanathaswamy temple, I thought it would be at some place far away or at least in some separate grandeur place, however, I was amazed that it was indeed in the middle of a colony. This matters to me because, it has been one of the Bengaluru’s oldest temple, it also has been told to have pranic energy points, and is temple of lord Vishnu, who some believe to be the ultimate God. Reading all of it, I think anyone can have this perception right? But, I think this is the beauty of temples in here, the fact that the greatness has been embedded in the everyday journey of life.
So, did I feel anything in there, I think no! honestly no and the reason is because I could not meditate. The pranic energy points, are said to be the best place to meditate, but I think because I did not knew meditation, I could experience them fully. I had so many thoughts, so many this and that’s running across while I was in the pranic energy points, I am not very sure if I would have had any impact because of those points. However, because I was chanting “Hare Rama, Hare Krishna”, there did come a point where I felt as if I was dancing with them or rather, they were watching me while I was dancing. But that could be the vibe of this chant in itself.
There is however, one thing that stuck with me, like that one event that you get a chance to observe, well yes it was indeed that! I think it was time to close the temple and everyone was kind of shutting it down, the main door for the God was already closed, and I think they were closing the others as well! So, when you enter, if you do, you will find two small temples and then one in the middle and then you get to see the main dome of the temple. So, the ones, the ones that you see in the beginning of the temple, are Lord Ganesha and Lord Hanuman.
What I witnessed explained to me my mother and my grand mother a bit! While growing up I saw them washing clothes of God, and then ironing them, they would often see that clothes that they are buying for the God, so a lot of thought would go into it! Which colour, what size, what type and should they have shimmer or should they be more transparent or tranzie, and I would often look at them wondering, why are they doing it for a stone, even if the stone is the God, I mean does it matter to the God! It was in the temple that I saw the same thing! The pujari, was giving Lord Ganesha bath and then he took off the clothes and then very neatly and very properly placed the new clothes to Lord Ganesha. I did record it in bits and parts, but I was there when it happened and when it did, I could feel that the way he is doing it, in his mind, he is not dressing up a stone or even a stone figure of God, he is doing it as if the Lord himself is there or how you or I would do it for a human being. I mean I have seen and I myself did dress up small children and the fact that he did the same, or rather we did how he did or lets not get into the “who was first fight”! It was magical.
That day, I realised what God means to Hindus, or to most of the Hindus. God is not some far away deity helping these humans, or some far away power that they worship, they have brought God into their lives, as if God is their own and they respect and love God, irrespective of what God can give back, as their friend or a family or I think the oldest or the highest member of the family. The fact that they own God, not in a sense that of jealousy or ownership, but more with love, like how anyone would own their child, they would let their child be free, but they can’t let anything bad happen to their child.
I felt and I could be wrong or whatever, I think Hindus do the same with their God and in turn God does the same with them. So, they do treat God as their own parents, the human form parents, and in turn God treats them as children.
So, if you are coming to Bengaluru, go visit them temple and not just go there and pray and come back, no! Go there and meet the highest member of the family of Domlur village, the home of the main member of the Domlur village family.
Amore,
Avantika
Tanubhrt.This.Side 
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