Why do you visit temple?

Recently a visit to temple reminded me that a long post was due on my experiences in temples here. I don’t want to make it a very long post so would mention just two instances. I visited Chamundeswari temple in Mysore which is on a hill top. We saw maddening crowd which was going in all direction and it was so very difficult to figure out the entrance to the temple. There were thousands of people in queue as if someone was distributing free gold! After enquiring from locals we came to know that there were two types of entry in the temple: One with Rs.20 would give you pleasure of standing in sun for approx 2 hrs, Rs. 100 entry, will perhaps help you come out in 10-15 minutes. Due to time constraint we obviously opted for Rs. 100 entry but it wasn’t less painful with people having no civic sense and pushing each other. Somehow a 10 sec darshan was what Rs. 100 fetched us without any Prasad. For Prasad you have to shell out extra. One ladoo cost Rs. 20 out there, which was of a table tennis ball size. It wasn’t the money which was bothering me; it was about the others who were in queue for 2 hrs. I was wondering about the temple business & its impact on poor! A poor guy who wants to visit a temple with his family will first of all has to pay for bus ticket from the city to hill top and then pay for the darshan & if he wants the eatable blessings then another few bucks!!!! Well this was still decent if I compare my experience to another temple which is more known to people…

Jagannath Puri is a famous temple in Orissa, where Rathyatra is frequently celebrated every year and has been attracting lakhs of devotees & pilgrims since time immemorial. Regardless to say many get killed in stampede every year. I was returning from northeast trip and decided to stay a day with parents and also cover this temple. Dad sent an uncle who belonged to the same place, so that we don’t face any language problem. The temple is really huge with many small temples in the premises. While climbing the stairs one pundit came and asked me something in Oriya & I could not understand a bit of it. I thought he is asking for some donation or some kinda favor and I wanted to avoid all that so told him No. Little I knew that he was asking me, if I had a guide! He started following me and explaining one or two things in temple premises. I told him not required but he did not listen and kept chasing. I had lost uncle in crowd, Me & hubby both were wondering on how to get rid of him and then we spotted uncle & told him how this guy was trying to stick. When uncle asked him to leave, this pundit was almost on the verge of fighting! That was so unbelievable; he said in Oriya that these tourists are the source of our income. I do understand that their livelihoods are based on tourists & donations given to temples but then they are not supposed to force themselves like that. Anyhow uncle managed us to get rid of him after some verbal arguments in Oriya. As we moved to one of the small temple in premises, I did not want to enter for same reasons, so was praying from the door of the small temples. There was one goddess temple & when I was praying from outside the Pujari inside called and said “come & do the prayer inside”. I tried to avoid but then he insisted. We entered inside and I did prayer infront of the idol and after I finished murmuring the Pujari put some assembled stuff in my hands which consisted of sindur, packet of bindi, one or two fruits, pair of red bangles etc. All these are auspicious symbol for a married woman in India. I was happy that not everyone here is as bad as I thought & I was doing a mistake by generalizing them. I wasn’t out of my thoughts that he said “ Rs 500”. I looked at him in dismay…did I hear it right!
He repeated “Rs.500”. Ultimately I gathered the courage to ask him “What for?”
he said – “for puja that you did”. I refused and told him straight that 501 was too much and I started to walk off. He stopped us again and then quoted another price “Rs. 251”
I felt as if I was in a grocery shop negotiating price for an item, I felt like fighting with him for making a sacred place a fish market, but I controlled myself and refused to give. He gave another price of Rs. 101. I hated that moment to core. My long desire of visiting the temple lost its charm & importance. I refused again not because I could not afford but coz I did not want to give the money which to me was looking like a fraud case & will just go in his pocket then to go in charity! As I refused again, he said things which I till date I loath upon – “You are married and you should not do these. If you don’t give money, then you never know what would happen!” That’s the last thing a newly married would like to hear on this earth. Forget newly married, any person on this earth would not like to hear such things in a temple for the sole reason that he/she is not encouraging something which is against your values & ethics. I felt like slapping him but that wouldn’t have help coz all of them there were spoilt. They weren’t looking for the devotees but were looking at their devotee’s pocket! Well I obviously did not give any money to him and heard him cribbing & saying some nasty things, but that was ok. A corrupt & ill mindset person like him can’t curse me…

Why don’t these people let temple be a place to connect with god, & why do they interfere? Why do we still bear their nonsense and keep adjusting in life? Why cant temples be only the place for worship & not for any commercializing purpose! Why do we even encourage such people? I have decided to minimize my visit to such famous & crowded business places(temples).