Remedy tours take pilgrims to temples for specific cures

Tour operators of the state have given a slight tweak to temple tourism and are promoting it as ‘Remedial Tourism'.

Instead of shepherding pilgrims from within and outside the state to a host of famous temples, tour operators are taking them to holy spots which offer solutions to specific problems.

For instance, more than 12,000 tourists visited the Naga Temple located in little known Fazullabad in East Godavari district last year to get relief for Rahu Dosha. The temple was built by a Muslim officer Fazulla Khan in 1200 AD.

Similarly, "remedial" tours are being conducted to temples of deities who have powers to sort out problems ranging from family troubles to financial mess.

Temples in Muramandla and Vasanthavada villages, also in East Godavari, are witnessing heavy rush of people who have unmarried children.

Santhana Venugopala Swamy Kshetram in Nemili village of Khammam district and Pynaraju Palem of East Godavari are seeing a constant stream of couples who don't have children. Similarly, ailing people are even taken in ambulances to Mrutyunjayeswara Temple at Juittuga near Tanuku. The deity is believed to have power to restore people to health.

"Many persons who were on their deathbed got new life after visiting this place," said Mr D. Nagarjuna Sarma, managing director of Imprint, a leading tour operator.

Tourists are being shipped outside the state too. Many have been taken to Bhagheeswar in Uttarakand where Lord Siva reigns in the form of Mrutyunjayeswara and is believed to be very powerful.

Interestingly, there are also holy places which cater to mundane problems such as transfers.

Those who want transfers to preferred spots travel to pray at Sri Narasimha Temple near Eluru in West Godavari and Lord Jaganmohan Kesava Swamy temple near Ravula Palem. "Ministers, MLA and MPs don't come here since they are afraid of being shifted from their posts," said Mr Jandyala Jagannadha Sastry, a vedic expert.

Mr Sanjeev Reddy, Chief Operating Officer of Usha Tourism, said some of the temples in the ‘remedial circuit' had even got recognition from UNESCO.

Tour operators are now offering specific packages to relieve a host of astrological problems including Kuja Dosham, which prevents marriage, Guru Dosham, which creates work related crises, and Sani Dosham, which generally messes up one's life. "We are getting many enquiries," said Mr Sharma, "Last year we organised 21 tours taking about 4,000 people to various holy spots." Mrs Malati, a retired lecturer who is busy organising remedial tours for big companies, said the government should take care of temples which have such unique powers.

Don't make temples hi-tech

How hi-tech a world would you be able to tolerate? What if it came to a situation where temples were equipped with technology? Well that's not very far from the truth, as an IT professional from Vishakapatnam has recently developed a software that enables you to offer prayers and ring temple bells sitting at home. And believe it or not, temple authorities are game.

Several temples in Vishakapatnam have already installed speakers that resonate the devotee's telephonic prayers between the temple walls. A motor has been linked to the bell and allows for the bell to ring when a devotee makes a phone call to offer prayers. Surprisingly, temple authorities do not see anything wrong with mixing technology and religion, but that doesn't mean people in the city think too highly of it.

"However professional and busy we may have become, if one really wants to offer prayers, one can afford to take out some time to visit the temple, even if it's once a month," points out Anu Kirti, socialite. "It wouldn't feel right for me to sit at home and offer prayers through a telephone call," she adds.

One wonders why some one would need to make calls to a temple. After all, if it is the gesture that matters then you could just close your eyes and pray, why the need to install speakers and motors in temples? Says S. Satyanar1ayana, Principal, Nizam College, "A temple is associated with spiritual power and introducing technology in it would amount to trying to undermine that spiritual power."

Looks like the proposal is too hi-tech even for our techies. Says Arijit Chandra, who works in Satyam, "Religious acts should be carried out in the conventional manner. It's not something I would do, it is too hi-tech for me." C. S. Rangarajan is a priest in Chilkur Temple who was a biomedical engineer by profession but left it as he was vexed by technology. "You don't need to ring a temple bell to attain solace, you can pray sitting at home or at a bus stop. If you want to ring a temple bell, then take out time to come to the temple. If you are an NRI who can't visit a temple, then ask your relatives in India to do so on your behalf rather than to call up on from your cellphone," says Mr Rangarajan, who believes that technology has spoilt our lives. "Till the ultra sound scanner wasn't invented, we didn't have the problem of female infanticide. Technology is ruining our lives in more ways than one," he says.

No one we spoke to seems to approve of this practice, then why have temples allowed the penetration of technology through their walls? "Many temples today are run by IAS officers. However, they are not the right people to run a temple as for that you have to understand the intricacies of religion. A temple is not a hotel or restaurant that just any accomplished person should be allowed to run," says the priest.