The Temple is coming to You

  • Barnali Dutta / FG
  • India
  • Oct 17, 2014

 

 


If you cannot go to the temple, the temple will come to you. ‘Online Religion’ is picking up fast. Several spiritual and religious ‘gurus’ have already set up their own interactive web portals, to assist people in their religious and spiritual sojourns from the comfort of their own homes. Temple trusts too have begun to make their presence felt online. You can have a  ‘darshan’ of the deity, you can offer prayers and perhaps also receive ‘prasad’ at your doorstep. The Sheetla Mata Temple, Gurgaon will soon open its online portal. Mata Sheetla is considered one of the more dominant Hindu goddesses because of Her mythical power to rid human beings off attacks from the ‘Variola’ virus or small pox. Till not so long ago, falling at the feet of the Goddess was believed to be the only respite from a virulent attack of small pox. Even today there is unending faith in the healing powers of Goddess Mata Sheetla. ‘Guru Gram’, the original Gurgaon, was known as the abode of spirituality, and is home to many a legend. One such is about the legendary ‘Guru’ Dronacharya (the ‘Guru’ of ‘Guru Gram’), who taught the cousins, Kauravas and Pandavas, the science of life. His wife Krupi, daughter of King Santanu, came to be known for her humane qualities and also for her ability to heal. As the legend goes, some 5,000 years ago the only son of King Puranjet was brought to this temple abode – he was suffering from paralysis. The child was gently wrapped in the mud from the pond for about 15 days; and with the blessings of Krupi the child got well. Since then, Krupi has came to be known as Sheetla Mata. The portal, www.sheetlamatagurgaon.com, though in its infancy, promises to offer devotees a real-life experience of a temple visit. According to the CEO of the Portal, the venture was started keeping in mind the needs of the people of not only Gurgaon, but various parts of the country as well. “We are overwhelmed by the support being given by the local as well as neighbouring communities. We are extremely thankful to the local political leaders and media for their support in our noble task,” he says. The strong faith in Mata Sheetla is very visible. In fact there are already some websites that offer a glimpse of the temple at Gurgaon, and try to reach out to people (‘on behalf of the temple’) who wish to offer ‘puja’ or donate to the temple. At least two websites: ‘bheemeshwaridevi.wordpress.com/Sheetla Mata’ and ‘www.blessingsonthenet.com’, are active on this front. The Temple’s own website, apart from offering the usual information on different events throughout the year, and offering benefits of membership and donation opportunities, features full video clips of the ‘aartis’ (lamp offerings) held inside the Temple.   

The primary focus of Hindu temples is the worship ritual called the ‘Puja’. The Puja is a ceremony to invoke the blessings of God(s) and Goddess(es) - with the ringing of bells, lighting of flames, presenting of offerings and chanting. During the Puja, the focus is on the acts of worship. Over time, devotees strive to learn the inner meaning of what the priest is doing and saying. Within a temple, ardent worship takes many forms. You can be immersed in the joys of devotion, in prayerful communion, seeking consolation for a loss, singing hymns, chanting mantras or celebrating a rite of passage. Meditation is appropriate, especially after the Puja, and devotional emotion is not out of place. God will receive your devotion, however you offer it. Specific to the portal at Sheetla Mata Mandir, the CEO says, “We hope to provide the entire experience to the worshippers and devotees. While quite a few people residing in Gurgaon do come to the Temple premises, there are a large number who cannot, or do not, visit – though they would want to. Some are perhaps too old, some may be infirm….and some wish to avoid the ‘crowds’.  And of course there are many from outside Gurgaon who wish they could come more often. For this large band of devotees, the portal would be a God-send. The website would accept membership online and also facilitate donations from devotees. The Temple management also believes that the portal would be a very important facility, which would also help build credibility with many more worshippers. It would also be helpful for booking events. “We will also try to link up with other channels,” says the web designer, Mr. Ramniwas. Ramadevi Wirk, a resident of Gurgaon, says, “The website is a welcome development, especially for the younger people, who do not seem to have the time or the opportunity to visit the Temple.” The elderly would now be able to start their day with an 'aarti' – courtesy the ‘live’ streaming of the early morning ‘aartis'. “This news is very heartening for me because I love watching the ‘aarti’ at the temple,” says Pratibha Agarwal, who lives on the outskirts of Gurgaon. υ


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