FAITH AND EXPLOITATION

THE BANKE BIHARI TEMPLE

Recently I went to Agra and en route we stopped at Vrindavan. Vrindavan was the place where according to legend Krishna spent his youth, in the Dwapar yug. This was the place famous for the Raas Leela. The place is today dotted with temples. Before reaching the parking lot one is stopped with a lot of authority by local pandas. They stop you and offer their services at a small cost. They offer to take you  by the VIP route, and get  darshan of the deity. We spurned off all such offers and took rickshaws to Banke Bihari temple. This is supposed to be the oldest temple in the area. The path was full of people, cattle and rickshaws. On reaching the temple through a decrepit galli, we were asked to remove our shoes. All over the place one could see immense piles of shoes here, there and everywhere. People were walking over the shoes, which were getting thrown in every direction. We managed to locate the proper place marked for keeping shoes and were literally pushed inside the temple by the huge inflow of pilgrims. I did not have to lift my feet at all, I was just pushed in. It was quite scary, as I was trying hard to find a foothold on the floor.

LAMPS LIT IN  THE TEMPLE

Photography was not allowed. The place seemed quite dark; in fact the sanctum was so dark that one could not see the deity at all. There was no arrangement for giving your offering and a lot of people simply threw their flowers etc in the direction of the deity. After that one was simply pushed out by the huge crowd!

I wonder why there is this utter disregard for all those pilgrims who come from long distances to see their idol, pray and get some solace. I am also amazed by the total acceptance of this treatment by the people. No one expects anything more. No one thinks that it could be better managed and the place could be maintained clean. There could be more control of touts who should not be allowed to harass the huge mass of humanity who come here.

It is simply our acceptance of fate that allows a few to take advantage of the voiceless many.

People come with so much faith, yet the pandas do not allow them to look inside and get a proper darshan(view) of the deities.

Vrindavan is also the place where a lot of widows reside. Those who have been thrown out of their homes have traditionally been finding refuge here. 

OFFERINGS FOR THE GODS

What is it then that makes people repeatedly visit these places of pilgrimage?

These places have got into the hands of the pandas who totally exploit the gullibility of the masses.

It has become one huge money making racket. Religion and faith are two weapons in the hands of these Pandas. I sometimes wonder if the biggest atheists are actually all these priests who pose as Pandas! They exploit and do not fear the wrath of the so called God!