Reliving a mythological past...

Ritualistic worship in the Holy Temple.

Hello folks, this is about my visit to a famous temple in the place of Kullu. Yes, the famous tourist spot in state of Himachal Pradesh in India. The Dusshera celebration of Kullu is very well-known and significant to all Indians. This celebration marks triumph of righteousness over sinfulness. It is said that Shri Rama, the King of Ayodhya, during his exile won over Ravana, the king of demons by killing the latter on this very day. The king of Kullu in the fifteenth century, in order to do 'Prayaschita karma', following the tenets of a great saint, established the temple nowadays we know as the Raghunath Temple of Kullu. Thumb-sized idols of Narsimha Bhagwan, Shri Rama, Sita ji, Hanuman ji are worshipped ceremoniously each day in daily 'poojan' and then 'Aarti' is performed. The dieties are offered ornamental flower garlands, chandan, various kinds of 'bhogam' consisting of fruits, food cooked in 'vaishnav' kitchen. Red 'coloured tilakam' and 'bhog prasad' is given to all devotees present and one finds lot of peace in the temple premises during all the ceremonious affair, which lasts almost uptil noon starting from about 7:00 in the morning.  There are temple of Lord Shiva too where one experiences divine peace just by offering a waters on the shivpindi. The temple is full of fragrance of incense sticks burning all through day. Sacred plants of Tulsi can also be seen. To those desirous of sitting just with thier ownself can sit on raised open platform covered by pyradimal wooden roof . My peers and myself really enjoyed the peace and serenity of sitting in this structure. The place reverbrates with Ram mantra as if divine souls are chanting continuosly. We were told the significance of the idols.These are said to be same idols that were used in performing 'Ashwamedha yagya' in Ayodhya, by Shri Rama. These are thumb-sized and covered. This indicates that the real divine self of a human is just like a thumb, so small situated in the centre of the being, the heart and it is covered with veil of ignorance. What a marvellous description to lead an ignorant to truth! Friends, I also feel that doing all rituals ceremoniously like bathing the diety in various ways, 'poojan', 'archana' signifies we also have to do purification, decoration of ourselves with virtues in order to reach the inner being and this should be a daily ritual of celebration. And last but not the least performimg 'aarti' of discovered new self each day as manifestation of divine by self-introspection. And one day, by grace of our Master 'Ram Rajya' will prevade in our being, in our heart which would exude tremendous peace, calmness, an equanimity, a joy, a celebration. Yes... dear friends  one really feels this peace and joy in the divine Raghunath Mandir, even the sunlight feels so smiling and calm here and one can experience what people in the kingdom of Shri Rama had felt! Let us all get these blessings and the peaceful sweet joy...