It is the season of devotion

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Hyderabad, Nov. 21: The state is in the throes of a devotional upsurge. More and more people, especially the youth and teens, are visiting temples nowadays. The number of religious tourists arriving in the state has also increased by 20 per cent. It is probably the uncertainty of modern times that is driving many to the abode of God. While some families are visiting temples to escape from distress, others, especially those who have seen an increase in their earnings, are praying fervently so that they don’t lose what they have.

Then there are those who have turned devotees with the intention of achieving self-discipline which will help them get ahead in life. All this has made religious leaders and temple administrators happy. "We too are surprised at the newfound and vigorous interest of people in temples and shrines," said Mr P. Sundara Kumar, the commissioner of endowments department. He added that many people were keen on getting the blessings of the Lord during the end of Kaliyuga.

A city based organisation, the Vedic Research and Astrological Centre, conducted a study on the upsurge of devotion among the youth and found that youngsters were not only visiting temples, but were also lining up to perform special pujas such as Sudarshan Homam, Srichakara Archana, Kubera Homam and Runa Vimochana Pashupatastram.

"Today’s youngsters are more worried about the future," said Mr D. Nagarjuna Sharma, the director of the centre. "The feelings of insecurity have turned them towards God." The youngsters who frequent temples admit as much. They add that temple visits had improved their confidence levels and motivated them to perform well in exams.

"I have visited several temples all over India," said C.V. Rajesh, a BSc student. "It gives me immense pleasure and also makes me more confident."

The feelings were echoed by M. Mahender Reddy, who has applied for a PG course. "God’s blessing helps me to forget unpleasant things in life." Academics and lecturers are also surprised at the bhakti streak among students.

"This is because of their focus on career," said Dr G. Madhusudana Rao, vice-principal of AV College. "It is a good sign and they will become responsible citizens in the future." However, religious scholars say that people should pray for the welfare of the world and not for themselves alone.

"Praying to God for personal benefits is common," said Mr Raghupati, the chief coordinator of Aradhana, a devotional magazine run by the endowments department. "But one should also think of welfare of the society." The increase in the number of devotees has caused trouble for temples in terms of facilities. For instance, as many as 75,000 devotees visit Tirumala every day but even half of them are not able to get accommodation.

Same is the case with famous temples such as Simhachalam, Annavaram, Dwaraka Tirumala, Srisailam, Srikalahasti, Kanipakam, Vemulawada, Yadagirigutta, Bhadrachalam, Dharmapuri, Komaravalli, Basara, Mantralayam and other temples. With the unexpected rush at the temples, the state government has now prepared a blue print to meet the growing demands of the devotees.

"The government is planning to spend around Rs 500 crore to create more facilities including accommodation," said Mr Sundara Kumar. "Funds mobilisation has become easy as devotees are coming forward with huge offerings. We hope the facilities in temples would improve in the next 18 months."

The state government has identified 2,000 small and medium temples for renovation and developmental works. It is also going to spend around Rs 50 crore from common good fund to take up renovation of these temples.

TN sets the benchmark

Hyderabad, Nov. 21: Though more pilgrims are arriving in the state, it does not have a coordinated model of religious tourism as in neighbouring Tamil Nadu. The railways, the transport, tourism and endowments departments of Tamil Nadu work in tandem to promote religious tourism.

Naturally, pilgrims prefer to frequently visit temples in Tamil Nadu where hassle-free journey is assured. Further, the Tamil Nadu tourism wings often come out with various packages to encourage religious tourism in the state. Private agencies also provide transport facilities to devotees to various pilgrim centres.

This has led to more economic activity in temple towns such as Kanchipuram, Mahabalipuram, Madurai, Tanjore, Chidambaram, Rameswaram and Kanyakumari. The Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) only focuses on tour packages to temples such as Tirumala, Srisailam and Bhadrachalam but does not operate buses to other temples citing less occupancy ratio. The private operators of the state are also not showing much interest in religious tourism.

"The government should adopt liberal tax structure so that the private operators would come forward to operate more buses," said Mr Ramesh Ayyanger, managing director of Royal Travels. With the lack of proper tour packages, pilgrims are forced to depend on private vehicles. They are also not aware of accommodation and other facilities.