Amman temples.

             There are so many small Amman temples dotting our city roads almost at street level.

              I would  oten wonder how do they get the funds for the elaborate pandals and festivities that they put on during the Adi month. 

               For the past few days I am lighting a lamp at this very tiny temple on Arya Gowda road next to the flour mill. 

        

       There are always people around it. Praying ,lighting lamps, circumambulating or dropping money in the hundi. 

              Even though constrained for space it has multiple deities. Pillaiyar, Hanumar, Kali, Durgai, Siva linga with Nandi and  many Nagas . 

              So even a small roadside temple has its regulars it seems.

              Last Saturday morning  returning from TTD Venkatnarayana road I alighted here. The usual flower seller cum caretaker was there. Proudly I gave her the Tulasi Prasadam. My mind voice  telling me what will this woman know about that TTD temple. 

             Her next words shattered my ego into pieces.   

              Our kula deivam is the Teynampet Aalayamman she said . Last evening as it was a Friday we went there . From there we as usual went to TTD . You should have gone there yesterday ma. . The flower alankaram  was very beautiful. 

             So this is how the other half of the populace out there lives.

              Finding a good listener she added that her own Kali was from there ...pointing in the general westward direction . I asked Kalibhari?  No no that is a Bengali Kali , ours is our own.  From the Ashok Nagar area.

            Long ago amongst my forefathers there were five brothers  . A family of farmers. 

Once during very heavy rains he was caught in a slush and could not free himself. He called out to Kali and was saved at once. 

           So in gratitude he and his brothers had this Kali temple built near their house. 

            

            Years later we shifted from there and brought our deity with us. 

  

            So this is how we are . A land of people brought up to believe in God . Believe in divine intervention. A people with hope.