Today is Sunday, no appointment, no check up. We are free for a day. We don't know what to do in Vellore, if you are free for a day.
So, we started googling. Found one interesting place, that was Mahalaxmi Golden Temple. Instead of going to travel agent, we started counselling with local people. Here, in Vellore, local people are very active and conscious. They suggest us to take a local auto which can carry 4-5 persons at a time. These autos have no meter. They have their rates to visit the places of interest. We are charged IC 1150/- per auto to visit Ratnagiri Balamurigan Temple, Sri Sai Mandir (9 Sai Temple) and Mahalaxmi Golden Temple. We don't know whether these prices are reasonable or not. But it was worth visiting the places we had visited. Nearly 100 km in a day tour.
Now, I am talking about Mahalaxmi Golden Temple. Wow ! It was my luck I must say that I never trust in my luck though. Going inside the temple is free. But if you pay 100/- IC, you can avoid long line. It is really a discrimination in temple. Richer can avoid the line by paying some box of money. Similarly, the temple has another discrimination route for IC 250/- which goes directly to main temple without any disturbance. If you are offering with big amount, you will get VIP TREATMENT. I don't know, whether goddess Mahalaxmi knows about these discrimination in her temple or not. As the name itself describe Mahalaxmi: goddess of assets, it may be okay for her.
Good thing I found is a queue for ordinary people who do not pay. They have to pass through jail like corridor. It seems one kilometre long corridor. All the ordinary devotees are kept in a jail like room. They count upto 200 people and locked. They kept us there for half an hour with a facility of drinking water, toilet and a small restaurant too. A business tactic to sell tea, coffee and tit bits. A policeman came in other door to unlock the out going door. I thought I am a lucky guy that I am in a jail of goddess Mahalaxmi. She will definitely bless me with lot of money while going back to my country.
After walking through a long corridor, some time I thought that I am inside zoo. All the corridor walls are made of iron wire. Ladies and gents cannot walk in the same walk ways. Again discrimination in gender but interesting while walking. After few meter of walking they allowed us to walk in our group without discrimination. After having one kilometre walking then only we came to the entrance of the temple.
Then we found wonderful walk ways with the fountains, the well managed garden, well maintained drinking water facility, rest places, breast feeding area, toilet and hexagon path way.
After more than an hour, we were able to have a DARSAN of Mahalaxmi: Goddess of rich. The temple is made of 15000 kilogram of pure gold. Wow! I was stunned seeing marvellous temple, statue, pillars, ceiling and so much of gold at a time in my life time. I had heard of Golden Temples in the world but never had an opportunity to feel and see with my naked eye.
Really worth visiting. The silver lifesize Nandi is also beautiful. At the end of visit, the temple management offer free meals. We enjoyed.
BLESSING FROM GODDES MAHALAXMI
Golden Temple, Vellore.
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