hero and us, his fans.
be purchased for ₹140 outside the temple. No mobile
Everyone was in awe, each wanting to get a share. e
phones, cameras, digital devices are allowed inside.
air was charged and the atmosphere was eternal. With
Neither is baggage. As we'd booked for 'Archanantara
each step we took, the ground beneath was lost and it
Darshana', we were in queue for that. Accompanying us
got difficult to breathe.
in our walk were devotees, all having come down from
Yet, those in the queue with their hands gilded and His
diverse regions with different cultures yet uni�ed in
name on their lips, despite all the chaos around around
thought, feelings and purpose. It felt like we were all
them, prayed. For they were sincere in their belief. A
packed in an envelope, mysteriously divine. Something
belief that only He would ful�l their wishes. A belief
that has been de�ned for centuries, such that you feel a
that He would guide them and keep them in His folds. It
connect and you feel happy to be a part of something
is a belief that is deep rooted, de�nite, unshakable,
beautiful.
unfathomable. It is a belief that had caused this
After waiting for 4hrs in the queue, �nally we reached
place to transform from a mere temple
the main temple. Suddenly, a fresh gust of
to so much more. It is a belief that
air swept through. Breathing in the open
helps them, and me, to eventually
air of the main temple compound, my
"meet" our Govinda. Govinda,
anxiety increased and so did my
The lord
Govinda!
anticipation of my meeting with the
was just a
After Darshana, we had our lunch,
Lord. e lord was just a few minutes
few minutes
in the Annadanam complex which
away, then. In the midst of all the
has
been feeding pilgrims coming
pushes, emotions reeled, ever ready to
away, then.
from across the country. It does so for
erupt. In a giddy frenzy to see the Lord,
In the midst
over 12 hours on any given day.
physical boundaries disappeared. ere
of all the
We then went back to our rooms and
were no lines to control. Lakhs of people
took some rest. After that, we went to
moved like a single body as they prepared
pushes,
purchase the Tirupati laddoo, which
themselves for the moment. at was the
emotions
is given out as Prasadam and is
moment they had been waiting for, and
reeled, ever
unique in every way. e deli is a
now that it was there, they wanted to
ready to
sphere shaped swe