Vaiykunta Ekadasi
INDIA | Thursday, 15 May 2014 | Views [184] | Scholarship Entry
Vaiykunta Ekadasi: An auspicious day of the Hindu calendar on which the gates to Swargam (Heaven) remain open for all. Those who see the Tirumala Temple on this day are thought to transcend the vicious cycle of reincarnation and reality.
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You never plan for India, but India plans for you. As such, I found myself waiting apprehensively in a large hall with tiled floors and multiple, lined wooden benches. The place was packed. I took in a deep breath and could almost taste the humid air with its pungent flavour of sweat and spices. It felt like the busiest street of Hyderabad itself had decided to congregate in this one room, almost as though to provide me with my own microcosm of the bizarre world outside.
There were people sprawled everywhere. One family was sitting on the floor, sharing a meal from their tiffin box while their children played hand games with eachother noisily. Chai-wallahs moved with a natural grace that coincided perfectly with the rhythm of their distinctly nasal sales tune, "chai-ee, chai-ee".
I had been warned that Tirumala was a sacred place of worship that attracts thousands of devotees every day, but this felt unreal. Four hours had passed in this hall. The man next to me was enwrapped in his religious book, while I was suffocating in a space-time continuum.
In my broken Hindi, I weakly asked him why it was taking so long to enter the temple. He looked bemused as he responded with, "Vaikunta Ekadasi! One-lakh people!”
As I struggled to remember what number one lakh was, I noticed that people were slowly shifting positions. There was a low rumble of excitement as one of the guards swaggered towards the giant metal gate at the front of the hall. Everyone hurriedly stood up and grabbed their saris, blankets, books, children and any other trinkets they had brought with them. There was a loud thud as the metal gate hit the wall. It was like the gunshot before the most incredible race ever. People pushed up against me from all angles and I found myself being transported along a human wave towards the open gates.
This was it. My patience would be rewarded soon.
Moments later, I found myself waiting in an identical hall with tiled floors and multiple, lined wooden benches. I realised that there were 31 more waiting halls, just like this one. And 99,999 more people…just like me.
I felt as though I had been reincarnated, destined to relive this moment over again.
And I understood why there were so many people here today.
Tags: 2014 Travel Writing Scholarship - Euro Roadtrip
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