Last week I made a short trip to Dakshin Kannada. I visited Saradambika temple at Sringeri and Annapoorneswari temple at Oranadu. The temple at Orandu is situated right on top of the mountain peak and is very beautiful and serene, set in the midst of lush green mountains. Not being a very religious person, the trip was primarily to accompany my music teacher for a concert at the temple.
The most attractive part of the trip was the winding, well-laid roads around the ghats and greenery and last, but not the least, the sumptuous food served in the temples. We visited the smaller temples in and around the place and it was surprising to notice that all these temples too serve food (lunch and dinner) to the devotees. We were at a small temple at a place called Kalaseshwar near Sringeri at lunch time and though the tourist crowd was scarce, the whole village as well as the school-going children were there. They all quickly make a visit to the sanctum sanctorum and then, enjoy the food. Even the priests at the temple urge the devotees to have their food first and then take the darshan. Having the Devasthanadha Oota (meaning, food at the temple in Kannada) is considered to be very auspicious and people in and around the temple ensure that you eat well.
At Sringeri , serving the food is a very scientific and systematic process, with huge solar cookers installed inside the premises. The arrangement of the serving plates (in the shape of a pyramid) itself was a worthy sight and number of volunteers involved in the scheme is amazing.
These temples are doing such a great service to the humanity that nobody is left hungry in the villages in and around the temple. There are no beggars and people say that robbery too, is very rare.
This trip was a gentle reminder to me that temples serve not only religious purposes, but also that they serve as socially active centers. It gave me great satisfaction when I bought rice (sold at the temple premises) as my offering to the temple and donated it. I was sure that few mouths were going to be fed with that.
