BANGALORE, April 12: The Bull Temple Road's big Ganesha temple is getting strange offerings. Apart from the traditional coconuts, flowers, camphor and incense sticks offerings, the new-found devotees - students appearing for their Pre-University Certificate examinations - are placing their examination admission tickets at the feet of the elephant-headed God.From burning the midnight oil to lighting the oil lamp before the Lord, the hapless students are willing go any distance to seek the Lord's blessings as Ganesha is known as the remover of all obstacles (Vighna).
Speaking of academic successes and die-hard competetive world, the students do not want to leave any stone unturned. Not a single day passes without the Lord having to accept bunches of II PUC admission tickets. The Ganesha which is said to be the biggest in the world, admission tickets adorn various parts of the huge idol.
The procedure of appeasement is such: The ritual starts from early morning and goes on till afternoon. The admissiontickets are solemnly entrusted into the priest's hand who in turn places it on the idol while chanting the hymns (archane). On request, special poojas are also performed.
Once the archane is done, the admission tickets are returned to students with a pinch of kumkum and a string of jasmine flowers - the Lord's prasadams. Most students touch the priest's feet while accepting their admission tickets. As Tuesdays are supposed to be dear to the Lord, special poojas are performed on that day.
In northern India, Lord Ganesha is even known as Mangalamurthy - Mangala meaning Tuesday. "Large number of students turn up with their admission tickets as this day is considered to be auspicious," says the head priest V Gururaj.
Students from Basavanagudi, Jayanagar and Rajajinagar areas too visit this temple. The head priest explains, students prefer this temple because the idol is a 400-year-old "Udbhava Ganapathi" (appearing on its own). Interestingly, Gururaj is also awareof the examination schedule. He says the II PUC examinations will begin from April 15 - a Sankashta Chaturti day - considered very auspicious for the Lord. He expects a large turnout on that day.
But whatever makes the students visit the temple - plain devotion or fear? Some student speaking to the ENS said, "Mainly fear of competition is what brings us to temple. Besides our efforts, is it not an element of luck that decides our fate?"
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
