Darshan with the Devout

I almost decided to title this post ‘Pummeled by the Pilgrims,’ but decided against it.

I am currently in Tirupati, in southern Andhra Pradesh. Tirupati is famous for being several kilometers away from the Venkateswara temple, a temple to Vishnu and the largest pilgrimage site in the world. I took the bus up the hill this morning and found myself in a little town with pilgrim guest houses and lots of shops and stalls selling religious and non-religious goods. I was immediately struck by how commercial it seemed and was trying to think if the Vatican was so commercial when I visited. Anyway, after checking my shoes and electric devices, I was herded into the special darshan (worship line) where, before I could enter, I had to fill out a form stating my name, address and religious beliefs (when I wrote ‘none’ in the blank, the man was confused and said, ‘madam, do you not believe even in biology?’) This special line (fast line for a price) cut the 10hr + wait into a manageable 2 hr wait. I spent about 2 minutes looking at the statue of Lord Vishnu and trying to avoid being stampeded. It was a fulfilling day.