Meine Reise nach .../My journey to ...: Tirupathi

A long bus drive to Tirupathi. Oh, according to the Lonely Planet is Tirupathi a famous pilgrim place. Not Tirupathi, but on the top of Tirumala, the holy hill next to it, is the temple of the Lord Venkateshwara, an avatar of Vishnu (one Hindu god). Yes, a difficult name, what says to me nothing, but why not staying in this place and check it out. So I spent some days in this lovely city Tirupathi. When I visited the temple complex there, hindu pilgrims explained to me and took me around: one was sitting in a temple with me to meditate, while most people usually go very quickly in and out with the queue, another bought me a ticket to get into the main temple more fast, and another shared with me his life and the story of the temple's gods whilst waiting in the queue... I saw, pilgrims are very friendly.

One day, I went with the bus also to Tirumala.

According to the Lonely Planet, around 40.000 pilgrims come here daily to visit the temple. The bus not full, (in India local busses are most times full or more than full!), I didn't expect that much people. Honestly, I didn't think of that possiblity even, since now, a lot of places were pilgrim places, and I was waiting in the queue never more than 1 hour. Also for me were all indians, (in pilgrim places I rarely saw other tourists), so I did not distinguish between pilgrim and locals. Anyway, 4 boys was sitting in this bus too. And when we got off the bus at the top, one started to speak with me, with his very little english. "Where are you going?" - to the temple - "ok, come". I really wanted to go alone, but too late. Soon, we were standing at one idly stand - and I had a plate with idly (rice "Leibchen"/food) in my hand, after saying three times, that I already had breackfast. I was really full, but ok, I ate. After we went a little further in direction to the temple entrance, one boy took my shoes, another my camera (it's not allowed in the temple). I thought, ok now I should remember their faces, I do not even know their names. Then they took me through the security checks in one very big waiting hall, after passing some of this halls, and now its time to sit and wait. To wait for what? I still didn't know what is going on, and our communication basis was very limited. On a monitor, there was a movie of a ceremonie, where monchs were decorating and washing the god statues ... (i had no idea at this time about hindu culture and ceremonies) and the only thing in english was a board, with the rules of standing in the queue and behaving in front of the Lord. The first rule was: "Always chant Govinda" (a name for God), the second was: "Be aware in every moment that you are in the precence of the Lord"... my mind was busy! Where is the temple? What are we doing here? And they said, sitting until 5 pm (now it is 2 pm) here! It took me a while until I checked and accepted that that is a waiting hall, and soon, after this hall was full, it was locked - so no way back. I thought, good that I learned to sit a long time at one point and to accept at Vipassana. At 5 pm the boys told me that we have to wait until 10 pm. "Oh my god - where are you or at least this Lord" - but the waiting period finally went quickly. The boys treated me like their little sister, always brought me food and water (that was offered there for free), and snacks like pop corn, ... we played games, by which it's not neccessary to use much words, I was one of them. I found out, that they are from a town 2 hours away and this visit is like a leisure trip for them. They really enjoyed, and will spent the rest of the night over here (everything is here for pilgrims, also free sleeping possibilities... of course outside of the temple complex ;-) ) and tomorrow they will go back home.

Later, nearly everyone in the hall was lying and tried to sleep on this cold, stony floor. I was sitting there, tried to keep the touching surface of my body with this cold floor in minimum. When I looked around me, everything was quiet now, so colourful from the women's clothes, and some children sometimes gave me a smile or curious look. A lot of heads were shaved - a lot female, male and children "Buddhas" here ;-) and also the quietness reached me inside - again I saw perfection in every moment, and one reason that it is worth to live. At around 10 pm really the gates opened, 2 hours standing and slowly approaching the temple, we passed for sure more than 50 or 100 waiting halls like this (in every are more than 200 people at least, its my estimation - a lot I mean!). Now I understood, there are really a lot of people! With the queue into the temple, pushed forward and out, it was over so quickly, but it was a special moment. And I felt like on drugs when I got out - maybe also the feeling of the liberation of the last hours... anyway it was amazing. As the boys took care of me all the day and in the 2 metres broad queue, they put me back in the bus to Tirupathi (at 3 am) and before I could thank them, they quickly disappeared.