The Origin Of The Visa God!

THE ORIGIN OF THE VISA GOD!

In Hinduism there is a god for every human need. For knowledge there is goddess Saraswati, to ward off the obstacles there is Lord Ganesh and to get a visa... You probably know who I’m talking about. It is Lord Balaji of Chilkur. It may sound strange but there is a popular belief that those who aspire to go abroad should visit the Chilkur Balaji and he will be granted with a visa. Since then he has been popularized as the visa god.

This is probably the only thing that most of us know about the Chilkur Balaji temple. Located in Chilkur village in Gandipet, Hyderabad, it is one of the temples that does not accept any money. You may know this if you have visited the Chilkur Balaji temple, but do you know which is the other temple which boasts the same practice? It is the Jalaram temple in Virpur (Rajkot), Gujarat. Not only this, the Chilkur Balaji temple is also against any special treatment of VIPs. It is a reminder that we are all equal in the divine eyes of god. The Chilkur Balaji temple has been in news for a successful fight against the government, to function autonomously. It was built during the time of Madanna and Akkanna, the uncles of Bhakta Ramadas,

Let us now turn to the origin of the temple. How did the Chilkur Balaji temple come into being? To answer this question I’ll have to tell you a story. A devotee of Lord Venkateswara paid a visit to his favorite god at Tirupati annually. He could not continue this practice one particular year because of his deteriorating health. As we all know god always helps those who place absolute faith in him. Lord Venkateshwara appeared in his dream and said, "I am right here in the jungle nearby. You don't have to worry."

As the devotee went to the spot and started to dig it up, he found blood oozing out as the result of damage caused to the deity by the ax on the Lord’s chin and chest. The devotee was then advised to flood the hill with cow milk which he did with a lot of devotion. When the devotee did so, a Swayambhu idol of Lord Balaji accompanied by Sridevi and Bhoodevi was found and a temple was built there.

There are some rituals specific to the Chilkur Balaji temple. One of them is the fact that any one visits the Chilkur Balaji temple must keep his eyes open while offering prayer to the Lord. Another one is chanting of following names of Lord Vishnu, immensely helps us in overcoming the obstacles in our daily life.

1 "Om Vashatkaaraaya Namaha" : For Success in Business.

2 "Om Aksharaaya Namaha" : For Success in Studies.

3 "Om Bhuthabhavanaya Namaha" : For Good Health.

4 "Om Paramaathmane Namaha" : For Self Confidence.

So, what do you want from the Lord?

- Kruti Beesam