Superstitions, jinx and some Hindu temples, of India

Navrang India September 08, 2020

Superstition is a strong belief involving  a prediction of  future  impact on somebody or something or on the society as a whole  by supernatural forces. Such a belief, in the absence of evidence, relies more on assumption, often irrational,  rather than truth.  It is believed the impact of such unwanted forces can be overcome by making a compromise that is reasonably  acceptable by people. It means a person should accept the belief and act accordingly or conduct rituals to ward of evil forces. Many people view that superstition is retrograde and springs from ignorance. Strong faith in God and trust in superstition are altogether different. 

There are four main types of superstitions:

01.Pagan superstitions: They are directly connected with a pagan anti-Christian world view and  have their origins in the polytheistic religions that deny the existence of God, and reject the Creator of the world;

02. Occultism:  It emphasis the unseen and hidden forces of the deity without compromising on its divinity.  With such hidden forces, and attributes the deity has  the ability to change a person’s life;

03. Folk superstitions: Not representing a holistic pagan worldview,  they  exist in fragments  and separately, not included in any complete system of the world outlook;

04. Ecclesiastical superstitions: Believe in the expression of  of religious rituals in pagan rites or vice versa.

The study done by Trinity College, London (?)  found that i30% of any given population believe in faith blindly;  in India it is 31% and in the USA it is 37% . Superstition is based on non-realistic thinking, a sort of assumption. One doesn’t need to go to a particular place of worship for prayers to  . be fulfilled.  Real faith and trust can make things happen  in your favor in any place, provided you have commitment. ..

Let us take a look at those temples in brief that are purportedly jinxed or steeped in superstition:

01. Sri Brihadeeswara temple, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu:

Big temple Thanjavur,TN. telegraph.co.uk

When it comes to jinx or superstition, the foremost one that comes to our mind is the famous big temple Sri Brihadeeswara temple dedicated to God Shiva at Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. It is  shrouded in  mystery. for various architectural wonders, apart   politicians of various hues and political ideology, including those from the  Dravidian parties never enter the temple. Netas  on their visit to this historical city, 

Big temple, Thnjavur. Alamy.com

Keralathan Vassal,Big temple, Thanjavur,TN.sites.google.com

Above images: Tamil Nadu politicians will never ever get into the temple (if necessary arises) through the entrance directly facing the monolithic stone Nandi (bull) and Shiva's shrine right before it.The lurking fear is they might lose the ministerial post or their party debacle in the election......................

will never go closer to the temple.  Nor do they take a look at this UNESCO recognized majestic temple built more than 1000 years ago by the great Chola ruler Sri Rajarajan II. For the power-hungry politicians, it is a  frightening experience  to enter the temple through the main entrance  Keralathan Vassal facing the huge monolith Nandi (stone bull) and the main Shrine of Lord Shiva.  because it may spell doom for their power, even death. If need be, they would enter the temple from the sides that too with trepidation and fear!!.

Former PM late Mrs. Indira Gandhi, a Congress party leader,  was unexpectedly assassinated close to her official residence in Delhi in October, 1984. A few weeks earlier she had visited the big temple with the then CM Sri M.G. Ramachandran. The latter  subsequently developed severe health problems and died in December 1987 while in power. The late  Sri. Karunanidhi, ex CM of TN and a hard-core atheist  compromised on his rationalism  and gave into superstition, when visiting this temple in September 2010 in connection with 1000 year celebration of the temple. Taking a cue from the fate of politicians who visited the temple earlier, he took the side entrance to enter the temple. On advice of his advisors close to him and his family members who are god-fearing, he never took the  main entrance facing the shrine.However, in  the next election, his party did not form the ministry in Tamil Nadu. His party is still out of power. The turmoil within his family members peaked and spilled out in the open. He became heart-broken later.   The present Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami skipped attending the consecration function in Feb 2020 at this temple  because of the purported jinx attached to this temple. 

That this temple carries the Curse of Siddahar Karurar who was close to the ruler Sri Rajarajan is not true and has no evidence. It is a false story spread by certain groups of people about purported curse of Karurar.. But this divine temple was almost more crowded than ever before till the scare  of Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020.

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02. Sri  Padmanabha Swami temple, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala:

Padmanabha swami temple, TV.puram, Kerala.livehistoryindia.com

Religious superstitions mess up our mind and take us back to stone age. The sudden death of advocate T P Sundararajanin (ex IPS officer) in July 2012 was attributed to the opening of the vaults housing  vast  treasures in the underground chambers  of Sri Padmanabha Swami Kovil in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. 

One trillion dollar treasure,Sri Padmanabha temple,T,V..Puram,Kerala forbes.com

It was one Sundararajan's petition that the Supreme Court not only ordered the opening of the treasure vaults in the historic Padmanabha swamy Temple, but also set up a Committee to oversee the audit of the treasures. .One vault is not yet open, Nambudri pundits say this particular vault has close link withe presiding idol in the sanctum (Srikovil) and is  being guarded by a big serpent. Tampering with the last vault will spell doom and the fore-warning should be taken seriously. Since 2012, the last treasure vault has not been opened. This the richest temple in the world and the mystery around the last  treasure vault is an enigma. 
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03. Renuka Temple, Kullu,  Himachal Pradesh:

Renuka Devi Temple,Nathan. .nativeplanet.com

At  Renuka Temple in Kullu,  Himachal Pradesh, N. India where  the presiding goddess is goddess Renuka Devi, villagers go there in large numbers for prayer.  It is said the goddess protects the village, villagers  and their families.When praying there on the temple premises, they are fearful when leaving the temple.  The reason is they will invite  the wrath  of goddess' husband, rishi/sage Jamdagni; She is the mother of Parasuram, an incarnation of God Vishnu. so  they dare not look back. Even the officiating priests enter the temple with their face covered with a  piece cloth to avoid the stare from the deity. The temple supposedly carries the curse of the sage Jamdani. During major festival events, doors are open to them for darshan and women  devotees do not go near the idol and throw their offerings from a  safe distance. The curse seems to last for twelve long years for the person who breaks the tradition.
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04. Mehandipur Balaji temple, Rajasthan:

Mehandipur Balaji,Rajasthan   dham-yatra.com

The temple located on a hill in Rajasthan  has three deities - Lord Hanuman (also known as Balaji), Pret Raj and Bhairav. People flock to this temple in large number to worship  to be relieved of any mental illness and related  ailments. All  deities are believed to be  saviors of devotees who have a spell or are possessed by evil spirits (Sankatwalas). Arji, Sawamani, and Darkhast.  are the methods by which evil spirits are driven out. In this place, if shrinks open a psychiatric clinic, soon he will go broke because people with mental ailment make a beeline to the minder.They would rather go the temple and scream rather than suiting on the shrink's couch and write out a fat cheque!!

Unlike countless Hindu temples where  you hear temple music or tolling of temple bells or chanting of Sanskrit mantras,prayers and bhajans,  here the ambiance is one of scary and disgusting. New visitors will experience fear and revulsion and avoid next visit. What you hear on the premises is nothing but  loud, ear-piercing  screams or bouts of tantrums  of possessed men and women. The surrounding  will smack of one's logic and reasoning.  Visitors to this temple say after the trip to the temple say that  they were haunted by the screams and yelling  of the devotees. It is nothing but  acts  of  bizarre exorcism taking  place here. 

The main deity is Lord Hanuman, who blesses you with peace and blissful life . No prasad is offered. Devotees  carry Black Balls (around their body) sold outside  and go around the temple 5 times before throwing them in the ritual fire.  Once it is done, your problem will be taken care of by the God. The following conditions may baffle you, if you plan to visit this strange temple.  

01. Do not  consume anything or don't carry any prasad, water or food item from here; eating on the temple premises is prohibited.

02. Upon leaving the temple, it is a must to  empty all the food packets and bottles. You are not allowed to take the prasad home or to your place. 

03. Don't ever  turn back while leaving the temple; when breached, who might face nasty problems o the way back  home.

04. Even when you leave the location - the village empty all your food packets and water bottles

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05. Mahudi Tirth Jain temple, Rajasthan: 

Mahudi Tirth Jain temple, Rajasthan temple ravel.priyankawriting.com

Mahudi Tirth temple in Mehsana district (70 km from Ahmedabad) in Rajasthan  is a  beautiful ornate  Jain temple and lots of people come here. The sanctum has  an  idol of saint Ghantakarna Mahavira.  People offer sukhdi - wheat flour roasted in ghee mixed with  jaggery as offering to the deity. They should not take it home or outside the premises and, if some body does it, he may face impending danger - even death. Tha prasada -sukhadi has to be consumed and given to poor people around  there,

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06. Bhairon Mandir,Delhi:

Bhairon Mandir,Delhi. ansatta.comAdd caption

Have you ever heard of a temple where the devotees offer liquor to the deity to get blessed? In Tamil Nadu and Kerala there are very few small temples in remote villages  where the local brew is offered to the deity as an offering.. Dedicated to demi-god Karuppu Swamy/ Ayyanar  or Madurai Veeran  commonly known as Ellai Theivam,  it is believed to protect the village and the  local people.In northern Kerala where the literacy rate is way high,  fish and liquor are offered by devotees to Lord Muthappan,  for his divine dispensation and solace. The liquor offered to the deity - God  Bharava  is equally a holy one as offerings in other temples. 

The tipplers may be envious of the deity here, because, mind you,  local and international brands of liquor like beer, brandy, scotch, whiskey etc.are offered to  the god almost daily, The deity is a fierce incarnation of  God Shiva. The belief has been that it is done to subdue God's rage and anger. The liquor  is then distributed to the devotees as  Prasad after prayer.  Also  known as Sri Kilkari Bhairon Temple, it is located close to Delhi's famous Old Fort. Legend has it that the temple was built  by the Pandava brothers  of the epic Mahabharata.Yet another legend says, Bheema, the second of the Pandava brothers, attained siddhi (spiritual power) in this temple. This deity Bhairon or Bhairavar is closely related to the mythological story of Sati, the first consort of God Shiva and her self-immolation. In rage God Shiva took the form of Bhairon to annihilate Sati's father Daksha who cast aspersions on him that made Sati sad.

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07. Shani Shinganapur, Maharashtra:

Shani Shingnapur temple in Ahmednagar dist.MH  indianexpress.com/

Shani Shinganapur village in Ahmednagar district, Maharastra is a strange, rather a weird  place where a rock idol is installed  as  Shani Bhagavan  and villagers there, reposing trust in his protection, leave their homes unlocked; even if they have valuable jewelry,etc, there is nothing to panic. Women are not allowed inside the sanctum and  this small temple has been around  for more than 400 years old.  

In the recent past,  taking advantage of the traditional belief prevailing in the village and lack of security, a  smart  thief stalked into a few houses and ran away with  valuables. Now, it is said, people do not leave their homes any more without locking their homes, lest some freak should get in and lay his hand on their valuables.

Way back in  2016,  old  distasteful 400- year old tradition was broken  by  two young brave women who entered the sanctum to worship the idol. It became a sensational  news in the media in Maharashtra state  where  this custom  is widely prevalent in  many temples  and the women's groups are protesting against this  temple tradition that has pushed them into second-class citizens in  that state. This gender inequality is resentful.

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08. Kartikswami Temple,Pune:

Kartic swami Mandir, Pune, MH.placesnearbypune.blogspot.com/

In a few Hindu temples gender discrimination does exist and the one that comes our attention is  Pune’s Kartikswami Temple (god Kathikayan or Murugan ) that is atop the Parvati  hill.(height 2100 feet) This temple is surrounded by serene environment with lots of greenery. Women do not come here  for the unbelievable reason that they  might lose their husband. This curse of  widowhood prevails only locally. However, once a year on the  Karthika Poornima day all are allowed including women to worship at the temple.On this day lakhs of devotees visit the temple to be blessed with welfare and prosperity in their lives. The  curse of  widowhood is quite irksome and should be done away with. 
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09. Kongalli Swamy temple:

kongalli malli  kannada.nativeplanet.com

Kongalli Swamy temple, a 1200 year old temple located inside the Dimbam forest area  on the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border  is being run by the Lingayat community of Mysore..It is  on the Chamarajanagar-Erode  road,  98 km from Mysuru city. According to the local people, the contemporary of Mahadeshwara Swamy is worshiped here. He  came to the hill long ago for the main purpose of meditation on god and did not want to be disturbed.when doing tapas. He banned the entry of women of all ages in his vicinity to avoid losing concentration on meditation.
So women are not allowed in this temple. 

Superstition. thehindu.com

superstition quotes. todayinsci.com

The unfounded superstitions, jinx, etc are so deep-rooted nothing could shake them off and they prevail across the globe. They are not supported by scientific evidences They get embedded in the mind over a period of time and it is tough to get rid of them overnight.. 
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