auto biography of an old temple
Answers
I
am an old Hindu temple. I am in India. I am one of the temples that is not
visited by people and is neglected in these modern days. I am about one
thousand two hundred years old. I am built in hard rock on the outside
and limestone on the inside.
My temple is constructed over a wide
area. At the front there is a tower standing to a height of 10 storeys.
There are airy pigeon holes in it. There is a narrow staircase too to reach the
top of this tower. The top of the tower shines with brass coverings.
In the side of the temple there is a
tall dhwaja stambh (cylindrical pillar). Devotees used to go around me first
before seeing the deity. Then around the temple there is a corridor of about
100m on each side. The ground is made of natural stone.
In the inside of the temple there are
very sacred idols of Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Maheshwara under the
same ceiling. One salient feature of the temple is the large number of
pillars. There are many statues and pictures sculptured on the temple and the
frontside tower. The various episodes of great Hindu epics are depicted
pictorially on the walls. They are so wonderful and simply magnificent.
Due to the corrosion of impurities
and chemicals in air and rains, the sculptures are partially damaged. Also the
many invasions of muslim and mughal dynasties too have destroyed parts of my
temple. Further due to internal wars, negligence of local kings, and due
to British rule many of my parts are damaged. Some of important and
valuable statues were taken away from my temple too.
Now I am an old neglected temple
among rocky, uneven and neglected waste lands. There are shrubs, plants and
rocks everywhere inside. There used to be a lake full of water just beside me.
But over years due to lack of sufficient rains, it dried up. The deities
are not prayed to. It is so pathetic.
There are no roads from main cities
to my place. But in ancient times, hundreds of pilgrims and devotees used to
visit me everyday. They used to take the sacred bath in the temple lake and
then donate their hair to the Gods. They used to donate money, cattle, gold,
silver, and copper to the temple. The priests and brahmins used to perform puja
thrice a day. The temple premises were full of bhajans and mantras. Then
flowers filled the temple with a fragrance that invoked devotion from
inside of the mind.
You know, though I am only temple to a lame
person, there is a lot of skill demonstrated in my construction. The balance of weight on pillars, the shapes
of pillars, the tapering of the towers etc. are great features of architecture.
The erection of tall cylindrical brass covered pillar is technological wonder. The construction of such a tall tower with a
staircase to the top is really great. Imagine taking large and heavy stones to
the top. It is not simple without the help of cranes and machines. The
limestone plastering keeps the inside cool. Many people used to take shelter
here during their difficult times or wars. There is a secret path way also from
inside the temple. That was meant for escapes during the wars. The sculptures on the walls were very finely
sculpted. However, many features got lost due to erosion.
Though I am a Hindu temple, I do not
create a gap between Hindu and other religions. I encourage a discipline and
feelings of Godliness and good morals. I only wish that people live peacefully,
have fear in doing wrongs and help the helpless. I also demonstrate
the culture, arts, skills and technologies that existed thousands of years ago
in the local civilizations. You see, there is so much to learn from me.
Also I am so useful to you all. Many
young boys write a lot of crazy writings on the walls of the temple. They spoil
my natural beauty. They should not do that. Wish the youth will reduce the
environmental pollution too. That will retain my natural state as long as
possible.
I hope that the modern and
intelligent Indians with their latest technologies can revive my old greatness
back. The government and many religious institutions should make some efforts
to rebuild me. After all I am like your elders and ascendants. I remind
you all of the great history and golden times of your history and heritage.