Visit to temple on New Year's a must for many

CHENNAI:Queuing up outside a temple on December 31 well ahead of the midnight hour thatheralds the New Year is a growing trend in Chennai. Christians are of course knownto congregate at churches for the midnight mass on New Year's eve, but in recentyears, Hindus who follow their own almanac and traditionally observe a nocturnalvigil on Janmashtami, Sivarathri or Vaikunda ekadasi are turning out in largenumbers at temples as the new year arrives. Most traditional temples, whichfollow the agama' sasthra, do not usually keep the temple doors open beyond 9.30pm, but that has not stopped devotees from visiting other temples.Spirit and spirituality arevery much a part of a Chennaiite's new year agenda, says Harshini, anengineering student who resides in Abhiramapuram. While her older cousins willbe partying hard at one of the city's many watering holes, Harshini and many ofher friends plan to be present at the Anjaneya Temple in Nanganallur by 10.30 pmon December 31. "It is wonderful to get a darshan of Anjaneya just as the newyear begins," she adds.The music season sets the tone for peoplevisiting temples at the dawn of the New Year, says S N Vijaya Gopal, a long-timeresident of Nanganallur. "People usually listen to a kutcheri and queue up for amidnight darshan. The first 1,000 devotees are each gifted a Re 1 coin by thepriest at the sanctum sanctorum. Hence, there is a lot of rush. There is acontinuous flow of prasadam, such as vada or Pongal, and people go away feelinggood," he adds. "It is a wonderful atmosphere, a spirituallyuplifting experience," says Meenakshi Sundaram, a former state governmentemployee who has been visiting the Vadapalani temple for years. "We would gatherthere by 10 pm and wait for the midnight darshan. The air vibrates with music,slokas and also good wishes for a better year.According toPandurangan, a member of the Kapaleeswarar Temple Trust, temples that havedeities of gods to whom people normally make offerings can remain open pastmidnight, but not others. "Devotees make personal offerings or pledges toAnjaneya, Mariamman, Muruga and Ganesha. Many such temples remain open for amidnight darshan, to accommodate the wishes of devotees."Managers atother temples in Chennai such as the Parthasarathy Temple said the templesopened by 3 am, to cater to the needs of a growing number of people wanting tobegin the New Year with a visit to the temple. "It is always our family's firstagenda. Since queues are long, we get there by 2 am," says Raghavan, a residentof Mylapore.