The Chilkur Balaji Temple, also known as the Visa Temple, was always a huge draw for software and IT professionals in and around Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. And in this age of Donald Trump and "America first", the importance of the temple, an hour's drive from Hyderabad, has magnified.
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The anxious men and women, who have applied for student or H1B visas, appear hopeful and at peace as they enter its precincts. Earlier this week, P Umashankar, a bank officer, and his wife Jyothi visited the temple to perform 108 pradakshinas (circumambulations) as a gesture of gratitude to Lord Balaji on behalf of their younger daughter Meghana, who got her H1B visa on Monday.
"We were worried about the repercussions of Trump's stance on the visas.But, luckily, Lord Balaji blessed our daughter with the H1B visa. Our elder daughter Manasa is already in the US," said Umashankar. "Meghana was really lucky to directly get a senior position at her company in Texas. Her university offered words of praise on the record. We are thankful to Lord Balaji," said Jyothi.Meghana has also vowed to circumambulate the temple on her next visit.
The temple is among the oldest temples in Telangana. Its current reputation dates back to 1984, when a devotee's `visa' prayers were answered. He responded by doing 108 pradakshinas and telling all his friends about it. News spread and the legend of the "Visa temple" was born. "Both, priests and devotees believe that our Lord has his own quota for visas to foreign countries.The sheer number of people doing the pradakshinas should give you an idea of the success rate", said CS Rangarajan, the head priest.
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The state government has tried many times to take over the temple, but its trustees, priests and devotees have always come together to thwart those attempts. Dr MV Soundararajan, the current priest and a trustee, says government control would convert the temple into a commercial, VIP shrine, and they do not want this to happen. So, the temple remains refreshingly non-commercial. It has no Hundi (donation box). It does not receive any donations against receipts or otherwise.It is also one of a handful of temples that do not pander to VIP culture. Even if the Prime Minister were to visit, he would have to stand in the same queue as everyone else and pray like any other devotee.
According to the temple's website, the site was chosen by an ardent devotee of Lord Balaji, who used to visit Tirupati every year without fail. But once, when an illness prevented him from making his pilgrimage, it is said that God appeared to him in a dream and said, "I am right here in the jungle nearby. You don't have to worry."
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The devotee then went to the spot in the jungle indicated in the dream and when he dug the spot, it yielded a Swayambhu idol of Lord Balaji with Sridevi and Bhoodevi (a rare combination). He then built a temple to house his find. The current version of the temple dates back to the late 1600s. The ritual of 108 pradakshinas also dates back to the founding of the temple, according to Rangarajan, who tells us the `voice' of Lord Balaji told the devotee to stop after his 108th round.
Though people come to this temple with a variety of wishes -to marry, have children, own a home, for health issues -visa seekers form the largest percentage. At any given time on any given day, you will find 2000 to 3000 devotees performing pradakshinas here. On Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, as many as 15,000 devotees turn up at the temple. "I did not expect I would get through the process. I got my visa only the day before. And today, I am fulfilling my vow to make 108 pradakshinas. I made the pledge before applying for the visa for the second time," says Gokarakonda Sahiti, who got her student visa to do her Masters in the US. The 24-year old will be leaving for the US later this month. "He (Lord Balaji) is the most powerful God," she says.
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The United States isn't the only destination of choice for devotees. Avasarala Sunaina Venkat recently got her visa for Australia. "It is amazing. I did not expect I would get the visa on the second attempt. It is nothing but the Swami's (Lord's) grace," says Venkat, a healthcare professional. Her husband performed the pradakshinas with her. The couple from Hyderabad now plans to visit the temple whenever they visit their parents who reside in Chilkur.
Rangarajan says there has been no reduction in the number of `visa' visitors since Donald Trump was elected President of the US. "Our Lord has his own quota; devotees get the visas with his blessings," he says. However, the temple does not maintain a record of its success stories."Why should we record? It's a private matter between the Lord and his devotee."