Temple Stampede

Somewhere in the mountains of Northern India recently a crowd visiting a temple ran for life for fear of life. In doing so, many pilgrims got killed in the stampede. It suddenly reminded me of my visit to the Jagannath Temple in Puri, Orissa some 37 years ago. I went there only to fulfill the dreams of three elderly widows – my mother and her two older sisters-in-law (wives of older brothers of my father). I vividly remember how my oldest aunt was almost getting crushed against the rock wall of the temple by unbelievable onrush of people as soon as the door to the temple was opened. I was scared. I had barricaded her with my body against the crowd. I was young then, but still no match for a crowd. It was a great relief when I brought them back home safely.

I sometimes wonder how simple order, compassion, love disappear for such God fearing people. Are they truly spiritual and detached from mortal attachment they seem to display by visiting God’s abode? Do they truly believe that a fellow human being is a part of their God? If God is symbol of beauty and truth, why is God’s temple so dirty with no discipline whatsoever? Why do the priests prey on innocent pilgrims? How come these millions of folks visiting grand temples, Mecca, or Vatican fail to take care of the lepers and beggars and the hungry in the midst of them? I have no answer. However, I believe there is plenty of hypocrisy in the name of God. People justify anything in the name of God – holy war, killing, overpowering the non believers of their God and so on. If God is love, then these pilgrimages are meaningless since they fail to love living beings. If they only love living beings and do everything for their well being, they may be closer to their God without visiting Mecca or Vatican or the temple on the mountain top.