A Blessing

The air was blistering with heat as we slowly meandered through the streets of Pondicherry, a Union Territory formed out of four enclaves of former French India.  We had arrived in the city the evening before and from what I read in a hotel brochure, I knew that I wanted to pay a visit to the Manakula Vinayagar Temple.  Having been in India for 2 ½ months, I knew my path to be graced with serendipitous moments of unexplainable radiance whenever I surrendered completely to my environment.  Needless to say, I was quite content to stroll through the streets with no real direction or intent.

We worked our way down Jawaharlal Nehru Street, a street that flourished with activity.  The wide avenues teemed with motorbikes, rickshaws, taxis and bicycles, all seamlessly in movement together in a precise yet precarious flow.  Along the sidewalks were bakeries, shoe shops, wine stores, banking institutions and textile shops showcasing fine fabrics of silk and decorative sequins.  From every direction, the city seemed to be bursting with life in vibrant colors. For respite from the heat, we frequently ducked into bookshops, multi leveled department stores and one of my favorite shops which was filled with long glass encasements containing rows of decorative candies and sweet cakes. 

 Suddenly the sound of bells, drums and chanting clearly emerged amidst the cacophony of early evening traffic.  I couldn’t help but turn left down a narrow road to bring my senses closer the pleasing sounds and the smooth sweet fragrance of incense. One side of the alleyway was lined with large stalls and vendors selling flowers, books, trinkets and baskets filled with coconuts, long grass and incense.  On the other side of the alleyway was a large light blue temple complex with throngs of people milling in and out of the entrances.  The structure was adorned with colorful carved images of Hindu deities that lined the entrance and the roof, which was layered in tiers rising to a narrow tip that pointed to the sky.  The structure and its carvings were much more than my eyes could retain in one glance.  Standing to the right of the temple door was an enormous elephant with a regal and protective presence.  I watched her with admiration as she interacted with the devotees entering and exiting the temple.  After a bit of hesitation, the gentlemen at the shoe check convinced us that we should enter.  For 10 rupees, I left my shoes to be checked and then purchased a basket of offerings; candles, coconuts, long leaves of grass and a garland of flowers.  We entered the temple, and stood in line while the priests took the individual baskets of offerings to the enshrined deity. 

I had found myself inside Manakula Vinayagar Temple, a temple that the Jesuits and Missionaries had attempted to demolish on several occasions throughout history. This was a sacred place that the local population managed to salvage every time. The structure was cavernous on the inside with various forms of Ganapathi embedded into the walls. The inside of the temple possessed its own ebb and flow of activity, buzzing in similarity to the city outside.  When it was my turn to present my basket of offerings, the priest asked me my name and took the basket forward.  He soon returned the basket to me with the coconuts and grass remaining.  Being unsure of what was supposed to happen with the remaining ingredients in my basket, we wandered around the spacious interior until one of my friends asked a passerby for direction.  “You can take the remaining offerings to Lakshmi, the elephant at the entrance,” he replied.  The beating of my heart hastened.

We stepped outside, where Lakshmi stood in front of the entrance.  Her trunk was swaying. She was beautiful and unconfined with paint adorning her forehead.  She looked directly into my eyes, watching my every move.  I pulled the long leaves of grass from my basket. She then unfurled her long trunk to where I was standing and took the offerings from my hands to her mouth.  She slowly brought her trunk back again to where I stood and patted me gently on the head.  A passerby near the entrance confirmed “That is your blessing. She is blessing you….”