Locks Are Key To Health Here

This story below which was published in the Bangalore Mirror edition dated March 6, 2008 came about after my wife who read the Tamil newspapers said that such a thing happens even today in a city which as shunned religious beliefs and have taken up to god man’s who preach what our grandparents had once told all of us during our favorite bed time stories. So I quickly went to the Bowring hospital and spend some time and learned that how faith can turn one’s life from the almost gone to a win-win situation.
I then discussed this story with my editors and they gave a few points which I will have to look into and than develop the story. What you get to see down is a ground work of more than 3 days since Pushparaj was away from Bangalore the first three days. And another thing that changed my presupposition of the English dailies being the best to the local lingual dailies giving more apt and comprehensible news than the fluff and bluff which the English dailies churn out day in and day out.

Cutting up bodies in the post-mortem department and running a temple in the vicinity are all in a day’s work for 54-year-old Pushparaj, a fourth-generation employee of Bowring Hospital in Shivajinagar. According to him, the idols of Muneeshwara and Katteri-amma were found at the hospital site in the 1880s by his great-grandfather Muniyappa, and the family has tended to the temple built to house the idols ever since.

Pushparaj near his family run temple inside the Bowring hospital (left), and of the main building which houses the OPD near the main entrance of the hopistal (right).

The temple’s renown is such that people from all walks of life, including doctors, judges, students and relatives of patients, offer prayers here. Most of the devotees claim their prayers have been answered.
According to Pushparaj, his great-grandfather Muniyappa, a dafedar at the hospital during British rule, found the idols while they were digging the site for the construction of the first hospital building in 1882. The British did not want idols kept inside the premises, but seeing the resentment of their Hindu employees, allowed the shrine to come up. “Later, the temple had to be shifted as another building was coming up, and was relocated near the main gate of the hospital, said Pushparaj.

Pushparaj stands outside the building where the idols were found (left) and next to the mortuary where he presently works by cutting the bodies (right).

Given the nature of his work in the post mortem department, Pushparaj performs the pooja in the temple early in the morning while his wife Mahadevi performs the evening pooja. Mahadevi said that after them, their son Babu will continue the family tradition of running the temple.
Sister Selvi, a nurse at the hospital, said she offers a prayer every morning for the welfare of the patients under her care. Her sentiment was echoed by fellow-nurses Prabha and Shanta.
Two regulars at the temple for more than 25 years are city residents Kitty and Prakash. Pushparaj said that every Friday, however busy they are, they come and pay their respects to the deities housed in the shrine.

A doctor, who did not want his name mentioned, said that for more than 30 years, ever since his college day, has been a regular at the temple and all his prayers have been answered. A unique aspect of the temple is that visitors to the hospital attach a lock to the gates of the temple, asking for the quick recovery of their relatives. Sudha, whose daughter was admitted to Bowring for her delivery, offered a lock and said her prayers for a normal delivery were answered.
Latha, the mother of an accident victim who was brought to Bowring in bad shape a month ago, also offered a lock to the temple. She said that within two days, her prayers were answered and her young son is now recovering well, much to the surprise of the doctors.

Whether it works miracles or not, what is in-disputable is that this little shrine has been a source of solace down the years for thousands of visitors while their near and dear ones recover in the wards of the hospital.

Faithful Women

These pictures of Indian Hindu woman show the religious side of them. They were captured by me during my visits for the Maha Kumbh Mela at the Mahakaleshwar temple near the river Kshipra at Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh in 2004. The Hindu woman flocked in large numbers to drench themselves with the holy water, which takes place once in twelve years. Apart from the Indian Hindu Woman they were some foreigners too.


A elderly lady and a sadhvi from orrisa performs the aarti on the banks of the river kshipra in Ujjain on the first Shahi Snan at Simhastha Maha Kumbh Mela.



Hindu ladies take a holy dip at Kshipra river on the eve of the beginning for the holy month at the Simhastha in Ujjain.






A local woman pushes other Hindu woman to the Kshipra River in her push cart for rupees 10 per person, (left) even as a couple take a dip at the river kshipra in the foreground of a partly submerged shivling and nandhi in Ujjain. Thousands of Hindus have already started to take the holy dip to avoid the huge gathering during the holy month of Simhastha alos know as the Maha Kumbh Mela.

Male family members hold on to a lady claiming to be possessed by ghosts even as a pundit try's to perform a pooja to route out the evil spirit at the Asha Ram Bapu Akhara (left), as a Hindu Devout pray in front of the more than 1.8 corer mini clay Shiv lings which was made by the devotees attending the Simhastha Maha Kumbh Mela in Ujjain.

Hindu devotees offering their prayers on the banks of river Kshipra during the first shahi snan in the month long Simhastha Maha Kumbh Mela in Ujjainnear the Mahakaleshwara Temple.




A Hindu Devotee silhouetted against the sun rays from the river Kshipra at Ujjain while she washes her clothes from the holy water, (left) as another woman pours the holy water to seek the blessings of the Sun god during the Holy month of the Maha Kumbh Mela in the once in 12 years Simhastha.



A lady walks back to the banks of river Kshipra after taking a dip on the eve of the beginning of the holy month (top left) A Hindu devout seen offering her prayers to the sun god on the banks of river Kshipra on the first shahi snan (top) and woman volunteers of a Hindu group seen with caps showing the anti cow slaughter movement of the state government of Madhya Pradesh in Ujjain during the Month long Simhastha Maha Kumbh Mela.


Artist From England seen sketching the Simhastha Camp area in Ujjain at the month long Kumbh Mela from one of the Akhara (left) as a Japnese lady chats with a Indian sadhu at an akhara (right). The Kumbh mela is an huge International attraction in which hundreds of foreign tourist come over to India to witness the Indian religious ethos.

A Japanese woman along with her friend from Brazil who did not want to give their names pray to the sun god with both their palms locked into one on the banks of the river Kshipra (left) as another woman from Germany enjoys her holy bath with the holy water in the river Kshipra during the holy month of Maha Kumbh Mela at Ujjain in 2004.

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