Ananta Basudev Temple in the city of Bhubaneshwar. It’s renowned to be the only temple whose community kitchen has been operation continuously over the last 1000+ years ever since the temple came into existence….
Diligently and devotedly everyday food is cooked using traditional methods and offer to Lord Vishnu and thereafter sold at very nominal prices to the devotees.
This is truly a remarkable phenomena.
Thanks to Ekamra I was blessed to discover this place in my recent visit to this city of ancient temples – Ekamra Walks
Endowed with sanctity, sacredness and Divinity.
Just outside this very temple, one of the religiously dressed person – veshti, barechested and twiceborn by the sacred thread – was easing himself against the very walls of this temple. However in such an act of apparent disregard and lack of devotion, his sacred thread was wound around his right ear – a customary practice amongst the Brahmins.
While we might jump to the conclusion of hypocrisy, narrow mindedness, foolishness or such other terms – it’s worthwhile to recollect that spirituality is a journey and entails a transition from the tangible to intangible, from external to internal, from action to intent and so on.
The sight brought in me emotions of both – angst and adoration at the same moment !
संस्कृतम् 