I was under the impression that Om Shakti Amma is a lady and had wondered " Hmmm... amazing Sanyasin this one is !!" (Puttting together Rs.600 crores to build a temple and coordinating the project to its successful completion is a mind boggling feat by any standards , for any human being!) .. And I was under the impression that the Darshanam in this lesser known, under publicized ( I hadn't read or seen anything about it in the media) temple will be easy and it will be just a walk through.. I was also cynical that, this will be just another mega construction,by an unimaginably rich Mutt , unabashedly flaunting its wealth and its rich devotee following.. And I couldn't be more wrong on all these assumptions !
Aralthiru Om Shakti Amma is a young male Sadhu with very insightful thoughts on everything, the place was over crowded and witnessing the magnificent and majestic spectacle of The Temple was blissfully divine!! It has to be seen to be believed..it is simply breathtaking !you will very soon run out of superlatives if you start describing the temple!! Built at the centre of a sprawling , star shaped 200 acre plot( named 'Sripuram' now), this
completely gold plated sanctum is located in the middle of a pond. The reflection of the temple gives an amazing optical illusion of an another identical structure located right underneath. The whole temple glows like fire under the strategically placed illumination ( obviously it is best seen after sunset). The impeccably clean premises( surprise , surprise !!) are strewn with placards displaying the sayings of the Seer. The walk way to reach the sanctum( the golden temple proper) encircles it. I found it very thoughtful and intelligent.. while waiting in those long, unending queues to reach the sanctum you can be continuously enjoying the awesome view of the temple from different angles. The worshiping deity of the temple is Ma Shakti , Amma Narayani (an avatar of Lakshmi). If you chose the special darshanam which costs Rs.250 for two, you will be allowed very close to the sanctum sanctorum and you can see the magnificent deity resplendent with dazzling adornments for about 5 minutes.. I will tell you those 250 bucks are worth spending for that mind blowing spectacle. Of course as a bonus, you will get to jump the long queue and will receive a bag of prasadam .
Reaching there from Bangalore is easy especially if you are driving on your own. It is about 10 kms from Vellore City in Tamilnadu and about 215 kms from Bangalore( if you are starting at Electronic City). The road is excellent and the journey is very comfortable. From electronic city you will have take NH7 till Krishnagiri( Electronic city-Hosur-Krishnagiri), from there you need to take a left after the toll booth to enter NH46 to reach Vellore( Krishnagiri, Ambur, Vaniyambadi, Vellore). Yes, the toll!! you will have to pass three user fee collection booths on the way( Krishnagiri, Vaniyambadi, Vellore) that will you put you down by Rs.!56 ( if you are in a car and if you buy two way tickets... it makes sense to buy like that if you are planning to return the same day). You can conveniently leave Bangalore by around 12noon and be back at around 10pm , because the road is really good and ... emply! It makes sense to have lunch at Bangalore since there are no good hotels on the way( eat atleast at Hosur, that will be your last chance it you don't mind waiting till you reach Vellore).
It is truly one of those places one must see before dying. Go and see it as soon as possible..
p.s:
Photography is prohibited, so couldn't post any images.
