Sri Rama Sri Tuppadanjaneyaswamy temple is located on Rangaswamy temple street, Ballapura Pete, Bangaluru. The area around the temple is very crowded as it is located in the busy old city area. The temple is dedicated to the worship of Sri Hanuman and Lord Rama, Sita and Lakshmana.
The name of the temple is linked to the ghee lamps (Tuppa meaning ghee in Kannada) that have been burning continuously for twenty four hours a day, seven days a week in the temple for around 400 years. This is due to the continuous stream of devotees who give an offering of ghee. Some of them donate ghee in half or one litre packets or pour them straight into the lamp if there is place to hold it. There are others who buy ghee for Rs 2 or three or five or ten from a vendor in front of the temple, who smears the approximate quantity of ghee on to a leaf and gives them. They in turn pour it into the ghee lamp placed on either side of the Anjaneya Deity.
Many devotees take a vow that they will offer a ghee lamp or a particular quantity of ghee if their wishes are fulfilled. On every Tuesday and Saturday the Hanuman Deity is decorated with butter.
The temple of Anjaneya is many years old and the shrine of Lord Rama was consecrated over a hundred years ago. The temple priest, Sri Keshava Krishna has been carrying on the Deity worship and other rituals from his young age, under the guidance of his father. A board of trustees is looking after the temple activities at present.
The distinguishing feature of this temple is that all the devotees visiting the temple get the opportunity to worship Anjaneya themselves after the morning abhisheka at 9 a.m. except on festival days. The sanctum sanctorum, unlike other temples, doesn’t have a door. According to the priest, long ago when the Deity was installed and devotees were in the process of building the temple and making doors for the sanctum sanctorum, Sri Anjaneya appeared to a few of them in a dream and ordered them not to make doors for his sanctum so that all devotees themselves can touch him directly and worship him at all times. Another feature of this temple is that the rays of the rising sun touch the lotus feet of Hanuman during certain months of the year which is witnessed by many devotees.
As devotees themselves can enter the sanctum sanctorum and offer arathi, two arathi plates are tied by means of a metal chain to the frame. This is probably to ensure that the devotee does not misplace the plate or to prevent some unscrupulous persons from stealing it.
Long ago, the priests of Sri Ranganatha Swamy temple in Ballapura Pete, Bangalore, Sri Archakam Kunnappacharya and Sri Archakam Ayyappacharya were living in a poor condition within the temple precincts. Once they were approached by a yogi, named Shukadeva who sought their permission to stay in the temple. Seeing his radiant look, the priests agreed to his request.
Sri Shukadeva would daily create gold by the power of his mantras and utilize it for noble purposes. On observing this wonderful ability of the yogi, the priests requested him to teach the same to them. Sri Shukadeva said that it would not be appropriate for them to learn this art as they were leading the householder life. He assured them that he would teach them something better and asked them to approach him at an auspicious time after having taken bath and completing their regular rituals. The faithful priests followed his bidding.
Sri Shukadeva installed a stone Deity of Anjaneya and a Yantra with Maha-bijakshara. He told the priests that they should light only ghee lamps on either side of the Deity and asked them to worship the Deity with faith and devotion as per the Vedic rules and regulations. He informed that devotees of Hanuman, on their own would begin the temple construction for Hanuman who would bless them all. Shukadeva asked the priests to circumambulate the Deity thrice and disappeared by the time they finished it.
Later the priests, with the assistance of other devotees, constructed a small temple for Hanuman. In the course of time, Sri Shreenivasacharya, a descendent of one of these priests was inspired by the Lord to build a shrine for Lord Rama within the premises of Anjaneya temple with the assistance of devotees. In the early twentieth century, a devotee by name Smt. Kamalamma had the Deities of Lord Rama, Sita and Lakshmana carved by the sculptor Sri Shankaracharya and had Them installed according to Vaikhanasa Agama.
Many festivals are celebrated here annually. Ramotsava is celebrated with great pomp starting from the day of Ugadi for 45 days. Delicious prasadam is distributed free of cost to thousands of devotees. During the month of Shravana, special poojas are performed daily and the Deities are specially decorated on Saturdays. Sri Anjaneya is offered Trilaksha Archana during the month of Karthika when thousands of devotees attend the ceremony. In the month of Margashira, Hanumath Jayanti and Brahmotsava are celebrated here.
This is praised as this place of worship was visited in the past by the great saint Samarth Ramdas who conducted kirtan here.
This shrine has been visited by many eminent personalities such as Sri Jayachamararajendra Wodeyar (Maharaja of Mysore), Diwan Mirza Ismail and Sri Kengal Hanumanthaiah (erstwhile Chief Minister of Karnataka) for whom this temple was the favorite. Recent notable visitors are Shri H.D. Deve Gowda (former Prime Minister of India) and Shri Sadananda Gowda (former Chief Minister of Karnataka).
The temple remains open from 7 am to 12 noon and from 6 pm to 8:30 pm.
Light the lamp of the temple with ghee and Sri Tuppada Anjaneya is sure to light the life of yours and bring brightness in your thoughts.
Ed [July 2015]
* the author is a freelance proofreader, copy editor
for various ad agencies and publications
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SRI HANUMAN THINKS DIFFERENTLY, THINKS FAST, THINKS AHEAD AND ACTS FOR SURE.
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