Vijayawada: Temples to perform special poojas, homams on June 16

Vijayawada: The State government, which stood on top of the list in the country in taking all the necessary measures to control the spread of the pandemic coronavirus, has decided to perform special pooja and conduct homams on June 16 as part of the steps to check the spread of the pandemic.

The entire State of Andhra Pradesh will reverberate with chanting of Vedic hymns on that day.

The Endowments Department has directed the executive officers of all famous temples in the State to perform the rituals on coming Monday an auspicious day for such events.

Special Commissioner of the Endowments P Arjun Rao asked the executive officers of 16 famous temples in the State, including the Indrakeeladri, the abode of Goddess Kanakadurga in Vijayawada, Lord Malleswara, the presiding deity in Srisailam and Lord Narsimha Swamy at Simhachalam, to seek the divine blessings to the people of the nation in general and for those living in Andhra Pradesh in particular.

The performing of the religious activity includes chanting of Veda Mantras, performing Homams, Japams, Pranayamams and Abhishekams to the presiding deities. "There is a mention in the Vedas that performing special rituals to the Almighty will help protect mankind from various deadly diseases.

"Amid fears of community spread of Coronavirus, the Endowments Department thus, has decided to conduct these special poojas to ward off the threat," Arjun Rao added.

"We are in darkness about the virus. There is no cure and people are full of fear. The only thing that can bring solace is prayers," he said.

In fact, the initiative has come from a member of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Trust Board Krishnamoorthy Viadyanathan, to perform the rituals on the auspicious Bhoumashvina Day that falls on June 16.

The TTD Trust Board member wrote to the Special Commissioner (Endowment) quoting Bhagavatha Purana Ashtama Skandha in which Dhanvantari, an Amsavathara of Lord Vishnu, revealed the science of medicine to the world.

In an 18-page letter to the Endowments Department, Krishnamoorthy has quoted the Vedas in which the Almighty declared that he can kill any kind of worms at any place, including the human body.

Hence, the Department of Endowments under the guidance of Special Chief Secretary, JSV Prasad, directed the executive officers of all the16 temples to perform the rituals strictly following the guidelines laid down in the Agama Sastras, Arjun Rao observed.