| Vishnu
Mayam Jagat |
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| Temples
Of India |
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| INTRODUCTION |
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| Another piece of information deserves my acquaintance with you now, and it is of great importance for both of us. It is about
the, selection of temples extant. As in the previous book, I followed the five-fold criteria - antiquity, divinity, popularity,
installation and adoration. The selected ones are mostly ancient, I may venture to qualify it with the word extremely, but
cannot guarantee a hundred percent adherence to it. There are a few, and I have deliberately included the modern ones for
their special merits, as no water-light compartmentalisation is possible. Secondly, regarding divinity, such of the Presiding
Deities who enthralled the bhaktas by their miracles and lifted them for the welfare of the generality of the community in that
locality is given priority. The criterion of popularity is a relative term and it gains creditability by the deliverance of people, out
of infinite mercy of the Lord, demonstrated through miracles again and again, irrespective of the time of construction. In this
also, strict adherence is impossible. Installation aspect received full and undivided attention. Humans, enjoying the highest
acclaim for their super human powers, whose installation ushered in a new era of progress and beatitude in the temple
history is given due credit. In certain temples. installation by men of spiritual eminence with auspicious chakra etc. raised the
glory of the temple to the peaks. Such factor is also kept in mind in the selection. Finally, adoration
i e. method of worship. Should it be with rituals or without them? Certain divinities demand elaborate worship, involving huge
sums of money and long duration of time, whereas others are infinitely pleased with nothing except soulful involvement and
implementing the Prapathi principle. Does this not merit supreme consideration? I followed this also. I should say with utmost
sincerity, all these are kept as guide lines, and if any violation has crept in, it is purely due to expediency which cannot be
avoided even by the strictness itself, if born in flesh and blood. My objective is only to be bound by certain norms that
heighten the beauty. And the work pregnant with quality. In all the sections, I endeavoured to be obedient to the chosen
criteria of the format. Honest confession demands my expression of deviating in certain places where the material is out of
grasp.
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