Offerings
Sevas you can book
Booked at the counter beside the eastern entrance. Bring the name and gotra of anyone the seva is offered for.
This is not a booking office
The Melukote Guruji Foundation is a private charitable trust. It is not the temple's booking counter and not a government office, and it does not take bookings for these sevas — the temple does. What the foundation can do is tell you what a seva involves, what it asks of you and how to arrange it, which is usually the harder half. Telephone and ask.
Archana and abhisheka
Offered at the sanctum in the name and gotra of whoever the seva is for.
- Archana (ashtottara)
- Sahasranama archana
- Abhisheka
Family ceremonies
Arranged with the office beforehand, and performed at the temple.
- Namakarana and karnavedha — naming and ear-piercing
- Chowla
- Upanayana
- Marriage
- Mudi — the hair offering
- Mane seve
Offerings
Made at the counter, most of them on the day.
- Coconut and karpoora aarati
- Yantra
- Aralappa
- Pinda offering
- Brindavana seva
Pratishthe
The rite of installing, for something newly built or newly bought.
- Mantapa pratishthe
- Vahana pratishthe
Vahana pooja
For a new vehicle. The counter lists three classes.
- Two-wheelers and autorickshaws
- Cars and tempos
- Buses, lorries and heavy vehicles
Utsava
The Lord taken out from the sanctum. Festival days, and by arrangement.
- Bijaya — the Lord borne in procession
- Garudotsava and the other vahana utsavas
- Ashtatirtha mantapapadi
On the hill
Offerings made on the way up, rather than at the sanctum.
- The full flight of steps
- Nine steps
- Biladwaara
The trust asks for an offering rather than a fixed tariff, and it varies with the day and the arrangement. The counter will tell you plainly, or telephone the office before you travel.
No one is turned away for being unable to give. Darshana, tirtha and the midday meal are free to everybody, every day.
Yagnas
Homas and havanas
Performed at the homa kunda within the kshetra — and, for a family who cannot travel to it, joined from wherever they are by video call.
In person at the kshetra
The family attends at the homa kunda, takes the sankalpa themselves and receives the prasada and tirtha at the close. Come the evening before if you are travelling far.
Joined by video call
For families who cannot travel. The purohita takes the sankalpa in your name and gotra with you on the call, and the prasada is posted to you afterwards. You are present for it, not sent a recording of it.
- Ganapathi homa
- Dhanvantari homa
- Santana Venugopala homa
- Lakshmi homa
- Sudarshana homa
- Narasimha homa
- Gandaberunda homa
- Kushmanda homa
- Varaha homa
- Kumbha vivaha
- Navagraha homa
- Ayushya homa
Which homa is performed is not chosen off a list — it is read from the horoscope, so bring the birth details of whoever it is for. What is not named here can still be asked for. Telephone the office and say what it is for.
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