Temples in India have come a long way in catering to the needs of their devotees in the IT era. IT has come as a boon to our places of worship to cater to their devotees scattered all across the globe.
E-darshan, e-hundi facilities are commonplace on the websites of the famous temples like the Tirupathi temple, ISKCON and Akshardham temples. E- darshan allows devotees to glimpse the presiding deity through the website via live pictures or a web cam. E-hundi facility can be availed by devotees to send in their offerings in the form of money or material via the Net.
Some websites even allow devotees to do puja to their deity over the web, offer flowers, light incense sticks, break coconuts to the sound of hymns chanting in the background, all thanks to Flash applications. ISKCON website has some innovative applications that show a different name of Krishna on the welcome page along with the meaning of the name, on each visit to the site. It also hosts a online Bhagvad Gita edition for visitors to read. The Tirupathi website offers devotees the opportunity to book accommodation in and around the temple environs.
The Hindu today carried a news excerpt of a new offering being made by the Tirupathi temple administrators. They have tied up with cellular operators that allow people to book their darshan timings via SMS. Now that should bring a smile on the faces of thousands of devotees who could queue up for hours together to get a 30 second glimpse of the presiding deity of Tirumala hills, Lore Venkateshwara.
IT will definitely go a long way in changing the way devotees and temples have been associated with each other.
If the article has brought out the devotee in you, follow the links below to get one step closer to salvation
Telugu Torananam - http://www.telugutoranam.com/devotional/balaji.html
Tirupathi - http://www.tirumala.org/
ISKCON - http://www.iskcon.com/
Aksharadham - http://www.akshardham.com/
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