From the Hindu... into the Hundi

(Some context for people who are not familiar with the term Hundi : it is a South Indian term for a donation box, nice and big, kept in temples. Funds are usually used for maintenance and renovations of the temple, or for organizing ceremonies and the like)

In my most recent India trip, I had the opportunity to travel to one of the most orthodox South Indian temples close to Tirupati, called Kalahasti. Legend goes that the temple was constructed to celebrate the salvation of a spider, an elephant and a snake by blessings of Lord Shiva.

While I am not a religion enthusiast and have unconventional views of religion, God and spirituality, I sometimes enjoy visits to temples. There are some conditions under which I enjoy them: (a) I go of my own volition (b) the place has some standards of cleanliness and hygiene (c) there aren’t too many people in the temple (d) the architecture is noteworthy (e) the priests are devout.

What I experienced during this visit was quite interesting. As soon as I went in, there were certain very specific things I had to buy: a couple of silver snakes- there were two different kinds, of two different sizes, and I had to get one of each, a couple of coconuts, lots of turmeric and two pieces of bright cloth. Armed with these things, you enter your path to salvation. For the longest duration along this path, you sit on a turmeric- covered greasy floor. During this time, you place the two serpents on the cloth, and at regular intervals, to the tune of mantras, you offer turmeric to these snakes. This ritual is the crux of your visit. While you do this, you get to see an array of interesting things- ranging from annoyed babies crying their lungs out, to “the salvation tour guides” eagerly clinging on to the steel railings around you, waiting to follow you as you get up- so reminded me of a pet dog eager for his bone!

Once you’re done, (you have offered the cloth to the serpent gods at the end of the ritual), you start your long, winding- yes, literally “winding”, serpentine- like the two serpents you just worshipped, road to the main sanctum. On your way, you are tugged, pulled, pushed, stamped and hugged by the gazillion devotees. Arduous as it may be, you have to do it to see the Lord! The Lord in the sanctum is smiling at all his devotees competing for him; so tug with all your might, so he might notice you, and pull yourself forward!

And then…. you finally reach the sanctum! It’s dark, except for a faint light from the camphor. Now finally is the time for the religious to meet God and the mythology aficionados to appreciate the idol in all its detail. But wait…. you can’t stand there! You’ve got to “keep moving”, as you will learn from the priest in Telugu what-sound-like-swear-words. I tried to combat the chiding priest and the weight of the crowd falling on me to take a look, but when I almost tipped over, I was forced to call it quits and “keep moving”.

As you walk out, you break the coconuts and offer them to God, and put the two silver snakes along with blessed Indian Rupees into the Hundi… here goes the sacrifice to the Lord… from the Hindu … into the Hundi! You return home empty-handed, but of course, you have accrued all the good karma you need and a ticket to immortality.

Oh, and don’t forget to show your appreciation liberally to the guide who followed you from the time you entered the temple to the time you made your Hundi offering! He is the bridge between you and God- he shows people, actually, many a people the path to heaven.

The spirituality industry is fairly advanced. Once there are enough silver snakes to fill up the Hundi, they can certainly be recycled to wash off the next batch of devotees’ sins. Once the industry becomes more advanced, there will be also be silver spiders and silver elephants with the power to purify souls- at least that’s what I envision. After all they are significant in the legend.

Did the word Hundi originate from the word “Hindu”? Or is this a coincidence? All the same, one visit to this temple (and I am sure many others), and you can be sure the two are deeply connected. The former does not exist without the latter, and the latter has no chance of divine intervention without the former. Who said money and spirituality have no connection? They do, and a strong one at that!


That was my two cents (into the Hundi)!

Have a good day!