ByGirish Kumar Dubey
Varanasi, the temple city in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh boasts of a unique bank where Hindu devotees deposit their prayers dedicated to Lord Shiva!
Yes, these devotees deposit their books filled with chants 'Om Namah Shivaya' at this bank which functions during the month of Shravana (monsoon), regarded as an auspicious period.
The 'banking' temple close to the banks of River Ganga was set up in 2002 and it accepts deposits in form of handwritten chants Om Namah Shivaya.
Devotees believe they would be blessed by this exercise of depositing the handwritten Panchakshari Mantra (devotional hymn dedicated to Lord Shiva).
Rajendra Trivedi, a devotee said there is no fee for opening an account and paper is provided to the devotees by the bank.
"You just need to take a notebook and become a member of this religious bank. There is no fee to open an account; one has to merely write Panchakshari Mantra (devotional song dedicated to Lord Shiva) innumerable times. The difference between the two banks is that unlike the commercial bank it is not money oriented and does not take any deposit to open account. Here prayers and belief in Lord Shiva are accumulated. Well, there is no tax on anything," said Rajendra Trivedi.
Over the years millions of such handwritten papers have been deposited and these have been bundled and kept in shelves at the bank.
"I have been associated with this bank for the past one year and over this period I have been writing the chants. This makes one feel at peace and receive blessings of Lord Shiva protecting from all evils," said another devotee, Ankur Pandey.
According to Hindu scriptures Shiva Purana and Dashavatara (ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu), during the churning of the ocean known as Samundra Manthan, poison emerged out.
The venom was deadly for the entire mankind and divine entities were distraught, unaware how to destroy it.
At this juncture, Lord Shiva took a precarious step of drinking the venom to save his devotees.
He drank the poison but did not swallow it. He allowed it to remain in his throat, which turned his throat blue and the monsoon showers lent him immense relief. Hence Lord Shiva is referred as Neelakantha.
In Sanskrit, Neela means blue, Kantha means throat.
Devotees of Hindu God Shiva deposit their books filled with chants 'Om Namah Shivaya' at a unique bank that functions during the month of Shravana (monsoon), reckoned to be auspicious, at Varanasi in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL
VARANASI, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA (AUGUST 03, 2011) (ANI-NO ACCESS BBC)
1. A DEVOTEE SITTING AT THE RELIGIOUS BANK
2. A DEVOTEE SCRIBBLING PRAYER CHANTS DEDICATED TO HINDU GOD, SHIVA
3. A DEVOTEE WRITING CHANTS ON A NOTEBOOK
4. A DEVOTEE
5. PAPERS WITH THE CHANTS WRITTEN ON THEM
6. (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) RAJENDRA TRIVEDI, A DEVOTEE, SAYING:
"You just need to take a notebook and become a member of this religious bank. There is no fee to open an account; one has to merely write Panchakshari Mantra (devotional song dedicated to Lord Shiva) innumerable times. The difference between the two banks is that unlike the commercial bank it is not money oriented and does not take any deposit to open account. Here prayers and belief in Lord Shiva are accumulated. Well, there is no tax on anything."
7. SEVERAL NOTEBOOKS KEPT ON A SHELF
8. NOTEBOOKS BUNDLED IN CLOTH KEPT ON THE SHELVES
9. FILES KEPT ON THE TABLE
10. (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) ANKUR PANDEY, ANOTHER DEVOTEE, SAYING:
"I have been associated with this bank for the past one year and over this period I have been writing the chants. This makes one feel at peace and receive blessings of Lord Shiva protecting from all evils."
11. DEVOTEES PRAYING
12. DEVOTEE PERFORMING 'AARTI' (HINDU RITUAL OF WORSHIP)
13. DEVOTEE PRAYING
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