Pray at Hyderabad temple and get a visa

Hyderabad, Dec 2 (ANI): A unique temple situated close to Hyderabad, is attracting devotees, as there is a belief that offering prayers to the deity would fulfil their wish of obtaining visas to travel abroad.

Several Indian youth, each year aspire to go abroad, but enough visas are not issued by foreign nations. Thus, devotees seek divine intervention and head to the Chilkur Balaji Temple, which houses the 'Visa God'.

"I come here at least once or twice every year. I had visited the temple to pray for the visa for the very first time, it's been one year since I got my visa. This time I have come for a vacation. There were problems initially, I did not get the visa for the first time, as I had not come to the temple, but after offering prayers to the deity, I got my visa," said Yashwant, a devotee.

The famous temple was built almost 500 years ago. The temple attracts thousands of pilgrims each year, as several affirm that their wish to go abroad was granted by the presiding deity, Chilkur Balaji.

Temple authorities have remained particular about following certain norms, including a practice that all the devotees must stand in a queue with utmost discipline to get a 'darshan' of the deity.

The devotees go through a round of prayers, including 11 circumambulations of the shrine and make a vow that they would be back at the temple, once their wish is granted.

After their wish is fulfilled, the devotees circumambulate 108 times around the sanctum sanctorum, as a symbol of thanksgiving to the deity.

"This is a special temple, which has got a prayer in the form of pradakshanams (circumambulations), 11 pradakshanams a devotee does and prays for whatever wish he is having. When the wish is fulfilled, the devotee comes and does 108 pradakshanams in Chilkur Balaji temple," said Rang Rajan, temple priest.

"There are different types of prayers, most importantly, people interested in pursuing their career outside the country, they come here and pray, they do 11 pradakshanams, they are asking for a visa to be blessed by the lord," he added.

The Balaji temple is one of the oldest temples in the Telangana region built during the time of Akkanna and Madanna, the uncles of Bhakta Ramadas. (ANI)