Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Nuggikeri Temple - Dharwad

I still remember all my engineering days when all of us used to go to Nuggikeri Temple,that was a routine every saturday. For almost two years me and my group of ten girls would walk down from our college SDM CET to Nuggikerre. Some of us went barefoot and some of us fasted the whole day and ate only after coming back from the temple.I often did both.Sometimes i went there on an activa with my brother.Nobody misses on going to Nuggikeri.Nobody! Going there was only the second best part.It's a very calm and serene walk,but not more than the location of the temple itself.Very very gorgeous and serene. A temple on the banks of a lake,surrounded my miles of green landscape.You know to be there and be able to visit Nuggikerre every saturday itself is kind of a blessing.You just know you belong there!! I'm sure the other hundreds of people who came there every saturday felt the same.

When the exams were nearing I'd pray that the exams go well,after the exam I'd pray that we pass in this particular paper which was so tough!! When there were tough times I even cried praying there. I prayed for courage and strength to bare it all. The rest of the times I just went there and said hello to Hanuman and thank him for the life he has given me. There's a custom of tying saffron and yellow holy threads to the railing on the wall behind Hanuman.I used to  make a wish and tie a knot,like a bow so i knew it was mine.Since I'm from Bombay and not Dharwad, it was my dream to take my husband once to Nuggikerre after I got married. I wanted him to know this place which was a very important part of my life and also i wanted to show him to my favourite Nuggikeri Hanuman.I doubted my wish could come true as i later found out my husband to be works in Singapore and we probably won't have much time to visit Dharwad,let alone Nuggikeri.

Hanuman called me and my husband there to come meet him.A week after my marriage we'd to go to mangalore for all the pujas we'd to attend.My husband had booked Air India tickets about two months back.As fate had it Air India was on strike and was cancelling all the flights. I remember we went to every Bus Travel office, noone had two tickets to mangalore,of course there was no question of getting train tickets!! Peak season!! We'd no other way but to drive to mangalore from bombay,my parents were a bit worried about just us making such a long trip and they accompanied us. Dharwad happened to be on the way to mangalore!!! I was just praying for it!!! Destiny!! As i stood there in front of Nuggikeri Hanuman, it was surreal. I couldn't thank god for all that he has given me, a lovely husband too. I prayed for our married life to be happy and happiness to my family. I'll always love Nuggikeri Hanuman from the bottom of my heart.