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Temples in India have always fascinated me. Right from the age of 12, I would ask the priests to explain the prominence of the shrines and carried a tiny notepad with me wherever I went,” said Sita Dorairaj at the launch of her book, Temples of India: A spiritual journey, translated from Tamil to English by Sundar Krishnamurthy. It was launched by S Narayan, former finance and economic affairs secretary, Government of India.

The book talks about the intriguing story of 101 temples in India. Sita developed a passion for visiting temples and started compiling information about temples over a period of 30 years. She has visited 68 of the 101 temples mentioned in the book. She wrote about the spiritual shrines first in 2003 for a North American Tamil magazine called Thendral.  

“The book emphasises on the architecture and medicinal orientation of each temple. This would help people know about the lesser-known temples in India and their prominence. It is also very important for kids of this generation to have little knowledge about temples as they carry a part of our past,” said Sita, talking about her book.

When asked about any interesting fact mentioned in her book, she spoke about the medicinal properties at the Thirukazhukundram temple in Kancheepuram. “Most of the plants, on the either sides of stairs on the way to the temple, have medicinal values. They are especially useful for treating blood pressure and mental illness.”

Replying to what her favourite temple is among the 101 she wrote about, she named Shringeri Sharadamba Temple in Sringeri. She tagged it a ‘must visit’.

Medicine in temples
Talking about interesting facts mentioned in her book, she mentioned the medicinal properties at Thirukazhukundram temple in Kancheepuram. “Most of the plants, on the either sides of stairs on the way to the temple, have medicinal values. They are useful for treating blood pressure and mental illness.”

 

Source web page: New indian express