By Rajesh Misra, IANS
Varanasi : Here's a shortcut through cyberspace to the gods – instead of going all the way to the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi, one of India's most popular pilgrimage destinations, devotees can now offer prayers from their homes through a website created by the temple committee.
"You need not undertake a long tedious journey to Varanasi to seek the blessings of Lord Vishwanath. It would now be possible for devotees sitting even thousands of miles away to offer prayers before the deity with just a click of the mouse," said Varanasi Divisional Commissioner Nitin Gokaran.
"Where we have taken the lead over all other places of worship in the country is that any henceforth offerings can also be made through credit cards," Gokaran told IANS.
Gokaran formally inaugurated the website www.shrikashivishwanath.org Wednesday. The site has already received 39,620 hits as people log on to seek the blessings of Baba Vishwanath, as Lord Shiva is addressed in this ancient Hindu holy city.
While devotees are excited about the virtual prayers, traditional Varanasi priests are sore. Calling it "unfair", Ram Chandra Shukla, a senior priest, said: "This is going to hit all of us hard. Our families will suffer.
"I don't think one can get the same satisfaction of performing puja before a computer screen as one gets before the real god. After all, this type of puja would not conform to the traditional Vedic tenets," he added.
Temple official Radhe Shyam Pathak, however, said: "This is going to bring to an end the virtual extortion by some priests, who often force devotees to shell out all that they have in the name of god."