Bought at a Temple auction!

“Bought at a Temple auction” is Query No. 7 in my blog titled ‘Family Quiz’ of 24th June 2009. The answer is Srikanth, my eldest son. We bought him as a few days old baby in Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple-auction! at Yadagirigutta.

Similarly, all other 23 questions I have listed in the Quiz have very interesting and informative answers and descriptions behind them. Each of the statements in the quiz pertains to one family member. Amusing tales and blogs can be written on these. These events are just matter-of-fact, one in a million happenings in the lives of each of our family members. So if I decide to write on more and more such events in the family, there would never be dearth to my blogs!

We were blessed with a son on 8th September 1983. A few days later; I do not remember the exact date, we took the baby to Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple at Yadagirigutta and left him in the temple at the feet of God, as per an ancient custom. This custom is banned long ago but on our request, this was secretly carried out. The temple priests then tied his tiny slender hand with a thick rope to a Temple post. The priests then conducted an auction to sell him to the highest bidder. To prevent any other person from bidding or seeing this ritual a few of the priests surrounded us to camouflage the proceedings. In a mock bid, I made the highest bid and after offering this amount to the Lord’s Hundi, the baby was untied and handed over to us. After seeking God’s blessings for him and ourselves we put him on a folded Sari and using this Sari to rock the baby we carried out the Cradle Ceremony within the temple. A few days later, on 28th Sep., on his 21st day after birth, we celebrated his Namakarnam and Cradle Ceremonies at home. On this day, we named the baby as Srikanth. All close relatives and friends attended this function and blessed Srikanth and us. It was a very happy day for us.

Before the birth of Srikanth, my wife had few miscarriages. This worried us and especially the elders in the family. To ward off any evil to the newly born child the elders decided to follow this ancient ritual of offering the baby to God and then buying back from him. May God continue to protect and bless Srikanth richly.