Virtual Darshan or e-darshan On the Rise Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com CHENNAI, INDIA, November 20, 2009: For Abhishek, a software engineer, this year’s birthday was very special. Sitting in his apartment in Texas, he felt quite at home as he watched a special archana’ being performed in his name at Chennai’s famous Vadapalani Murugan temple, which he has frequented as a boy.
It was a “virtual” divine experience for him as he watched live his parents, settled in Chennai, pulling the golden chariot carrying the procession deity to fulfill a vow on his behalf. “Though our son is living thousands of miles away, we felt together as he was watching the rituals live on his birthday. It gave us an immense sense of satisfaction and happiness,” his father, Lakshmanan, said. Live telecasts of pujas can be watched on the websites of many temples, and also on the new www.e-darshan.org, a website to watch live webcasts of special pujas and rituals. They have become an alternative to devotees living abroad and also in other parts of the India.
