When the stars go crazy

[1]

Former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor and his friend Sunanda Pushkar are the latest celeb couple to visit Srikalahasti temple and perform the famous rahu-ketu puja, that is believed to negate the ill-effects in a relationship that is facing obstacles and friction.
Their visit on Saturday injected some much-needed enthusiasm to the temple, which had been in the media limelight for all the wrong reasons since the collapse of the Rajagopuram on May 26.
Also known as Dakshin Kailash, the temple has attracted a host of celebrities over the last decade who have performed the rahu-ketu puja here. Astrologer and palmist Palakkad Narayan Iyer says, “One of the main reasons why couples are advised to visit Srikalahasti is because this temple is a rahu-ketu kshetram. Rahu and ketu are the reasons why couples face a lot of friction in their relationships.Basically, rahu and ketu signify the two nodes of the moon and a serpent represents these.”
The two grahas are said to symbolise the dark sides of our personalities and that’s why it’s important to perform shanti pujas to appease them. Rahu causes mental problems, anxiety, misfortune, loss of wealth, etc. while ketu is responsible for causing misunderstandings in relationships.
Another reason why people visit this temple is to negate the ill-effects of sarpa dosha. According to Indian astrology, any person who suffers from this undergoes a lot of problems in their relationship with their spouse and women who have this dosha are said to face difficulties in conceiving. In fact, this is one of the main reasons why childless couples are advised to visit Srikalahasti. And unmarried girls, whose kundali shows they have a sarpa dosha, will find it difficult to get married.
Though devotees have been performing the rahu-ketu puja here for centuries, the celebrity craze perhaps started when then-Indian Test team captain Sourav Ganguly and his filmstar-friend Nagma, came here to perform the puja in 2001. Unfortunately for them, immediately after the incident, Ganguly started being plagued by the media about an alleged extra-marital affair with Nagma. But it surely did help Ganguly’s wife Dona.
Sambandham Gurukul Swamiji, a senior priest who performs pujas in the garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum) at the temple, however, feels it’s got nothing to do with celebrities in particular. “Everybody is equal before the Lord. Everyone has problems in their lives and they come here to get relieved of the burden,” he said.
Quoting the relevance of Agama Sastras, the senior priest says, “This is the only place in the world where you don’t have a separate temple for Navagrahams as they are one with the Lord in the form of Navagraha Kavacham. He is also the Lord of Nava Rasas. The power of Srikalahasti is based on astrology and has been proved scientifically. This place is like a jammer with unlimited frequency, which destroys the power of bad omens (doshas). If any bad influence needs to be destroyed, one should come under the scanner here,” he said.