Sights on Morning Walks - Sri Yellamma Pochamma Temple

 And another place of great significance in our area is the Yellamma Pochamma temple which is on the Balkampet road. I have seen this temple grow from a small one (just like I remember seeing Peddmma gudi in Jubileee Hills being a  really small one where people would come every Sunday and sacrifice goats or chicken and feast and make merry). There would always be a lot of activity around the temple and it suddenly took off in the recent years with the road being blocked off on major festivals. Many believe she is a powerful deity and many rich and powerful people apparently visit it.

I have never stepped into the temple more because we got used to the group of temples near Hindu school near Allwyn which is where my mother would go. I am not a religious person but I am not averse to stepping into temples and taking in the vibes and the peace. So the other day when I took a slightly different route and found myself right in front of the temple, I decided to step in since it was empty (normally it is not).

Being Bhogi day, and the 13th of Janaury (also my mother's anniversary) I decided to head in. Interestingly I placed my walking shoes next to a bunch of slippers which were placed on the road as I did not find the place where to deposit the shoes. No sooner had I stepped into the empty queue did I tunr back to see one gentleman making off with my shoes. I jumped over the rails and ran and caught him and took my shoes - he looked at me worried that I might indulge in beating up activities (which I do not engage in) or police calling activities or some such. i returned and found the place to deposit the shoes and went in.

I went in the wrong way and figured that I needed to enter the main entrance to see the main deities. The rails lead you into an underground area where the deities are - Sri Yellamma Pochamma. The small browd would not move, people were clicking pics despite boards saying they should not. I somehow made it past them after a while and being mom's anniversary put some money in the hundi on her name. Out and up, and we head to the next complex which have deities of Sri Pochamma, Sri Nagadevatha and Ganapathi. As with most powerful temples, there is a belief that what you seek will be given and there is a ritual around it normally - like tying a thread or something. I did not go into those details. Maybe some other time.

Outside I found that my shoes were intact because even here there is no concept of tokens or any security. I looked at it is an empowering omen - that I recovered something I could have lost and walked back home.

Unfortunately one cannot get a good pic of the temple because there is a huge cover on the road the covers the temple facade.