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TN temple joins race, holds special prayer for Obama
US presidential hopeful Barack Obama is probably unaware that a temple in Coimbatore is performing special Hindu rites for his safety and success. MR Venkatesh reports.
US presidential hopeful Barack Obama is probably unaware that a temple in Coimbatore is performing special Hindu rites for his safety and success.
Priests at the Dhanwanthri Temple within an ayurvedic hospital and pharmacy complex have been performing the Mrithyunjaya Homam (a special prayer) ritual every day since September 26 to ward evil off Obama’s destiny. The prayers will continue till the US presidential election on November 4.
When PR Krishnakumar, managing director of Arya Vaidya Pharmacy in Coimbatore, 500 km south-west of Chennai, turned on his TV on Tuesday evening, he was taken aback.
‘Plot to kill Barack Obama foiled’, said a ticker on a news channel. But soon this ayurvedic healer felt tremendously relieved that his prayers for Obama’s safety had worked.
“As this news flashed on the TV screen, I got some satisfaction that India has been home to several ancient knowledge systems,” Krishnakumar told HT on Tuesday evening.
Krishnakumar said when he was in the US last month, he saw a TV debate between the presidential candidates. “I was at once impressed by Obama. He came across as a good man who will do good things for India,” Krishnakumar said.
After ascertaining from the Internet where Obama was born (Honolulu in Hawaii), Krishnakumar advised his temple astrologers at Coimbatore on the phone to draw up Obama's astrological chart. After this was done, Obama was found to have “lot of drishti (evil eye) on him”, said Krishnakumar.
Obama's chart predicted “a lot of tension” and a rough, possibly violent road for him in the run-up to the election. “I e-mailed the details and to mitigate these defects it was decided to perform an abishekam (sacred bath) at the temple with tender coconut water every Monday. I also advised the priests to start the Mrithyunjaya Homam and that is how it all came about,” he said.
