Thestoryof A Villagetemple (For Children) Poem by Indira Renganathan

Once a village was hit by drought
Rain failed and cultivation failed
People had to move out from there
Evacuating the village
One last couple were adamant
Unwilling to move from their place
Yet having no choice they too left

With no form of transport support
That village people had to walk
Their way and many walked in search
So too the final old couple
In slow pace walked and walked much hard
Wearied as the night fell they sought
To rest in a wayward mantap

A stone mantap lonely it was
It was a hot night so arid
Used up all the water they brought
Dire the couple wanted water
A miracle then happened
There just flashed a saintly figure
With a big jugful of water

No sooner they emptied the jug
Than they felt what was happening
They saw a saint smiling in front
A gesture of thanks they did show
Smiling they asked who that saint was
That great saint did not answer but
Vanished into the air swiftly

Anxious to know about the saint
One more day the couple stayed there
While all else had gone away far
In search of a safe dwelling place
The old couple had no mind to
Leave their native village at all
And now thought the saint might help them

The next night too as expected
The saint came with food and water
Thanked the couple next humbly asked
Who he was and could he help them
A forthwith acceptance saint gave
But with a demand for a vow
That they should oblige in return

Agreed the couple, asked for rains
To ward off the drought once for all
Bestowed the saint a boon at once
There! rain poured and poured in answer
That not only the village but
All places around the village
Also were blessed for two days

Now with his demand saint came back
A temple, an abode for him
With all the daily rituals
Be built as promised by the two
Taken aback for a while though
The couple politely agreed
And walked back to their village next

Blessed, it was a blissful surprise
The village had turned to the best
Fertile and replenished fully
Hearing the news gone all came back
Prevailed a brimming happiness
That people all vowed to construct
The temple as asked by the saint

It was a mystical change that
Life does meet sometimes on its march
Temple built, rituals practised
As vouchsafed in full thankfulness
As a mark of faith in that saint
There had been a contented life
For ever in that small village

Miracle sometimes when happens
Happens a happy change this way




Note taken from the internet:

Mantap or Mandapams are where travellers stopped to rest and,
despite the neglect, still serve as a treasure trove of our rich past.

They were used till perhaps just two generations ago by pilgrims, traders and travellers to rest.They cooked there and slept. They sang songs.During rains, they perhaps found comfortable shelters in these mandapams.

It was a silent service. Not charity, but service. Service with nothing expected in return. It has no English equivalent - and usually not for oneself, but for posterity, for the community and for the state.