426 What a great good governance!

Simhachalam Devasthanam (Hindu Temple, Visakhapatnam).  Photo courtesy: wikipedia.org.



My father who is aged nearly 90, wanted to visit Simhachalam, and take part in the Lord's wedding worship  (Kalyanam pooja).   Though I am an atheist, as a son, I felt that I should fulfill his desire.  HE is at a sunset stage.  Besides, I can't impose my beliefs on him.



I wanted to get relevant information such as pooja timings, ticket prices, resthouse (choultry, satram) timings, resthouse rates, etc. from the website of the temple.


Here are the website addresses of the temple:


http://www.simhachalamdevasthanam.org.in/


http://www.simhachalamdevasthanam.org.in/pooja.html.


I found that both the sites are not opening, in spite of several attempts.

My readers, may try their hands, by clicking the above links.




As a part of my satya sodhana, to elicit reasons for the site not functioning, and when the site will re-open to public, I wanted to contact the Endowments Department, New Residual Andhra Pradesh under whose administration the Simhachalam Devasthanam functions.


Their website:


http://www.apendowments.gov.in/Pages/default.aspx.




This website opened.  Funnily, this website has no "contacts" page.  What does that convey?  Do the Endowment Department Officials think that nobody should contact them, or nobody should be able to contact them?

This website is said to have been designed and developed by Centre for Good Governance.  If there was any technical snag,  this "Good Governance" Centre ought to have suggested to the Endowments Commissioner that a website without contact page will be like a cuckoo which cannot hear or sing.  Or did the Endowments Commissioner tell the Centre for Good Governance, we do not want a website of Good Governance, you have to design a WEBSITE of 'the best governance'.

Did the Endowments Commissioner tell the CFGG "If there is a contact page , so many people will contact us, it will be a headache, hence don't design that page.?"

On this home page of the apendowments, we have a link: MAJOR TEMPLES, READ MORE with photo of one temple.  We shall click it.  What we get now?

http://www.apendowments.gov.in/Temples/Pages/67Temples.aspx


Now, we get  a list of 67 temples in undivided A.P.

We now, select item No. 46 of the list, which is


http://eis.cgg.gov.in/majortemplelist.aspx?temple=81&Name=Simhachalam-1.jpg

This particular page is very informative.  But I have to try and retry to access this page.  Some of the options available on this page:

Temple Assets Information   1.Adopted Temples Information   2.Aarjita Sevas Information   3.Accommodation Details.   4.Assessable Income Particulars (3Years)   5.Buildings Acquisition Details   6.Court Litigation Details.   7.Educational Institutions Details.   8.Employees Information   9.FDR Particulars 10.General Information 11.History of the Temple 12.Hundials Information 13.Immovable Property (Buildings) Particulars 14.Immovable Property (Lands) Particulars 15.Jewellery Particulars 16.Land Acquisition Particulars 17.Loans Given/Taken from other Institutions 18.Prasadams Information 19.Sale of Buildings Report 20.Sale of Lands Particulars 21.Source of Income Particulars 22.Statue / Idols Details 23.Statutory Payment Particulars 24.Sub Temples Information 25.Welfare Activities Below is a link to the second page of arjitaseva sevas information (No. 2 above), it mentions about Sasvata Kalyanam, annual, Rs. 10,000/-. But there is no clarity about the amount a person has to pay for participation only once, whether such kalyanams are performed to utsava deities of the Gods every day, who can participate in that, who can witness that, etc. etc. S.No    Aarjitha Seva Name    Seva Type    Performance Time    Cost(In.RS)    No.Of Pilgrims allowed    Max No.Of Tickets available 1     Swarna Pushpa Archana     Weekly     7.00     1,116     2     20 2     Sahasranaamarchana     Daily     6.00 - 11.30, 12.30 - 14.30, 15.30 - 19.00     200     2     20 3     ASTHOTTARAM     Daily     6.00 - 11.30, 12.30 - 14.30, 15.30 - 19.00     100     2     500 4     GoPooja     Daily     6.00 - 11.30, 12.30 - 14.30     50     2     30 5     ANNAPRASANA     Daily     6.00 - 11.30, 12.30 - 14.30     50     6     10 6     Vahana Pooja - 2W     Daily     6.00 - 11.30, 12.30 - 17.00     100     5     20 7     Vahana Pooja - 4W     Daily     6.00 - 11.30, 12.30 - 17.00     200     5     20 8     Vahana Pooja Bus Lorry     Daily     6.00 - 11.30, 12.30 - 17.00     300     5     20 9     Seeghra Darshanam     Daily     6.00 - 11.30, 12.30 - 14.30, 15.30 - 19.00     100     1     3000 10     KESAKANDANA     Daily     6.00 - 11.30, 12.30 - 14.30, 15.30 - 19.00     10     1     5000            S.No Aarjitha Seva Name Seva Type Performance Time Cost(In.RS) No.Of Pilgrims allowed Max No.Of Tickets available 11 LADDU ONE Daily 6.00 - 11.30, 12.30 - 14.30, 15.30 - 19.00 10 1 20000 12 PULIHORA ONE PACKET Daily 6.00 - 11.30, 12.30 - 14.30, 15.30 - 19.00 5 1 15000 13 Laksha Kumkumarchana Daily 6.00 - 11.30, 12.30 - 14.30, 15.30 - 19.00 1,116 5 5 14 SASWATHA ASTTOTRAM Annually 6.00 - 11.30, 12.30 - 14.30, 15.30 - 19.00 1,000 5 3000 15 SASWATHA SAHASRANAMAM Annually 6.00 - 11.30, 12.30 - 14.30, 15.30 - 19.00 2,000 5 3000 16 Shashwatha Kalyanam Annually 9.30-10.30 10,000 5 1000

So, we have made some progress. But not enough.

I shall search elsewhere, and resume this experience narration again.