(from "The Goddess and the Guru"):
Those who attended the Prathista also got an early taste of Guruji’s unique and personal approach to temple worship. Atypically, there were no priests or other “gatekeepers” standing between the worshipers and the worshiped: no altars, and no restrictions based on caste, gender, or religion. It was a hands-on temple, and everyone was welcome to participate in pujas and freely interact with the deities of their choice.
“In most other temples, the deity sculptures are far away,” Guruji explained. “You can’t touch them; often you can’t even see them. But at Devipuram you can walk up and touch them, get to know them, literally shake hands with them! That’s our specialty: the deities are not kept far away in guarded towers. They are all fully accessible to all, and that accessibility is an important part of the experience. I want people to come and enjoy spirituality in resonance with nature, so that their finer instincts come to the fore. That was the vision I had.”
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