Why does every temple have a bell?

 Why does every temple have a bell?

Not only temples, Schools and Colleges also have a bell. All institutions. To maintain discipline. To inform start of a period, end of a period. To inform the discontinuity of current learning, say Biology and switching over to another learning, say Chemistry.

1. In temples, the bell is ring during performance of a ritual. To inform start of a ritual or end of a ritual.

2. Also, there are bells waiting for your hands to ring, which has inner meaning.

To cite an example for 1, In Tirupati, you hear the Sri Vari Ghanta Naadham or Bell Sound at Night 7.30 to 7.50 pm.

The bell sound (Sri Vari Ghanta Naadham) has a long history dating back to 1592.

Venkatadri Raya of Vijayanagara Empire wanted to shift his capital from Penukonda to Tirumala so that he can worship the deity daily in his temple.

(Little description about the emperor -Venkatadri Raya a.k.a Venkata II 1585-1616 : His reign of three decades saw a revival of the strength and prosperity of the empire, after the empires humiliating defeat at Talikota in 1565. He dealt successfully with the deccan sultans of Bijapur and Golkonda, the internal disorders, promoting economic revival in the country.)

But Lord Venkateswara had other plans.

While discussing his pet project at Tirupati Temple, an eagle came down and taken away his turban (mistaken as flesh). His soldiers followed the eagle to bring back his turban. The eagle finally dropped it in Chandragiri, few Kms away from temple, which became Emperor's place for his pet project.

He shifted his capital to Chandragiri in 1592. He used to take dinner only after feeding ritual of the God is completed. To inform him of the completion of the feeding ritual(neyvedyam) of the Lord, the bell is ring.

This is continuing since then at 19.30 pm till 19.50 pm. The bell sound, called Sri Vari Ghanta Naadham being telecasted in SVBC channel from the temple, live, everyday. One may tune to hear it.

2.Inner Meaning of bell:

When you ring the bell of a temple – not half asleep but with alertness – that creates a discontinuity in your thoughts, a sort of break in the chain of your thoughts, and you become aware of a changed atmosphere.

There is a similarity between the sound of the bell and the sound of OM; in fact there is some inner relationship. The sound of the bell continues charging the temple all the day long and the sound of OM also charges the temple with its vibrations.

No one should enter the temple through that door of doors without ringing the bell, for only through the sound itself can you enter. The uniqueness of a bell is that it keeps resounding long after you ring it, so the resonance keeps sounding as you enter the main entrance. In that sound alone is the key to your entry into the temple.

Through the sound, as it were, you enter into God's abode. The temple is a symbol of God's dwelling. When it is sounding constantly you need not ring the bell, but we have formulated a method with the symbol. When you return from the temple ring the bell again. You have to journey back amidst the reverberating sound. All worship, all prayers start with the ringing of the bell.

The bell in every temple, is meaningful in the sense that it reminds you that if you can become as silent as the bell slowly becomes, after you have hit it – first it is all sound, then slowly the sound dies – then the soundlessness enters in. People hear only the sound; then they have not heard the bell. You should hear the other part too. When the sound is dying, disappearing, the soundless sound is appearing, coming in. When the sound has completely disappeared, there is utter soundlessness, and that is what meditation is.