Lightning Rod
Tower of the Srirangam Temple
Being born in an orthodox hindu family, I sound a rebel whenever I query about the
scientific point of the religious rituals. One day a strange uncle (he resembled my real
uncle) gave a great explanation on the tall towers (gopurams) in the temples and the
scientific aspect of temples. I want to share it with you! Have a read.
Me: Hello uncle.
Strange Uncle: Hello Deepu. How are you?
Me: I am fine uncle. How are you?
Strange Uncle: I am fine Deepu. I heard that you are posing lot of questions
regarding the rituals in our religion.
Me: Yes uncle.
Strange Uncle: What's your doubt?
Me: I have many doubts uncle.
Strange Uncle: Ask your primary doubt.
Me: What's the point in going to the temples to worship God?
Strange Uncle: That's a good question Deepak. You should first understand that
temples are not just a place of worship. Before explaining the need of temples, I
must ask you a simple question. Do you know what a 'lightning conductor is?'
Me: Yes Uncle.
Strange Uncle: Can you explain how it works?
Me: Ya sure. It was in my class 12. I still rememeber it. It is a simple device used
to protect tall buildings from lightning.
It consists of long thick copper rod passing through the building to the ground. The
lower end of the rod is connected to a copper plate burried deeply into the ground.
You know, it has a metal plate with number of spikes to the top end of the copper
rod and kept at the top of the building to be protected.
Strange Unlce: Deepak. This is the construction part, I asked how it works!
Me: Ya, ya, I am coming to that part. Wait uncle. When a negatively charged cloud
passes over the building, you know, positive charge will be induced on the pointed
conductor.
Strange Uncle: That's enough Deepu.
Me: I didn't finish uncle.
Strange Uncle: That's enough Deepu. Now explain me how a Gopuram or tower of the
temple looks.
Me: It is in pyramid shape with a kalasam made of some metal placed on the top of
it.
Strange Uncle: Exactly, you yourself had told me the concept involved in temples.
Me: I don't get you uncle.
Strange Uncle: The kalasam in the tower is filled with cereals (the dhaniyangal in
tamil) which are insulators. And in olden days, the height of the temple tower would
be taller than all other buildings in a village. So that the whole village is
protected from lightning.
Me: So you mean that temple is just a lightning arrestor.
Strange Uncle: No, not just that. It is much more. The kalasam is full of positive
energy due to the induction. So when you visit a temple, the positive charge is
passed on to you. You become fresh. The positive charge is also passed to the other
metal statues in the temple and during car festival it is transmitted through out
the locality. Also, the reason to go and pray the God is that, positive energy is
maximum at that place!
Me: Whoa! This is totally amazing. Where did you learn all this?
Strange Uncle: Deepak! Deepak! Wake up Deepak!
Me: What?
Strange Uncle: Deepak it's late for college.
I opened my eyes to see my dad trying to wake me up (shouting at me that it's late
for college). What a weird dream? Is the scientific aspect of temples told by the
strange uncle uncle true? I couldn't think much beyond that because it was very late
for my college. I will ask this to the strange uncle when I meet him (again) :-)
