"Lightning damages temple" - That was close!

Here is an article from today's Deccan Chronicle...now I understand what happened to me.

Chennai, Aug 21: A portion of the Raja Gopuram, of the famous Kapaleeswar temple in the city was damaged after it was struck by lightning Tuesday evening. The Nasi Thalai on the gopuram broke and fell on the Lakshmi idol adorning it, damaging it partially. No one was injured in the incident.
A special parihara pooja was performed following the incident. The routine rituals and poojas were not delayed, a temple official said. According to temple sources, the lightning struck the Raja Gopuram at 6 p.m. The devotees noticed that the Nasi Thalai was broken and had fallen on the Lakshmi idol The asbestos sheet under the temple tower was also partially damaged.

Devotees lined up in long queues to see the damaged portion of the Raja Gopuram and participated in the poojas performed. “The damaged Lakshmi idol and Nasi Thalai will be repaired on August 23,” Mr Devendiran, executive officer of Kapaleeswar Temple said speaking to this newspaper. The joint commissioners of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment (HR & CE) department Dhanapal, Jayaraman, Nalli Kuppusamy Chetty, chairman of the board of trustees, deputy commissioner of police A G Maurya and other temple trustees inspected the tower.

The Kapaleeswarar Temple in Mylapore is a very ancient temple. The original temple was submerged under the sea and a new temple was built in its place. There are separate sannadhis for several deities such as Vinayagar, Annamalaiyar, Murugan, and Saneeswaran. There are several other deities such as Durga, Dakshinamurthy, Chandikeswarar located within the main Sannadhis of Kapaleeswarar and his consort Karpagambal. The temple tank lies opposite the tower. Karpagambal is said to have worshipped the Lord in the form of a peacock and hence the area came to be called Mylapore.

Also, find the link to this article on Deccan Chronicle here.

Second Life???

Yesterday was the most fateful day of my life...something I would never want to see ever again. Read on to know what I mean...

It was 18:00Hrs IST, when I left my office on my journey back home. It started to drizzle and it slowly began to rain. The the thunders I heard were something I never heard before. The lightening was so bright and the rods of lightening were really long and powerful.

Powerful lightening?? I was driving and had stopped at the signal, when this disastrous lightening struck. I just remember the sound of the thunder and the brightness of light....nothing else! I went into a total blackout for a brief period of time. I opened my eyes with a heavy chest and a pain in my heart. It felt like my heart was being pressed from all sides, and I was perspiring very heavily with a little difficulty in breathing.

I hit my chest heavily, and forcefully took in bursts of oxygen through my nostrils. I regained consciousness and was able to maneuver my car to the roadside. I didn't know what came over me, and I felt like I was possessed. This was the worst moment in my life thus far.

I called up my dad (he is a doctor) on his mobile, and he told me to stop driving for sometime and take rest. I checked by heart rate - It was beating at more than 120bpm for more than 20minutes! I was feeling unnerved and was very irritated. I drove slowly and reached home at about 20Hrs IST. My dad checked my blood pressure, and the systolic reading was showing 94. He told me that this was due to the lightening. The lightening must've struck quiet close by, that it affected my heart's functioning for a brief period (Thankfully!!). The breathlessness also was due to the same - The lightening eats up oxygen in the air, and it gets really tough to breathe (Thankfully, my car saved me)

I read multiple postings later on the internet, and came across multiple articles that briefed on what all could happen if one is affected by a lightening strike. To know more on the effects of lightening on human body, read this link.

So, here are some tips for you the next time a thunderstorm approaches:

• Go inside a home or large building, if you can.
• Avoid using electrical appliances such as telephones, computers, or television sets.
• If no building is available, try to get into a car. The metal frame will conduct the lightning safely into the ground.
• If stuck outside, do not take shelter under a tall, isolated tree.
• Stay away from open water.
• If you are trapped in an open field and you feel your hair stand on end, lightning is about to strike. Drop to your knees and bend forward putting your hand on your knees. Do not lie flat on the ground.