There is a mistaken assumption that, by visiting temples and worshipping the deity, one gets peace and blessings. That may be true in the ideal scenario. But what happens in reality?
People who visit big temples as a family, often are bothered by such diversions like taking care that the children in the group don't stray away, travel, stay and/or parking arrangements etc etc. Worshipping the deity with closed eyes in peace, is an impossibility.
I have noticed a habit with women. They aren't able to focus on the deity, since they are always concerned whether someone else is looking at them. Their eyes keep straying here and there, and sometimes they come up before you in the queue, ostensibly to look at the deity, but then look back to see if you are looking at them or not. They serve only to distract the other people in the queue.
The men who visit temples as part of a family, often have various duties to perform, that the wives assign them. Such men are quite unlikely to get a few moments of solitary communion with the deity.
The bachelors who visit temples can be of two types - those who are distracted by women, and those who aren't. Only the latter, is able to get that much needed peaceful communion mentioned earlier. However, even they often face various distractions, from the other visitors to the temple.
In short, if the purpose of visiting a temple is to ardently pray to the deity, with the mind solely focused on it, then hardly 1% of the visitors are able to get that goal achieved.
People who visit big temples as a family, often are bothered by such diversions like taking care that the children in the group don't stray away, travel, stay and/or parking arrangements etc etc. Worshipping the deity with closed eyes in peace, is an impossibility.
I have noticed a habit with women. They aren't able to focus on the deity, since they are always concerned whether someone else is looking at them. Their eyes keep straying here and there, and sometimes they come up before you in the queue, ostensibly to look at the deity, but then look back to see if you are looking at them or not. They serve only to distract the other people in the queue.
The men who visit temples as part of a family, often have various duties to perform, that the wives assign them. Such men are quite unlikely to get a few moments of solitary communion with the deity.
The bachelors who visit temples can be of two types - those who are distracted by women, and those who aren't. Only the latter, is able to get that much needed peaceful communion mentioned earlier. However, even they often face various distractions, from the other visitors to the temple.
In short, if the purpose of visiting a temple is to ardently pray to the deity, with the mind solely focused on it, then hardly 1% of the visitors are able to get that goal achieved.