Hyderabad's 'Visa Balaji temple' in focus amid H1B visa fee hike concerns

Amid concerns over US President Donald Trump's proclamation imposing a $1,00,000 fee on H1B visas, a famous Balaji temple on the outskirts of Hyderabad is in focus.

Known as 'Visa Balaji temple', the shrine located in Chilkur has been popular for over two decades as many devotees believed that they would get a visa if they worship here.

Vinay, a technology analyst in a private company and an H1B aspirant, who visited the temple after not getting a visa this year, hoped for divine blessings.

"We don't know who is going to be imposed the $1,00,000 [fees] and who is not going to be imposed that fee. We do not have a clarity on that yet. We will only get to know at the next lottery. And the lottery is always a matter of luck. Whatever the stakes may be, I am here to believe in Balaji and I hope he guides me," he said.

As per their belief, the devotees perform 11 or 108 'pradakshinas' (circumambulation) around the temple for their wish to be fulfilled.

"At that time, there was a boom of foreign travel – I am talking about 1990s. There were a lot of engineering colleges around here like the famous Chaitanya Bharati (Institute of Technology). The students used to come here and pray with 11 rounds, they got the visa and then they gave the name Visa Balaji," said CS Rangarajan, chief priest of the temple.

Many devotees share stories of their visa dreams coming true after worshipping in this temple.

"I got my H1B on September 19 and I had my interview on 18th. It was a normal interview. They asked me a single question and they told me my visa is approved. This was my H1B renewal. I came to Chilkur Balaji on 10th. Yeah, it's always been a lucky charm for me," said Sai Rowtik, a Game Developer.

Not just the aspirants, but also parents of those already in the US visit the temple, praying that their children continue to receive the Lord's blessings.

"We had visited the Balaji temple earlier as well, when our daughter went from India to the US, then from the US to Canada, and from Canada to the US again. In total, we have visited this temple six times," said Suguna, a devotee.

With the Trump administration imposing a staggering $1,00,000 fee for new H1B visas, the Chilkur Balaji temple has become a spiritual anchor for many devotees, especially IT professionals, the primary beneficiaries of these visas.

Though the shrine gained popularity as 'Visa Balaji temple', it is well-known among devotees in Telangana and neighbouring Andhra Pradesh for not having a 'hundi' (offering box for devotees to drop coins and notes) in its premises and for not accepting any money from devotees. VIPs have no privilege in this temple.