In practice, most of the Hindus are idol worshippers. Hindus believe that by doing the Darshan (seeing/touching the idol of a particular deity) they get the grace of the particular deity. Though there are many Hindu temples across India, some temples of deities like Tirupati Balaji, Sai Baba of Shirdi, Vithoba of Pandharpur, Kashi-Vishweshwar, etc. have more importance than the other temples. Millions of devotees visit these temples every year.
With the advent of technology, in particular, the Internet and computer, now it is possible to have live Darshan of the idols at the most famous temples across India while sitting at the home/office. It is very useful for people who are disabled, elderly, and/or are very busy and do not have time to travel. With one click, you can see the idol of your favorite deity that also without traveling anywhere.
But the million-dollar question is whether it would benefit the devotee. Is it equivalent to a real Darshan? Everything in this world has its advantages and disadvantages. We would have a look at them in terms of online live Darshan.
Advantages of Online Live Darshan:
1. You get Darshan of your favorite deity at the comfort of your home/office.
2. It saves lots of money and time. People are very busy now a day and do not get time to go for a pilgrimage. Besides that, the famous temples in India are located in different parts of the country.
3. It minimizes the risk of traveling. As a pilgrimage requires extensive traveling, many people die/injure during travel. Some elderly people die out of physical problems on the way to many pilgrimages.
4. It is convenient for elderly/disabled persons.
5. It minimizes the risk of stampedes and infectious diseases. The famous temples of India are overcrowded during festive seasons and/or throughout the year. Because of mismanagement of the trust and/or due to accidents, many people have died in the stampedes in the past. Online live Darshan minimizes those risks.
6. As the trusts running temples charge some fee for online live Darshan, they get revenue which is used to better the services at the temples.
Disadvantages of Online Live Darshan:
1. Idol worship is a mystical science and one would get the benefit of Darshan only if he/she is physically present at the temple. Hence, it is doubtful whether the devotee would benefit from online live Darshan or not.
2. You cannot experience the positive energy and peace you experience at the temple site with online live Darshan.
3. Pilgrimage is a type of tourism also. When a person travels from one place to another, he spends some money which in turn boosts the economy and creates many jobs. You may also go to the places nearby the temple. Hence, you get the joy of a trip also.
4. The importance of place cannot be overlooked. The temple at Tirupati is more important than that of its replica in Pune because of the importance of the place where it is built. Hence, traveling to that particular place is important.
5. Pilgrimage is considered as a good Karma in Hinduism, which you would miss with online live Darshan.
6. Hindus perform certain types of rituals at particular places only. E.g. Pindadan, Nagbali, Pitrushanti, etc. You cannot do these things online.
Therefore, in my opinion, online live Darshan cannot replace real Darshan. One should try to visit the temple personally whenever possible, but if you are busy and/or elderly/disabled, then it is useful in terms of mental satisfaction.