Located on the outskirts of Hyderabad near Osman Sagar Lake, commonly known as Visa Balaji, it is an extremely important place for people wishing or praying for a family member to work outside India. It is a ritual of religious significance for many Indians. The temple was an idea that captured this image in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Some might think that the recent rise in economic patriotism and awareness about the brain drain has stifled the flow of immigrants, but that does not seem to be the case. Millions of people flock to western countries in search of better living So no wonder there are even temples dedicated to visa obsessions. Thousands of people gather every week at the Chilkur Balaji Temple hoping that their prayers will also be heard.

The wave of migration from India peaked in the late 2000s. Many young Indians immigrated to Australia, America, Canada, and Europe. Most of those who have migrated are still leaving the country because of better living standards and higher wages, and that has only helped to increase the popularity of Visa Balaji.

At the temple, people from the neighboring states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu perform their usual prayer ceremonies and make vows while circling the inner shrine 11 times. When the wish is granted, the devotee roams the Holy of Holies 108 times.

Since then, the temple has been visited by four thousand to five thousand devotees daily, with more numbers on holidays and weekends. Many people visit Osman Sagar Lake next to the temple to meditate. More than two million Indian-born immigrants lived in the United States alone in 2013 accounting for 4.7% of the 41.3 million foreign-born population, the second-largest immigrant population after Mexicans, according to a report in the online journal. Telugu-speaking people make up the majority of this 4.7% of that amount.

As interesting as the story behind the temple is, it is also to be wondered why this obsession with moving abroad is prevalent amongst Indians to the extent of creating a God for it. It must be studied sociologically and its ill effects have to be debated. The overseas brain drain will also hit businesses hard, as businesses in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh still suffer from a shortage of skilled workers despite producing large numbers of engineers each year. Our country will soon begin to face a shortage in all kinds of manpower.

Despite that, Visa Balaji continues to appear to be a busy god as the queues of people waiting to leave India show no signs of slowing down. The popularity of The Visa God seems to be permanent for now.