A travel log for my journey to 10 Jyotir Lingums throughout south and central India, November-December 2002 with my yoga group, Dhyanyoga Centers.

 
Omkareshwar, Mamaleshwar, and the Narmada River

About 50 KM from Indore, on an island surrounded by the Narmada River, is the Jyotir Lingum Omkareshwar. Here's a good link that describes it very nicely http://travel.indiamart.com/pilgrimage-in-india/omkareshwar.html.

The hands-on puja done by the group was performed at Mamaleshwar on the mainland side of the river. I am told that since the river itself floods and makes the actual Omkareshwar lingum inaccessible at times, along with the logistical issues of the Jyotir Lingum itself being in a very small inner sanctum, the lingum at Mamaleshwar is the one that is regularly worshipped.

I very much enjoyed the boat ride to the island to have the darshan of the actual Jyotir Lingum. It was also a very good day in terms of photography. I got to shoot 3 rolls of 120 outside the temple, and several more rolls of color of the ceremonial goings on. Actually, I am out of color film, so I am mooching a could of rolls to get me through tomorrow, where we visit Mahakaleshwar, the last lingum we'll see on our trip.

Today was also the day I finally released the ashes of my beloved dog, Bear into the Universe by way of the magnificent Narmada River. He went on to the Happy Hunting Grounds shortly after my last India trip in 1995. Hopefully my efforts will ensure a happy rebirth for him, if you believe that sort of thing. It certainly couldn't hurt!



posted by Lydia at 12:14 PM

 
Cyber escape in Bombay

Because we had 4-5 hours to kill in Bombay before our flight to Indore after flying in from Pune this morning, the tour director thought that the group would like to shop in a department store. Sounds like a good idea, right? WRONG! Yes, it was a department store, but the sales clerks descended on us like vultures on fresh kill, and I found it all too overwhelming.

I thought, o.k. I'll see if they have any short style salwaar kamez in my size. I didn't think they would have anything that I had to have, and I get annoyed when they suggest I could let something out. I would sooner have a taylor just make me something to size, which I have already done with reasonable success.

So I escaped on foot, knowing I had about one hour to catch back up with the group. There was a university close by teaming with students, and I was told there was a cyber cafe near it. Yes, I found the place, and I have to admit that it's about the worst cyber cafe I have been in, full of loud PC gamers using expletives I have not heard used so liberally in months. It definitely looks like an operation put together by students on a shoestring budget, but for me it's better than being stuck in a shopping hell.

At one point it was getting so loud and obnoixious with excited PC gamers that I just about gave up the idea of updating the blog today, simply because I could not heard myself think. The guys that run this palce were nice enough to move me to the back room. Gamers are a breed unto themselves no matter where in the world they are!
posted by Lydia at 4:14 AM

 
Bhimasankar

Despite being only 95 KM from Pune, Bhimasankar was a rather remote town tucked in the Maharastra foothills with clean air, sweet people, and lots of charm. Places like this are some of what I like best about India, despite the 4 hour drive on twisty roads through pastoral countryside.

I don't mind it at all when people as me where we are from with simple curiousity and a welcoming attitude. The children were happy and friendly without expecting anything from us. The temple priest was delightful and pleasantly helpful through our puja to all of us, and I did not hear one argument about baksheesh (the charge for services). Even the sadhus and beggars were not obnoxious, which makes me inclined to me much more generous.

I may have even got some of my trademark shots of some of these children. Up to this point, I did not find any of the children, except maybe at this girl's school a couple of weeks ago, charming at all, let alone worth photographing. These little girls were different, with a simplicity and, if you will, purity, that I find so compelling photographically.

I gave them candies to thank them for letting me take my picture, but fell one candy short. I discretely slipped a rupee into the hand of what I would guess to be a 2 year old girl that I did not have candy for, mainly because I did not want her friends to snatch the money from her. She looked down, opened her hand, and broke into a small, yet knowing smile, and closed her hand back over the coin. I surely hope my portrait of my little Lakshmi comes out well!
posted by Lydia at 3:58 AM

 
Pune Gold

I am such an amateur when it comes to shopping for gold in India compared to some of my fellow travelers. Because we had a local friend of the group willing to take us shopping, I made it a point to mention that I wanted some more gold. I was thinking primarily of Christmas presents and special items that folks back home asked me to pick up for them.

Essentially, I went into this establishment expecting to spend a certain amount of money, and I am please to announce that I kept within that. I picked up four pairs of earrings and a gold ring for myself. The most stellar pair of earrings goes to a friend of mine, and I can't give out all the details because she reads this blog!

However, among the people I went with, I watched at least four people make large purchases that I know they were not planning on, including gold ankle bracelets, a long gold chain, and an India style pendant which floats on a gold cord. All these items were stunning and precious.

There is a popular Hindu deity, Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. Put into practice, some people espouse the idea that you have to spend money to allow more money to flow into your life. I appreciate the confidence with which some of my friends can let wealth move through in their lives, but personally I am more cautious and timid about my resources.

Did I mention that it took about 3 hours to make my purchase?! This was due partly to the fact that I had to have the backs changed on one pair of the earrings because Indian ones come with very thick posts that I could not get through my ears. However, the shop was packed, and transactions here are still handled pretty manually, credit card or not!

Incidentally, gold here runs about 500 rupees a gram, and most of the earrings I purchased were about 3-4 grams, and the ring was roughly 5 grams. The one odd thing I wanted to mention about gold in Indian is even though it is 22K, sometimes they will set jewelry with cubic zirconium...that's just too shabby-chic for my tastes!
posted by Lydia at 12:24 PM