Jyotir Lingum Yatra

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

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Thursday, June 26, 2003
 
The Ellora Caves

These were some of the first pictures I had developed upon returning from India last December. I remember wrinkling my nose at them, because I did not think that they adequately captured the carved magnificence and structural awesomeness of the ancient Ellora temples.


I took a second look at them recently, and realized that even if they could not convey how truly impressed I was with this famous place, I should still share them.




These caves were home to a string of temples where Hindus, Jains, and Buddhists co-existed harmoniously.




The group's tour guide walked us to the far end of the complex and we worked our way back. I had a tendency to lag behind with my camera, which kind of annoyed the tour guides, I think. *shrugs*




This is the main structure, an ornate temple carved into the side of this hill, probably about three stories tall, at least. Look toward the lower left hand corner to see the people and get an idea of scale. Imagine walking up the hill itself and around the back of the temple and looking down on it, which is what some of us did. My only issue was the guys following us to hawk tour books, when I needed to watch my footing!




Another picture of the temple, from a closer perspective, as we were hiking up the hill.




A detail of the temple carvings.




Guardians on a lotus on top of the main temple chamber.




The complexity of the structure is still breathtaking to me even now, based only on pictures and memories.




A detailed carving from inside the temple complex at ground level. The delicate quality of this ancient sculpture remains apparent even today.




Celestial beings flying above us are a universal archetype.





Unusual columns





Wall of dieties



 
Fancy Dress

Having visitors from a foreign land was enough of an excluse for some of these little ladies to put on their fancy outfits. How could I resist taking a picture?



Notice the variety of garments, from traditional costumes to modern girls' dresses.



Young boys can be as handsome and photogentic as the girls.



Big sister


I know I have said this before, but I would have enjoyed spending a few more days at the ashram in Nikora. The people and the facilities were so very nice.



Tuesday, June 24, 2003
 
Ram Sweet Ram

All the Jyotir Lingum temples we visited were bustling with activity. Perhaps that's what makes the memory of the simpleness and sweetness of this Lord Ram temple so pleasant.



While it certainly was not deserted, this temple was much less intense than what we had gotten used to.



In this style of temple structure, the deities are viewed from a little distance. The priest presents the offerings directly.



Ram, an incarnation of Vishnu, is seen in the middle, with his brother Lakshman to the left and his wife Sita to the right.



Stalls that offer religious pictures to devotees are very popular, especially near the temples.



A typical market scene. There I am taking pictures of the motorcycles again!



Wednesday, June 18, 2003
 
The Return of Saturn, again and again


If you're at all into astrology, you'll know that Saturn, also known as Shani in Indian astrology, has a profound effect in our lives. If you're into astronomy, you'll know that it takes may Earth years for Saturn to orbit once around the Sun. Consequently, Saturn is also refered to as the "slow-moving" one.


Hindus worship Lord Shani, imploring him to have mercy on them, and lessen negativity in their lives. This temple was very unique in that it was completely open-air, so everyone in the area could have darshan of the monolith. Another feature of this temple was that only men who were freshly showered and clothed (notice the orange fabric dhotis on the men) could so direct worship/puja here. Shani is especially worshipped on Saturdays, since that day of the week is associated with Saturn. We were there on Saturday, December 7, 2002.




Gallons of ghee (clarified butter) were offered to Shani, the form here is the black stone in the middle of this picture.




This temple was especially popular that Saturday.




Many temple stalls lead the way to the entrance, which was past this building on the right.




Places to purchase items for the home (like horseshoes and little voodoo-ish dolls) to ward off negative energy.




I was always checking out those motorcycles!


Do you remember me telling you about having one of those voodoo dolls for my doorway, and expecting to freak out my neighbors back home in NC? Well *giggle* that's just about what I did! I tried to explain to them that it's like a gargoyle, meant to scare off negativity.



Here he is, keeping negativity away outside my front door, this very minute!



 
Lydia had a little lamb...well it's a goat, really

It's been several months since I posted new pictures, due to my scanner acting up, other projects, etc. etc. I know what excuses are like. In any case, I wanted to pick up the pace with something fun. I cannot remember exactly where we were in our trip, other than it was near Aurangabad, but I do recall that the group had stopped along the road at a chai stall (chai is sweet tea made with lot of milk...a nice caffeine kick in the pants to get you through until dinner).



I had to take a picture of the double-decker goat bus that was stopped there, too.




There were about five baby goats being transported in the cab of this truck. Although I was usually cautious around men on the road, this guy was very nice, and even though I wasn't able to speak his language...



...I trusted him enough to hand him my camera, so he could take what turned out to be a cute picture of me.


The baby goat was so sweet and docile, that I thought twice before handing it back. I did say, "My goat!" with a big smile and started to walk away (but how would I have gotten the goat through customs?!)...even if he didn't quite understand me, we all laughed at the joke.