Jan 27 I'm going to post this to my travel blog that Leanna's boyfriend Don made for me. Haven't gotten to it in a while since I don't think it's as accessible as an email to a few friends (and to myself). But it's good to get the hang of it. KathleensTravels.blogspot.com. At DrLeanna.blogspot.com you can see all her photos downloaded.

Today we drove out to 3 temples and the family home of Rabindrantha Tagore, Nobel Peace prize winner in literature around 1912. Daumal put him down for not being progressive enough for the Indian people, but it looks like he was quite an extraordinary man. Came from quite a dynasty of Tagores, with pictures of ancestors going way back. Very lovely 250 yr old home of rooms surrounded by verandas. He embraced Japan quite heavily. Died Aug. 7th,1941.
Visited the shrine and temple of Ranakrishna and Swami Vivekananda. This was pretty much the first time that I saw Indians sitting in meditation. Even in Varanasi on the Ganges, they were all BUSY washing and praying but not in contemplation. Only the Westerners were sitting totally still, taking in the rays of the sun and the vibrations of the Ganges energy. It was very moving to see the people doing their bathing in prayer thing, but it reminded me of our Western traditional conventional religious rituals that so often seem to be carried out by rote. The person is not 'checking out' from his ordinary persona or mental state. Yes, it's only my perception--I may be wrong. Some seem stoned as hell--but then they probably WERE.

Here at the Vedanta temple, people were sitting on the floor, some together on a thin rug, a few talkers but it was very peaceful for the most part. Really the first time that I encountered this. In all the Hindu Temples, they'd always just want to get up there and get something or offer something, usually with their lips moving and chanting something but not really stopping to collect. I guess, like most religions it's much more about family and community rather than inner exploration. What Jacob Needleman called 'cataphatic'. The other day at another temple the temple caretaker would just take a broom and attack the mounds of marigold offerings that were messing up the sanctuary and pitch them out the side door. No ritual at all there.
Soo back to the Vedanta temple, as they sat, in front of them through a narrow door that opens suddenly we can see the statue of Ramakrishna appear. Now everybody rushes up to kiss the door or the floor. Now it's all about honoring, bowing to this prophet of God... My hopes for something higher--again dashed.
The day before we'd visited a Kali Temple that was almost scary the way the crowd PUSHED forward to GET AT THE SPOT to do whatever--throw flowers, get a red spot on their forehead, put money in, PRAY AND GET WHAT THEY'RE ASKING FOR. The crowd just about lifted me off my feet as the big press carried us all along. Totally harried, rushed, pushed, shoved. There was a sacred tree with lots of little rocks attached by people praying for fertility. We were hooked in with more strings being tied around our wrists, red goo on my forehead ( I sometimes forget its there and splash water on my face and really make a mess and no one tells me...). So I prayed for my children's fertility. Never thought of that as an issue but hey--maybe it works!
Then we visited the stone pen where they sacrifice goats. Leanna had caught this act earlier and I'm glad I got it secondhand. They stick the goat through a big wooden clothespin-like support and then just clobber him with a sword. There was still blood everywhere. Not sure how many they do a day.

So today it was just as crazy only different. We waited in a long line that snaked around the temple, with harsh shouting men herding us into single files, then finally passed up to the first phase window which seemed to be getting flower petals and giving money. All a lot of screaming and yelling on the part of the men handing out flowers. Little did I know that THIS WAS IT. Behind these men in a doorway, far back through another doorway was a gawdy black statue of Kali, the goddess that ate her children, barely visible. No prayers, no worship, no nothing. Just the New York Stock Exchange as I imagine it--screaming, pushing, falling all over the mashed crowd. We hung as long as we could to just register this truly ugly scene before they insisted we MOVE ON.
As we stood back and watched, tons more were converging on this wonderful celebration of divinity... Then we could visit the twelve domed mini temples, each with a Shiva lingam in it. With other worshippers we could ring the brass bell, touch or put your head on the base of the lingam, buy flowers to put on the lingam, and them walk to the next one. At this point we were getting pretty irreverent with our appropriate and inappropriate lingam remarks. I kept wishing I could find a lingam statue like the one described in my history book, "in a huge temple with a pyramid roof of 13 storeys and 14 golden domes, was a Shiva phallus that could float in mid-air without any visible means of support from above or below--it was in fact held in place by a magnetic force-field". (Destoyed by Mahmud of Ghazni along with 50,000 people who had been confident in the protection of their deity's lingam.)
Then they closed the Shiva lingam temples for lunch, but after all, when you've seen one lingam, you've seen them all...

Just when I felt templed-out, we visited the Jain temple. Didn't expect much but it knocked my socks off: a little temple that was solid mosaic of glass-like stones in floral patterns and small glass mirror mosaic around sinuous arches and multicolored chandeliers. Totally over the top, totally luscious, decadent to perfection. much more maharaja's palace than a house of worship. Created in 1857, the same year the Indians mutinied against the British and were crushed. No photos allowed or for sale; must find some somewhere. The Jains are the most ascetic and as old as Buddhism (600 BC). How did they come up with this??

The Buddhist temple in Sarnath was not hectic but no one was sitting quietly. People visit, and the temple 'deacons' just sit facing the room, very casual, chatting away. Of course the Buddha statues in the museum were enchanting. It's usually the museum quality ones that really get to me. Stone, not painted gold...
So, over all I feel that traditional religions need rejuvenating especially here. And luckily it is happening in many places, but could it be that it is truly happening more in the West? Here it looks like they're heading for a strong Western materialist phase first. Leanna and I keep our discussions going--What's different? What's the same? Here? in 2007? What I AM inspired to write about are all the 7 so far rulers of India who have meshed their two religions and more together. Yes they have fought a lot but they have sought more than just boring TOLERANCE. They actually melded the best of the religions together. More later.
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Jan 26
My diary to myself continues. Never know who I'm writing to really.
Kolkatta (Calcutta) is somewhat different from what we've seen. This is a more modern city in some parts, the elegant old colonial buildings crumbling badly. The British built the city on the remnants of four small towns. It's on the Ganges but they call it the Houllihy River. So much for sacred rivers. Tho' they do bathe in it and today they were carrying various sized (some life-size) statues of Saraswati, goddess of Knowledge to return to her home in the river after her feast days this week. They danced wildly on their truck beds as they arrived at the river, then turned her in a circle about ten times then carried her down the garbage filled river bank to float away...
Yesterday I kept getting little flashes of Paris and this morning I got another whiff of Paris as the cool morning smelled big old foreign cityish. Our hotel is quite elegant with marble floors and walls and a marble mosaic driveway. Great breakfast and the first I've seen of sacred cow meat. Even pork. Usually the only meat one sees on the "Non-Veg" menu is chicken; no meat in Rishikesh. Not that we've missed it with so many good dishes.
Here there is more of an Asian presence.
Today is the Anniversary of the Republic, a national holiday. Everyone was out strolling at the grand Victoria Monument Park in their very best saris, playing pingpong and other paddle ball games on the lawn. Very elegant day in the park. Don't think this group will ever need to take over the world or launch a war.

Bought some Tibetan tankas today. Hadn't seen any for sale up to now. Hopefully I can keep a few and sell some to help finance this trip. Bought silk pillow slips and scarves as well. Such beautiful handwork. Learning about gems was fun and a good break from endless sightseeing. One becomes surfeited on beauty... It was exciting and scary to stick my neck out to buy some real gems... Supposedly I can sell them to a jeweler and he can still double the price again. Now I must find a jeweler! Two sapphires, an emerald, citrines, tourmelines, malachite, turquoise. He's fronted them to me mostly but now I'm really really in hock... My connection was part of the small tight knit group that I hung out with in Jaipur, a young Buddhist from South Africa now opening up a wine bar! Very trustworthy and taught me a lot.

Had dinner with a young Indian woman who deals with troubled marriage cases--just the info we wanted more of for our proposed book. Meet again tomorrow.

So much that doesn't have words. Or whatever words come to mind at the end of the day. Maybe I can go back and put words to the best moments. I came with the intention of getting so many words out of my brain. But this is a country designed for describing.

Place closing down now.Haven't been consistent in my writing or in my addressees.... Don't always have the time to write and didn't always have the time in the past to read other people's travelogs myself so I'm mostly writing to those who report back that they're here vicariously...

Did have a great time in Jaipur hanging out with the woman who'd designed the rugs we videoed (the manufacturing of, in the MOST primitive villages where the huts for people and livestock were about the same... Anu and her friends took me to many of the music concerts that were part of the Jaipur Music and Literature Festival. [I'm intent on getting invited to speak next year. Daumal on Sanskrit and Hindu Phil. & Poetics? They need it. Realy fills a gap.] I gave my book and a 911 dvd to Salmon Rushdie who was attending the same FABULOUS Spanish guitar concert in the delicious Diggi Palace concert hall where everyone was on a giant mattress with pillows or on deep couches... Truly heavenly. Told him I'd just seen him weeks earlier on C-Span Booktv. (Which seems to have disappeared just before I left. Just when I'd become addicted...) Did talk to the coordinator and will follow through hopefully for next year.
Diggi in the morning for a lecture "Inhaling Gandhi" then jewelry shopping. Bought quite a bit. Then Fri. night was an Indian concert at the Ambar fort (which I first toured) in sumptuous Mughal surroundings--lots of carved pillars... Another giant mattress cum pillows deal so I could snooze while waiting for it to start, tho' chilly outdoors. Then a cold auto-rickshaw ride back to town to the Diggi again for this group of friends' close buddies; the band "Rajistan Roots"--really cool mix of trad Indian music with a drum kit, bass and guitar. Then when I was truly cross-eyed with fatigue, I still wanted to see what their extremely infrequent, special occasion nightclub rave-like scene would be like. Well it was an enormous hangar-type factory that the 400 people who showed could not begin to fill. Awful techno music that we still danced to, me mostly for warmth. Finally, I couldn't leave since it was in no-man's land so the little lounge groupings around heat lamps put me to sleep immed. and I slept from 1-3am while they did I don't know what, while the police came to shut it down and get their bakshee (bribe) then let it start up again, even tho' it was an official event for the Festival. I missed that all.
Spent Sat looking at gems with one of Anu's friends. much longer than I'd wqnat but learned a lot. They're fronting me some beauties to do something with... How bout wearing them?

Then an 18 hr train to Varanasi to rejoin Leanna. Rude family who wanted to talk at 3am. then again at 6 am. I was in great shape...

Leanna got in from the Kumbh Mela. and tho' she liked it, sounds like I'm glad we can live vicariously thru each other's 5-day experience. It was supposed to have a planeary influence since it is 13 million, visible from space. I heard the various competing Saddhu sects often come to blows. But no stampedes this year. Leanna met an inspiring guru and had a very intense time there.
We took an auto rickshaw all around Varanasi, the oldest city in the world. Craaaazy traffic, but saw 4 or more temples. Pretty old, spooky, heavy duty. Lots of Macaque monkeys everywhere, playing around like kittens. The last one was on the Ganges at 5:30 when they have their pujas, and cremations are going on 24 hrs a day. We could see two just down the river, going full blaze. Now they have cheaper electrical ways out since everyone wants to come here to die. Instant salvation. This last temple was damp and our stocking feet were freezing wet on the cold dirty marble floor. Lots of black goddesses. Tons of marigolds are offered and decorate the altars and statues. Back throught the mas of bumper rickshaws. The most creative traffic I have ever scene--British left hand driving but no real lanes. Weaving and weaving in the overlapping sense of the word. Every man and camel and donkey for himself. Tho the roaming brahmin bulls are really the kings of the road. Incessant honking even when it's a total gridlock yet very little aggression.

Today we took a taxi (to avoid breathing so much exhaust) out from Varanasi to Sarna where Buddha gave his first teaching. Great temples, an enormous stupa, and colossal statues, including Ashoka's capital of one of his pillars with his inscriptions. This the famous one with four lions that became the symbol on India's crest. Highly polished and elegant. Ashoka was the great king who became Buddhist after seeing the carnage of one of his battles (Kalinga) around 350 BC. He was the third in the great Mauryian line. Even his grandfather Chandragupta was known as "The Sorrowless One". I like that.

Today is the festival of the Goddess of Knowledge, Saraswati Devi, so there are lights and music all over. also it's a special 'marrying day' so there are lots of these huge loud 3-day weddings happening with white horses drawing a little carriage, men in fancy turbans, and tons of people even here at our hotel.
We took a boat ride along the shores of the Ganges and watched the rituals on the ghats. Quite a scene. Really dreamlike. Two cremation sites going strong. One had 8 pyres blazing away. Then two big productions of guys in bright costumes doing synchronized twirling of objects-- incense, then multiple candled metal trees all afire. A huge crowd watching, great music on drums, harmonium. So bright and colorful in the moonlight. The cresent moon is lying on its back from this position near the equator. Reminds me of Grenada's moon. Hanging like a hammock.
Tomorrow we return at 6 am to see the sunrise over the Ganges... Then at 5 it's an overnite train to Kolkatta. They did away with 'Calcutta" as in " black hole of"... This is Kali's town --the really powerful scary Goddess. Changed the Muslim word Benares to Varanasi...
K