MAHASHIVARATRI: A SHIVA TEMPLE, THEN UP ALL NIGHT AT ISHA ... FEB. 18TH, SATURDAY

 Mahashivaratri is one of the most important annual Hindu festivals in all of India. But nowhere is it celebrated on SUCH a large scale as at the Isha ashram, where at least 200,000 people assemble for the occasion. The traffic was SO bad on the way there--literally at a stand still before we were even close--that we got out of our rickshaw and walked/ran the remaining 10 kilometers to the entrance! It was exhausting and unpleasant... nowhere to go except along the main road there, breathing in all of the terrible fumes from every form of vehicle!

Still, we were happy to get there, happy to have survived the "trek", as it were... and settled into seats that had to have been a mile away from the stage (honestly, I am not exaggerating! I heard someone say that the field where the crowds gathered for this event was the size of about 3 football fields!!!) 

There were huge stadium lights glaring into our eyes, so bright that I had to wear my sunglasses! The sound system was so loud that I could not have survived the ordeal without my earplugs. It was also FREEZING cold as the night wore on, and my down jacket, fleece jacket, ski cap... were just not enough! We needed blankets, like other sensible people had... but they would have been too much to carry... 

Additionally, some Indians built small fires to keep warm, and much of their fuel for these fires consisted of trash, plastic water bottles, etc... so that the smokey air was quite toxic.... between the bad air, the freezing cold, staying up all night not sleeping.... is it any wonder I got sick?!?!? Well, chock it up to experience...and one never to be repeated again!!!! 

(Oh, and to make matters worse, many Indians there just came to party, and had no interest in a "spiritual" experience, as this sacred night was supposed to be... they danced, talked, ate popcorn, moved around constantly... truly unbelievable....) 


The day's events prior to the night at Isha were much better: I loved getting decked out in my "Shiva garb"... and then Swami led us to an amazing Shiva temple near where we stayed-- our second habitation, as the hotel didn't work out-- where he performed Shiva rituals and attracted a small, devout crowd. This part was quite lovely... 


The next series of photos were taken in the ancient Shiva temple: 


















In the very cramped rickshaw...once again, doing the long haul to the Isha ashram for the night of "celebration". True that the music and performances were amazing, but had to be watched on large screens, which--for us-- were off to either side of where we sat, not convenient at all to see...so much of the time I just closed my eyes and listened... 


Alena and Saglara, struggling to find a comfortable position, which was impossible! 

Sandwiched between Manakshi and the Buddhist husband of Saglara..forgetting his name already! But he was a very large fellow, and took up more than his fair share of space! 

Along the way there, we stopped to watch the process of making fried banana chips from this huge mound of bananas! 

These strange-looking objects are cashew shells, burned in the fire that heats the caldron that cooks the slices of banana....quite an old and amazing process! 


Huge mound of chips! Some were seasoned to be sweet, others were savory...all were cooked in coconut oil and quite delicious! 


Serge, crammed in the back (luggage compartment!!) of the rickshaw, enjoying his bag of banana chips! 

Had to be a record: a family of five on one scooty! It is illegal in India to actually have more than 2 on a motorcycle or scooter, but appears that it is never, ever inforced, as 3 or more people on one of these contraptions is horrifyingly common!!! Worse, seeing helmets on the heads of riders is a rarity, indeed... I guess life is cheap in this land of 1.5 billion inhabitants! 


And here you have it: the crazy crowd scene... glaring light and all... there are empty seats because their occupants are off dancing, eating, using the toilets, lighting fires...etc!!! 

Comments

Post a Comment

Please DO comment! I will be moderating them and responding... Sheri

Popular posts from this blog

Out Of India, Off To Turkey... (In The Final Analysis...)

Image
So, dear readers… as this blog draws to its close, I want to give my many thanks to those of you who have been loyal followers, and implore you to stay tuned for my new, upcoming blog: “sher-traverses-the-world”, to be launched very soon!  Cannot recall if this was the flight into--or out of--Delhi, but the thickness of the smog was not to be believed! Apparently, Delhi has now surpassed Beijing, China, as the most polluted city in the world!!!  I am on the airplane now--Gulf air--about to fly out of Mumbai. It is April 21st, and I will arrive in Istanbul, Turkey, later in the day. After one week there, I will continue on to Europe... first to Italy, then going on to several other countries. This change is bittersweet: I will miss many aspects of India, while others, not at all!! Will I return for a 6th go-round? Perhaps...but hard to say at this point. I am SO ready to leave that it is hard to imagine returning any time soon, but India has its lure...and, knowing me, I will h...
Read more

Glorious and Gorgeous Goa! (For three and a half weeks)... Part 1: The Beach

Image
 It makes sense to start my blog series about Goa with the beach, because this IS the main attraction of this town and state...at least, for most tourists. Specifically, I am in SOUTH Goa, as opposed to North Goa, because the southern part is the more rural, peaceful, less touristic area. When I came to Goa 20 years ago, I went to the northern part, precisely because that was where tourists went to find comfortable accomodations and Indians used to catering to them. However, most tragically, during the past 2 decades, the north has become overcrowded, polluted, congested, built up with discos, high-rise hotels and casinos. I know this not because I went there, but from what many of my Indian friends have told me. So... I followed their advice, came to S. Goa--specifically, the small town of Majorda-- and I haven't been disappointed! Apart from the usual travails--so typical of India--I have been quite content here and am going on my second week now, in my second Airbnb accomodation...
Read more

Pune: City of Disenchantment!

Image
Pune… city of disenchantment. A shock on my system:  WHAT a contrast to the last time I was here, at the start of the pandemic, in 2020! I NEVER thought I would say this, but… I actually MISS those days here in India!! Why? Because there was practically NO traffic back then. The skies were SO blue and lovely, with big, puffy clouds passing through them. The birds were riotous in their gaiety, and I could wander the verdant streets of Koregaon Park peacefully, enjoying the splendor of nature, engaged in a moving meditation of sorts. Most importantly to me, the air was SO clean! But now… post-pandemic…things are back to “normal”. And…sad to say, folks, “normal” is NOT good. It means massive amounts of traffic and the typical, obnoxious blaring horns. It means literally running for my life across the main road near where I am staying, because there are almost NO controlled intersections between major street crossings. It means there is chaos on these roads–no order at all–with so m...
Read more