India is just plain different from the rest of the world. Part nuclear power, part third world nation, part cutting edge science (here’s a guy doing oral surgery on the street, oh dentist friends!), part belief in witchcraft, part democracy, part corruption, India has it all. And 
has it in spades! To my Indian friends: I hope I get this information right! Our driver and guide book are limited and biased, although not necessarily at the same time.
The caste system is unique to India. Your caste is your level in society, which you inherit from your father. Originally, this denoted what job you could hold. The top caste were (are) the Brahmins, the caste of the priests. The lowest caste was the Untouchables—people so lowly others were not to touch them. There are thousands of castes between these two. You remain in the same caste until you die, no matter if you make millions, cure cancer or devote your life to charity. If you live a virtuous life, you might move up to a higher caste in the next life. Only the Hindus follow the caste system. Not surprisingly, a large number of people who convert to other religions, such as Islam, Jain, Sikh and Christianity, are those from lower castes. It is a much quicker path to salvation than in Hindu if you are from a low caste.
India is the birthplace of some of the world’s oldest religions. Hinduism is the religion of the majority. 75 and 90% of Indians adhere to this 3000 year old religion. One of the primary tenets of Hindu is reincarnation. All souls will be reborn after 13 days; depending on the karma or quality of their previous life, they might return as an animal or a person in a slightly higher caste. Some people put sand on the floor at night after the death of a loved one. Any footprints found may tell them if the person has returned as a person or an animal, and what kind of animal. It is an endless cycle of life, death and rebirth. Hindus believe in 3 main gods, Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu, and thousands of lesser gods, most of whom are reincarnations of the first three. Interestingly, in Hinduism, Buddha is the 24th incarnation of Vishnu. The Hindus, therefore, consider Buddhism to be a part of Hinduism. There is something a bit ironic that Buddha, who told his followers that he was not a god and should not be worshiped, is a god in Hinduism. Buddhism, which also started here, does not have much presence in India anymore, not after the invading Moghuls insisted on conversion or death. The Hindu gods are an interesting lot. The top god, Brahma, creator of the universe, has been meditating since his original burst of activity. There are almost no temples dedicated to this
most powerful god. Apparently, Brahma had a bit of a marital tiff that prevents temples from being dedicated to him. His wife was supposed to meet him for a ceremony. She was late. Impatient, Brahma quickly married another woman so that he could continue with the ritual. His wife, arriving on the scene, was understandably pissed at her husband for marrying someone else rather than waiting for her. Being a god herself, she cursed him, preventing temples from being erected to him for all posterity. His only temple in India, a place of pilgrimage for Hindus, is in Pushkar. At the foot of the temple, lies a beautiful lake, considered holy. People come down to the lake’s ghats (steps down to the water) to bathe and cleanse their souls. We drop flowers into the water. Gandhi’s ashes were sprinkled into the lake at a nearby ghat.
Here is a huge temple to Hanuman, god of protection. This is our driver’s personal favorite god, and he prays to him whenever he starts the
car. We feel we should be praying to him as well, which anyone who has driven on the roads in India will understand. Hanuman, as you can see, has the form of a very buff monkey. Our family likes Ganesh—the god of luck and prosperity. He is pudgy guy with the head of a baby elephant. Despite outward appearances, the gods of Hinduism are so human—they are late, impatient, jealous, spiteful. I gather they have gods for everything—including a god of plastic surgery.
We visit one of the most famous Jain temples in the world. Jainism has practiced since 500 BC. (about the same time as Buddha was born). It is part of Hindu, but this sect believe all life is sacred. Most Jains are totally vegetarian, and do not even wear leather. Their priest sweep the floor in front of them to prevent accidentally stepping on a bug. One minor group of Jain priests go naked (no pictures, friends, this is a G Rated Blog), so that they don’t kill any bugs inadvertently. There are only (only!) 24 gods in Jain, but 21 deadly sins. We saw ancient painting of each of the sins, and the resulting specific punishment for each. The temples are beau
tifully carved, with intricate patterns. This temple is one of the most famous. There are 1440 columns, each unique, although you’d be hard pressed to see the differences. The temple gives us the impression of being in a light filled forest. They may have decried violence, but extortion is apparently not a sin, as we were approached by various priests demanding donations. But, the beauty and serenity of the place more than offset this.
Although the county had a female prime minister twenty-five years ago and currently has a female president, the women are definitely second-class citizens. Until the 195
0’s, many women didn’t to show their face in public. Even traveling today, many women outside the big cities wear their saris over their faces. Arranged marriages are very much the norm. Girls used to marry when they were only 12 or 14 years old. Even now they will marry at 18, sometimes after meeting their husband only once or twice. The bride’s family must pay a suitable price for her to be married. The wife then goes to live with the husband’s family and is responsible for taking care of his parents. Working is considered unusual for married women, unless their husband’s job is so poorly paying that she must work. Daughters are considered far less desirable than sons. Today, the birthrate of females is lower than males, in some areas frighteningly lower. We are told selective abortions are fairly common.
On a happier note, I feel up to talking about the food now! Indian food is fantastic. The tastes are so unusual. We have wonderful dishes, spiced with cardamom and cinnamon. Cilantro and saffron flavor others. Instead of the meat or vegetable being the focus, the sauce is everything. They blend colorful and aromatic spices with chicken, mutton or vegetables and it is all delicious! In fact, the sauces are so good, Ethan and Siena, who have to be threatened to eat their requisite 3 bites of veggies at home, have gone days eating no meat. The flat naan and chapati breads are great, too, served piping hot out of the oven. We have lassies every day. This is a yogurt drink, flavored with fruit, or sometimes, nuts and spices. Our favorite is one with saffron, cardamom, raisins and cashew nuts. The only problem with the food being so good is that it is easy to fill yourself near the point of explosion. I will not finish my time in India with a Gandhi-esque physique, that’s for sure!
The clothing is unique as well. Men’s clothing is not so unusual. There are some turbans,
and an occasional person wearing the dhoti—a diaper like white thing, but most men wear ordinary pants and shirts. But the women almost all wear the traditional garb. The saris and the silk long shirts over coordinating pants are gorgeous. No one wears neutral colors here. Yellows, bright reds and greens are woven into beautiful patterns, some with mirrors and metallic thread in them. Colors you couldn’t imagine in the same room are together in the same scarf, to wonderful effect. It is especially spectacular when a group of women are together.
Despite the Rajasthani outfits we wore in the last blog, we do not blend in easily here. In fact, we are getting a crash course in how to be a rock star. Today, outside a temple,
I had a throng of more than 40 young girls, all wanting to say hello to me and shake my hand. Kim literally had to clear a path for me to get through. Every one wants to take a picture with their arm around us. Or, have us in the middle of their formal family portrait. We are told we remind people of movie stars, something we would be more willing to believe if the stars chosen had any hint of a resemblance to us. One salesman told Kim he could be Al Pacino while on the same day I was thought to look like Nicole Kidman. With my dark hair and Kim’s red hair and fair skin, I’m afraid I look more like Pacino and Kim like Kidman!
To end our time in this area of India, we went to the iconic symbol of India. Where in the world are Ethan and Siena? Yes, this is an easy one. This building was erected for the memory of a man’s dead wife. She died after giving birth to the couple’s 14th child in only 18 years. Kim says the chances of him building me this kind of mausoleum are about the same as of my bearing 14 babies. Despite the hype and all of the images we had seen before, the Taj Mahal does not disappoint. It is beautiful and graceful, perfectly proportioned, enormous but balanced. It is a wonder. We stay for hours, watching the colors on the marble surface change as the sun started to set. Even with thousands upon thousands of visitors around us, it is an incredibly romantic place.
May we all have everlasting love,
The Beatties
has it in spades! To my Indian friends: I hope I get this information right! Our driver and guide book are limited and biased, although not necessarily at the same time.The caste system is unique to India. Your caste is your level in society, which you inherit from your father. Originally, this denoted what job you could hold. The top caste were (are) the Brahmins, the caste of the priests. The lowest caste was the Untouchables—people so lowly others were not to touch them. There are thousands of castes between these two. You remain in the same caste until you die, no matter if you make millions, cure cancer or devote your life to charity. If you live a virtuous life, you might move up to a higher caste in the next life. Only the Hindus follow the caste system. Not surprisingly, a large number of people who convert to other religions, such as Islam, Jain, Sikh and Christianity, are those from lower castes. It is a much quicker path to salvation than in Hindu if you are from a low caste.
India is the birthplace of some of the world’s oldest religions. Hinduism is the religion of the majority. 75 and 90% of Indians adhere to this 3000 year old religion. One of the primary tenets of Hindu is reincarnation. All souls will be reborn after 13 days; depending on the karma or quality of their previous life, they might return as an animal or a person in a slightly higher caste. Some people put sand on the floor at night after the death of a loved one. Any footprints found may tell them if the person has returned as a person or an animal, and what kind of animal. It is an endless cycle of life, death and rebirth. Hindus believe in 3 main gods, Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu, and thousands of lesser gods, most of whom are reincarnations of the first three. Interestingly, in Hinduism, Buddha is the 24th incarnation of Vishnu. The Hindus, therefore, consider Buddhism to be a part of Hinduism. There is something a bit ironic that Buddha, who told his followers that he was not a god and should not be worshiped, is a god in Hinduism. Buddhism, which also started here, does not have much presence in India anymore, not after the invading Moghuls insisted on conversion or death. The Hindu gods are an interesting lot. The top god, Brahma, creator of the universe, has been meditating since his original burst of activity. There are almost no temples dedicated to this
most powerful god. Apparently, Brahma had a bit of a marital tiff that prevents temples from being dedicated to him. His wife was supposed to meet him for a ceremony. She was late. Impatient, Brahma quickly married another woman so that he could continue with the ritual. His wife, arriving on the scene, was understandably pissed at her husband for marrying someone else rather than waiting for her. Being a god herself, she cursed him, preventing temples from being erected to him for all posterity. His only temple in India, a place of pilgrimage for Hindus, is in Pushkar. At the foot of the temple, lies a beautiful lake, considered holy. People come down to the lake’s ghats (steps down to the water) to bathe and cleanse their souls. We drop flowers into the water. Gandhi’s ashes were sprinkled into the lake at a nearby ghat.Here is a huge temple to Hanuman, god of protection. This is our driver’s personal favorite god, and he prays to him whenever he starts the
car. We feel we should be praying to him as well, which anyone who has driven on the roads in India will understand. Hanuman, as you can see, has the form of a very buff monkey. Our family likes Ganesh—the god of luck and prosperity. He is pudgy guy with the head of a baby elephant. Despite outward appearances, the gods of Hinduism are so human—they are late, impatient, jealous, spiteful. I gather they have gods for everything—including a god of plastic surgery.We visit one of the most famous Jain temples in the world. Jainism has practiced since 500 BC. (about the same time as Buddha was born). It is part of Hindu, but this sect believe all life is sacred. Most Jains are totally vegetarian, and do not even wear leather. Their priest sweep the floor in front of them to prevent accidentally stepping on a bug. One minor group of Jain priests go naked (no pictures, friends, this is a G Rated Blog), so that they don’t kill any bugs inadvertently. There are only (only!) 24 gods in Jain, but 21 deadly sins. We saw ancient painting of each of the sins, and the resulting specific punishment for each. The temples are beau
tifully carved, with intricate patterns. This temple is one of the most famous. There are 1440 columns, each unique, although you’d be hard pressed to see the differences. The temple gives us the impression of being in a light filled forest. They may have decried violence, but extortion is apparently not a sin, as we were approached by various priests demanding donations. But, the beauty and serenity of the place more than offset this.Although the county had a female prime minister twenty-five years ago and currently has a female president, the women are definitely second-class citizens. Until the 195
0’s, many women didn’t to show their face in public. Even traveling today, many women outside the big cities wear their saris over their faces. Arranged marriages are very much the norm. Girls used to marry when they were only 12 or 14 years old. Even now they will marry at 18, sometimes after meeting their husband only once or twice. The bride’s family must pay a suitable price for her to be married. The wife then goes to live with the husband’s family and is responsible for taking care of his parents. Working is considered unusual for married women, unless their husband’s job is so poorly paying that she must work. Daughters are considered far less desirable than sons. Today, the birthrate of females is lower than males, in some areas frighteningly lower. We are told selective abortions are fairly common.On a happier note, I feel up to talking about the food now! Indian food is fantastic. The tastes are so unusual. We have wonderful dishes, spiced with cardamom and cinnamon. Cilantro and saffron flavor others. Instead of the meat or vegetable being the focus, the sauce is everything. They blend colorful and aromatic spices with chicken, mutton or vegetables and it is all delicious! In fact, the sauces are so good, Ethan and Siena, who have to be threatened to eat their requisite 3 bites of veggies at home, have gone days eating no meat. The flat naan and chapati breads are great, too, served piping hot out of the oven. We have lassies every day. This is a yogurt drink, flavored with fruit, or sometimes, nuts and spices. Our favorite is one with saffron, cardamom, raisins and cashew nuts. The only problem with the food being so good is that it is easy to fill yourself near the point of explosion. I will not finish my time in India with a Gandhi-esque physique, that’s for sure!
The clothing is unique as well. Men’s clothing is not so unusual. There are some turbans,
and an occasional person wearing the dhoti—a diaper like white thing, but most men wear ordinary pants and shirts. But the women almost all wear the traditional garb. The saris and the silk long shirts over coordinating pants are gorgeous. No one wears neutral colors here. Yellows, bright reds and greens are woven into beautiful patterns, some with mirrors and metallic thread in them. Colors you couldn’t imagine in the same room are together in the same scarf, to wonderful effect. It is especially spectacular when a group of women are together.Despite the Rajasthani outfits we wore in the last blog, we do not blend in easily here. In fact, we are getting a crash course in how to be a rock star. Today, outside a temple,
I had a throng of more than 40 young girls, all wanting to say hello to me and shake my hand. Kim literally had to clear a path for me to get through. Every one wants to take a picture with their arm around us. Or, have us in the middle of their formal family portrait. We are told we remind people of movie stars, something we would be more willing to believe if the stars chosen had any hint of a resemblance to us. One salesman told Kim he could be Al Pacino while on the same day I was thought to look like Nicole Kidman. With my dark hair and Kim’s red hair and fair skin, I’m afraid I look more like Pacino and Kim like Kidman!
To end our time in this area of India, we went to the iconic symbol of India. Where in the world are Ethan and Siena? Yes, this is an easy one. This building was erected for the memory of a man’s dead wife. She died after giving birth to the couple’s 14th child in only 18 years. Kim says the chances of him building me this kind of mausoleum are about the same as of my bearing 14 babies. Despite the hype and all of the images we had seen before, the Taj Mahal does not disappoint. It is beautiful and graceful, perfectly proportioned, enormous but balanced. It is a wonder. We stay for hours, watching the colors on the marble surface change as the sun started to set. Even with thousands upon thousands of visitors around us, it is an incredibly romantic place.
May we all have everlasting love,
The Beatties
1 comment:
I really enjoyed reading this post. The information you shared was fascinating.
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