[Assam] South India Pilgrimage

[Chan Mahanta]

I have not entered a temple since I got defecated on by vultures ( I 
mean REAL vultures-the birds) outside Kamakhya, which I did not enter 
after taking a peek into the dark abyss with my fellow boarders
from Don Bosco, one Sunday afternoon, when we hiked up Narakasur Hill 
( or is it Nilachal?) in one of those mandatory long marches that DBS 
was well known for.  The filth always turns me off.  I remember the 
repulsive environment at Puri from an architectural tour in 1964. 
What I could never understand is how the  environment  of a place for 
prayer or spiritual redemption can be as vile as Hindu temples in 
India are and how the devotees accept them as either the norm or 
inevitable.


Was it not an unusually enlightened :-)  Sankaracharyya or some Hindu 
intellectual who wondered why he has to go to a Temple if the gods 
are omnipresent or something to that effect? A very  astute question 
I thought :-).

I do understand that there might be some value to rituals as a 
vehicle of faith.


But like this?


What gives?









At 10:43 AM -0600 1/11/08, Ram Sarangapani wrote:
>On the way heading back from our trip to Kovalam beach (and Kerala), the
>driver convinced us that a trip to the Padbhanama temple was really the
>thing to do... you know, good for the soul, etc.
>
>Trivandrum is also one of those dirtiest places on earth not to visit
>again, if possible. The temple (an old one) occupies probably an entire city
>block or more.
>
>Well, we parked, and about to visit, when we were told that it was
>imperative for us to wear dhotis to enter the temple. The men, were required
>to wear only a dhoti - no pants, shirts, ganji, wallet, and of course shoes.
>Women too were required to wear a dhoti. A concession is made for them
>though, they could wear it over the sari/mekhela/etc. And of course they
>could keep wearing the top.
>
>The touts who sell some threadbare dhotis are also around to make it easy.
>The driver advised to keep all our clothes, wallets etc in the car, and for
>us to finish our darsan. That kind of scared me. This was a rental car. What
>if the driver decided to take off? I only had a few Rs. in my hand - no
>passport, id or whatever. Gave me the shivers ... but lucky for us the
>driver was a good man.
>
>Anyway, while the temple itself was impressive, inside it was sheer chaos.
>There were touts wanting you to part with your Rs.
>There was one guy, right at the gate, armed with a huge bamboo staff. He
>came running to inspect Alpana's bag - no wallets, cell phones etc. The
>cabbie, again came to our rescue - he held these for us.
>
>Inside there is this other guy, who sells 4 small earthenware lamps (with
>oil) for Rs 100 or something. These are in a plate, you take the lamps, pour
>out the oil in a container, which the oilman, I guess resells (back to you
>if possible).
>
>This is similar to other places of worship/interest in Kanyakumari (another
>dirty place to place on the list). The Hanuman temple is also full of
>crooks. And the last place to meditate is the Vivekananda Rock. It was too
>crowded.  It even has a "meditation room" - only that too is crowded, and
>reeks of body odor. The rock itself is clean and nice, if only there were no
>tourists around :) :)
>
>Lest, I am misunderstood. Its not so much that the temple as rules or that
>someone has to make a living. I am all for that. The rules, though need to
>have a purpose, and be logical.  Touts ought not be running (and ruining
>temples).
>
>Some tips: The GRT resort on the way to Pondicherry is really good,
>beautiful. Kovalam is great - really a tropical paradise, but Trivandrum &
>Kanyakumari are really overrated.
>
>--Ram
>_______________________________________________
>assam mailing list
>assam at assamnet.org
>http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org