Hello dear ones,
It's November 28, and we are in Hampi. We've found little cottages with thatch, looking out over rice paddies and will spend several days here. There are at least 40 sq. kilometers of old temples, ceremonial sites, and royal palaces. So over the next few days we will explore these old sites. They are all made of granite and stretch the mind as to how a culture could have done it all. Here we are some 800 years later and all these sites remain. What I wonder do we create that will still be standing 800 years from now? Next week we will head to the west coast and Goa. We will at least start out in a little town on the ocean called Benaulim.
It feels like the time is going too fast and I wish (partly that is) that we were here longer. India is so immense, there is so much to see, feel, hear, experience that one can only begin to scratch the surface. Still I am so grateful for the chance to be here.
When I last wrote we were in Omkareshwar. From there on Nov. 15 we travelled to Mandu. We would have liked to stay in Omkareshwar longer, but with 100,000 pilgrims coming the next day there was really nowhere for us to stay. So we changed our plans and headed for Mandu. Our driver heard of a shortcut and so we headed cross-country. The road was beautiful, relatively isolated, taking us through brush country surrounded by high plateaus and mesas. The last several miles took us up out of a valley over a very rough rock filled road and up onto the high plateau where Mandu is. We later heard that this was the "good road". The driver tore a hole in our manifold and we "roared" into Mandu.
At Mandu, Moslem rulers had established their kingdom. I went the next day and spent the day in the Royal Enclosure. It is most beautiful. They built 2 major lakes, and around them and between them created Royal Palaces. One palace, maybe 60 feet wide is about 300 feet long. It was the home for 15,000 women who lived in the harem. It contains pools on two levels in the shape of lotus and flowers. Everywhere the simple Muslim architecture, the curves of doorways, revealing curves of further away doorways, and roof arches, and views of the lakes and pools was most pleasing to the eye. There were Turkish bath houses made of stone. Hot and cold water was channeled into the baths under and beside stone benches. The roofs of the baths were covered by stone domes, in which were carved octagons and stars.
At one of the platforms there was a ramp to the second floor, made so that the emperor could ride his elephant to the second floor. One of the major palaces was built with inward sloping walls to give the effect of the palace being a ship at sea. In one of the lakes there was an island pavilion sitting in the middle of the pavilion. Two very large Mosques were part of the complex. It was another of those places that belies imagination, another place so much larger than my imagination could create and yet it came out of someone, or many persons imagination.
I walked out on a platform overlooking the lake. Three little boys followed me giggling and laughing, asking for rupees, chocolate, my name, my country. Their asking for something seemed secondary to their enjoyment and laughter. We wandered around the palace for a while and I stopped to smoke my small pipe, and give my gratitude. They were quite fascinated to watch me do this. I ended up, at their insistence blowing smoke on their heads, on their chests, in their mouths and finally between their toes all to great gales of laughter. As we walked back across the bridge way to the shore they pointed at the water and kept trying to get me to see something. When I couldn't see what they were looking at, they all stripped off their clothes and jumped in the water. Pretty soon they were throwing fresh-water crabs up on the path. As fast as they threw them up I threw them back in, not wanting them to die on my account. I left them still laughing and just enjoying being alive.
It was wonderful to be in such a place of beauty, coming from the Moslem culture. As beautiful as all the Hindu temples, yet different, simpler in some ways. The same day we went to a major Jain temple in Mandu. As in other places the cultures exist and did exist with each other, often right beside each other literally. In this case the Jain temple was near the Mughal Royal Enclosure, Hindu temples and one of the largest Mosques in India, which was several centuries old and not in active use. It is so much fun to be able to walk in all these places, not restricted by ropes or rules and to be able to feel what created such amazing structures, what created such beauty, what would have taken place there over hundreds of years.
While we were in the Jain temple, we could hear a band approaching. As the musicians entered the temple they were followed by a group of women. There was a marraige taking place and the bride and all her female friends and family came to the temple. The women were dancing for the bride one at a time. Carol went over, made friends with them and began dancing with them. As in most places, people were open to us, curious and friendly.
The next day we left for Ellora, the world famous site of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain caves. Back we went down the very steep, rock-filled road, our driver even a little more cautious after the misadventure going up. A few hours later we stopped for him to fix the muffler. His assurance that we would be one-half hour turned into a few hours, and we arrived at Ellora after a twelve-hour drive. We met Bill and Becky, motorcycle adventurers deluxe. They were on a four-year motorcycle tour around the world. He was 63 and she 25. They had come across Iran and Pakistan on motorcycles on their way to India, their testing ground. They told us of Bill crashing his bike near the Iran border and having to ride across the desert for three days without any real roads.
Over the next several days we explored the 34 caves at Ellora. First, Buddhists in the seventh century, then Hindu's in the eighth century and finally Jains in the ninth century came to this valley and carved caves into a hillside containing whole temples. It took us three days of exploration to see all the caves. One of the Hindu caves represents Mount Kailas, the home of Shiva. The whole structure, 100 feet deep and several hundred feet long was carved out of the rock from the top down. It is the largest monolithic structure in the world. In addition to many rooms full of carvings of Shiva, Ganesha, Nandi, Laxshmi, Durga, Kali and many others there are two life-sized carved elephants.
The Buddhist caves were filled with statues of Taras, Bodhisattvas and Buddhas. Two foot statues, life-sized statues and many statues 20 feet high or higher. Everywhere around there were rooms carved in the solid rock as cells for monks and pilgrims. In addition to the 34 numbered caves there are scores of other unnumbered caves in the immediate area. We had a young guide who took us up above the more famous caves and showed us many other caves. They were very beautiful, sitting on both sides of a gorge in which flowed a small river. There were sinkholes, very deep, everywhere in the river-bed which served as water sources for the local people.
Every morning our porch in our little cabin was filled with orange flowers, which fell in the night. We watched India beat South Africa in the first match of a five-match contest and I've come to enjoy watching cricket.
One evening I went up the hills behind the caves to watch the sunset. As I walked further and further back into the country I came across an area filled with quartz crystal. Everywhere beautiful crystals lying on the ground, or partly in the ground. There was a small village ahead, maybe 10 houses and as the sun set the people began to play drums and sing, doing what people have always done, saluting the sun.
Yesterday, here in Hampi, I sat on the porch of our little cottage watching, the ibis in the rice fields.
The Ibis
Sitting under the thatched roof
Watching the Ibis fighting to keep
sole possession
Of his one corner of the rice paddy
Against all newcomers
I wonder, what are the corners I am
fighting to keep control of
Talk to you soon. I hope you are well.
Love Jim
It's November 28, and we are in Hampi. We've found little cottages with thatch, looking out over rice paddies and will spend several days here. There are at least 40 sq. kilometers of old temples, ceremonial sites, and royal palaces. So over the next few days we will explore these old sites. They are all made of granite and stretch the mind as to how a culture could have done it all. Here we are some 800 years later and all these sites remain. What I wonder do we create that will still be standing 800 years from now? Next week we will head to the west coast and Goa. We will at least start out in a little town on the ocean called Benaulim.
It feels like the time is going too fast and I wish (partly that is) that we were here longer. India is so immense, there is so much to see, feel, hear, experience that one can only begin to scratch the surface. Still I am so grateful for the chance to be here.
When I last wrote we were in Omkareshwar. From there on Nov. 15 we travelled to Mandu. We would have liked to stay in Omkareshwar longer, but with 100,000 pilgrims coming the next day there was really nowhere for us to stay. So we changed our plans and headed for Mandu. Our driver heard of a shortcut and so we headed cross-country. The road was beautiful, relatively isolated, taking us through brush country surrounded by high plateaus and mesas. The last several miles took us up out of a valley over a very rough rock filled road and up onto the high plateau where Mandu is. We later heard that this was the "good road". The driver tore a hole in our manifold and we "roared" into Mandu.
At Mandu, Moslem rulers had established their kingdom. I went the next day and spent the day in the Royal Enclosure. It is most beautiful. They built 2 major lakes, and around them and between them created Royal Palaces. One palace, maybe 60 feet wide is about 300 feet long. It was the home for 15,000 women who lived in the harem. It contains pools on two levels in the shape of lotus and flowers. Everywhere the simple Muslim architecture, the curves of doorways, revealing curves of further away doorways, and roof arches, and views of the lakes and pools was most pleasing to the eye. There were Turkish bath houses made of stone. Hot and cold water was channeled into the baths under and beside stone benches. The roofs of the baths were covered by stone domes, in which were carved octagons and stars.
At one of the platforms there was a ramp to the second floor, made so that the emperor could ride his elephant to the second floor. One of the major palaces was built with inward sloping walls to give the effect of the palace being a ship at sea. In one of the lakes there was an island pavilion sitting in the middle of the pavilion. Two very large Mosques were part of the complex. It was another of those places that belies imagination, another place so much larger than my imagination could create and yet it came out of someone, or many persons imagination.
I walked out on a platform overlooking the lake. Three little boys followed me giggling and laughing, asking for rupees, chocolate, my name, my country. Their asking for something seemed secondary to their enjoyment and laughter. We wandered around the palace for a while and I stopped to smoke my small pipe, and give my gratitude. They were quite fascinated to watch me do this. I ended up, at their insistence blowing smoke on their heads, on their chests, in their mouths and finally between their toes all to great gales of laughter. As we walked back across the bridge way to the shore they pointed at the water and kept trying to get me to see something. When I couldn't see what they were looking at, they all stripped off their clothes and jumped in the water. Pretty soon they were throwing fresh-water crabs up on the path. As fast as they threw them up I threw them back in, not wanting them to die on my account. I left them still laughing and just enjoying being alive.
It was wonderful to be in such a place of beauty, coming from the Moslem culture. As beautiful as all the Hindu temples, yet different, simpler in some ways. The same day we went to a major Jain temple in Mandu. As in other places the cultures exist and did exist with each other, often right beside each other literally. In this case the Jain temple was near the Mughal Royal Enclosure, Hindu temples and one of the largest Mosques in India, which was several centuries old and not in active use. It is so much fun to be able to walk in all these places, not restricted by ropes or rules and to be able to feel what created such amazing structures, what created such beauty, what would have taken place there over hundreds of years.
While we were in the Jain temple, we could hear a band approaching. As the musicians entered the temple they were followed by a group of women. There was a marraige taking place and the bride and all her female friends and family came to the temple. The women were dancing for the bride one at a time. Carol went over, made friends with them and began dancing with them. As in most places, people were open to us, curious and friendly.
The next day we left for Ellora, the world famous site of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain caves. Back we went down the very steep, rock-filled road, our driver even a little more cautious after the misadventure going up. A few hours later we stopped for him to fix the muffler. His assurance that we would be one-half hour turned into a few hours, and we arrived at Ellora after a twelve-hour drive. We met Bill and Becky, motorcycle adventurers deluxe. They were on a four-year motorcycle tour around the world. He was 63 and she 25. They had come across Iran and Pakistan on motorcycles on their way to India, their testing ground. They told us of Bill crashing his bike near the Iran border and having to ride across the desert for three days without any real roads.
Over the next several days we explored the 34 caves at Ellora. First, Buddhists in the seventh century, then Hindu's in the eighth century and finally Jains in the ninth century came to this valley and carved caves into a hillside containing whole temples. It took us three days of exploration to see all the caves. One of the Hindu caves represents Mount Kailas, the home of Shiva. The whole structure, 100 feet deep and several hundred feet long was carved out of the rock from the top down. It is the largest monolithic structure in the world. In addition to many rooms full of carvings of Shiva, Ganesha, Nandi, Laxshmi, Durga, Kali and many others there are two life-sized carved elephants.
The Buddhist caves were filled with statues of Taras, Bodhisattvas and Buddhas. Two foot statues, life-sized statues and many statues 20 feet high or higher. Everywhere around there were rooms carved in the solid rock as cells for monks and pilgrims. In addition to the 34 numbered caves there are scores of other unnumbered caves in the immediate area. We had a young guide who took us up above the more famous caves and showed us many other caves. They were very beautiful, sitting on both sides of a gorge in which flowed a small river. There were sinkholes, very deep, everywhere in the river-bed which served as water sources for the local people.
Every morning our porch in our little cabin was filled with orange flowers, which fell in the night. We watched India beat South Africa in the first match of a five-match contest and I've come to enjoy watching cricket.
One evening I went up the hills behind the caves to watch the sunset. As I walked further and further back into the country I came across an area filled with quartz crystal. Everywhere beautiful crystals lying on the ground, or partly in the ground. There was a small village ahead, maybe 10 houses and as the sun set the people began to play drums and sing, doing what people have always done, saluting the sun.
Yesterday, here in Hampi, I sat on the porch of our little cottage watching, the ibis in the rice fields.
The Ibis
Sitting under the thatched roof
Watching the Ibis fighting to keep
sole possession
Of his one corner of the rice paddy
Against all newcomers
I wonder, what are the corners I am
fighting to keep control of
Talk to you soon. I hope you are well.
Love Jim
posted by HeartoftheWorld | 11:48 PM
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