On Sunday I saw the Ganges river for the first time. Three friends and I took a taxi and spent the day in Rishikesh (where the Beatles went to meet the Maharishi in the 1960s). It is a popular pilgrimage spot for Indians, and a yoga and meditation mecca for westerners. There are several temples and countless ashrams offering all sorts of yoga (as one indian visitor said to us, “they are selling hinduism”).
From where the taxi dropped us off, we crossed the river on a bridge, and headed upstream to one of the main temples, the Lakshmi Mandir. We took a dirt path which wound its way through the woods, passing Sadhus (ascetic holy men) at every turn. I visited my first Hindu temple here, and received a blessing. The temple was cool and calm in contrast to the heat and bustle outside.
The real turning point of the day came when we made our way to the bank of the Ganges to bathe our feet. The river has an amazingly powerful presence. Sitting with my feet in the stron current, watching the water rush past me, I could understand how people worship it as a god. As a friend said, “The Ganges has all that weight of human history.”
I would like to relate a small incident which occured on our way back to the taxi. We stopped on the path to have a chai at a small cart. There were several sadhus there, one of whom appeared very stern and quiet. He watched us intently, and barely responded when spoken to (in Hindi). When the chaiwala handed my friend Antoine his chai, Antoine yelped, “hot” and passed the glass back and forth in his hands before giving it back to the chaiwala. Everybody broke out laughing, including the serious sadhu. It was a very human moment.
Hi, Geoffrey. I have been following your journey through this wonderful log and enjoying it vicariously. I remember visiting Rishikesh almost two decades ago. Yes, the Ganges river indeed holds a special place in the hearts and minds of the Indian people. I am now awaiting a picture of you wearing the “Kurta Pajama.” 😉 Keep writing!
Namaste Geoffrey 🙂
Within a month you have experience quite variety of the greatest India. I’m happy that you got an experience of Ganga, which has a special position for Indian and of course all human being.
It reminded me of my first experience, having a dip in freshly melted water from snow in LEH from where the Ganga starts. Ohhhh! It was an amazing ANANDA.
Now you have tested all different kind of Tea from City to moutain and similar experience with city people/life to mountain people/life.
Let me tell you the invitation for Tea is a real Indian heart, compare to an invitation for beer in a hotel…..
Wish you a lot of enjoyment!!
(Email1317 me for Ahmedabad visit timing.)
Hello Geffrey,
Welcome to India!! Appreciate every moment and take from it everything that you possibly can in this diverse land, exploring which is on my wishlist.
I believe in the fact that you can make of your life anything you wish and then go out and live it. Sounds like you are doing exactly that, and I am enjoying reading every bit of this adventure. Keep up the good work on the journal.
-Regards,
Krishna
Yo !!
It seems like you’re having a lot of chai. Isn’t it great..having chai and meeting friends and listening to stories and getting pleasure out of small things in life…I guess that’s what India is all about !! It’s the smaller things in life that move you. Moreover, your indian experiences is directly propotional to the cups of chai you consume 🙂 and you can consume a lot of chai in india, since the servings are so small, like espresso shots…right !! have fun and keep the journal flowing. I’m enjoying every bit of it !!
-vish
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I really enjoy sitting and talking over cups of chai. I agree that it’s the small things that get focused on here, but I like that. In the U.S. we are often too focused on material things. –Geoffrey