Pushkar, Rajasthan
Sunday Jan. 8, 2006
We've been in Pushkar now for 2 days and plan on staying for a few more. This place is magical, what I imagined India to be. We took a very unpleasant bus ride up the mountains to this paradise set on Pushkar Lake. The man who owns the internet cafe I'm in just told me he has been here his whole life and that 20 years ago there were only a few tourists and one guest house. Now the streets are filled with travelers from around the world. There are many Israeli's here, possibly an escape after military duty. This place is also known for pushy priests and people exploring spirituality, bong and facial hair. There are several Ghats that lead to the water's edge where many take daily blessings. We took Darshan yesterday. We removed our shoes and walked down the steps, the Ghat, to the water. Each one of us had our own man instructing us through this sacred blessing. I repeated as he recited sacred words, mantras, to bless me and my family. I washed my hands three times, and then touched a finger to each eye, ear and then mouth. I threw the flowers I received into the water to symbolize the release of negative karma. I am also dotted on the forehead between my eyes with Tilak, sandalwood paste, to symbolize the third eye. This paste has a cooling effect to stimulate the higher-mind of the third eye. The entire ceremony is called Puja and we received the blessing through the Pujari's.
We sat at a rooftop restaurant yesterday after arriving to relax and take in the view. The lake is surrounded by many temples, they say 1000 here alone in Pushkar. The sun feels great in the daytime bringing the temps up to 70 or so. But at night the air is crisp and cool. We are guessing it gets down to around 40 degrees.
Last night we went to another hotel where they had live music and gypsy dancing. We met one of the dancers at a hotel we visited but didn't stay at. She is from Northern California and here studying at the Shakti School of Dance, which is run by a westerner.
The rooftop restaurant overlooking the lake this morning was breathtaking. There are several onion-domed temples here. We are on the edge of the desert here in Rajasthan. Pushkar is also known for its camels and there is a camel fair each fall where hundreds of people gather to party and trade livestock. (Maybe next year!)
We visited a beautiful Sikh temple today, a solid-white marble oasis, where we did our 2nd Puja. In the Sikh tradition it is different though. We remove our shoes and wash our hands and feet at the temple steps. When we go inside there is an altar which represents the teaching of the fifth guru. We bow in front, touching our foreheads to the ground and walk slowly around the altar with hands in prayer. Back in front we receive prushad, blessed sweets which taste like crisp banana candy, from a volunteer sitting on a blanket surrounded in flowers. This religion embraces all religions so you see many different people praying together. I love that! Afterwards we are free to explore the amazing view from the rooftop. The whole place is white marble, ever the stairways that take us up to each higher level. We can see the whole town from here with its many farmed plots and camel-driven country roads. Tomorrow we want to go off the beaten path away from the hustle-bustle and explore the mountains that surround this entrancing little town.
Love & Peace from India,
Lynne
We've been in Pushkar now for 2 days and plan on staying for a few more. This place is magical, what I imagined India to be. We took a very unpleasant bus ride up the mountains to this paradise set on Pushkar Lake. The man who owns the internet cafe I'm in just told me he has been here his whole life and that 20 years ago there were only a few tourists and one guest house. Now the streets are filled with travelers from around the world. There are many Israeli's here, possibly an escape after military duty. This place is also known for pushy priests and people exploring spirituality, bong and facial hair. There are several Ghats that lead to the water's edge where many take daily blessings. We took Darshan yesterday. We removed our shoes and walked down the steps, the Ghat, to the water. Each one of us had our own man instructing us through this sacred blessing. I repeated as he recited sacred words, mantras, to bless me and my family. I washed my hands three times, and then touched a finger to each eye, ear and then mouth. I threw the flowers I received into the water to symbolize the release of negative karma. I am also dotted on the forehead between my eyes with Tilak, sandalwood paste, to symbolize the third eye. This paste has a cooling effect to stimulate the higher-mind of the third eye. The entire ceremony is called Puja and we received the blessing through the Pujari's.
We sat at a rooftop restaurant yesterday after arriving to relax and take in the view. The lake is surrounded by many temples, they say 1000 here alone in Pushkar. The sun feels great in the daytime bringing the temps up to 70 or so. But at night the air is crisp and cool. We are guessing it gets down to around 40 degrees.
Last night we went to another hotel where they had live music and gypsy dancing. We met one of the dancers at a hotel we visited but didn't stay at. She is from Northern California and here studying at the Shakti School of Dance, which is run by a westerner.
The rooftop restaurant overlooking the lake this morning was breathtaking. There are several onion-domed temples here. We are on the edge of the desert here in Rajasthan. Pushkar is also known for its camels and there is a camel fair each fall where hundreds of people gather to party and trade livestock. (Maybe next year!)
We visited a beautiful Sikh temple today, a solid-white marble oasis, where we did our 2nd Puja. In the Sikh tradition it is different though. We remove our shoes and wash our hands and feet at the temple steps. When we go inside there is an altar which represents the teaching of the fifth guru. We bow in front, touching our foreheads to the ground and walk slowly around the altar with hands in prayer. Back in front we receive prushad, blessed sweets which taste like crisp banana candy, from a volunteer sitting on a blanket surrounded in flowers. This religion embraces all religions so you see many different people praying together. I love that! Afterwards we are free to explore the amazing view from the rooftop. The whole place is white marble, ever the stairways that take us up to each higher level. We can see the whole town from here with its many farmed plots and camel-driven country roads. Tomorrow we want to go off the beaten path away from the hustle-bustle and explore the mountains that surround this entrancing little town.
Love & Peace from India,
Lynne
posted by Lynne | 1:36 AM
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