Day 241, 242 and 243 Arriving to Rishikesh - Visit of the holy city Haridwar
March 5th to Mach 7th, 2019.
Ok, I know I promised I wouldn't get behind, but here I am, already five days behind. I have so much information and images and things to share that I don't even know where to start. I could go back and look at the pictures I took every day and remember exactly where we went each day but I think it would take too long. So I decided that from now on, I will write more of a summary. Plus, my lovely family has told me that I don't need to write every single detail like I do. I forget that I'm writing a public blog and not a personal journal. So here it goes, my summary, and then, I will pass this to Gregory to add all the missing information and proofread it before it can be published.
The day after we visited the Taj Majal, we flew from Delhi to Dehradun. From there we took a prepaid taxi to Rishikesh, the capital of yoga. I was honestly expecting a more green and peaceful place, mostly because Gregory had read to me about staying in the ashrams. We spent the first night in a hostel that looked very nice in pictures, but not so great in person. It was a funky place, and maybe I could have stayed there longer if there wasn't construction going on all around it. We could hear the workers day and night, they don't stop working until 8 or 9:00pm!
We spent our first full day looking for another place to stay instead of the hostel. We walked around town and discovered that it had become a commercial place for westerners to come and do yoga. It really didn't feel like a spiritual place, I don't know why I was expecting it to. Maybe in the ashrams, they focus more on meditation or spirituality, but all the other stores and places around were all about yoga courses. I was overwhelmed and frustrated that we didn't find a place to stay and that we had to check out of the hostel the next morning. I got homesick and I just wanted to go back home!
Gregory and I spent all morning researching for places to stay near Rishikesh. We were looking for a peaceful place, mostly because we were coming from the noise and smells of Delhi. At this point, I didn't care about the yoga classes, just a quiet place with a nice view of the landscape... and no construction! We found a very nice place in a tiny village called Veerbhadra. The apartment is huge, everyone has their own bedroom and bathroom and the view is fantastic. We can see the Himalayan mountains, green all around, and lots of cows and water buffalos roaming and grazing. The common area has big windows and because we are on the second floor, we can see a lot of eagles. Our host was very nice and came to pick us up the day we checked out of the hostel, he is just super helpful. And the best part of staying here is that his wife makes delicious meals, we can order from the menu!
The day we arrived there, we all wanted to stay home. We ordered food from downstairs and had a delicious meal. The following day, Gregory and I rented a private tuk tuk ( I would have preferred a car but it was more expensive) to take us to Haridwar to visit temples. Sunshine stayed home because she was getting over a cold and Daniel was not interested in seeing more temples. Well, we kind of regreted not taking them because what we saw was so unique, and that's why we are here for. At the same time, I know it would have been a lot for them. Gregory doesn't get tired and wants to cover as much as possible.
Going back to the temples experience. It was very different from what we are used to seeing in Europe. The tuk tuk drove for 45 minutes to go to the holy city called Haridwar. The first temple that we visited was called Chandi Devi.
Chandi Devi Temple, Haridwar is a Hindu temple dedicated to Goddess Chandi Devi in the holy city of Haridwar in the Uttarakhand state of India. The temple is situated atop the Neel Parvat on the Eastern summit of the Sivalik Hills, the southernmost mountain chain of the Himalayas. Wikipedia
There, we paid to enter two temples and a funicular ride because they're built on top of the mountain. The temples are magnificent from the outside. When we made it to the top, we saw many little stores selling all kinds of objects and offerings like flowers and bags that had all sort of things to offer to the gods. We only bought some strings that Gregory said were to wish for good luck. We also bought a little leaf basket that had rose petals, marigolds, and rice cereal.
We had to take off our shoes, but I refused to take off my socks. Gregory said he didn't want to ruin his socks and I said, I don't want to ruin my feet (with fungus). I was expecting one enclosed place, but it was more like a hallway with many stations where you stop to get a blessing from a volunteer, a deacon, a holy person, not sure what they are. Not only do you get a blessing, you also get hit in the back with a stick. I couldn't help but laugh because I was thinking, what kind of blessing is this? In each station, there was an image of a different God and you offered what you had to the God. They also encourage you to leave money in each station. At one point, we started telling them that we didn't have any more money but they would insist. They didn't ask for a lot of money but to me, it seemed more like a store than a temple. Indian people did not spend alot of time praying in each station. They would bend and touch the floor and then their head several times. They also prayed with their hands together and moved in circles. Here, I wish we had a local guide that could explain to us what it meant, but we were pretty much the only tourists. We saw very few in there!
We spent a good amount of time in the first temple. Afterward, we visited another one that was next to this one called: Laxmi Narayan.
Here we found a peaceful station which was outside with a big shady tree. We sat and meditated for some time. It was so peaceful. When we came down, we were starving so we had some lunch and then went outside to look for our tuk-tuk driver, whose name was Aquiles, and he didn't speak any English.
Aquiles drove us to another colorful temple called Daksh Prajapati.
Outside the temple, we saw many sadhu (A sadhu, also spelled saddhu, is a religious ascetic, mendicant or any holy person in Hinduism and Jainism who has renounced the worldly life. They are sometimes alternatively referred to as jogi, sannyasi or vairagi. It literally means one who practices a ″sadhana″ or keenly follows a path of spiritual discipline. Wikipedia
We asked some people sitting outside the temple if we could get a picture with them and all of them smiled and said yes. Gregory said that we made their day! After that, Aquiles drove us to the next temple, which was on a very busy street surrounded by many stores and stands selling clothes, bags, jewelry, food, and spices. It seemed more like a market.
The last Temple that we visited was Mandidebi, we had to take another funicular. At this point, I knew what to expect and I didn't want to stop at each station or give any more money. I think I was done by then. Gregory did stop and get some blessings. Some of the people were telling me to come and pray and I just kept saying no thank you. At one point, I kind of got upset because they were very pushy and wanted money. Again, it seemed to me that all the vendors take advantage of the poor people and sell them all sorts of things to offer to their gods. Who keeps the money in the charity boxes or what do they do with the money that so many poor families deposit, I have no idea. In any case, I can see why Nehru was frustrating in trying to modernize India and seeing how superstitious uneducated people are.
After that, we had some chai and went shopping for a sari. That was an awesome experience. They took us upstairs, gave us chai, and showed me beautiful fabrics and saris. I couldn't believe that a sari is really just a lpieceeace of fabric that you wrap around yourself. I thought it was too complicated to put on and decided against it. I did buy beautiful fabric just to have a tailor make me two phirans (the dress that you wear with pants).
We finished the day by witnessing a fire ceremony, called the "Ganga Aarti" where men and women put their offerings (a leaf filled with flowers and candles) in the holy river. It was very powerful and I could feel an inmense energy that made me cry! It was a very beautiful experience that probably deserves a whole page of writing but because I'm summarizing, I will do it another day.
Ok, I know I promised I wouldn't get behind, but here I am, already five days behind. I have so much information and images and things to share that I don't even know where to start. I could go back and look at the pictures I took every day and remember exactly where we went each day but I think it would take too long. So I decided that from now on, I will write more of a summary. Plus, my lovely family has told me that I don't need to write every single detail like I do. I forget that I'm writing a public blog and not a personal journal. So here it goes, my summary, and then, I will pass this to Gregory to add all the missing information and proofread it before it can be published.
The day after we visited the Taj Majal, we flew from Delhi to Dehradun. From there we took a prepaid taxi to Rishikesh, the capital of yoga. I was honestly expecting a more green and peaceful place, mostly because Gregory had read to me about staying in the ashrams. We spent the first night in a hostel that looked very nice in pictures, but not so great in person. It was a funky place, and maybe I could have stayed there longer if there wasn't construction going on all around it. We could hear the workers day and night, they don't stop working until 8 or 9:00pm!
We spent our first full day looking for another place to stay instead of the hostel. We walked around town and discovered that it had become a commercial place for westerners to come and do yoga. It really didn't feel like a spiritual place, I don't know why I was expecting it to. Maybe in the ashrams, they focus more on meditation or spirituality, but all the other stores and places around were all about yoga courses. I was overwhelmed and frustrated that we didn't find a place to stay and that we had to check out of the hostel the next morning. I got homesick and I just wanted to go back home!
Gregory and I spent all morning researching for places to stay near Rishikesh. We were looking for a peaceful place, mostly because we were coming from the noise and smells of Delhi. At this point, I didn't care about the yoga classes, just a quiet place with a nice view of the landscape... and no construction! We found a very nice place in a tiny village called Veerbhadra. The apartment is huge, everyone has their own bedroom and bathroom and the view is fantastic. We can see the Himalayan mountains, green all around, and lots of cows and water buffalos roaming and grazing. The common area has big windows and because we are on the second floor, we can see a lot of eagles. Our host was very nice and came to pick us up the day we checked out of the hostel, he is just super helpful. And the best part of staying here is that his wife makes delicious meals, we can order from the menu!
The day we arrived there, we all wanted to stay home. We ordered food from downstairs and had a delicious meal. The following day, Gregory and I rented a private tuk tuk ( I would have preferred a car but it was more expensive) to take us to Haridwar to visit temples. Sunshine stayed home because she was getting over a cold and Daniel was not interested in seeing more temples. Well, we kind of regreted not taking them because what we saw was so unique, and that's why we are here for. At the same time, I know it would have been a lot for them. Gregory doesn't get tired and wants to cover as much as possible.
Going back to the temples experience. It was very different from what we are used to seeing in Europe. The tuk tuk drove for 45 minutes to go to the holy city called Haridwar. The first temple that we visited was called Chandi Devi.
Chandi Devi Temple, Haridwar is a Hindu temple dedicated to Goddess Chandi Devi in the holy city of Haridwar in the Uttarakhand state of India. The temple is situated atop the Neel Parvat on the Eastern summit of the Sivalik Hills, the southernmost mountain chain of the Himalayas. Wikipedia
There, we paid to enter two temples and a funicular ride because they're built on top of the mountain. The temples are magnificent from the outside. When we made it to the top, we saw many little stores selling all kinds of objects and offerings like flowers and bags that had all sort of things to offer to the gods. We only bought some strings that Gregory said were to wish for good luck. We also bought a little leaf basket that had rose petals, marigolds, and rice cereal.
We had to take off our shoes, but I refused to take off my socks. Gregory said he didn't want to ruin his socks and I said, I don't want to ruin my feet (with fungus). I was expecting one enclosed place, but it was more like a hallway with many stations where you stop to get a blessing from a volunteer, a deacon, a holy person, not sure what they are. Not only do you get a blessing, you also get hit in the back with a stick. I couldn't help but laugh because I was thinking, what kind of blessing is this? In each station, there was an image of a different God and you offered what you had to the God. They also encourage you to leave money in each station. At one point, we started telling them that we didn't have any more money but they would insist. They didn't ask for a lot of money but to me, it seemed more like a store than a temple. Indian people did not spend alot of time praying in each station. They would bend and touch the floor and then their head several times. They also prayed with their hands together and moved in circles. Here, I wish we had a local guide that could explain to us what it meant, but we were pretty much the only tourists. We saw very few in there!
We spent a good amount of time in the first temple. Afterward, we visited another one that was next to this one called: Laxmi Narayan.
Here we found a peaceful station which was outside with a big shady tree. We sat and meditated for some time. It was so peaceful. When we came down, we were starving so we had some lunch and then went outside to look for our tuk-tuk driver, whose name was Aquiles, and he didn't speak any English.
Aquiles drove us to another colorful temple called Daksh Prajapati.
Daksheswara Mahadev (Hindi: दक्षेश्वर महादेव मन्दिर) or Daksha Mahadev temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, located in the town of Kankhal, about 4 km from Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India. It is named after King Daksha Prajapati, the father of Sati.
Date built: 1810 CE
The temple was all white with stripes of dark blue, pink, red and more. There he took us near the river which was sacred, gave a tip and we got a blessing from the guru, or priest, I don't know. He wanted more money from us but Aquiles said no. Again this temple had stations and each station had an image of a God, some of them were in a cage so people couldn't damage them? I don't know. We didn't see any tourists in this temple, I could see that it was very local.
The temple was all white with stripes of dark blue, pink, red and more. There he took us near the river which was sacred, gave a tip and we got a blessing from the guru, or priest, I don't know. He wanted more money from us but Aquiles said no. Again this temple had stations and each station had an image of a God, some of them were in a cage so people couldn't damage them? I don't know. We didn't see any tourists in this temple, I could see that it was very local.
Outside the temple, we saw many sadhu (A sadhu, also spelled saddhu, is a religious ascetic, mendicant or any holy person in Hinduism and Jainism who has renounced the worldly life. They are sometimes alternatively referred to as jogi, sannyasi or vairagi. It literally means one who practices a ″sadhana″ or keenly follows a path of spiritual discipline. Wikipedia
We asked some people sitting outside the temple if we could get a picture with them and all of them smiled and said yes. Gregory said that we made their day! After that, Aquiles drove us to the next temple, which was on a very busy street surrounded by many stores and stands selling clothes, bags, jewelry, food, and spices. It seemed more like a market.
The last Temple that we visited was Mandidebi, we had to take another funicular. At this point, I knew what to expect and I didn't want to stop at each station or give any more money. I think I was done by then. Gregory did stop and get some blessings. Some of the people were telling me to come and pray and I just kept saying no thank you. At one point, I kind of got upset because they were very pushy and wanted money. Again, it seemed to me that all the vendors take advantage of the poor people and sell them all sorts of things to offer to their gods. Who keeps the money in the charity boxes or what do they do with the money that so many poor families deposit, I have no idea. In any case, I can see why Nehru was frustrating in trying to modernize India and seeing how superstitious uneducated people are.
After that, we had some chai and went shopping for a sari. That was an awesome experience. They took us upstairs, gave us chai, and showed me beautiful fabrics and saris. I couldn't believe that a sari is really just a lpieceeace of fabric that you wrap around yourself. I thought it was too complicated to put on and decided against it. I did buy beautiful fabric just to have a tailor make me two phirans (the dress that you wear with pants).
We finished the day by witnessing a fire ceremony, called the "Ganga Aarti" where men and women put their offerings (a leaf filled with flowers and candles) in the holy river. It was very powerful and I could feel an inmense energy that made me cry! It was a very beautiful experience that probably deserves a whole page of writing but because I'm summarizing, I will do it another day.
After the ceremony, we walked back to where we park the tuk-tuk with Aquiles. It was so sad to see how poor people live in the slums. It took an hour to get back home. I was overwhelmed with experiences, sights, smells and more...
For pictures please click here
https://photos.app.goo.gl/9aBSoDDhLz84hBSc8
For pictures please click here
https://photos.app.goo.gl/9aBSoDDhLz84hBSc8
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