Karma for sale

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March 19th 2007

Published: August 12th 2007

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His Dudeness

Ayodhya

Ayodhya ghats

The last ten days have been spent visiting some of Hinduisms most holy places... Ayodhya, Allahabad, Chitrakoot and now Varanasi...

So how much is your Karma worth to you? This is a question you must ask yourself... Because nothing comes for free and if you wish to be blessed by a Brahmin you will have to pay for it... Yes religion is big business in India! At least at the big pilgrimage and or tourist spots! You want to be blessed at the confluence of the two most holiest rivers in India? Expect to pay for that service... All currencies and major credit cards excepted!! You want your family to be blessed too? That will cost extra, best to tell them you are an orphan... A blessing in Allahabad, with three coconuts and some flowers can set you back quite a bit, at least if you come unprepared! The priest at this most favourable spot wanted a small donation, 1500 or 2500 rupees... Dollars also welcome... But he didn't count on getting all my small change, pfff... 40 rupees, and I still find that a lot... He quickly shuffled us of the boat with some angry growling... Go to a

Ayodhya

Kanak Bhavan (Palace of Gold)

temple and you will suddenly be confronted with an entrance fee, but seemingly only for foreigners... And if you don't watch out a Brahmin in the temple will give you an unwanted blessing for which he will want money... Your soul is worth a lot of money in this country... And temples don't come cheap...

But it wasn't always like this, and it still isn't... In Chitrakoot, which is called a mini Varanasi, you still get a blessing for free, like it should be... Here you go in a temple and they ask no money and they don't give you an unwanted tour for money or try to push some other service on you... A donation is appreciated but no one asks for it, it is up to you... Here you can still have a chai on a small boat while having a friendly conversation with a local, without paying... Because you are his guest... Yes, in Chitrakoot everything is mini, but the heart is maxi! And so it is outside all the big pilgrimage places or if you get to places where few tourist go... Ayodhya too is a place with few if any hassles, it is important

Allahabad

All Saints Cathedral in Allahabad

as the birthplace of Rama, but somehow has managed to remain free of that curse that has befallen many of it's brethren holy cities...

And than Varanasi... If you could only go to one city in India, it probably would have to be Varanasi... It encapsulates everything that is India, the good and the bad... Here you will see families bathing in the Ganges, purifying their soul by doing so...And here too, you will see a person throwing a plastic bag full of rubbish in the sacred river one minute and than pray and bless himself in that same river the next minute.. Sadus are everywhere, as are the cows... People meditate on the waterfront, priests bless themselves and if possible you and the tourists take photos... This is where every Hindu wants to be cremated, because dying here guarantees a direct passage to heaven... But here too, religion is very big business... Again the blessings don't come for free, shake somebody’s hand and you might end up paying him for a hand massage you didn't ask for, get a red dot put on your forehead and you will loose some more small change... Kids try to sell you

Allahabad

Mughal tombs in Khusru Bagh

postcards, flowers, candles and everything in between... Priest try to sell you blessings, meditation, the future and all else that relates to the spiritual world... Being cremated here isn't cheap either; you must pay to go to heaven! And in the small alleyways behind the ghats you will here many a whisper: Hashish!!

Here the ultimate battle for you soul is fought between those that promise salvation and those that want to corrupt you... Whichever way you choose, you can be sure it will cost you!

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