Offerings for Ramdev

Bikaner beckons

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January 9th 2012
The shrine to Ramdev, a revered 17th century do-gooder who tended the needs of the poor, is approached through street upon street of stalls hawking offerings to this demigod. We wonder who buys it and where it all goes? How much prasaad (sacred food offering) can be strewn around a temple, and how many plastic keepsakes desired or donated? With shoes customarily discarded, our freezing ... read more

Asia » India » Rajasthan » Bikaner

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The Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the world, dates back at least 5,000 years. Aryan tribes from the northwest invaded about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier Dravidian inhabitants created the classical Indian culture. Arab in... ... read more