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Published: June 29th 2008
"You Should Wash your Sins Off in the Ganga" Told me a couple of months ago a vedic astrologer Mohan ( what a waste of money)
I decided to visit the holy city of Haridwar, home of the famous Margh Mela and Kumb Mela festivals. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims visit the place every 6 years, to a mass dip in the Ganga.
I had the entire day to do whatever I liked , as my train to Amritsar didn't leave till 9PM.
I had to realize,
After spending 5 months in India, my moral was low and when I got to the train station from Rishikesh I decided that I don't want to visit the holy city.
Sitting in front of a computer and checking my e-mails, was more inviting option than face the thousands of pilgrims, holymen, beggars, loud trucks, agressive rickshaws and the likes.
I was tired and ready to go home.
However, When You are in India, life can change and ruin your most elaborate plans. This time fate played his hand and regarded my intents with a power blackout. thus no internet...
I decided to try to find a restaurant and eat
something. I joined the masses and went with the flow without a map, not knowing my directions...
It was great. I felt part of the pulsating mass and I never felt anything like this before. it was one of those experiences , like a surprise guest bearing the perfect present on your birthday. Life gives you the best stuff when you least expect it and in this case I made my peace with India and its habitants. Everyone smiled at me, everyone was gentle and I just went with the flow, eventually ending in the bathing ghats alongside the Holiest River. The Ganges -or as the indians call it the Ganga- was fast and the curent was frightening. Some of the men were enjoying the speed of the current and let themselves go. The women and the children were bathing carefully on the bathing steps of the ghats without surrendering to the dangerous looking water...
On the street there was a huge container containing pinkish liquid. The container was surrounded with people and 2 guys were filling cups and distributing the funny looking stuff. I asked what was it, but instead of receiving an answer , one of the guys
handed me a full cup. The drink tasted sweet and refreshing. It was free and they didn't accept my money, even tho I offered. There were more people on the streets drinking the stuff and in another street I was offered one more cup of the refreshing pink liquid. To my question one of the guys told me that it was Rosemilk, but my other question (Does it contain water from the Ganges ? )thankfully remained unanswered.( ignorance is a bliss!)
After wondering around the ghat I decided to visit the temple on the hill. I already have read that the monkeys steal the fruit and sweet offerings from the pilgrims, so I made a mental note to not to carry anything in a plastic bag.
The monkeys were really funny and didn't care about me taking pictures of them from up close and personal : )
After a 30 minutes walk uphill I have reached the temple and joined the pilgrims in their queue to offer prasad ( offering) to the Gods.
Everyone was in a cheerful mood and they were chanting unison something in sanskrit. It was magical. I felt that for this brief period they were part
of the same unity, like part of a giant. ( I don't know if this does makes sense to you or not, but it was really magical : )
At the train station I met some really friendly people and they told me their story, the circumstances of their marriages and tales of their families. I love to talk to indians. You can learn so many things from them.
On the train I have met a very friendly israeli couple Ari and Vered. They were on their honeymoon. I thought it was really an original idea to come to India for that purpose ( specially travelling in Sleeper calss). Ari 's ticket was issued to a different car. Althought I offered them to change my ticket with him, he galantly refused my offer stating that they will manage. Manage, they did. I think this must be what we call real love. Their marriage is truly all about sharing and giving, but you can judge from the pics I took...
Altho I did not washed off my bad karma in the Holy river, I think that Haridwar was a really special place altho I must confess that it is really hectic.
I hope you will enjoy the pics : )))
"A jo karmad erdekeben,Le kell mosnod a buneid a Gangesz vizeben Haridwarnal"- mondta Mohan az asztrologusKeralaban par honappal ezelott. ( micsoda felesleges penzkidobas...)
bar en a karmikus mosodaban nem hiszek, minthogy azt sem hiszem hogy 100 Ave Maria utan a bununk mar nem terheli lelkunket, megis ugy dontottem meglatogatom a szent varost a Gangesz partjan hol 6 evente rendezik meg a Margh mela illetve a Kumb Mela fesztivalt melyre szamtalan pilgrim jon el hogy kozosen furodjenek a szent folyo aradataban.
egy egesz nap a rendelkezesemre allt, hogy korulnezzek es beigyam a hely hangulatat. a vasutallomasra erven beadtam a hatizsakom a csomagmegorzobe, es rajottem, nekem semmi kedvem nincs emberek koze menni. 5 es fel honap India olyan tomegiszonyt eredmenyezett, hogy varosnezes helyett inkabb ugy dontottem hogy beulok valahova netezni. egy szamitogep elott ulni egy ventilator alatt sokkal jobb otletnek latszott mint kimenni az utca forgatagaba es szembesulni a porral kosszal zajjal, illetve a dudalo riksak, buszok es egyeb jarmuvek elol ugralni felre mikozben kerulgetem a szamtalan zarandokot, keregeto gyerekeket, koldusokat, teheneket es tehenlepenyeket.
orommel ultem be egy netet szolgaltato helyre, s ugy dontottem feltoltom a fotoimat a blogomra es kipanaszkodom
magam a barataimnak...
persze Indaban Murphy torvenye ervenyben van, s ha elervezel valamit, akkor az egeszen bizonyos hogy elobb utobb terved dugaba dol...
pillanatnyi boldogsagomnak egy aramszunet vetett veget... elhataroztam hat hogy beulok egy etterembe, ott toltom a napom es irogatok egy kicsit.
elindultam a tomegben tehat. nem volt nalam terkep, es elengedtem magam. hagytam hogy sodorjon a tomeg magaval. gozom sem volt rola merre jarhatunk es merre tartunk. csak valami hihetetlen harmonia keritett hatalmaba. .. rajottem Robin mire celzolt amikor azt a tanacsot adta hogy usszak az arral. hagyjam magam sodorni. cel nelkul bolyongtam az emberi "forgalomban" rajottem ha nem akarok kilogni a sorbol nincs lokdosodes...mindenki mosolygott, s kedvesen Namasteval koszontott.
Fantasztikus volt. ereztem a tomeg lukteteset es eloszor Indiaban bekesseg toltott el. Semmihez nem foghato erzes volt ez, mint amikor rajossz sok sok ev utan valamire ami eddig zavart es hirtelen megbekelsz egy adott szituacioval mely mar regota a bogyodben van. Valahogy hirtelen minden tokeletes volt.Reg nem tapasztalt harmoniaba kerultem onmagammal. Mint amikor egy varatlan vendeg megjelenik a szulinapi bulidon a tokeletes ajandekkal...
A tomeg a szent hindu folyam partjara sodort a furdolepcsokhoz. a Gangesz, -vagy ahogy az indiaiak hivjak a Ganga- sebes sodrasa es az
aramlata veszelyesnek tunt. Nehany ferfi a viz kolosszalis erejet kihasznalva elengedte magat es engedett a szurkes viz sodrasanak. Pillanatok alatt felelmetes tavot tettek meg a sebes arban. A nok es gyerekek az elkeritett lepcsokon furdoztek.
Az utcan egy kupacba tomorultek nehenyan egy hatalmas ust korul, melyben babarozsaszin lotty volt. ket fiatal fiu osztogatta a jonepnek az uditot. megkerdeztem a le nevet, de valaszul az egyik fiu mosolygosan a kezembe nyomott egy teli poharat. Lehuztam az edeskes hus itokat, melynek ize kulonleges volt. A fiu nem fogadta el a penzt tolem, mondvan hogy ez ingyen van. Kesobb egy masik ust elott megtudtam, hogy az itoka rozsatej, de arra a kerdesemre hogy ugye nem a Gangesz vizebol van mar nem kaptam valaszt...( lehet hogy jobb is igy..)
Ahogy setalgattam a tomegben figyelmes lettem egy templomra a hegy teton es elhataroztam hogy meglatogatom azt.
a konyvemben olvastam hogy a majmok gyakran elcsenik a gyumolcsot es edessegeket a turistaktol es a zarandokoktol az aldozati eteleket, igy mindenfele nylon zacsit nelkulozve vagtam neki a hegynek. a majmok jo fejek voltak ( mivel ezuttal nem engem celoztak meg es meg sem haraptak) es egyaltalan nem bantak hogy egesz kozelrol akarom oket megorokiteni... 30 percnyi seta
utan felertem a templomhoz es bealltam a sorba a zarandokok koze kik kis talcakon tarottak a kulonfele viragfuzereket, kokuszdiot es egyeb mas aldozati edessegeket.Mindenki jokedvuen allt a sorban. valaki elkezdet szanszkrit nyelven kantalni es a tomeg jokedvuen beszallt. egyszerre enekeltek, egyszerre vetek levegot es olyan erzesenm volt mintha egy hatalma test egy resze lennek. Leirhatatlan. mindenki mosolygott es boldognak latszott, mig a zengo enekhang betoltotte a teret : )
varazslatos volt.
a vasutallomason beszedbe elegyedtem par nagyon baratsagos Indiaival, meseltek eletukrol, korulmenyeikrol, csaladjukrol es munkajukrol.
Nagyon szeretek Indiaiakkal beszelgetni. rengeteg mindent lehet toluk tanulni!
A vonaton talalkoztam egy nagyon baratsagos izraeli parral, kik epp naszuton voltak. Ari jegye egy masik kocsiba szolt, de nem akarta itthagyni ujdonsult nejet, igy megosztottak a priccset. ( en felajanlottam hogy szivesen elcserelem a helyem a fiuval, de mondtak hogy megoldjak) ha megnezed a fotokat, rajossz hogy ok tudjak mi az igazi szerelem : )))))
Bar nem fogadtam szot az asztrologusnak es nem mostam le buneim a szent vizben, azt batran allithatom hogy Haridwar egy nagyon sajatsagos es remek hely. Itt bekultem ki Indiaval, onmagammal es itt talaltam ra a reg elveszettnek hitt belso harmoniamra...
azonban mindezek ellenere azt el kell mondanom hogy a
Original
Ari and Vered, an Israeli couple on their Honeymoonvaros rohano tomege, a kosz, a zaj, a szagok gyomorprobaloak lehetnek...( senki ne szamitson tehat egy szines spiritualis meseorszagra itt, es akkor nem fog csalodni sem.
Remelem tetsyenek majd a fotok : )))
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deleted_49612
I am going to Hardiwar next December. Your photos are a nice preview for me. :)