Not far from us is the Swami Temple, a 2000 year old compound complete with bathing area across the street. Pray, chant, wash away your sins. Sounds like a plan except for the washing away of sins - the holy immersion pool has enough sins without adding ours to it! We both have pretty healthy immune systems but this water might be the challenge that does us in! Anyway, back to the Temple.
It's just outside Varkala Town on the way to Holy Beach (the Arabian Sea). Haksar drops us at the Temple steps and the first thing we see is a 'shoe check' stand. A bit of a digression . . . when we were planning this trip, we read about the removal of shoes at all holy sites. Actually, that was a bit understated. You pretty much take your shoes off whenever you go inside anywhere! Shops, restaurants - all have an array of shoes higgledy-piggledy outside the entrance (remember our visit to St. Sebastian's). And somehow it all works! We haven't lost our shoes, stepped on anything nasty, or brought anything yucky home.
Back to shoe check man. This is the first time we've had to pay to 'check shoes - 20 rupees'. About 30 cents. There are a number of other pairs so we figure it's safe and we won't have to go home barefoot. Shoe check man also tells us 'take pictures, extra 100 rupees. you take pictures, you pay 100 rupees when you come back.'
It's about a 4-5 story hike to the actual temple. Whew! The first thing we see is this very old, very strangler fig kind of tree festooned with plastic dolls, about 6" tall, on strings, attached to the fig roots. A picture is better.
We speculate as to what this is all about and then see a non-Indian couple placing a doll on the tree. Tim asks them why they're doing that. Their response - to ask for a healthy baby. Ahhh - sort of a spiritual fertility thing.
This is a very sacred Hindi Temple and it has the look and feel of a well-loved, well-used place. In the center is a place off limits to all but Hindus who have properly prepared themselves (bathed, properly attired, mentally prepared) - interesting.
Around the perimeter is a series of what look like rooms for the holy men, gathering places and mini-shrines. All the signs (except the one outside the holy of holies which was in English and a couple of other languages) are in Malayalam. Not much to see but we are both struck by the number of young people here - young men who make some sort of circuit around the shrines. A couple of photos.
Several of the walls have all these holders which we think are for oil which is lit during ceremonies.
And what may amaze us more than anything is this HUGE tree - it must be almost 2000 years old.
Note the oil holders underneath.
A couple more views including the steps down to the street.
Time to reclaim our shoes, check out the holy pool. Shoe check man gives us each a piece of newspaper to wipe our feet with!
I see one man scrubbing his flip flops with soap and a brush. Note the steps - they were all around this pool. The next thing we know we're in the midst of a huge traffic aim! Elephant and all!
I thought maybe this was Lakshmi come to say hello!
We were literally this close to this huge truck with this display? on the back.
Lots of honking, way too many people directing traffic and somehow it all works out!
Enough adventure for one day - time to head home!
It's just outside Varkala Town on the way to Holy Beach (the Arabian Sea). Haksar drops us at the Temple steps and the first thing we see is a 'shoe check' stand. A bit of a digression . . . when we were planning this trip, we read about the removal of shoes at all holy sites. Actually, that was a bit understated. You pretty much take your shoes off whenever you go inside anywhere! Shops, restaurants - all have an array of shoes higgledy-piggledy outside the entrance (remember our visit to St. Sebastian's). And somehow it all works! We haven't lost our shoes, stepped on anything nasty, or brought anything yucky home.
Back to shoe check man. This is the first time we've had to pay to 'check shoes - 20 rupees'. About 30 cents. There are a number of other pairs so we figure it's safe and we won't have to go home barefoot. Shoe check man also tells us 'take pictures, extra 100 rupees. you take pictures, you pay 100 rupees when you come back.'
It's about a 4-5 story hike to the actual temple. Whew! The first thing we see is this very old, very strangler fig kind of tree festooned with plastic dolls, about 6" tall, on strings, attached to the fig roots. A picture is better.
We speculate as to what this is all about and then see a non-Indian couple placing a doll on the tree. Tim asks them why they're doing that. Their response - to ask for a healthy baby. Ahhh - sort of a spiritual fertility thing.
This is a very sacred Hindi Temple and it has the look and feel of a well-loved, well-used place. In the center is a place off limits to all but Hindus who have properly prepared themselves (bathed, properly attired, mentally prepared) - interesting.
Around the perimeter is a series of what look like rooms for the holy men, gathering places and mini-shrines. All the signs (except the one outside the holy of holies which was in English and a couple of other languages) are in Malayalam. Not much to see but we are both struck by the number of young people here - young men who make some sort of circuit around the shrines. A couple of photos.
Several of the walls have all these holders which we think are for oil which is lit during ceremonies.
And what may amaze us more than anything is this HUGE tree - it must be almost 2000 years old.
Note the oil holders underneath.
A couple more views including the steps down to the street.
Time to reclaim our shoes, check out the holy pool. Shoe check man gives us each a piece of newspaper to wipe our feet with!
I see one man scrubbing his flip flops with soap and a brush. Note the steps - they were all around this pool. The next thing we know we're in the midst of a huge traffic aim! Elephant and all!
I thought maybe this was Lakshmi come to say hello!
We were literally this close to this huge truck with this display? on the back.
Lots of honking, way too many people directing traffic and somehow it all works out!
Enough adventure for one day - time to head home!
