Friday 25 May 2012

Parvati Valley - Manikaran


 Some images from the Parvati Valley and the town of Manikaran. As always in India, there are a lot of  legends and myths surrounding the town and the valley, too many too list here, but it's an important pilgrimage spot for both Hindus and Sikhs, with the temples lying side by side.

The hot baths keep people coming too, and inside the temple plenty of Sikh men take the opportunity to wash their hair in the holy water. Above the temple in the mountains lie meditation caves, holy shrines and plenty of local Sadhus taking time out to ponder on the beauty of the hills and smoke their way through copious amounts of the local produce.





Sunday 6 May 2012

Buddha Purnima



It’s Buddha’s birthday today, so I spent a bit of time this morning at the main temple in town, mingling with the monks and nuns. A lot had come in from surrounding monasteries for prayers, big groups of them waiting downstairs to be called to their particular service. Funny to watch them gossiping and mucking about like kids on a school trip, and then this turn to reverence as they attended their prayers. Once the prayers were done, I spotted some of the younger ones outside buying stickers and looking at Hello Kitty flasks.

The Dalai Lama’s in town and everyone’s trying to get a look at him. Every day there’s a new rumor about a service He’s holding, a particular place He’s going to be, but all the speculation so far has come to nothing.  It seems He’s holding private meetings for international groups, and camera toting tourists aren’t on the guest list.

I asked at the temple information desk where I could catch a fleeting glimpse of Him; “Where are you from?” asked the security guy, “England” I replied. Beaming, the guy was sure he’d found the solution, “Oh Great!” he tells me “Then you can see him in Manchester in June.”

Still in India.