Final Day In India Sikh Temple, Bahai Temple, Farewell Dinner

Final Day in India Sikh Temple, Baha'i Temple, Farewell Dinner
Letter #8 India

Dear Friends and Family,

Here is how we spent our last splendid day in India.

Back To Birla House--Mahatma's Gandhi Museum.
A few of us decided we wanted to spend more time touring that wonderful memorial honoring Gandhi. I especially wanted to visit the bookstore to purchase some of his works and I wanted to explore more of the exhibits I missed on my previous visit. I cannot get enough of Gandhi!
Next, we said goodbye to our luxury hotel, the Taj Mahal, one of Delhi's finest. I will certainly miss waking up to a sumptuous breakfast buffet with a variety of menu items, with attentive service!

Sikh Temple

Our first stop was to a Sikh temple. Before entering the temple, we were required to remove both shoes and socks and to cover our heads. They gave us all orange bandannas to cover our heads.

As usual, we encountered a beautiful mosaic of colorful people at this phenomenal temple. We were there on Sunday, one of the most popular days for a visit, and it is also a popular family gathering. People from all faiths are welcome to enter the Sikh temple and worship the Sikh Holy Scripture. Every person, irrespective of caste, creed, gender, culture or nationality is welcome here. Sikhism is also known for its community kitchen. It is designed to provide food to all devotees, pilgrims, and visitors and is a symbol of equality, fraternity, and brotherhood. People of all walks of life share the same food sitting together in one row. The community kitchen is staffed entirely by volunteers, who prepare and serve the food. It was so beautiful to witness this bustling activity.

So what is Sikhism?

It is a branch of Hinduism, and one of the world's newer religions. that was founded in 1469 in northern India. It is strictly monotheistic believing in one supreme God. The religion consists of practical living, in rendering service to humanity and engendering tolerance and brotherly love toward all. They believe in are earning an honest living in leading a normal life Sikhism does not accept the idea of pessimism. It advocates optimism and hope.

The five symbols of Sikhism are as follows:
1. uncut hair and an untrimmed beard hair covered by a turban 2.a sword 3. a comb, 4. a steel bracelet 5. and undergarment.

All Sikhs (men) can be identified by these five symbols with them at all times.

The temple was spectacular, with gold domes and a large iridescent blue wading pool surrounded by worshipers.

Again, we formed a prayer circle and Father Leo led us in prayer, amidst a river of onlookers. It was a beautiful experience.

Baha’i House of Worship
Our final stop represented a culmination of all we had experienced about India's religions.

The Baha'i Faith is an independent world religion, divine in origin, all embracing and scope that celebrates all the world's religions. It upholds the unity of God, the unity of religions, and the unity of the entire human race. It was established in 1844 in Iran by a young Persian man named Bab. He was persecuted and martyred in 1850. Over subsequent years, many of his followers were also persecuted. His predecessor was imprisoned, which is where he revealed thousands of inspired writings. The Scriptures are unique, because for the first time the holy writings of a major religion are authentically available in the handwriting of its founder.
The Baha’i world community comprises more than 2112 different ethnic groups in over 360 countries and territories and islands, representing a true cross-section of the human race.

BAHA’I Principles:
§ The oneness of mankind
§ Independent investigation of truth
§ The common foundation of all religions
§ The essential harmony of science and religion
§ Equality of men and women
§ Elimination of prejudice of all kinds
§ Universal compulsory education
§ Universal peace
I am ready to convert!

After listening to a helpful lecture and overview of the religion and construction of the lotus temple, we gave a tearful goodbye to Anita, our wonderful tour guide. We've learned she is a history professor. It is no wonder she is so stellar!
We were then blessed with the opportunity to participate in the three a clock prayer service. During the service, we listened to readings and songs from Hebrew text, the Christian Bible, the Koran, Buddhist scriptures, and Hindu texts.

Imagine a world where all religions honor one another!

The truth is: all religions are the same; all religions honor the same God. Only politics divide us.

Baha’i temples worldwide
There are seven Baha'i temples, one on each continent.
The Baha'i house of worship in India is the newest. It opened in 1986 dedicated to the unity of God, the unity of religion, and the unity of mankind.
The common characteristics of Baha'i houses of worship is that they are all nine sided. Nine is the highest digit and symbolizes comprehensiveness, oneness, and unity. The symbol chosen for India's Baha'i temple is the Lotus. The Lotus represents equality of genders, and that beauty can come from darkness. Bahaindia.org.

What an exquisite organization and a perfect culmination of our exploration of India's religions!

Farewell dinner at our travel agents, beautiful home.

Shama, our tour guide, (Rama Tours) welcomed us to her beautiful upper middle class home, (near Delhi) which is a converted, 4-story bed-and-breakfast, for a farewell celebration and dinner.

Father Leo engaged our group of 50 in a closing ceremony where each of us shared our impressions of our journey. We have a wonderful final Indian meal, catered by a helpful staff.
Her home is a four-story bed-and-breakfast with large balconies decorated with elephants, camels, Hindus statues and other lovely decorative artifacts.
Finally, we were whisked off to the airport, where we had a smooth transition to our flight home.
What an extraordinary experience I had in India! It forced us all to get introspective and to learn more about who we are. We experienced extreme highs and lows, some darkness and light, abundance and scarcity, and lots of support.

You may want to know would I go back to this magical land full of such contrasts?

In a heartbeat!

Thank you for coming along. I posted 606 photos to snapfish at http://www2.snapfish.com/photolibrary/owned_view=owned_2007/t_=78382827. Actually, I will forward the link.

Namaste!
Karla in India.

Gandhi Museum, Bahai Temple, Sikh Temple, Hindu Temple and Farewell Dinner

Letter # 7

Hello Friends and Family

Gandhi Museum, Bahai Temple, Sikh Temple, Hindu Temple and Farewell Dinner

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Yesterday, we visited Birla House, where Gandhi spent his last 144 days and where this man of peace was assassinated by one of his own Hindustani fanatics.

It was a very moving experience.

There was a comprehensive chronicling of his life and works in photographs, quotes, dioramas, and multi-media interactive exhibits.
The Museum has a very rich collection of relics, books, journals and documents, photographs, audio-visual materials, exhibitions, art pieces and other memorabilia closely connected with Mahatma Gandhi.

Outside there was an exhibit of his footsteps that led to the place he was assasinated that fateful day.

Some of us returned this morning.

Next we visited a Hindu Temple. Ohm means God is omnipotent and omnipresent.

Today, we will visit the Lotus Blossom Bahai Temple and a Sikh temple before our farewell dinner at Shama's house.

Our flight home will be after midnight tonight.

Namaste!

Karla in India

Rishikesh, Swami Chidanand, Ganges River, Haridwar

Letter #6
Rishikesh, Swami Chidanand, Ganges River, Haridwar

Hi Friends and Family

Travel Day

Wednesday was a long, exhausting travel day. We left our hotel in Agra at 730AM to travel via motor coach back to Delhi. From Delhi, we took a 3:30 train to Haridwar. We had enlightening conversations with Indian people.

Upon arrival in Haridwar, one of India’s most sacred cities, our senses were overwhelmed by the presence of thousands of pilgrims and devotees in their colorful turbans and saris. They lined the platform and back rooms where they either waited for their train home or were planning to spend the night.

We walked thru the streets at night to move to out to our motor coaches which were already carrying our luggage. It was a bit scary because the power went off twice, forcing us to walk in pitch darkness. Power shutting down periodically is common in India.

We took a 1.5 hour ride to Rishikesh.

Hotel From Hell (will describe in detail later)

We were shocked upon arrival at our hotel to discover our buses could not descend the steep hill to give us access to the hotel because it was situated on the side of a hill. Only a rugged, twisted path connected us to the hotel. We had to leave our buses and take ten jeeps (of five people) to tackle a treacherous, steep, drive down cliffs, IN THE RAIN, and it was pitch black! I was really terrified because the roads were winding and slippery and we almost overshot a turn. (we would have flown into the mighty Ganges). Then, we had to wait for them to unload al our luggage into jeeps.

We had traveled FIFTEEN hours from Agra.

Fr Leo reminded us how excited he was we would soon be at our 5-star resort and spa overlooking the Ganges.

He was wrong!

Our rooms were so bad I thought we were on candid camera. This was more like a one-star hotel. The rooms were rustic, dirty, devoid of what we needed (towels, drinking water, hot water etc), and the shower consisted of a slab of concrete with a shower head in the ceiling near a smelly toilet.

I had to climb 4 stories of steep winding steps in the pouring rain. My luggage did not arrive in my room till 115AM.

We were all devastated by the site of this dump!

It rained torrentially all night and some rooms flooded, some had bed bugs, and someone slipped and fell in their room. We were supposed to stay here 4 nights!

Fortunately, our travel team came to the rescue working thru the night and found us a 4-star Western hotel in nearby Haridwar. It was clean and neat, and safe. The staff was very friendly and the food was good. (we spent I peaceful night there) We would head back to Delhi early to spend the last two nights at the Taj Mahal (5-star) hotel.

This hotel incident triggered all our “core issues” and brought us to an extreme low.

I was hungry, angry, lonely, and tired (and frightened) in that room!

We also found out we could have NO meat in this state.

Rishikesh Spiritual Connection

We took jeeps to Rishikesh and walked across the Ganga footbridge alongside hundreds of other worshippers. Walking thru the town was a whole other experience. We noticed the people seemed much more serene in this holy city—even the cows seemed happier, and the beggars were less aggressive.

We headed to a special ashram. Fr Leo and Shama arranged for us to have a private audience with Swami Chidanand, known throughout the world for his ground-breaking work in youth education, disaster relief, upliftment of women, interfaith harmony, and village reconstruction. He captivated us with his gentleness his resolve and his powerful message of love, forgiveness, non-violence and “being the light”. We were all mesmerized seated in a semi-circle facing him. Our groups ages are from 20s to 70s. He fielded such questions as How can all the worlds religions get along? and Are we born knowing “the way?”. He answered our questions with Zen-like stories.

He spoke of the Dharma and how it creates our karma. Dharma stands for duty, harmony, amity, righteousness, morality, and non-violence. We have the power to create and change our own destiny based upon our thoughts and actions.

Naturally, we wanted to stay longer but he had to leave us for daily 2:00 silent meditation.

Next, we gathered together in front of the Ganga—the Holy River, celebrating mother spirit.

We formed a circle and held hands while father Leo led us in prayer and poured holy water over us.

We watched worshippers bathe and do laundry, while cows came by for us to pet them.

I took a dip in the Ganga.

We noticed the people seemed much more serene in this holy city—even the cows seemed happier, and the beggars were less aggressive.

Haridwar

Haridwar is located in the foothills of the Himalayas, and considered to be one of India’s most sacred cities because Vishnu left his footmarks there.


Ganga Aanti

After checking into our new hotel in Haridwar, 22 of us left at 5:30 for a moving experience: Ganga Aanti. Every night at sundown, thousands of villagers and devotes gather on the banks of the river Ganga to pay homage to Mother Ganga.

Vendors were selling flowers, bindis (red forehead dots), empty water vessels and many other items.

At sundown, the bells sounded, flames were lit, and boats of flowers were unleashed into the river. Hundreds of tiny boats filled with colorful flowers lined the Ganga. We each lit the flame in our boats filled with flowers and released them to the mighty river.

The next morning, some in the group got massages at the hotel and some of us took pedicabs into town to the bazaar. What struck me is that they do not bargain here. All prices are fixed. There was relief knowing we did not have to use drama or manipulation to play the bargaining game. Obviously, they avoid confrontation and are far less motivated by profits in this holy city.

I noticed that since we experienced that horrible hotel, and it got resolved, we seem to be much lighter since our travel team resolved the problem to the best of their ability. They are a great team (Shama, Anita, Fr Leo, and Michael). We are so grateful to be in a clean hotel now!

Shama, who owns Rama tours is so attentive—she even arranges to have birthday cakes for those celebrating. We will be guests in her home here tomorrow!

The bus ride to Delhi was much more relaxing and even the rest stop was nice with CLEAN MODERN toilets!

We shared more of our life stories and told jokes.

We begin every day reading the Buddhist Prayer together.

We stopped for Chinese dinner!

5-Star Splendor

At 11PM, we arrived at our magnificent Taj Mahal hotel in Delhi. It is *****!! The turbaned, uniformed, white-gloved guards opened the doors for us, a women placed rose petal bindis on our foreheads, and jasmine leis around our necks. Everything is fragrant here.

My room is spectacular with all nice amenities including robe, slippers, chocolates, and dessert cake.

I am in heaven!

Breakfast service was exceptional! They attended all our needs. There are even attentive attendants in the lobby bathrooms.

We are off to see Delhi today—including the Ghandi museum and a Hindu temple!


Please forgive the typos.

Namaste

Karla in India

Taj Mahal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi Family and Friends!

I had one of my most awesome travel experiences in life today!

It was seeing the most beautiful building in the world: The Taj Mahal, The Monument to Love.

It took my breath away!

The Story

When King Shah Jahan’s Queen was pregnant with his 14th child, she foresaw her death and asked her husband to build a monument in her honor—symbolizing his love for her. She died that year (1631) and he began construction on memorial to his beloved.

He collected white marble and semi-precious stones from all over the world and assembled a team of the finest architects to undertake the project. It took 20, 000 laborers 22 years to complete the project.

This white marble structure with its perfect classical proportions, qualifies as one of the 7 wonders of the modern world.

The King decided to build a Black Marble monument across the river.

Sadly, one of the kings sons, out of greed, sought to prevent his father from spending his inheritance on another $$multilmillion$$ project. To this end, he imprisoned his father in a room inside the Agra Fort. The room had balconies with unobstructed views of the beloved Taj Mahal.

He died, 8 years later, still imprisoned, on the balcony, staring at the Taj.

By The Way, Taj Mahal means Crown Palace.

I took many photos and a professional photographer took photos of me. I purchased 5 8X10s for $10.

The Wedding Ceremony

Father Leo arranged to perform a wedding ceremony for Marty and Rosie in front of the Taj Mahal. We found a spot just to the left of the entrance to the park. Eight other couples also lined up to join them in a “commitment ceremony”. He read beautiful poetry and commitment verses to the couples. We were all moved to tears. Anita, our tour guide, says she had never, in all her years, seen such a “show”.

Marty and Rosie both have long gray hair and blue eyes. They had clothing made in Jaipur. They were a radiant couple. Everyone wanted to photograph them.

Rest of Day

4 of us (Margie, Sharon, Shannon, and I) later toured the Agra Fort with Anita (the others returned to the hotel) We took two pedicabs there, thru the bustling streets. We were up close and personal with Agra life. (Just like the Rickshaw rides in Delhi, Hanoi, and Beijing)

Tonight we had a commitment ceremony dinner. Peisha (mother of Kathryn Mc Fee (IDOL winner) sang.

Tomorrow, we will drive to Delhi; take a train to Haridwar, and a bus to Rishikesh. (worldwide home of yoga). We will spend the next 4 nights in Rishikesh.

Only 5 more nights in India, sadly.

There we will experience night time ceremonies on the Ganges River and visit ashrams. Our hotel is situated right on the river. Our pace will slow down considerably.

Namaste!

Karla in India

Snake Charmers, Elephant Rides, and Royal Palaces India Letter # 4

Snake Charmers, Elephant Rides, and Royal Palaces

India Day 3 Jaipur

video of Jaipur markets from motorcoach:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIer1ShvnBE

Letter #4

Hello Friends and Family!

Life is exhilarating!

Tuesday we drove from Delhi to Jaipur, the Pink City, located in Rajistan which is 2/3 dessert. That is why they have camels galore here! Most beautiful are the dazzling, colorful saris worn by the women in an array of jeweled colors.

Yesterday, we began the day driving thru the lively bazaars, ascending a hill via decorated elephant to tour the Amber Fort, and then visiting the Maharaja’s Palace. The Amber Fort, situated atop a hill overlooking the city, was built in 1592 and is influenced by both the Muslim and Hindu style of architecture. At the maharaja’s palace, we saw private art collections; observed royal artists painting with a single hair of squirrels tail, and saw regal uniformed guards protecting the palaces. One of the highlights of the day was seeing a snake charmer. I even took a photograph with him.

The vendors at the Agra Fort were the most aggressive and persistent I have EVER encountered. They swooped down on us, surrounded us, and chased us throughout the day even. Before I climbed the hill (on elephant) a vendor tried to sell me a hat for 500 rupees ($10). I declined and he proceeded to follow me up the hill, repeatedly throwing the hat up onto my platform seat. I would throw it back down; he would throw it back lowering the price to 400Rup, 300 Rup, 200 Rup, then finally 100 rupees. I still declined though it was very funny.

We met a young Sikh couple (with baby girl) in the lobby and had an informative and open discussion with them about our respective cultures. We even looked through marriage personals ad section to see how marriage candidates advertise for brides and grooms. Arranged marriages are still practiced by 75% of the population—100% in remote rural areas.

So far, no rain, no mosquitoes, no stomach problems (for me.)

Yesterday, we drove from Jaipur, to Agra, home of the Taj Majal.

Cows are pets here and were made sacred in order to preserve the species. Muslims rulers use slaughters so many cows that they were becoming extinct.

Driving thru the towns and villages provides a documentary on contrasts in living. Most live in abject poverty, working as farmers or roadside workers. Yet, the people wave and smile their beautiful smiles at our tour bus.

Lots of beggars approach when we stop. We had many near misses in traffic.

There are more than 100 different turbans worn in Rajistan alone. The colors are dazzling! They protect the head from the sun and dessert sand.

Corey lost his wallet and passport on day 1 and is heading to the American Embassy in Delhi to secure a temporary document today. We must be careful!

Today, WE WILL SEE THE TAJ MAHAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Namaste!

Karla in India

snake charmer video I found onyou tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P29j7WC9do8&feature=related

Delhi Delight India Day 1

Delhi Delight Day 1
Letter #3

Hi Family and Friends

When they say that nothing can prepare you for the assault on the senses that India brings, they are telling the truth!

From the moment we set out on our journey of Delhi today, we were bombarded with contrasts that overwhelmed our senses. From:

Opulence to extreme poverty
Chaos to serenity
Color to monochrome
Sadness to joy
Aggression to timidity
Honesty to deception
Shocking to familiar
Grandiosity to humility
Decay to new birth
All in the course of a few hours.

I looked into the eyes of many Indians and felt I was witness to their collective pain, triumph, and growth.

India never disappoints.

After feasting on a sumptuous breakfast buffet at our Taj Palace Hotel, we departed from our hotel in two tour buses for a day-long tour of both Old and New Delhi

Father Leo’s leads us with a Buddhist prayer each day and a word of the day. Today the word is “flexibility”.

We were graced with Anita, a superb tour guide who was the official tour guide for Chelsea Clinton and her grandmother. She was impressed by how poised, gracious, and down-to-earth Chelsea is. She says President Clinton is a very “attractive personality”.

Anita is knowledgeable, charming, and funny.

Throughout the day, our eyes savored scenes new to us: of men getting hair cuts road side, men walking their goats, women in colorful saris waiting for a bus, dentists performing dental procedures, mothers carrying an enfant while pleading with us with an outstretched hand, colorful clothes drying on lines, monkey scurrying about, sacred cows meandering (known as “highway queens”), men urinating, (adorable) children performing acrobatic tricks for tour bus passengers at stoplights for $$$, men bathing in fountains, uniformed school girls walking hand and hand, hundreds of men kneeling in prayer outside full mosques at prayer time,…the list of unfamiliar scenes becomes familiar as the day moves forward.

The roads are chaotic harmony. The pot pourri of motorbikes, trucks, rickshaws, carts, bikes, construction vehicles, manual and automatic cars and others coexist with disorderly order. Surprisingly, there are an extremely low number of traffic incidents.

Our first stop in Old Delhi was The Red Fort, one of the grandest palaces of the East that inspired the design of the Taj Mahal. Next, we took Rickshaw Rides (28 in all) in pairs thru a typical bazaar with narrow lanes, diverse merchants, and that was brewing with activity.

It was a feast for the eyes, ears, nose, and soul. We were up close and personal with traditional life.

Next, we visited Jama Masjidithe, the largest Mosque in all India. I actually photographed men at prayer inside the mosque!

We had to remove our shoes and I thought my feet would melt into the pavement—it was such a hot day.

Next we had a moving experience at Rag Ghat, a ceremonial park” where Gandhi was cremated. On sacred ground, barefoot, our group held hands forming a large circle while we meditated to Father Leo’s prayer of peace. We then kneeled toward Gandhi and meditated on his powerful message of harmony and love.

Each time we returned to our tour bus, we were extremely grateful to be handed bottles of cold water. It is HOT here!

In the afternoon, we toured New Delhi including the Parliament Buildings and Connaught Place.

Included in our tour was a visit to a carpet merchant where we received a demonstration of the dying trade. India subsidizes this trade by hiring carpet making directly from Kashmir to promote their products. The proud tour guides were a pleasure to watch. They unfolded one carpet more bedazzling that the next!

Finally, we visited the Qutab Minar complex, containing the tallest stone structure in India.

We returned to our hotel where I took a much-needed two-hour nap.

For dinner, we went to a traditional Indian restaurant where we feasted on multiple succulent Indian dishes. We occupied almost the entire restaurant where we sat at tables of 5-8. The service was impeccable, the food was the best Indian food I had ever had, and some formerly squeamish about Indian food are now converts.

I had great company with Margie, Marty, Rosie, and Marlene.

White-gloved door men welcomed us back to our hotel.

Robbie made arrangement to perform in the lounge. He is a classical guitarist who performs regularly in Las Vegas. He played a wide range of numbers from flamenco to Marvin Gaye—all melodious, all soothing, and all universally appreciated.

Robbyleblanc.com

We are all bonding very well. I am glad we are wearing name tags.

Everyone who has traveled with Father Leo before marvels at how well designed the tours are.

Tomorrow, we will head to Jaipur, a 5-hour drive, where we will spend the next two nights.

Namaste!

Karla in India