Magnificent Vistas

This past Sunday, we were taken on a 13-hour sightseeing adventure... We were taken to two significant Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Shiva, and they were both beautifully and ornately decorated.  And, on our way back to Mysore, we came across a road that was literally half missing (due to the monsoon rains), and forced us to turn around - so that was an experience!  The absolute highlight of my day though - and actually my favourite site that we've been taken to see thus far - was the first stop of our day of sightseeing... Sravanabelagola.  (Pronunciation translation: "shrah-wenah-bellah-golah"... try saying that 5 times fast.  We had a hard time even saying it once! hahaha)

Sravanabelagola is a huge monolithic sculpture of a Jain holy man, built over 1300 years ago.  There are 2 major sects of Jainism, and they are easily differentiated by their attire: whether they are dressed completely in white or are completely naked.  Devout Jains walk from the Himalayas to the very tip of southern India, begging for their meals - and they are only able to eat a maximum of 24 morsels of food daily (the amount that would fit in your outstretched palms). 

At the base of the sculpture, there were 2 Jain "priests" who performed puja (or prayer) asking for guidance in our studies and our work.  We were given a flower as a symbol of welcome and were each given a bindi (the turmeric dot placed on the forehead) as a sign of blessing. 

The statue at Sravanabelagola was built atop a very large hill - which we climbed barefoot, out of respect for it being a holy site - and the view was absolutely incredible.  As far as the eye could see, it was a patchwork of green trees and fields, reddish-brown soil, tiny tan houses and little winding roads.  It was so beautiful.

The site was so majestic.  I felt totally on top of the world.  It looked like the perfect place to do yoga, or to meditate, or just to watch a sunset.

Our entire group in front of one of the Hindu temples we visited.  We're having such a great time together.  It's such a great, adventurous and compatible group of people - we have truly enjoyed getting to know India better together.  It's going to be sad when we all leave for our respective project sites (in various communities) this weekend.