Arti pictures

The priest (pandit) holds a plate with wicks soaked in ghee - this is to praise the deity; there is devotional music being played (bahjan) and there's a man ringing a bell to some beat I'm not sure of. Usually the bell is being rung to let the deity now you're there, so I've not been to one where it's rung to some music. The bell is for a kinda of a 'hey, God, it's me Carol and I need your blessing today please" and then you finish your prayers. And notice the cool fountain - it's cow's heads spewing water!! You catch the water flowing and throw it on your head (me) but others actually drink it. I learned my lesson at Ganapati Phule - don't FORGET EVEN PUJA WATER IS CONTAMINATED WATER FOR ME!!! I think I already told you a woman motioned to do that and without thinking I did it!

The too-dark shots are of the river and the offerings of sweets and a (again) burning ghee. This is done especially in memory of people who have died.

Did I mention dancing? There was a band and some dancing going on - too FUN!!!!

The last one is of the Rama temple all gussied up. It's a beautiful building and the temple inside is also beautiful. It has Ram, Sita and Lakshman inside.

All of the old buildings here were just fascinating (1700's or so)?. The old wooden shutters; the balconies of carved wood - I just couldn't stop staring and finding cool gems but it was dark and my batteries were running low.

You know, we get the term Bungalow from the term Indian word Bangala (which is actually Bangladeshi I believe, at least Bangala is their language. But the British did their number on the language and we have Bungalow. It's the wide eaves on the houses here where is keeps the rain and sun off.....just thought I'd throw you that one for the next trivia need you might have.

Ok, I can't stand it - here's the Wikipedia brief.....I knew those Gujrati's would find their way into this....

A bungalow is a type of single-story house that originated in India. The word derives from the Gujarati બંગલો baṅgalo, which in turn derives from the Hindi बंगला baṅglā, meaning "Bengali" and used elliptically for a "house in the Bengal style".[1] Such houses were traditionally small, only one story and thatched, and had a wide veranda.[2]

Today is a very warm day (probably high 80's) I took a stroll around 'the garden' to smell Kalpana's roses and watch the bugs in the lotus pool. I was trying to stay in the shade and was only out for 10 minutes, but YIKES I got a little sunburned. We were going to venture to Hanuman's birthplace today, but plans have changed and we'll go tomorrow. I leave India next Thursday, a week from today. The month has gone by so quickly!