Places impact you for a variety of reasons. And the same place impacts different people in different ways. This is especially true when it comes to spiritual experiences, where every single person’s experience is unique. And personally, every spiritual experience is unique, the same person can have different deeply spiritual experiences at different places, at different times. This thought has emerged because of my own experiences over the years, but especially so this year, with different and unique experiences at various places I have visited recently. I began this year with a visit to Baroda (Vadodara) with friends. It was meant to be a relaxed trip, a touristy trip, with our sons. We enjoyed ourselves to the hilt, but the highlight of that trip was a visit to the Lakulisha temple at Pavagadh. It was the iconography of the temple that I connected with, and I spent a few hours simply lost in the details of the figures carved around the temple. There was an indefinable connect with
For Faces in the crowd today, I have two strangers.... two people I clicked at the Golden temple, Amritsar....
The first is obviously a visitor, a pilgrim. He looks so happy, at peace... His object is fulfilled. He has had darshan of the holy book., he has got the divine blessing - the prasad....
The second is more alert. He is obviously an employee of the Temple. He is at work, doing his duty, spear in hand. It doesn't matter that in these days of modern weaponry, his spear will be of no use in a gun battle. All that matters is that he is carrying the sacred tradition of protecting the sacred space, in the manner it has been done for years.
There is no fear of what may come. This is the one of the few places where no security check is conducted on visitors. We are free to carry anything inside. Even a camera. As I enter the sanctum, an employee notices my camera, and says, "beta, mandir ke andar photo mat nikalna" (child, please don't take a photo inside the sanctum). He doesn't even wait for my assent before turning away to the next pilgrim. Such is the nature of faith and belief.
These two photos, of two different people represents that same faith and belief, which shows in the happiness of one and the calmness of the other.
Love how they ooze with confidence and pride when they walk... Amritsar- hopefully this year, last year planned in nov and had to cancel :(
ReplyDeleteYes, Aarti! Its so nice to simply sit there and watch all the people there... hope you can go this year.. its a beautiful place
DeleteLovely, will wait to see more in this series!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mridula!
DeleteHi Anu... you have clicked interpreted the two pictures beautifully.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Desi traveller..
DeleteInterpretation is really good!!!! Nice observation...
ReplyDeleteMANUPONNAPPA.BLOGSPOT.IN
THanks a lot, Manu!
DeleteI loved your interpretations about these two pictures which we normally don't even bother to look at. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nisha! I actually spent a lot of time just sitting there and looking at people come and go.. i had been there before as a kid, and was trying to remember what it had been like then... and since photography was allowed, went on clicking too :D
DeleteWaoo we are so busy that we don't even notice such things in regular life.. Real good interpretation.
ReplyDelete