The Hindu and Buddhist history of Odisha , or rather, ancient Kalinga, is rather well known to everyone. Who hasn’t heard of the grand temples of Odisha – Puri, Lingaraj and Konark, or the great war of Kalinga which inspired Ashoka to convert to Buddhism? In contrast, very few know of the Jaina heritage of this region. This is quite a pity, since, just around 7 km from the city, is one of India’s most ancient inscriptions, which throws light on the Jaina heritage of Odisha. This inscription is the Hathigumpha inscription of Kharavela, in the hills of Udaygiri. Udaygiri and Khandgiri are two hills located opposite each other, and both are testaments to the rich Jaina heritage of Odisha. The caves at Udaygiri are older, while Khandgiri is relatively newer, but has lasted much longer, and continues to be a place of pilgrimage for Jains even today. These hills, from inscriptions and excavations of caves, shrines and rock beds, appear to have been a haven for Jaina monks, right from the ...
We were at
the Rumtek Monastery, and we were enthusiastically discussing Tibetan Buddhism
and life in Sikkim, with our guide, Monay. An old man standing by smilingly
said something, and our guide laughed and translated – “So many questions you
have!”
That was so
true. We did have innumerable questions, and it was good to see our guide
answer us patiently. We told him to tell the old man that yes, we had many
questions, we wanted to know more about the monastery. He smiled again, and the
smile lit up his eyes, and his age lines seemed to smile too. I usually avoid
clicking photos of people, but something about this old man made me want to
click one of him, so I asked him, pointing to him, and then my camera. He
nodded, and I clicked these two photos.
As we
turned back, our guide told us that he was among the oldest inhabitants of the
monastery, one who had been blessed by three Karmapas (the leader of this order)!
He had been a child when his parents had brought him to seek the blessings of
the 15th Karmapa who had arrived in Sikkim on a pilgrimage. When the
16th Karmapa arrived here in exile from Tibet, he joined the order, and in recent times, he has also been fortunate to live with the
present Karmapa, the 17th. He
is now in his 90s according to our guide, and yet is active, both physically
and mentally. He is truly blessed, isn’t he?
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So true! He is blessed! He has a calming effect too. And content.
ReplyDeleteLooks like he has 100s of stories within him, waiting to come out.
Yes, Nisha.. that calmness and contentment was the most striking thing about him. Unfortunately, he couldnt understand english or hindi, and apparently doesnt speak too much, or it would have been nice talking to him
DeleteThere is something that makes me uncomfortable in the presence of most elderly people. It's like a feeling of a subtle guilt for being young and strong whereas they are not anymore. However, this old man doesn't project anything of this sort - he's young and strong in his own way.
ReplyDeleteThats an interesting thought, Antonina. I have never really felt uncomfortable around old people, but that is probably because i grew up in a house filled with them! our house, when I was growing up had, apart from my grandparents, scores of grand uncles and aunts, and i was close to all of them... and this old man actually reminded me of them...
DeleteWell, he just taught me - Wrinkles can't deter ur smile and spirit. If i ever visit this place, i m definitely going to look out for him. Amazing soul. God bless him!
ReplyDelete