Today is the Muslim holy day, "Eid ul-Adha", literally "The Feast of the Sacrifice". Locally it is more commonly called "Bakri Eid" (Goat Eid). In remembrance of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son in obeisance to God, and God's last-minute substitution of a lamb, Muslims sacrifice animals, mostly goats, and share the meat with family, friends, and the needy. This is one of the most contentious days in Hindu-Muslim relations: the slaughter of animals is particularly loathsome to many Hindus.
So that leads me a bit further afield on religion...
It's striking how much religious fundamentalism and intolerance is a 20th Century (and, unfortunately, 21st Century) phenomenon.
Traveling around India, it's clear that Hindus and Muslims (and to a lesser extent, Buddhists, Christians, and Jews, not to mention Parsis, Jains, and Sikhs) co-existed in relative peace in the past. Some Mughal kings/emperors even had both Muslim and Hindu wives. Most major Mughal forts included both mosques and temples (e.g. Golconda, Daulatabad).
Since most of the artisans have been Hindus, there is a lot of Hindu-inspired artwork in Muslim structures. Since there were also Muslim architects, designers, and craftsmen, there are plenty of Hindu temples with Islamic structural elements and decor. No one really seemed to mind much until recently.
The cave temple complexes were similarly tolerant. Although each group made separate caves, many sites have Buddhist, Hindu, and/or Jain caves, with overlapping construction timelines. The earliest caves are Buddhist -- they developed the ideas and techniques required to carve caves into cliffs. Hindus and Jains then copied and elaborated these ideas. Here are links to my posts on cave temples.
Ellora (Buddhist, Hindu, Jain)
Elephanta (Buddhist, Hindu)
Badami (Hindu, Jain)
Karla (Buddhist)
Kanheri 1, Kanheri 2 (Buddhist)
We hope to make it to Ajanta before leaving India.
Just take a look at a few of the symbols that are used throughout India. The six-pointed star is used on many Muslim monuments -- and it certainly resembles the Jewish Star of David.
The most notorious symbol is the swastika -- which is a symbol of welcome and good luck and is found everywhere in India.
The Nazis co-opted the swastika in their misbegotten ideas of the "Aryan" race, and ever since, in the West it has become the symbol of ultimate evil.
I love this panel from Agra Fort where the design incorporates the 6-pointed star, swastika, and cross -- how's that for religious tolerance?
The Partition of 1947, where Muslims went to Pakistan/Bangladesh and Hindus went to India was one of the bloodiest periods in Indian history. The separation was almost entirely driven by politics, not sentiment (much less logic). But once it was set, the resulting distrust and hatred continues, and to this day violence erupts from time-to-time.
In my opinion, fundamentalism is the root of most, if not all, of the problems. Fundamentalist Christians wish to return to the 19th Century, fundamentalist Muslims prefer the 10th Century, fundamentalist Jews also want to return to pre-Middle Ages, and fundamentalist Hindus might be able to live with the early 20th Century, but probably wish to return to the time before the Mughals. All are highly misogynistic, patriarchal, and narrow-minded. Hindu fundamentalism is truly ironic, since Hinduism is open to including all gods in its pantheon: the Buddha is considered an avatar of Vishnu, and even Jesus can be worked in.
Problems arise when political differences become moral differences. When it's just a difference of two considered opinions, compromise and accommodation is possible. But when one or both sides feel that their God is threatened -- that the opposition is not just wrong, but morally evil -- then compromise and tolerance are not possible. It has become an all-or-nothing world, and unfortunately, "nothing" is the winner.
Can't we just respect our differences and let live?
 |
| Goats tied up outside an apartment block in preparation for Eid. |
It's striking how much religious fundamentalism and intolerance is a 20th Century (and, unfortunately, 21st Century) phenomenon.
Traveling around India, it's clear that Hindus and Muslims (and to a lesser extent, Buddhists, Christians, and Jews, not to mention Parsis, Jains, and Sikhs) co-existed in relative peace in the past. Some Mughal kings/emperors even had both Muslim and Hindu wives. Most major Mughal forts included both mosques and temples (e.g. Golconda, Daulatabad).
Since most of the artisans have been Hindus, there is a lot of Hindu-inspired artwork in Muslim structures. Since there were also Muslim architects, designers, and craftsmen, there are plenty of Hindu temples with Islamic structural elements and decor. No one really seemed to mind much until recently.
The cave temple complexes were similarly tolerant. Although each group made separate caves, many sites have Buddhist, Hindu, and/or Jain caves, with overlapping construction timelines. The earliest caves are Buddhist -- they developed the ideas and techniques required to carve caves into cliffs. Hindus and Jains then copied and elaborated these ideas. Here are links to my posts on cave temples.
Ellora (Buddhist, Hindu, Jain)
Elephanta (Buddhist, Hindu)
Badami (Hindu, Jain)
Karla (Buddhist)
Kanheri 1, Kanheri 2 (Buddhist)
We hope to make it to Ajanta before leaving India.
Just take a look at a few of the symbols that are used throughout India. The six-pointed star is used on many Muslim monuments -- and it certainly resembles the Jewish Star of David.
 |
| 6-point stars at Humayan's Tomb (left) and Fatehpur Sikri (right). |
The most notorious symbol is the swastika -- which is a symbol of welcome and good luck and is found everywhere in India.
 |
| The most common depiction of the swastika in India has an extra "twist" at the end of each arm, and dots in the middle. It is usually painted in red, and commonly found on temples, trucks, homes, shops, … anywhere and everywhere. |
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| Two swastika patterns from ceilings in Badami caves. |
 |
| I walked past this gate in Vapi many times before I noticed the swastika pattern on it. It's even more apparent when you ask Photoshop to "Find Edges". |
I love this panel from Agra Fort where the design incorporates the 6-pointed star, swastika, and cross -- how's that for religious tolerance?
 |
| A decorative panel from Agra Fort uniting the 6-point star, swastika, and cross in its design. |
 |
| Just in case it isn't obvious in the first photo: the 6-point star, swastika, and cross are highlighted. |
The Partition of 1947, where Muslims went to Pakistan/Bangladesh and Hindus went to India was one of the bloodiest periods in Indian history. The separation was almost entirely driven by politics, not sentiment (much less logic). But once it was set, the resulting distrust and hatred continues, and to this day violence erupts from time-to-time.
In my opinion, fundamentalism is the root of most, if not all, of the problems. Fundamentalist Christians wish to return to the 19th Century, fundamentalist Muslims prefer the 10th Century, fundamentalist Jews also want to return to pre-Middle Ages, and fundamentalist Hindus might be able to live with the early 20th Century, but probably wish to return to the time before the Mughals. All are highly misogynistic, patriarchal, and narrow-minded. Hindu fundamentalism is truly ironic, since Hinduism is open to including all gods in its pantheon: the Buddha is considered an avatar of Vishnu, and even Jesus can be worked in.
Problems arise when political differences become moral differences. When it's just a difference of two considered opinions, compromise and accommodation is possible. But when one or both sides feel that their God is threatened -- that the opposition is not just wrong, but morally evil -- then compromise and tolerance are not possible. It has become an all-or-nothing world, and unfortunately, "nothing" is the winner.
Can't we just respect our differences and let live?
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