Varanasi at Night

Thursday, 12 February 2015

A boat ride at night on the Ganges.

Yes, it was night. Yes, it was on a river. Yes, there were bugs -- plenty of bugs!

A beautifully lit haveli/hotel? along the river.

Pujaris performing aarti (worship) to Mother Ganga (the Ganges). The river itself is the god here.

One of the larger aartis along the ghats (steps that go down to the river).

We placed lighted lamps with flowers in the river to float downstream.

Lamps floating down the Ganges.

Haveli at Raja Ghat where we had a short classical dance presentation and a thali dinner.

Delhi

Wednesday, 12 February 2015

I've posted from Delhi before, so here is a small selection of photos that (mostly) don't duplicate previous posts.

Jama Masjid. One of the few mosques in India that allow women tourists to enter.

Humayan's Tomb. A restored gate into a side garden.

Raj Ghat. Mahatma Gandhi's cremation site.

Qutb Minar.

Rose-ringed parakeet at Qutb Minar.

Birds - Mostly

I see chickens frequently on my walks through Vapi. But these are the smallest chicks I've seen yet. I liked the multi-color assortment!

Mother hen and at least 10 chicks -- black, brown, yellow, and white.

On a more somber note, Lon found one of our "backyard" pigeons hanging by its feet, tangled in string leftover from Kite Day.

Our pigeon tangled in kite string.

Fortunately, Lon was able to cut the string holding the bird in the air, and I was able to unwrap the strings around the bird without further damage. The bird flew away, so we think it will be OK.

A closer view of the tangled strings. Note that the pigeon has already lost toes on both feet. The string was also wrapped so tightly around one wing that it had cut into the wing, and there was a bit of blood.

After freeing the bird, we went up on our roof and pulled down as much kite string as we could get to. That should help some, although there's still a lot of string hanging out of reach on utility wires.

And no Sunday would be complete without a cow (or two or three or twenty).

This evening, three young calfs and a very pregnant cow sauntered down the middle of the busy Gunjan Road market area. They didn't seem particularly happy -- perhaps even a bit lost.

School Transportation

I've been waiting for a while to try to get pictures of just how many students you can cram into a van or tuk-tuk. Last week Lon saw a tuk-tuk struggle to get up a hill with 20 adults "inside" (at least 4 were hanging off the sides).

The favored vehicle is this ubiquitous van. It probably holds a minimum of 30 kindergarten students in its 7 passenger seats.

Five students sit up front with the driver.

I wasn't quick enough to catch this tuk-tuk head on, but there had to be at least 15 kids in there.

From the "archives":

New Delhi (2013): Especially with older students, you can cram in a whole lot more if you put book bags up top.

Old Delhi (2014): Any type of vehicle can be school transportation. Here it's a cycle-rickshaw.

Cows and Pigs

There is usually at least one cow at this location -- a lot of food gets put out here. I've seen as many as a dozen in this spot. Even three cows can do a good job of blocking the road.

The two in the middle of the road were licking each other's face.

Pigs are also multiplying. This group has been a regular on my walks through Vapi. By my count, there were two adults and eight rapidly growing piglets.

And in amidst the cows and dogs and pigs and trash, ice blocks are delivered straight to the sidewalk.

Just one reason why shaved ice beverages are best avoided,
even though they are very tempting on a hot day!

Puppies

We have five puppies growing up in our neighborhood. I assume they are getting fed by some of our neighbors, since they (and their mother) seem much healthier than most of the dog families I see. 

They spent a good bit of time just outside our gate.

The puppy on the right, standing, seems to be the spokes-puppy for the group. He was really giving it to me for taking their picture.

Leader of the pack.

There's really nothing keeping the puppies on the other side of the gate. This one brought a toy along with him.

Although they're a pretty good size now, mama still provides some sustenance.

Art - Nataraja and Nandi

This is our last year in India, so it's time to start purchasing those things we really want to bring back with us. In addition to some home furnishings we've been using for a while now, I've recently purchased three sculptures.

After our tour of south India last February, I really wanted a bronze Nataraja -- Shiva as Lord of the Dance. Surrounded by a circle of flames, Shiva has one foot raised and the other placed on a dwarf. One hand holds a flame and the other a small drum (damru).  His dreadlocks fly out at the sides, and the Ganga emerges from them.

Nandi, Shiva's bull and vehicle, is another favorite of mine. In temples, he is always shown a lot of affection: secrets are whispered in his ear, and he anointed with sacred ashes. This particular Nandi is carved from wood.

A second Nandi. This one is a bit smaller and made from soapstone. Since it's made of stone, I can put this one in my garden back home. I'd really like to get a larger Nandi, but stone is difficult (and expensive) to ship!

To put Nandi in some context, here are a few pictures of Nandi from sites in southern India.

You never know where Nandi will pop up.

Sometimes he's in a grand and prominent place. Here he sits outside Shiva's sanctum in the Meenakshi temple in Madurai.

Sometimes you just come across him in the landscape. Here he sits in a pile of boulders near Hampi.

Nandi is shown a great deal of affection.

In the Meenakshi Temple inMadurai, this Nandi is covered with sacred ashes and other offerings.

Here you can get an idea of how large some of the Nandi figures can be. This is in Pattadakal.

And finally, an incomplete Nandi near the Five Rathas at Mahabalipuram.

Everyone loves Nandi!