Marilyn Tompkins Bellert, The Three Wise Men of Kathmandu

The Three Wise Men of Kathmandu

Traveling in India and Nepal this fall, my first visit to those countries, I observed the importance of daily religious activities in people’s lives.  The “wise men” pictured above were not bringing gifts, unlike the three kings of the Christian Nativity story. On the contrary, they were seeking gifts. We paid them for permission to take photos, as did most of the crowd around us. These three men may have been “wise guys” posing for photo-ops, not real saddhus, ascetics who give up all worldly goods (except cellphones, apparently) and travel the region living on alms and offering wise counsel. We saw saddhus dressed in similar ways in many places, usually preaching to individuals and groups who gave alms in return.

We happened on these three on our way from Kathmandu Airport to our hotel by way of the city’s cremation site. What’s the first thing you do in a new city? Go straight to the fiery, smokey places where people’s final religious ceremonies occur? Not usually, but this was Kathmandu and we were game. We watched men in the family of a deceased Hindu carry the corpse wrapped in orange cloth down steps to the river, wash its feet, conduct a ritual, and then slide the body onto a burning pyre. An employee of the company that manages the cremations keeps the fire burning for six to eight hours until only ashes remain. Those are poured into the river, which flows into the sacred Ganges. Cremations are done 24/7/365.

A gang of rhesus macaque monkeys suddenly rampaged across the roof of the sacred temple at the cremation site. Our guide cautioned us not to make eye contact with the monkeys that busily worked both sides of the river. The monkeys delight in grabbing tourist’s hats and sunglasses and will rummage in pockets and backpacks for food. Make eye contact and a monkey will leap onto your shoulder so fast you would think they had wings. The monkey in the photo is hanging over a spout, slurping water. There must not have been any kids’ smoothies to grab in his vicinity. Monkeys swarm over the biggest and most beautiful religious sites in Kathmandu, mostly ignored by the humans. They are much more intrusive than sacred cows in the streets, but they are equally protected by religious beliefs.

Sunset Ceremonies. We observed Hindu religious activities at sunset and at sunrise in Varanasi, India. On our way to a nightly service of thanksgiving to Mother Ganges, I stumbled along the broken street, hanging onto Gary since I had trouble seeing in the dark, narrow, noisy street crowded with people, motorbikes and cars. Suddenly, one of those sacred cows was in my face. The cow stopped. I screamed, causing much hilarity among our group. You are supposed to pet the itinerant cows, which are mostly domesticated, so I did. It was very soft and quiet. We went around the cow and the cow ambled on home.

In a plaza behind a large altar along the Ganges River, thousands of people sat on rugs and up the steps for a ceremony that occurs every evening. What seemed to us like a carnival atmosphere included vendors selling balloons, cotton candy and other foods, children’s toys, souvenirs, and garlands of marigolds. Four young Hindu priests performed the thanksgiving rites, which were narrated by a singer with a microphone who led the songs and rituals. The crowd – families, young and old couples, and individuals – knew all the songs and participated energetically. The high point of the thanksgiving ritual was an impressive fire ceremony performed by the monks.

We were told that Hindu families often hold nightly thanksgiving ceremonies in their homes, but not necessarily with flaming candelabras.

Dawn’s Early Light.  At sunrise the next morning, our group traveled on a boat on the Ganges with a priest who helped us understand the many mundane and sacred activities occurring on both sides of the river. At a cremation site, dozens of pyres were burning, and crowds carrying corpses made their way to the river, the ritual sites, and the pyres. Many, many early morning activities were underway, including laundry, fishing, saddhus sharing wisdom, and religious rites including bathing.  Much as observant Muslims take the Haj to Mecca at least once in their lives. Hindus must bath at least once in the Ganges. Men strip to their skivvies, but women bathe in their saris.

Bathing at Dawn in the Ganges

Daily Greetings.  Religious customs were also part of daily greetings. Each time we entered a new hotel for the first time, we were offered a spot of herbal paste on the forehead to show that we honored the culture plus seed necklaces honoring the god Vishnu or a garland of flowers to celebrate the imminent Hindu holiday of Diwali. Every time we entered any hotel or shop, we received a reverent Namaste (“the divine in me honors the divine in you”) from every employee. No, we were not at yoga class, much less back in Kansas. 

Earning Merit

Feeding pigeons to earn merit is another daily practice. We saw people feeding pigeons in dozens of locations. Local and national governments discourage the practice, since pigeons, sometimes called “rodents of the air,” spread smelly litter as well as disease.  But earning merit is an important concept that is part of daily life  for Buddhists. Hinduism and Buddhism are closely related.

The happy little girl in the photo is celebrating her second birthday near a pagoda in Kathmandu, Nepal. Until fairly recently, infant mortality was so high that many children did not reach age two. Part of her celebration was to feed the pigeons from the red plastic bowl in her hand. She was quite delighted with the experience. Merit earned.

At dawn in Mumbai, India, hundreds of people feed tens of thousands of pigeons at the Gateway of India, a  monument completed for the Indian coronation of George V in 1924. The king did not ride through it, but huge numbers of people visit it every day – locals who come to have portraits taken at dawn or to feed pigeons, as well as throngs of tourists, mostly Indians.

On our first day in India, we arrived at 4:30 a.m. at our hotel, which had a view of the Gateway. After the welcoming ceremonies (forehead dots, recitations, necklaces, flowers), we got to our room and crawled into bed. The noise of the pigeons prevented Gary from falling asleep. He was outside as the sun came up, photographing people and pigeons.

Gateway of India

Flowers, More Flowers, and Angry Gods, too.  Generally, the daily religious activities we saw were beautiful, always colorful and quite cheerful. In Nepal, hotels, homes, and offices have large cauldrons filled with water that are decorated with elaborate flower designs. The designs were often mandalas, but sometimes represented gods or religious symbols. Creating the arrangements and maintaining them every day is part of devotional activities. During Diwali in India, we saw beautiful “paintings” of religious subjects made of flower petals, dyed grains, or glass chips in large designs on floors or walks.

All life is not cheerful, however, and fear has a role in religion. For Hindus, religion includes all parts of life from birth to death to reincarnation. An important agent of destruction and also of rebirth is the god Shiva (monument at left). Many temples, sculptures public artworks, fierce masks, marionettes, and children’s toys are devoted to Shiva. Like the other major gods, Shiva is attended all day every day by common people who light incense and candles, pray, and meditate at temples and shrines.

Similar worship goes on at sites devoted to friendlier gods, too.

Prayers.  Starting before dawn, devout Muslims answer calls to prayer five times a day. The calls ring from towers of the mosques, quite loudly in neighborhoods where singers are amplified. Despite the partition into India and Pakistan in 1947, more than 172 million Muslims live in India, about 15% of the population. On a Friday morning in Delhi we visited a large ancient mosque built of beautifully carved stone. Workers were rolling out prayer rugs for the 24,000 worshipers expected to attend the Friday afternoon service.

Jama Masjid Mosque in Old Delhi

Diwali, the Festival of Lights, Hinduism’s Most Important Holiday

We were fortunate to visit India during the Diwali celebrations. In many ways, Diwali is similar to Christmas. Decorating for Diwali begins weeks in advance and features millions of lights adorning ten story buildings as well as homes, shops, gardens, trees, and bridges. Elaborate displays of lights were everywhere, inside and outside. Gift-giving is part of this holiday, which is as popular with children in Hindu communities as is Christmas in Christian countries. One aspect of Diwali that I especially liked was brothers and sisters day, set aside for siblings to visit each other. Our hotel in Jaipur invited all guests to attend a Diwali festival, complete with religious rituals, fireworks, a huge field of lights, flowers galore, candles, dancers, a sitar orchestra, guests in gorgeous clothing, and a splendid feast on the lawn beside the hotel. Also, camels and elephants were part of the scene.

                 

I may have focused on the glittering lights, glorious colors, and beautiful flowers, but Diwali is clearly a family religious holiday. We were told, “Happy Diwali” hundreds of times by merry Indians. Like India itself, Diwali was an overwhelming experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kansas girl and spouse, greeted by charming, mustachioed gentleman with a ceremonial umbrella in a land not far from Oz.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos by Gary Bellert