On the first day in Mumbai India, I took a boat excursion to the Elephanta caves. These are located on an island somewhat near Mumbai. From the island, I was able to take a picture of a very long bridge that now connects Old Mumbai to New Mumbai.
It was awe inspiring to imagine ancient people carving these caves, pillars, and sculptures out of a rock mountain. This website has lots of pictures and some history of this UNESCO World Heritage site.
We had a very passionate tour guide who was trying to help us see the universal aspects of the Hindu worship of Gods as part of connection to a broader universal concept of God. This cave had fantastic sculptures of Lord Shiva, who has aspects of creator, protector and destroyer and it felt like a powerful place. It was hard, however, to soak it in, as it is currently a tourist destination. The caves were very busy with people milling, crowding, and tour guides trying to be heard over the din. I couldn’t hear much of what our tour guide had to say. Luckily, however, there are places to look up the information. What I’m left with is the guide’s spirit of care to communicate the important spiritual truths from her culture.
On the second day in Mumbai, I went around the city as part of an excursion. We visited a Hindu temple. Unfortunately, I didn’t capture the name. This is the outside.
We climbed up and went inside. This was a reverent place of worship, so I didn’t take any pictures there. We took off our shoes and went into the inner parts of the temple along with many Indian worshipers. On the way out, this poster caught my eye. Lord Shiva again, and a series of very good lessons for one’s own life.
The world has an amazing diversity … including amazing architectural diversity… thanks for sharing that.
Dance is good advice. Thanks for these updates Cathy.