Tag Archives: temple

Shivratri in Varanasi

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Girls playing Goddesses

Shivratri is the wedding anniversary of Lord Shiva and the biggest festival in Varanasi. This year, it was celebrated on the 30th of March. The date is determined by the Hindu lunar calendar, so it changes every year. As per the calendar, Mahashivaratri falls on the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight of Phalguna (February/March). I had always wanted to document this festival, and this year I finally got the opportunity. Several temples in Varanasi organize a wedding parade of Lord Shiva on Shivratri. I went to a very big temple called Mahamrityunjay Temple, which is famous for its parade.

Girls playing Goddesses

The ghosts

I tried to contact the mahant of the temple, who was supposed to be one of the organizers, or at least an important member of the committee. But to my surprise, he told me straight away that he didn’t know anything about who was organizing it. I was shocked. I then asked several other people at the temple, but nobody seemed willing to say who was behind the event or who I should approach to get filming permission. Very strange people. I spoke with at least 20 people, and the response was always the same—they didn’t know who was organizing the parade.

The ghosts

Goddess Shitla

Finally, I gave up on this temple and went to another one called Tilbhandeshwar Temple, which is also one of the biggest Shiva temples in Varanasi. The people there were much more helpful. They gave me all the information I needed and permitted me to come on the festival day and film inside the temple. I was really happy to have their permission. I arrived on the festival day around 8 am and was surprised to see that preparations had already been underway for a long time. Hundreds of people were at the temple, dressing up and getting ready for the parade.

Goddess Shitla

Baby Shiva

Since the festival is so important to the people of Varanasi, everyone wanted to participate. A committee was formed to choose the right characters for the parade. There were all kinds of characters, including gods, goddesses, demons, and ghosts. This was because Shiva is believed to have all kinds of followers—even ghosts and demons—who also took part in his wedding. The atmosphere was truly amazing, full of excitement and energy.

baby Shiva

Makeup

There were four makeup artists working non-stop on the characters, and there was always a line of people waiting for their turn. My friend Lane, from Seattle, had come with me just to watch the parade but ended up playing Parshuram! The organizers were so delighted to see a foreigner that they asked him if he’d like to be part of the parade, and as usual, Lane agreed. I interviewed several characters, and the best conversation was with the man playing Lord Shiva. He was fascinating. He told me he had been playing Shiva for the past eight years. When I asked why it was always him, he explained that he takes the role very seriously and calls Lord Shiva into his body, which earns him respect from the community. People actually want him to play Shiva year after year.

makeup

Lord Shiva on his horse

Even more interesting was the fact that his whole family was involved. His real son was playing baby Shiva. After his makeup was done, the man playing Lord Shiva went to the temple for blessings. This is the moment when he is believed to invite the spirit of Shiva into his body. The parade began right after this. All the characters rode on different animals and horses as the procession moved through many neighborhoods. I don’t know how, but thousands of people joined the parade. There was loud music, people dancing, snake charmers performing, and firecrackers going off everywhere to celebrate.

Lord Shiva on his horse

Free bhang

There were also free bhang stalls. Since bhang is traditionally offered at Shiva temples, it was distributed as a blessing. The parade lasted more than four hours before finally returning to the Tilbhandeshwar Temple around 6 PM. Once back at the temple, the man playing Shiva performed a symbolic wedding ceremony with his real wife, representing the marriage of Shiva and Parvati. After the rituals, the event concluded. It was incredible to see how people treated the characters as if they were the deities themselves. Many touched their feet in reverence. I was thrilled to have documented the whole event—and yes, I filmed it too! So happy to have experienced it.

free Bhang

 

Ayodhya court decision

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Ayodhya, Ayodhya, Ayodhya…

I think this is the most popular word in India these days. Everyone was talking about the High Court’s decision on the Babri Mosque demolition case. This mosque was destroyed by a group of Hindus on 6th December 1992, and since then the case had been pending in the Allahabad High Court. The entire country was waiting with both excitement and fear. In Varanasi, where police are rarely seen on normal days, the streets were suddenly filled with security forces. Army personnel were stationed everywhere, and helicopters circled above. The atmosphere was tense and frightening, as people feared possible riots after the verdict.

Finally, the decision came. The court attempted to strike a balance — trying to make both Hindus and Muslims happy. But Muslims were clearly dissatisfied and immediately decided to challenge the verdict in the Supreme Court of India. Of course, everyone already knew that whichever side lost in the High Court would appeal to the Supreme Court, but it was still surprising to see political leaders who had been urging the public to “respect the verdict” suddenly turn angry themselves when the judgment didn’t align with their expectations.

I spoke to a Muslim acquaintance about his views. He said Muslims felt deeply hurt and disappointed. According to him, the High Court had treated them “like beggars” by giving them only a small portion of the land, even though they believe the entire disputed site rightfully belonged to them. I personally disagreed with this view, because history shows that there was once a Ram temple at the site, which was demolished by Babur. For the sake of harmony and unity, I feel Muslims should also acknowledge this and accept the land they were allotted.

In fact, if we look at it strictly from Islamic principles, the Babri mosque should not have been considered a legitimate mosque at all. Islam clearly states that no mosque built by destroying a sacred site of another religion can be considered a mosque. This means the Babri mosque was invalid from the beginning. And above all, that land is believed to be the birthplace of Lord Rama — one of the most sacred places for Hindus, perhaps the most sacred in all of India. For Muslims, the Babri mosque was neither historically important nor religiously unique. So why be so unhappy?

I am certain that Hindus would never compromise on this site, and Muslims too should reflect on its importance. Thankfully, the most positive outcome of the verdict was that no riots broke out this time. In 1992, hundreds of people lost their lives, and in subsequent years the anniversary often brought violence. But by God’s grace, this time it passed peacefully, even though emotions were high. It seems that the younger generation of Hindus is less invested in this dispute than before, but the worry lies with some Muslim groups.

Islam divides the world into Muslims and non-Muslims (Kafirs). It also considers idol worship to be Haram (forbidden), which makes it hard for Muslims to sympathize with Hindu temples. Many even know that the Babri mosque was built by demolishing a Hindu temple, yet they would never support the Hindu claim. Some even feel pride in the fact that invaders destroyed Hindu temples and converted Hindus to Islam.

I find it strange and troubling that many Muslims in India connect themselves with those invaders, even regarding them as their ancestors. This mindset is dangerous. India is the second-largest Muslim-majority country in the world, and if a section of its population begins to see itself as aligned with invaders rather than with India itself, then one day this mentality could do serious harm to the country.

The God got sick :)

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Yesterday was an important day for the Jagannath Temple to celebrate a festival called Rathyatra. People from all over India visit the temple to participate in a ritual where the deity is bathed with water throughout the day. It is believed that by evening, the deity becomes unwell due to the prolonged bathing. Typically, sweets are offered in temples, but once the deity is said to be sick, offerings change to parwal (a type of vegetable) and basil soup. This soup is then distributed among the people as a blessing. Following this offering, the temple is closed for the next fifteen days.

Parwal and basil soup is an Ayurvedic remedy commonly prescribed for cold and cough. The idea is that this medicinal soup will help the deity recover. During these fifteen days, the temple gate remains closed, except for a daily opening to offer the basil and parwal soup. After the fifteen days, it is believed that the deity will have recovered, and the statue is taken out of the temple on a chariot and brought to Lord Jagannath’s Sasural (in-law’s) temple near Rathyatra, to allow the deity a period of respite after the illness.

In Benares, the deity is taken to the Sasural temple, while in Puri, the statue is brought to Lord Jagannath’s aunt’s temple. The statue remains there for two days, after which a large fair is organized. In Benares, the statue is paraded on a chariot and placed on the main road near Rathyatra Crossing for three days. After the fair concludes, the statue is returned to the temple. These are the only three days in the year when the Jagannath Temple in Benares is without its statue. This festival is known as Rathyatra.

While the fair in Benares is significant, it is not as large as the one in Puri, which is enormous. Last year, over ten million people attended the Puri fair.

Kamasutra

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While waiting for my train at Delhi railway station, I met an intriguing 85-year-old man named Lance Dane. I had arrived at the station about two hours before my train’s departure, and Lance took a seat next to me. We struck up a conversation, and I was fascinated to learn that he was a specialist in coins and had authored over 40 books on the Kamasutra. His father was Indian, his mother British, and he was born in South India. He grew up in India and speaks fluent Kannada and Hindi. It was remarkable to meet someone with such expertise in Kamasutra.

Curious, I asked him many questions about the Kamasutra. He explained that the Kamasutra temples are not just about depicting various sexual positions but encompass a comprehensive view of human life. This matched what my brother had previously told me, and it reinforced my understanding. Lance shared detailed information about different Kamasutra temples across India. He also discussed the Nepali temple in Varanasi, which features some Kamasutra sculptures. According to him, this temple is relatively new and has been influenced by the Kamasutra temples in South India and Khajuraho.

Lance was traveling to Varanasi to attend a conference on the Art and Archaeology of Kashi (Varanasi), where he was invited as a chief guest. I expressed my interest in the conference, and he kindly extended an invitation to me. He took my mobile number and promised to call me the next morning. True to his word, he called after reaching Varanasi to confirm the invitation. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn so much about my own city from someone with such deep knowledge.