My Trip to India - Colour &
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i saw the bodies (standing beside them somemore)...burnt next to the Ganga River......lucky din see any floating in the river...
Originally posted by ShrodingersCat:looks fantastic... very interesting!!
wish I have the opportunity to go sometime...
My friend who visited the Ganges River said he saw floating corpses in the river.. not a lot, like 1 or 2, and everyone was ignoring the corpses happily bathing up/down river..... mebbe that's where the smell of death came from -
Originally posted by LOTUSfairy:i saw the bodies (standing beside them somemore)...burnt next to the Ganga River......lucky din see any floating in the river...
if you look at the bottom right of the picture, the cremation activities was on. Just for info...only those who live a full live can be cremeated in the Ganges. those bachealor, spinsters, underage can only be buried. It is believed by the Hindus that those who were cremeated in the Ganges will escape the rebirth cycle and not born again -
no....only the "saints" went nude but they are banned in the cities. you may see them in the remote region only.Originally posted by elindra:Nudist sect?
Err so the ppl go there nude? -
This bodhi tree and complex - this tree was a sapling taken from Sri Lanka which originate from the original tree in bodhgaya (original tree was destroyed and the present tree in bodhgaya is also the sapling from Sri Lanka)
Notice the tablets surrounding this complex? It is the Dhammachaka pavattna sutta in various translation - korean, english, japanese, vietnamese etc...
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Maybe I should post my pictures of India too
But those were taken when I was a little cub
Then maybe can compare to see any difference -
replica of the teacher teaching his disciples
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While on our way to bodhgaya, we met the KINGS OF THE ROAD!!!
No, not this monsterous vehicles........they had to be dwarfed when they meet the real KINGS
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sure do...Originally posted by elindra:Maybe I should post my pictures of India too
But those were taken when I was a little cub
Then maybe can compare to see any difference -
On our way, we met many friendly indians. this shopkeeper proudly display his moustache and offered to pose for the picture.
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crossing the bridge that span 40km across the Ganges River with the sunrise across the horizon
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Wow... The photos are so interesting!
It's so steeped in the unique culture of the place.
All said, though I would go on a guided tour to India, I would not go off the beaten track.
And how in the world did you poor guys end up with Vegetarian food the entire trip?
That's so ... deprived! -
BTW, what's the story behind this? It seems pretty interesting!Originally posted by SevenEleven:Indian Bronze Art - if you think this is an elephant with it's trunk, you are wrong. It's actually a rat that cuts off its tail and tied them to its nose to look like an elephant. notice the little rat beside it?
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Well it is sort of a pligrimage tour. the tour leader arranged them. anyway I am the "eat to live" sort, so..no differenceOriginally posted by Rhonda:Wow... The photos are so interesting! It's so steeped in the unique culture of the place.
All said, though I would go on a guided tour to India, I would not go off the beaten track.
And how in the world did you poor guys end up with Vegetarian food the entire trip? That's so ... deprived! -
don't know this one but this rat attracted meOriginally posted by Rhonda:BTW, what's the story behind this? It seems pretty interesting! -
After travelling some 250km from Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh State), we reach the City of Gaya (Bihar State) that is situated along the bank of Falgu River (better known as Niranjana River to the Hindus and Buddhist).
Gaya is a holy city for the Hindus fame for the Hindu epic Ramayana and the district Bodhgaya is the holiest place for the Buddhist where the Lord Buddha gained his enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree
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MahaBodhi Temple - This was build next to the Bodhi Tree (this is the sapling(son) from the Bodhi Tree in Sri Lanka (father) whose original tree (grandfather) was located more than 2,500 years ago
It is believed that 250 years after the Enlightenment of the Buddha, Emperor Asoka visited Bodh Gaya. He is considered to be the founder of the original Mahabodhi temple. It consisted of an elongated spire crowned by a miniature stupa and a chhatravali on a platform. A double flight of steps led up to the platform and the upper sanctum. The mouldings on the spire contained Buddha images in niches.
Some historians believe that the temple was constructed or renovated in the 1st century during the Kushan period. With the decline of Buddhism in India, the temple was abandoned and forgotten, buried under layers of soil and sand.
This temple was excavated by Sir Alexander Cunningham in 1883 based on the records by the traveller monk Hsuen Tsang from China.
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Notice the exquiste carving on the temple. many of these statue were destroyed when the mongul invaded India. Perhap it was a blessing that these temple was buried under the sand otherwise these too would have been destoryed
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This is what most of the pilgrims come for, the Bodhi Tree and the seat under the tree (diamond throne) where the Lord Buddha sat before gaining enlightenment
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7-11!
long time no see! -
Our next stop is known Pragbodhi. This is one of the most remote region in the state of Bihar. According to our guide, this place is controlled by the maoist and not safe to travel at night. However, they had laid down a rule the tourists will not be disturbed but rich locals may be robbed.
Road along this place is mud ground and the houses are pretty backward. the round disc stuck on the wall are cow dung mixed with grass and dried in the sun. This will serve as fuel for cooking to the locals there.
Talk about recycling....they have been doing it since history
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hello giga. how are you doing.Originally posted by gigabyte14:7-11!
long time no see!
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Pragbodhi has several barren rocky hills and caves. This is where Prince Siddhatta practice austeries and self-motification. We didn't have to climb these rocky path as some donors helped build a road up the hill although most vehicle cannot reach the top.
One member of our group did not make it to the top as she suffered an asthma attack half way up and had to wait for the rest midway.
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Some of the roads we travelled are narrow and have lots of pot holes making travelling slow. Here is a 2 way traffic rickety bridge only allowing one vehicle to pass from either directions only
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The funny thing is that despite all those corpse and all, the water is still pure. Correct me if I am wrong 7-11.Originally posted by LOTUSfairy:i saw the bodies (standing beside them somemore)...burnt next to the Ganga River......lucky din see any floating in the river... -
er...define pure.Originally posted by RaaRaa:The funny thing is that despite all those corpse and all, the water is still pure. Correct me if I am wrong 7-11.