Mandir, a place of worship and so much more

 

India is known for its magnificent and important temples and mosques. But if you want to see how the average Hindu worships, on nearly a daily basis, you'll need to explore the small streets and pathways for the neighborhood mandir (Hindu temple). During our recent trip to Delhi, our hosts brought us to a couple of temples that my husband worshiped at during his youth. It was a moving experience for him, bringing back many memories of his childhood.

On the day of our visit, the temples were preparing for the upcoming Holi, often called the festival of colors. No doubt you have seen photos of Indians celebrating by throwing colored powders into the air and splashing them all over their faces. 

But something more meaningful was happening. At this temple, along with many others, large batches of food were being prepared for the langar, meals served to all free of charge, regardless of religion, caste, gender, economic status, or ethnicity.

Religion plays a huge role in the lives of Hindus. Being a Christian, from the United States, I won't even pretend to understand how much worship, prayer and sacrifice are a part of their everyday lives. Most families have a mandir at their homes, where daily prayers and offerings are given, but it is at the community temples where you witness true faith.

Welcoming Arms of Lovely Dharamshala

 

We're back! 

With our abrupt departure from India in early March 2020, we had no idea that it would be a full two years before we could return, and the havoc covid would take on all of our lifestyles.

While the country is not officially open to tourists, we have Overseas Citizen status and when we were fully vaccinated with an extra booster shot we decided it was safe for us to return. However, India required a lot of paperwork from us to be posted online basically to prove we were covid free, including copies of our vaccination records before we were OKd to go.

When booking the flight, we decided to fly direct to Delhi from Chicago, then spend the night in the airport hotel and take a morning flight to Dharamshala. In the past, our preference has been to stop over in London or Amsterdam long enough to leave the airport, find a hotel and try to get some sleep. That strategy seems to work for us, as we sure aren't as young as we use to be. This time, however, we felt that any layover in another country could be a hassel because of changing covid requirements. AND then we faced another hurdle. Because of the situation between Russia and Ukraine, the flight pattern was changed to avoid Russian Airspace as well has Iran's. This added about an hour an a half to the already 14 hour flight.

But we made it,. We were greeted in Dharamshala by our trusted taxi driver, Trilok, and crisp mountain air, and while on the half-hour car journey, we couldn't resist stopping in Kangra at a sabji (vegetable market). The sights and smells quickly brought me home to India.

Once we reached our house, we were created by some dear friends who came to greet us with a wonderful chocolate cake.

And of course, there was Shubnum, whom we consider our daughter. She takes care of us when we are here, and watches and cleans our house when we are not. We are so happy that we will be able to attend her wedding set for April 27.

Namaste