pilgrimage | Blue Lapis Road

DAY 5 (3/3): SUNSET OVER SACRED WATER, Pushkar, Rajasthan, India, 2018.11.28

We returned to Pushkar Lake just before sunset, hoping to witness any form of religious ceremonies that might be performed. If we arrived two weeks earlier during the Pushkar Camel Fair, we would probably see large scale aarti and deepdan ceremonies by the ghats. At the ghats, the air was peaceful and a little cooler than earlier. We sat down on the steps to enjoy the sunset over the sacred lake.

Sunset was a great time to absorb the peaceful atmosphere of the ghats in Pushkar.

Maybe the presence of fish signify the improvement of water quality?

Deity worshiping might happen anywhere around the lake shore.

Buildings were covered in an orange glow as the sun set.

Nag Pahar (Snake Mountain) and Ratnagiri Hill were highly visible from Pushkar Lake.

Watching the sunset over Pushkar Lake was one of the loveliest moment in our journey.

Given the beauty of the sunset, the number of tourists lingering at the ghats were surprisingly few.

In just a blink of eye the sun sank beyond the buildings on the horizon.

Even the cow enjoyed the beauty of the sunset.

A small group of pilgrims and temple staff performed evening prayers at Varaha Ghat.

Candles were lit and flower petals were scattered into the water during the ceremony.

Although short, the prayer ceremony generated a spiritual ambience no words could fully describe.

The last pilgrim prayed to the twilight as all other worshipers returned into the temple.

Pilgrims and temple priests finishing their last bit of prayers at the ghat.

As light faded, we decided to call it a day.

We left Pushkar Lake from the entrance of mVaraha Ghat.

The market streets behind the ghats were much more lively than the waterfront.

On our way back to Inn Seventh Heaven, we passed by the old Rangji Temple.

At the hotel, we once again headed up to Sixth Sense, the hotel’s rooftop restaurant for a vegetarian meal.

To finish the night, we ordered a Rajasthan vegetarian thali.

DAY 5 (2/3): 52 BATHING GHATS, Pushkar, Rajasthan, India, 2018.11.28

Beyond the vibrant streets of souvenir shops, cafes, and guesthouses, 52 bathing ghats follow the sloping topography, descending down to the sacred water of Pushkar Lake. Throughout centuries, Hindu pilgrims came to bathe in the sacred water to cleanse their sins and skin diseases, and worship in one of the 500 temples dotted around the lake. Earliest record of the lake’s existence dated back to the 2nd century BC. Site modifications over generations, including a dam built across the headwaters of the Luni River in the 12th century, had transformed Pushkar Lake into today’s artificial appearance. In the Mughal era, religious activities had came to a brief halt and temples were destroyed. Since then, pilgrims had returned, and temples and ghats had been restored by local rulers.

Today, the government is making effort to improve the water quality of the lake, after pollution and deforestation reduced the water level and killed off most of the fish. Pushkar is still attracting large numbers of pilgrims, and so as foreign tourists who either come here for the colourful camel fair, or take a break in their Indian tour as they got fatigue of the noises and bustling activities in the cities. Visitors come to this vegetarian-only and car-free town for its spiritual ambience, or a chance encounter with an insightful guru, or a peaceful rooftop to chill out during sunset, or a few days of yoga classes, or an evening aarti ceremony at a historical ghat, or to simply do nothing and sort out their inner souls while meditating by the water.

It was only a short walk from Inn Seventh Heaven to Varah Ghat. We took off our shoes compulsorily and walked down the ghat towards the sacred lake.

It was a magical experience to walk from one ghat to another.

Each ghat is unique despite all leading to the waterfront of Pushkar Lake.

Pushkar Camel Fair, one of the largest livestock fair and cultural event in India that attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors, was over just a week or two ago. After the year’s biggest event, Pushkar looked a little sleepy when we arrived.

Rajasthani pilgrims in their vivid sarees walked by the sacred lake in the afternoon sun.

We had a good time wandering from one ghat to another along the lake’s north shore

No shoes were allowed at the ghats. It took us a while to get used to walking in barefoot along with the free roaming cows, dogs and pigeons.

Layers of balustrades, stepped plazas, terraces, and bathing pools provide a rich palette of textures to the scenery.

We decided to do nothing for the rest of the day other than strolling along the lakefront.

The shrine on a raised platform at the northwest end of the lake was painted in vivid orange and was visible from all over the lake.

Pigeons and more pigeons. Bird or animal feeding is considered a good deed to improve a person’s karma according to Hindu beliefs.

The ghats were photogenic under the afternoon sun.

Reflections of passing people on the bathing pools were beautiful.

Especially with the vivid colours of the local sarees.

Local Indians are curious and friendly and love to take pictures with foreign tourists.

It was a delight to see the free roaming cows around Pushkar Lake.

Pigeons were everywhere.

And so as some larger water birds.

Hotel Pushkar Palace has one of the best view in town.

We ended our first ghat walk in mid afternoon and decided to return for the sunset.

March 9, 2019 | Categories: India, Pushkar, Rajasthan, Rajasthan, Agra and Delhi 2018 | Tags: ghat, Hindu, India, Indian, lake, pilgrim, pilgrimage, Pushkar, Rajasthan, saree, Temple | Leave a comment

DAY 3 (3/4): JAIN TEMPLES PART 2, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India, 2018.11.26

We returned to the Jain temples at around 11:30. We took off our shoes and placed them near the entrance before entering the temple forecourt. Just like our earlier visit of Chandraprabhu and Rikhabdev Temple (and possibly the other smaller temples interconnected in the maze-like network), we soon lose track of where we had been or which parts we had yet seen during our visit of Shantinath and Kunthunath Temple. Again temple buildings were interconnected at more than one level. For outsiders like us, it was impossible to differentiate the statues and temple chambers from one another. Except the marble statues of tirthankaras, almost everything were carved in the local yellow sandstone. Temple interiors were filled with grotto like shrines, narrow passageways, exquisite statues, and wonderful dome ceilings of sculpted apsaras (celestial nymphs). On the outside, toranas (ceremonial gateways) and shikharas (towers) packed the forecourt. The rich visual experience was coherent throughout the entire visit as we meandered through the temple complex. Given their compact sizes, it was surprising that we had spent the entire morning just to linger around the seven interconnected Jain temples until lunchtime.

Opening time varies for non-worshipers. We had to wait till 11:30 to enter the Shantinath and Kunthunath temple.

Built in 1536, the Shantinath and Kunthunath were equally impressive to the ones we saw earlier in the morning.

We didn’t come to worship so we stayed outside of the temple altar.

From the torana gate to the inner shrine, everywhere in the temple complex was full of details.

From up close, we could admire the sculpted base of the shikharas (towers).

At one end of the temple, we entered a shrine hall where locals were assisted by a holy man to perform certain worshiping rituals.

The outer facade of the hall was beautifully sculpted with what looked like to be symbols depicting religious stories.

The locals left the hall after they finished their worshiping rituals.

Soon we were all by ourselves to admire the dome ceiling of sculpted apsaras (celestial nymphs) and the other statues in the shrine hall.

Some shrines and their sculpted ceilings were not as well restored.

On the upper level, we came to a quiet area. We had the upper level pretty much all by ourselves.

We took our time to check out the different statues on the upper level.

There were a wide range of statues from human sized figures to the very small ones.

Before we left, fellow visitors finally found their way up to the upper level.

At the upper level, we also encountered a interesting footprint carving on a stone counter.

At the lower level, we spent some time examining the statues of dancing girls with large hoop earrings.

Back out to the temple forecourt, we passed by the exquisite torana one last time. Toranas are sacred gateways common in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist temples.

Back out at the street, we had one final look at the screened balcony connecting the upper level of the two temples. Near the end of our temple visit, we spent quite some time resting on the balcony seat.

February 22, 2019 | Categories: India, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, Rajasthan, Agra and Delhi 2018 | Tags: apsaras, Dilwara, fort, India, Indian, Jain, Jaisalmer, Kunthunath, pilgrimage, Rajasthan, religion, Shantinath, shikhara, Temple, Tirthankara, toranas | Leave a comment

DAY 1 (8/9): EVENING MAGIC OF THE GOLDEN SHWEDAGON PAGODA, Yangon, Myanmar, 2017.12.23

After sunset, the Shwedagon Pagoda transformed into a mysterious world of flickering candles and shimmering golden ornaments. We stayed at the open space in front of the Photo Gallery for a little while after dusk. We then wandered around the central stupa, where people were lighting up candles around the stupa base. We saw a constant flow of people arriving at the main terrace from one of its four main stairways. It seemed there were actually more visitors at compound after dark. At the compound, some people were worshipping and chanting, while others were chatting and taking photographs of themselves with the glittering background of the pagoda. At the end of our visit, we decided to walk down one of the grand covered stairways to descend the Singuttara Hill.

The view of the central stupa from the Photo Gallery was gorgeous no matter what time of the day it was.

At the northwest open space in front of the Photo Gallery, worshippers gathered to offer incenses, candles and other religious items in prayers.

At the nearby prayer hall, the large Buddha in golden robes looked peaceful under the soft lighting.

The golden prayer halls and chapels looked even more surreal in the evening.

The locals enjoyed posing for photographs at some of the golden worship halls.

At the base of the central stupa, the continuous ring of candles appeared like a stream of sparking fire flickering in the wind.

Just as daytime, the planetary posts were still one of the popular worshipping spots.

The covered stairway, or zaungdans, are often occupied by merchants selling all kinds of religious items from flowers to different kinds of offerings.

After sunset, the main terrace around the central stupa is still adequately lit up.

From the north gate, the central pagoda stood perfectly at the terminus of the perspective axis.

Some visitors preferred to stay away from the busy actions surrounding the central stupa.

At the outer perimeter of the worship terrace, the sacred Bodhi tree was highlighted with flood lights.

Colourful electronic lights are commonly used to create the halo ring for each Buddha statue.

Statues of the Buddha were everywhere in the ompound.

After the candles were lighted up, many people came to the ring of candles to pray and worship.

Some monks were meditating inside the small Buddhist shrines.

Same as worshipping in daytime, pilgrims came up to the planetary post and clean the altar with water.

After the visit, we took the covered stairway at the east gate to walk down the hill.

The east stairway is flanked both sides by shops selling souvenirs and religious items.

Back to the main east gate, we picked up our shoes and looked for a taxi to return to Downtown Yangon.

* * *

Blog posts on Myanmar 2017:

Day 1: Yangon, Myanmar
DAY 1: INTRODUCTION OF A SHORT BURMESE CHRISTMAS VACATION
DAY 1: WALK TO 999 SHAN NOODLE HOUSE
DAY 1: SULE PAGODA
DAY 1: COLONIAL ARCHITECTURE
DAY 1: BUSTLING STREET LIFE
DAY 1: GOLDEN WORLD OF SHWEDAGON PAGODA
DAY 1: A PLACE FOR PEOPLE, Shwedagon Pagoda
DAY 1: EVENING MAGIC OF THE GOLDEN SHWEDAGON PAGODA
DAY 1: A FESTIVE NIGHT

Day 2: Bagan
DAY 2: SHWEZIGON PAGODA, Nyaung-U
DAY 2: HTILOMINLO AND UPALI THEIN
DAY 2: ANANDA PAHTO
DAY 2: SUNSET AT OLD BAGAN
DAY 2: SILENT NIGHT IN NYAUNG-U

Day 3: Bagan
DAY 3: MAGICAL SUNRISE, Old Bagan
DAY 3: NYAUNG-U MARKET, Nyaung-U
DAY 3: SULAMANI TEMPLE
DAY 3: DHAMMAYANGYI TEMPLE
DAY 3: THATBYINNYU TEMPLE
DAY 3: NAPAYA, MANUHA AND GUBYAUKGYI, Myinkaba
DAY 3: SUNSET No. 2, Old Bagan
DAY 3: FINAL NIGHT IN NYAUNG-U

Day 4: Farewell Myanmar
DAY 4: FAREWELL BAGAN FAREWELL MYANMAR

March 13, 2018 | Categories: Myanmar, Myanmar 2017 | Tags: Buddha, Buddhism, Buddhist, Burma, candle, chorten, gold, Myanmar, night, pagoda, pilgrim, pilgrimage, Rangoon, Shwedagon, Singuttara, stupa, Yangon, zaungdans | Leave a comment

DAY 1 (7/9): A PLACE FOR PEOPLE, Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon, Myanmar, 2017.12.23

As the most sacred Buddhist site in Myanmar, the Shwedagon Pagoda is also one of the liveliest venue where the Burmese gather not only to worship but also to participate in all kinds of social and community activities. For the locals, Shwedagon is the place to chill out, to date, to spend family time, to chat with friends, to seek for advice from monks, and to mingle with foreign tourists. For us, the compound was the perfect place for people watching: devoted families worshipping their associated planetary post, kids amusing themselves with bronze bells and ritual tools, women reciting Buddhist mantras, monks meditating in front of the Buddhist shrines, children dressed in traditional costumes attending novitiation ceremony, large number of volunteers sweeping the marble floor, pilgrims lighting up candles and incenses surrounding the central stupa under the setting sun.

The terrace of Shwedagon has long been the centre stage for the people of Yangon. Since 1920, students, workers, civilians, and monks had took up the terrace to protest against all kinds of social injustice from colonial rule to the authoritarian regime. The most recent incident was the 2007 nationwide protest for democracy, when tens of thousands of monks and people marched from Shwedagon to the streets of Yangon demanding for change. Political figures also chose the Shwedagon as the assembly venue, such as Aung San (Aung San Suu Kyi’s father) addressing the mass in 1946 in pursuit of independence from the British, and Aung San Suu Kyi meeting with 500,000 people in 1988 demanding for democracy from the military regime. Religiously, this huge Buddhist site holds the sacred hair relics of the Buddha. Socially, the pagoda terrace is the iconic venue for national independence and democracy. Historically, the Shwedagon is one of the oldest Buddhist monument in the world. Culturally, the compound contains some of the Myanmar’s most remarkable architecture and national treasures. With its layers of meanings, the Shwedagon Pagoda is truly a remarkable venue for the people of Myanmar, and the single most important monument that defines the cultural and social identity of the Burmese.

Wearing a Burmese longyi and walking bare-feet on the marble floor of the Shwedagon is an unique Burmese experience for foreigners.

The Shwedagon is a popular place for Shinbyu parades, the traditional novitiation ceremony in Burmese Theravada Buddhism.

Throughout our visit, we saw a few Shinbyu parades at the marble terrace of the Shwedagon.

The Shinbyu parades offered us some of most remarkable moments of people watching.

At Shwedagon and elsewhere in Myanmar, gold is warmest colour.

Many pilgrims would light up candles and incenses at the altar around the central pagoda.

Local fruits are popular for religious offerings.

Meditation is a typical practice for Buddhists, and a common sight at Shwedagon.

Young children seemed enjoying themselves at the terrace while their parents were busy worshipping.

A kid trying out the bronze bell.

A devoted family worshipping at one of the planetary post at the base of the central pagoda.

A group of women reciting Buddhist mantras in front of a reclining Buddha.

Visitors and monks resting among figures of sitting Buddha.

Volunteers collectively sweeping the marble floor was a unique scene for us.

The volunteers formed a line and walked at the same pace to sweep the floor. During our visit, we saw the sweeping group several times at different locations in the compound.

Away from the main circulation space, some worship hall were less crowded, allowing visitors to meditate quietly.

Near sunset, many gathered at the open space in front of the Photo Gallery northwest of the central stupa.

Gathering people included young visitors carrying flower offerings for evening worship.

We also saw a large group of what looked like to be the Wa people. The Wa is an ethnic minority group living in Northern Myanmar and Southwestern China.

Myanmar is ethnically diverse, with 135 ethnic groups officially recognized by the government.

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Blog posts on Myanmar 2017:

Day 2: Bagan
DAY 2: SHWEZIGON PAGODA, Nyaung-U
DAY 2: HTILOMINLO AND UPALI THEIN
DAY 2: ANANDA PAHTO
DAY 2: SUNSET AT OLD BAGAN
DAY 2: SILENT NIGHT IN NYAUNG-U

Day 4: Farewell Myanmar
DAY 4: FAREWELL BAGAN FAREWELL MYANMAR

March 3, 2018 | Categories: Myanmar, Myanmar 2017 | Tags: Buddha, Buddhism, Buddhist, Burma, Burmese, chorten, ethnic, gold, Myanmar, novitiation, pagoda, parasol, people, pilgrim, pilgrimage, Rangoon, religion, Shinbyu, Shwedagon, stupa, Wa, Worship, Yangon | Leave a comment

DAY 1 (6/9): GOLDEN WORLD OF SHWEDAGON PAGODA, Yangon, Myanmar, 2017.12.23

At 4pm, we left Downtown Yangon and headed for Shwedagon Pagoda, probably the most iconic sight of the city if not the entire Myanmar. Our taxi stuck in busy traffic and it took us half an hour to arrived at the east gate of Shwedagon Pagoda from Downtown Yangon. We specifically chose to visit the pagoda in the latter half of the afternoon, as we planned to stay at the pagoda compound till dusk when the golden stupa would glow in the flickering candle lights and flooded lights. At the east gate, we took off our shoes and left them on a shelf, and squeezed in a lift with the locals to head up the Singuttara Hill where the central pagoda and the main terrace were located. From the lift tower, we crossed a link bridge over to the main terrace. The first glance of the golden spires of Buddhist shrines was quite overwhelming. Beyond the the various ornate shrines, prayer halls, and planetary posts, the majestic 99m central stupa known as the Shwedagon Pagoda stood proudly at the heart of everything. Fully gilded with gold, this central stupa dwarfed all other stupas, shrines, altars, statues, and prayer halls on Singuttara Hill.

Probably erected by the Mon people between 6th and 10th century AD, the Shwedagon Pagoda has been the centre of Myanmar’s Buddhist universe for centuries. Legend has it that the original stupa at Singuttara Hill was dated to 2600 years ago, when Taphussa and Bhallika met Gautama Buddha during his lifetime and brought back 8 of his hair as sacred relics. A stupa at Singuttara Hill was built to house the hair. The stupa evolved throughout the centuries, as shrines and prayer halls added by different kings and donors, and the height of the stupa increased several times during history until the present 99m. The pagoda wasn’t always covered in gold in the past. In the 15th century, Queen Shin Sawbu donated gold plates equaled to her own weight to be riveted onto the stupa surface. Since then, cladding the stupa in gold had became a tradition for rulers.

We took our time wandering around the 114-acre pagoda site. After an hour or two meandering through all kinds of Buddhist structures and visiting the interesting photo gallery, we sat down at the open space at the northwest corner near the Friday planetary post to chill out, waiting for the sun to set and candles to lit up.

Our taxi dropped us off at the east gate of Singuttara Hill. We followed the locals to take an elevator up to the main terrace level.

Once we reached the main terrace, we were immediately overwhelmed by the fine details and golden ornaments of the surrounding shrines and prayer halls.

In the midst of everything stood the majestic 99m Shwedagon Pagoda.

We circled the pagoda and stopped by some of the interesting shrines. Chinthe, the legendary half-lion, half dragon creatures are commonly found as guardians in Buddhist temples of Southeast Asia.

It was hard to imagine just how many gold plates were being applied onto the surface of the Shwedagon Pagoda over the centuries.

The 25 ton Singu Min Bell (Maha Gandha Bell) was a donation in 1779 by King Singu.

The big Buddha at the northwest corner of the compound is a fine example of Buddha images found at Shwedagon Pagoda.

Displayed behind glass, the jade Buddha reminds all visitors that Myanmar has the biggest gemstones and jade mining in the world.

Three out of the four main staircases known as zaungdan stairs at the four cardinal directions are filled with vendors of religious merchandise.

The four monumental covered staircases are all splendidly decorated.

Everything on the main terrace of Shwedagon Pagoda seemed to be golden in colour.

Away from the main circulation space around the central pagoda, we walked by a number of prayer halls and shrines. These structures were built in different periods in history, but many were rebuilt after the 1931 fire that caused damages to the wooden structures in the compound.

The 150-year-old Bodhi Tree at the southeast corner of the compound is said to be descended from the original Bodhi Tree in Northern India where the Buddha meditated underneath.

Viewing the Shwedagon Pagoda from the north gate was one of our favorite.

At 6:30pm, the sun began to set. More visitors arrived from the staircases at the four cardinal directions.

Only staff and monks are allowed to climb onto the terraces of the Shwedagon Pagoda.

In the Photo Gallery northwest of the central pagoda, we were able to see photographs of the treasures on the pagoda spire, including about 5000 diamonds, 2300 rubies, sapphires, and other gems.

One of the most famous treasures of Shwedagon Pagoda is undoubted the 72 carat diamond at the top of the spire.

After visiting the Photo Gallery, we sat down at the open space in front of the gallery as the sun began to set.

* * *

Blog posts on Myanmar 2017:

Day 2: Bagan
DAY 2: SHWEZIGON PAGODA, Nyaung-U
DAY 2: HTILOMINLO AND UPALI THEIN
DAY 2: ANANDA PAHTO
DAY 2: SUNSET AT OLD BAGAN
DAY 2: SILENT NIGHT IN NYAUNG-U

Day 4: Farewell Myanmar
DAY 4: FAREWELL BAGAN FAREWELL MYANMAR

March 2, 2018 | Categories: Myanmar, Myanmar 2017 | Tags: Buddha, Buddhism, Buddhist, Burma, chorten, diamond, gold, Myanmar, pagoda, Paya, pilgrim, pilgrimage, Rangoon, religion, Shrine, Shwedagon, Singuttara, stupa, Temple, treasure, Worship, Yangon, zaungdan | Leave a comment

EPILOGUE: FACES OF LHASA (ལྷ་ས་ 拉薩), Tibet (བོད་ 西藏)

Other than the spiritual monasteries, wonderful mountainous scenery and marvelous night sky, one thing we miss from our Tibetan trip is undoubtedly the faces of the Tibetan people. Their devotion to Buddhism, friendliness to foreigners, connection to their Himalayan homeland, and colourful clothing contribute to a unique and beautiful culture that we would always remember.

One face we would certain miss is the cute dog that always lingers at the entrance of Trichang Labrang Hotel (赤江拉讓藏式賓館).

Despite the presence of tourism, there is still a community atmosphere in Barkhor Old Town near our hotel, especially in the morning when locals comes out to get breakfast and grocery.