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<\/a>\u00a0Pilgrims praying in the nearby shrines![\"\"](\"http:\/\/gordonandjudy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Screen-Shot-2018-12-05-at-6.29.32-PM.jpg\")
<\/a>Morning prayers<\/p>\nOur guide tells us the priests get water out of the river at 4:00 and take it back to their temples\/shrines where they wash and clean the building.\u00a0 Then around 5:00am, morning prayers begin while the Hindu faithful begin to bathe in the river.\u00a0 There are priests available to receive gifts and pray for people.\u00a0 We saw a few instances of women mourners who were having their heads shaved for a loved ones memory.<\/p>\n
We board a boat again and paddle along the riverbank, observing the different \u201cghats\u201d or defined riverbank areas where different sects or groups regularly bathe.\u00a0 All I can think about is the sanitation issues related to bathing in water where ashes and bones are dumped, as well as all the other things effecting the water purity.\u00a0 After the baths, believers take water back to their homes (in every possible container) to add to their shower\/bath water at home to \u201cwash their sins away\u201d.<\/p>\n After touring downriver, we turned around and went back upriver to the site of the cremations.\u00a0 There are none currently taking place since a memorial service must be held before the cremation, and few families are scheduling funerals at 2:00 or 3:00am, for a 5:00am cremation.<\/p>\n We\u2019re let off the boat a hundred yards upriver from the cremation site, and begin a walk through the old section of town.\u00a0 The paths are so narrow, in places I can touch the walls on both sides at the same time.\u00a0We meet motorbikes, bathers, beggars, priests, and locals as we walk.\u00a0 We had an encounter with some cattle spooked by a dog.\u00a0 Judy and our guide had to scramble up a small wall to avoid a minor trampling.<\/p>\n Much of the area is on the verge of collapse and the government has decided to widen and improve the access to a \u201cGolden Temple\u201d site that has significant meaning to the pilgrims.\u00a0 There are long lines of people with water, flowers, and other gifts for the priests of the temple.\u00a0 Military\/police security is everywhere, and I\u2019m told not to take pictures?<\/p>\n We eventually worked our way out of \u201cold town\u201d, found our car, and went back to the hotel for breakfast.\u00a0After breakfast, we finished packing, and met our contacts at 10:30 for our 1:00pm flight to Khajuraho.\u00a0 The short flight departed a few minutes early.\u00a0 The airport in Khajuraho is small, and by 2:00pm we were checking into our hotel for a quick freshen up.<\/p>\n Our guide meets us at 2:30 and we begin the tour of the temple complexes in Khajuraho.\u00a0 Population of the town is only 20,000.\u00a0 It\u2019s very small, accessible and quiet.\u00a0 We start our visit at the largest complex, which is a UNESCO site.\u00a0 It\u2019s calm and peaceful, with beautiful landscaping, and some impressive temples built in the 10th<\/sup>and 11th<\/sup>century.\u00a0 Our guide gives us some the basic facts on Hinduism and the significance of these temples.\u00a0 To us, they resemble Angkor Wat in Cambodia, which he later mentioned were built at about the same time.<\/p>\n The carving on the exterior walls is very detailed and has survived the years in amazing condition.\u00a0The temples are all sandstone, but built on granite.\u00a0 Along with the standard elephant, camel, and soldier carvings, there are many erotic scenes portrayed.\u00a0 Our guide keeps telling us the artists wanted to tell the entire story of the people of the time, including the sexuality of the times.\u00a0 It\u2019s pretty graphic.\u00a0 One of the thoughts that keeps rolling through our minds is how great the architecture and design are for the temples, and how ramshackle everything is outside the walls of the complex.\u00a0 Not much of what exists in the area away from these temples will be here in 800 or 900 years.<\/p>\n Our guide offered us several opportunities for evening activities (light show, traditional dance, etc.), but we decided to relax back at the hotel.\u00a0 The early morning visit to the Ganges is beginning to wear on us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This is the earliest departure on our schedule for our India segment.\u00a0 We meet the driver & guide at 5:30am.\u00a0 We drive, then walk back to the Ganges for morning prayers and the bathing ritual of the Hindu pilgrims.\u00a0 The … Continue reading <\/a>Early morning bathers<\/a>Priest praying for a pilgrim<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a> <\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>Morning on the Ganges<\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a0Cremation site we visited last night<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>Pilgrim washing a shrine with water from the Ganges<\/p>\n<\/a>These are the cattle that provided Judy’s “close encounter”<\/p>\n<\/a> <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a> <\/a><\/a> <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a> <\/a> <\/a><\/p>\n