Tirupati

A lot has happened since Friday, but I must get this down in writing, as Friday was an AMAZING experience! We had been to Ajay's wedding in the morning, and then along with the wedding invitation, we were invited to visit Tirupati, home of the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple. As soon as I mentioned to my Indian friends that I was visiting Tirupati, I started hearing ALL sorts of stories, legends, and experiences. Some of the stories were darn near horror stories, how people wait in queues/lines for 6/12/24 hours at a time, crushed together like sardines in a can, waiting to enter the inner temple where the Darshan occurs. But, I would mention that we have VIP tickets, and then the reaction was "oh, OK, but...."  and I'm warned still that yes, the line/queue will be shorter but toward the end there will be a "crush" of people as the devotees push forward and push you along with them. OK, duly noted. I've been to rock concerts.  :D
It's an amazing thing on its own to realize we'd be visiting a structure that is believed to date back to the 9th century or even earlier. It is said that this temple is the most visited temple in the world and the richest place of religion after Vatican City. It's incredible, with the main dome covered in gold, shining in the hot sun. Real gold! On certain festival or other auspicious days, a half million people will visit. The drive there is glorious, through and around hills covered by verdant forests, very clean and maintained by the trust for this temple. The temple is located on the 7th peak of sacred hills which can also be reached on foot by the devout, who climb over thousands of steps and a well maintained path to reach.  We drove  :)
We spent a good deal of time waiting.. waiting to get the car through security and all the bags screened as no alcohol, cigarettes or non-vegetarian foods are allowed, waiting to connect with the person who had our tickets, waiting for the tickets to be registered (via biometrics! crazy mix of ancient and technical), waiting for the reserved time. We passed the time by walking around the temple grounds where there are many shops, stalls selling souvenirs and kitsch, items to buy to offer in puja, foods, maps, excellent people watching (we, the two tall white girls were both watchers and watchees) and so many questions to be answered.  Why so many people with no hair? Because they have given their hair to this god. I've heard at least 6 different reasons as to why hair is given -

• hair = beauty, so by shaving head and donating your hair to god, you are giving your beauty to god
• by shaving your head and removing hair, you are renouncing worldly things and surrendering your ego to god.
• the god himself has long hair, loves long hair, so by giving him your hair your are pleasing him
• by shaving your head, you wash away past sins and can begin anew
• a female god noticed that this god had lost some hair, so gave him some of her own. Others continue the practice of giving by giving. 
• Give hair, ask for a favor in return, and that something will be granted.   Or..  ask for the favor, receive that favor then offer your hair in thanks or as previously promised.  

No matter, many, many shaved heads - male, female, young old.  I truly did not realize this was such a large part of the practice here. So much so that the temple sells the hair for an astounding amount of money every year, which appears to be increasing. Temple hair which is also strong "Indian" hair (you've seen them!) is in high demand and commands top dollar from U.S. and Japan. 

Well, "VIP tickets", which I find a little offensive as even a category for viewing god, just feel strange. There's thousands of people here, waiting to do what we are waiting to do, only they've been waiting much longer and in much tighter quarters. We walk by all these thousands and I feel conflicting feelings about this whole deal - It's a temple, but it's a tourist attraction. It's got the queue issue handled better than Disney, but that makes it seem even more like they and I are in line for a "ride". Very conflicted, but I try to push the judgments and criticisms out of my mind and just experience. I've never been to the Vatican so have no clue.. but I bet so called VIPs get quickly in to see the pope, too.  My own god lives within me and doesn't require worship or hair or money, just that I seek for knowledge of her/his will for me and the power to carry that out. So, with that within me, we go to visit this god as so called VIPs, but really, just those who through some money exchange get preferred treatment. :/  This place has been here for thousands of years, feeds millions of people, supports itself and the entire surrounding area, and I know little to nothing about the Hindu religion, so need to just empty and open the mind.
My friends/colleagues were the ones accompanying Lisa and me. Raj had been here before, this was Naveen's first visit, and Satheesh had been here many times, had climbed the hills and I could see from the light in his eyes that this place is dear to him. That, to me, is what this is about. Could not have picked a better mix of people to travel here with, as we had one very knowledgeable and experienced, one with brand new eyes like ours only he had the Hindu and Indian background, and one who had experience and logic but was also seeing things as fresh and inspiring. It was pleasing to me to watch their reactions to things along with feeling my own. It helped me to know that we are there not as a pack of tourists, but just as 2 curious people traveling along with devotees.
Since no cameras or shoes are allowed and I'd rather not have someone else pick up my Birkenstocks, we leave shoes and cameras in the car and depart.
We descend the stairs and are met by two temple elephants, who are decorated and have the markings on their own foreheads of the status of priest. Conflict again enters my head.. captive animals on display bother me, even though these have the same status as priest. But, they are majestic and beautiful. I make a mental note to research their situation. We are led to a roped off area where we sit on stone flooring  in front of a glass walled enclosure that holds 1000 small lanterns called diyas that are all lit, making this appear as one very large lantern. You can feel the heat emanating from the enclosure, but I'm not sure it's simply the lanterns. There are priests in simple white dhotis pushing a golden swing holding one or more gods/idols covered with flower garlands and I don't know what all else. They swing it back and forth then side to side while other priests and musicians are chanting and playing holy and ancient music. We had to cut the sit short, as I couldn't handle sitting on the ground for long. My legs just don't do that any more. Then it was time to move into the temple.
First, Lisa and I had to sign a form, stating we would not say anything derogatory about the god.  As this is one of the few temples that allows non-Hindu into the inner sanctum, that's the price we pay so we sign our names. What I didn't read was what the consequence would be if we did bad-mouth the god, but I had/have no intention of doing so; just one of those things that makes one go "hmmmm....."
Then we meander through iron pathways to the iron gate which is guarded by a harried looking man. He had just stopped the whole queue of thousands of people so that this new group of VIPs (there were lots of us now) could interrupt the flow. Then the gate opens, and in we go, to another line, where we can see yet another queue for disabled and elderly are now entering. We wait more for them, then who knows.. 1/2 hour to an hour later it is our turn.
I'm tempted to leave this blank.  I don't know how to even begin describing this, and I've been back to edit this post a zillion times this week. There is no way to do it justice, but here goes.
We're waiting in line, and can feel the excitement of the people before us, beside us, behind us as we get closer to entering. I don't know who is starting this chanting of Govinda, Govinda GOOOOOOOOvinda, but it's picked up by most of the people, WITH enthusiasm. And then we start to move forward. The ground is uneven, sometimes small ramps that are quite slippery in bare feet, especially where there is water that washes your feet along the way, but mostly ancient stone that has been walked upon by millions and millions of feet over the centuries. Wrap your brain around THAT! Millions and millions and centuries. But I only have a second to think about that, because my eyes are trying to take in what is around me, centuries old walls and columns and script on walls, and GOLD, and opulence and bare stone and simplicity all mixed together.
And my ears are fighting my eyes for the brain time because I hear people, excited people! and a low hum (not sure what that was) and volunteers, employees and priests telling me to move along and pulling me along and showing me where to go, and I'm starting to be jostled by people. People with babies. Crying babies, who are being held very close, but also being sandwiched between other people. And these people are passing me, and I could care less, I don't know what the rush is all about, but it occurred to me that I may never see my companions again ;)  But, Satheesh is watching out for me, and when he gets into range, I grab onto his elbow and don't let go. And that's when the sardine thing happened.  Can't even move an arm. People on all sides of me, even where I didn't know I had sides!  This is the proverbial "sea of humanity" and I'm just a drop in the wave.  I'm still trying to take this all in when apparently I'm at THE spot where I can see the god,  and I'm not even sure what I'm looking for and he's about 1/2 mile away.  Oh, maybe not that far, but he's NOT close. I can make out a black idol, covered by flowers and I don't know what else, and that's about it, so I hope that's what I'm supposed to see.  Come to find out, yes, that was it.

But what I am keenly aware of is the reverence with which Satheesh and others here at this most sacred spot display. For about a second; then realize I am being pushed and pulled and prodded and bumped and lovely little volunteers smilingly try to pull me along but I'm bigger than them and sorry folks, I am clutching Satheesh's arm and I am NOT moving until he does!  And maybe he got to stand there a little longer because I was his shield, but very soon on we move.
I remember seeing more gold, and more chambers of more idols and more stone, and more people, and more water, which all kind of blurred together, but what  I could FEEL was a change in the energy. Or maybe it was just relief.  :)  Either way, there was a "high" and then a "coming down". Yes, I used to do drugs, and that's my reference point. But, earlier, when we were hanging out waiting, Raj had told me that these temples are built where someone or many someones feel or determine there is an energy. In this case, the energy would have been emanating from where the god was housed. Well, I don't know if it was energy radiating from the god, or from underground, or from the hopeful fervor of the devotees, but I definitely felt an energy, and when we were done, I felt the let down, the departing of the energy from my body and it was nice. Calm replaced the chaos and it felt peaceful.  I think that's when I let go of Satheesh's arm.  Sorry for the bruises  ;)

Met up with Naveen, had a little curd rice nourishment, Satheesh went off to get the prasad, a "gracious gift" containing the deity's blessing within it which for this temple is an Indian sweet called laddu that they are famous for and have a patent on the recipe. Naveen and I come out of the temple into a square where there are people milling about, sitting in family groups or couples or groups of friends, enjoying an absolutely beautiful night with twinkling lights, music in the background, open air, we're up in the hills, it's cool, and they're all rushing off to the car, and I just stopped and stood and listened and felt and looked. Looked at those guys and asked, "Do you ever just stop?"  So we did.

That was the best part.