Dausa
VISIT Mehendipur Balaji
EXPLORE Chand Bawri well
christina
We had heard from so many people that we were absolutely to visit this sacred temple to Hanuman - I had no idea what we were in store for. I was immediately struck with the road to the temple lined with people prostrating one step at a time to get there. In addition, there were people sitting and laying on the side of the road who obviously looked very sick to me. This had me reeling and wondering in my anxiety to be honest about where we were going and what we were about to witness. Our guide Hanuman was a huge help and walked us directly into the temple though I felt tremendous guilt at cutting the line that so many others were on. It made me uncomfortable and raised questions for me around privilege that I'm still struggling with. He insisted that this was the way though - so I had to surrender to his method as he was our guide.
When we first went in, I was amazed at our access point - we were led down curving hallways to be presented right in front of the priests who were in the midst of a fire ceremony to the murti. The energy I felt was one of miracles - the veil was thin - the pulse of the place was palpable; I could feel it in every fiber of my being. After a few minutes in reverence, silence and prayer we were shown the way through to the rest of the temple circuit that everyone else was journeying. First, we were walking on a few inches of marigolds under our bare feet (they had been thrown to the murti from the pilgrims and were fresh and beautiful and full or oranges and yellows) - it was the most amazing feeling ever and one that I'll never forget. What followed next was the Indian juxtaposition that is mind-bending... as we walked further away from the murti the fresh flowers became wilting ones and eventually muddiness beneath our feet. We entered a darker room where throngs of people were pushing into a large room. Inside the large room were people in a trance state - perhaps in retrospect they were mentally ill- I'm not sure. There were people chained to the walls and throwing themselves around like we were in the movie Poltergeist. Again, like nothing I've ever seen or felt in Western reality. Hanuman pointed to people and said, "Ghosts!" We later found out that this temple is considered the only place in India where exorcisms take place. We didn't know that before we went.
Once through that room, Hanuman guided us through a few more hallways and out into the street. As we left through a different door, there were priests that were blessing people by hitting them on the back and on the head - not roughly, but with emphasis. They did this to Julio in front of me, and just tapped me lightly. We exited the building and found ourselves a few blocks away from our entry point - but BAREFOOT (as we had left our shoes and socks at the front door which is customary in India). Once again, I was pushed to my personal comfort edge - barefoot in India walking the muddy streets through animal feces, garbage and just general dirt. I found myself in a deep state of surrender and prayer - asking for guidance and grace to guide me in this uncomfortable moment. After just experiencing what we witnessed, it was quite a revelation to go from walking on flowers to being barefoot on the street in one fell swoop. We walked a little bit and then Hanuman could tell I was uncomfortable and he walked ahead to grab our shoes - an angel! I stood there waiting for him and took it all in - the experience, the high and low of the moment and the truth that this is India. I'll never forget it. Nothing bad happened; I never felt unsafe but it forced me deeply to my edge and to a surrender to the Earth - this great Earth in all it's diversity, it's wonderment, it's spirit and it's anomalies. I'm just beside myself - which is exactly where I need to be right now.
JULIO
Perhaps the most powerful experience of our trip has been the Mehandipur Balaji Hanuman Temple.
As we approached the small village of Dausa, many men, women and children could be seen laying on the ground step-by-step in devotional pranam (or bowing) miles before the gates. After much debate and commotion, due to our US passports and guide (whose name happened to be Hanuman) we were allowed in the temple before a line of maybe two thousand Indian pilgrims who had been packed in lines behind cattle like gates for four hours or longer.
We then were lead through several chambers: the first was a deeply riveting, naturally formed Murti (or idol) of Lord Hanuman-ji with holy water coming from its bosom. Hanuman in Hinduism is one of the main characters in the epic Ramayana and symbolizes heroism and strength as well as devotion and Love. He is revered throughout Southeast Asia and is found in Buddhism and Jainism as well as Hinduism.
The room with the murti was filled with Pujaris (Hindu priests) and plates of offerings that stunned us both while basking in the statue's powerful glow. The main chamber floor was covered with flowers beneath our bare feet. The next much darker chambers contained thousands of worshipers - many possessed, diseased and suffering - praying for relief or exorcism. To our surprise, people were chained to the wall or floor to keep them from being violent or hurting themselves. As they grasped at our legs and feet we truly felt the deep paradoxical magic of India all rolled up into one. One minute you are walking barefoot on flowers, the next on a street covered with filth and anathema. Terrifying and illuminating at the same time - very powerful.
