Finding Siva:
My Journey Across The Barata Mata
Off To India
In the Spring of 1994, I decided to take a trip to India. I planned to leave the following October and in the mean time, I read, researched and planned every step of my trip. Nonetheless, during my trip I encountered
at every bend the truly unexpected.
As a student of religion at Harvard Divinity School, I went in order to
learn more about Hinduism. I was eager to see Hindu temples and Hindu worship.
I had read some small bits of the Mahabarata and the Ramayana and I wanted
dearly to encounter those characters on their home turf.
But most of all, I went in search of
Siva, the character seen here painted upon a wall in Banaras. To me, Siva is the master of bringing together elements of the absurd and the beautiful: Siva is the trickster, Siva is the dancer, Siva is the ascetic, Siva is the
faithful husband, Siva is the linga of fire. And around every bend of the
subcontinent that I turned, I found what I had come for: pure Siva, the unexpected.
First Things First
I do not intend this web site to be a scholarly tutorial on Hinduism or Hindu mythology. What follows are my impressions and my experiences, my
photographs and my words. However, if you enjoy my web site and you want to learn more about Hinduism, I encourage you to look at these sites for more information:
Hindunet
Hinduism Today
And if you are interested in world religions, I encourage you to investigate the web site of the Harvard University Pluralism Project for links to sites on the web about a variety of world religions.
Siva has two sons: Murukan, the patron of the Tamil people in the south,
and the beloved Ganesha, the half man half elephant divinity. Ganesha has
always been a favorite of mine, so I asked him to see me off on this internet voyage. Ganesha is the god of thresholds, of crossings-over.
As such, he is also the god of obstacles (such as HTML that does not cooperate!) the things which prevent us from
crossing. Ganesha welcomes us here past the threshold and into the
beginning of a journey which will take you from the Ganga River in the north
of India, to the place in the south where three seas meet. Ultimately, the journey is not only a matter of geography, it is a matter
of territory more personal. The sacredness of journey is called pilgrimage,
the time in which one explores the outer world in order to discover the worlds within.
There I am, the female one, beside the elephant.
I want to take the opportunity to say, before we begin, that I am grateful to the people who made this voyage possible: to Steve, my patient companion (it may be hard to believe, but I am not the easiest person to travel with!) To John Mueller, a pal from high school who showed us around Madurai; to Professor Diana Eck whose class "Hindu Myth, Image and Pilgrimage" in Spring 1994 at Harvard University inspired me to go and see for myself; and to my parents who encouraged me (remember the mice at the Park Street station?).
Great Shukriya to all of you!
Please feel free to email me, I would love to hear comments from all visitors.
Visitors since 8/20/98: