A Godly Dance at the Taj - a photo on Flickriver

I was barefoot like the rest of them.

The day must have been around 95 degrees and as stuffy as can be, but the cool marble seemed to keep me from being drenched in sweat. After a long walk, I had finally made it to the inner core of the Taj Mahal, around the main tomb structure where pilgrims from all over the country had gravitated. The faithful coiled in long lines and snaked their way around the complex, waiting patiently to reflect at the megamausoleum and communing with the god of their choice. How could a billion people be wrong?

When I travel, I actually always enjoy talking to Indians (or whoever) about their religion. Here is a little thing I do... I'm not sure it's totally ethical since I say the same thing over and over, but I enjoy seeing people's reaction as a probe a panoply of personalities. Inevitably, when I'm in a taxi or man-powered trike-mobile, there is some sort of deity that is jiggling about on the dashboard or handlebars. It can be anyone from Shiva to Brahma to Vishnu to Krishna to Ganesha and beyond.

So, I always ask, "Who is the god to whom you pay reverence?"

They respond quickly and directly, usually naming one from of the top ten from the pantheon of possibilities.

I respond back, in all seriousness, "Oh! He is a very powerful god!"

To this, they always turn to me and nod gravely.

My guide there was from no from one of the traditional Hindu sects -- he was a Jain. The Jain don't recognize the divine origins of the Vedas (made popular in the US from Oppenheimer's re-quote after testing the Bomb), nor do they believe in any one supreme deity. They instead revere Tirthankaras who have raised themselves to divine perfection. So anyway, if you ever try out the little trick above, don't bother with a Jain because they will just give you a funny look and a wobble of inconsequential solitude.

So if any of you get the chance to go, I recommend it. The people are all nice as can be and very eager to engage in conversation about just about everything. Or, of you've already been, then you know what I mean!

By the way, this comes from my new Lucis Pro Tutorial.

from the blog at www.stuckincustoms.com

Some rights reserved

Taken in: India / Uttar Pradesh / Agra / Forest Colony (show map)

Taken on: November 9, 2007

Tags:

StuckInCustoms

LucisArt6

Agra

India

Portfolio

tajmahal

taj

mahal

religion

god

brahma

shiva

vishnu

jain

indian

temple

dance

indians

tomb

marble

divine

Krishna

Ganesha

ethical

religious

people

HDR

Photographer

Pro

Nikon

Photography

Trey Ratcliff

Mood,

WallPaper,

cool,

magical,

texture,

Perfect,

surreal,

exposure,

painting,

colors,

atmosphere,

masterpiece

huge

sculpture

white

peace

tremendous

beliefs

believers

Love

faith

soft

luxirious

top100

jainism

Dharma

Shraman

Nirgantha

ascetic

Jinas

liberation

spiritual

gods

transcendence

SOETOP50-SpotsForDaydreamers « less

Sets appears in: • Top 100 - Your Superset of Faves! • SOE Top 50 Spots For Day Dreamers more » • India • Churches/Temples/Ruins • Taj Mahal • People • Since 2009 « less

Groups appears in: • Indiyeah • BEAUTIFUL (commented with beautiful) more » • dnurv's update.. • Grandes fotografos de FLICKR-Big photographers of FLICKR • Vision Quality Group (P1/F2/C2) • Incredible India ! • My-India « less

Camera: Nikon D2Xs, f/4.0, 1/1000 sec, 10mm (=15mm), ISO 160 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D2Xs
Aperture:	f/4.0
Exposure Time:	0.001 sec (1/1000)
Focal Length:	10mm (35mm equivalent: 15mm)
ISO:	160
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	No Flash
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Contrast:	Low
Color Space:	Unknown (0)
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS3 Macintosh
Show full info

Stats: 61,183 views / 101 comments

go back

Link to this photo view:
Link to this photo large view: