October observances of Diwali

Diwali (pronounced dee-vah-lee)

I am certainly enjoying my time here in India. While students are heading into midterms in the states, we in India are preparing for the festive Diwali season. It's two weeks of firecrackers (even in the wee hours of the morning!), silver-topped sweets made of saffron and ghee, card parties and a very auspicious time for financial transactions and gifting.

Photos to accompany Half Marathon narrative

A journey to Kurukshetra(update contains Photos)

A journey to Kurukshetra

On September 30th, 2006, I was able to make a pilgrimage to Kurukshetra, the present-day city built on the “Field of Kuru” from the Hindu book the Bhagavad-Gita.

I was able to visit the temple and the Banyan Tree which mark the site where Shiva revealed himself to Arjuna. What a stirring experience!

The heavy stone city gates were topped with a statue of the famous charioteer. The city was as modern as most we passed on the way traveling north from Delhi: many automobiles dodging heavily-laden fruitcarts, busy kirana stores lined the streets selling paan and Lays potato chips to passers-by.

Inside the city we visited the museum which housed many regional artifacts and mythical dioramas, and also visited the sacred tank which is a venue for many of the city’s melas.