Reading about Angkor Wat in William Dalrymple's "The Golden Road" set me thinking about the important places of worship I have visited across different religions. Actually, in my early years, it seems to have been ordained by God that I was brought up in some famous Hindu religious cities.
I was born in Mathura, Janmabhoomi of Lord Krishna, where I spent most of the first five years of my life listening to fascinating stories recounted by Mataji, my Nani, about little Krishna, adorably called 'Makhanchor' by housewives whose butter he stole as also their hearts! Like Lord Krishna, I can rightly claim to be a Brajwasi not only by birth but also because my ancestors came from Bharatpur, a city near Mathura and considered part of old Braj. After Mathura, the next six years of my life were spent in Bharatpur. Coincidentally, I sit writing this post on the festival of colour, Holi, which is celebrated with great gusto, singing and dancing, in Mathura and Bharatpur. A popular folk song from my childhood buzzing in my ears is "Aaj Biraj mein Holi re, Rasiya."
So my religious journey started with Mathura, a city full of temples starting with Sri Krishna Janma Bhoomi by the banks of the river Yamuna where a spectacular Aarti is held every evening. Nearby is Dwarkadhish temple housing a black marble idol of Lord Krishna. Close by is the town of Vrindavan famous for its Bankey Bihari temple. the idol of which is a combined form of Radha and Krishna. And in 1975, ISKCON opened a Radha-Krishna temple which celebrates its 50th anniversary in April this year.
The Mathura round is completed by visiting Giriraj temple in the village of Govardhan, the starting and finishing point of a round of Braj. The 'Parikrama' measures 7 'kos', roughly 21 kms. I must confess that I have only done darshan at the temple but Akhila boasts of having completed the Parikrama more than once before our marriage.
In 1949, the state of Rajasthan was formed and Pitaji, my Nana, was appointed a Judge in the new High Court Bench at Udaipur and we moved to the City of Lakes. Soon after, we made our first of countless visits to Nathdwara, 40 kms. away, for Shrinathji's darshan at the historic temple. For our small community of Suryadwaj Brahmins, Shrinathji is the 'Ishta-Devata' or presiding deity and the temple has special significance. I have written about it in detail in an earlier post but briefly, the idol is believed to date back to 1409 and is that of a seven year old Lord Krishna lifting a hill with his left hand to protect his home town of Govardhan. The idol was originally installed there in a temple but in 1672, it was decided to move it to a safer place down south to prevent it from being destroyed by Aurangzeb. Providentially, the chariot in which the idol was being transported broke down short of Udaipur and the Rana of Mewar took on the responsibility of protecting the idol. He built a haveli in the city now known as Nathdwara to house the idol where it stands to this day. The famed chariot, incidentally, is on display at the temple its unique feature being that it is completely made of wood only without a single metal piece such as a nail.
Before Pitaji's transfer to Jaipur in 1950, we visited Nathdwara on all important festivals like Janmashthami and Diwali. The day after Diwali is specially celebrated there with Govardhan Puja or Annakoot when they prepare a large variety of special dishes and sweets and a huge mound of rice almost hitting the ceiling in the 'aangan' of the temple.
We also did the region's 'Char Dham' which from Udaipur starts with Eklingji, an ancient Shiva temple patronised by the Maharana of Mewar, Shrinathji at Nathdwara, Dwarkadhishji at Kankroli, and Char Bhujaji, another 'swaroop' of Lord Krishna. All these temples are linearly on the Udaipur-Kishengarh highway within a total of 90 kms. Goes without saying that Akhila and I have done this 'char dham' yatra many times.
Jaipur has many famous temples like Govindji ka Mandir inside the City Palace compound. It is said that the Maharaja of Jaipur used to have his early morning darshan using a telescope from his palace balcony about 50 meters away. Then there is Kaaley Hanumanji ka Mandir, Birla Mandir and Ganeshji ka Mandir just below the Moti Doongri Palace. But then every Indian city has its own set of famous temples so we will now skip to only the very well-known ones.
Shortly after marriage, Akhila and I visited our first of India's Bada Char Dham as declared by the sage, Adi Shankaracharya, the Jagannath temple at Puri in the east. The Navy kept me busy and it was only after retirement that we could resume the yatra with Dwarka in the west, Rameswaram in the south and Badrinath in the north, the last coming in 2008, 35 years after Puri. In between, we visited some other famous temples like Vaishno Devi in Jammu, Somnath in Gujarat, Meenakshi in Madurai, Kumari Amman Temple in Kanyakumari at the southernmost point of India, Tirumala Venkateswara in Tirupati and Sun Temple in Konark, Odisha.
When we visited Dwarka, we also went to the island of Beyt Dwarka which is believed to have been the abode of Lord Krishna. Of special mention is the Martand Sun Temple near Anantnag in Kashmir. When I went there with my grandparents and Mummy in 1962, Pitaji gave the priest a few of his ancestors' names and the priest went inside and brought out a large scroll which traced our family's lineage for the past hundreds of years!
In 1951, approaching 13 years of age, I was admitted to St. Xavier's School in Jaipur and that was my introduction to Christianity. 2 years later, we planned to visit Bombay during the summer vacations and I mentioned that to my class teacher, Reverend Father Mackessack, who was also headed to Bombay. He invited us to visit Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount (Mount St. Mary Church) in Bandra which we, Pitaji, Mataji, Mummy and I, did with Fr. Mackessack happily being the guide. That was my first visit to a church and I vividly remember admiring the colourful stained glass windows for which the Church was famous.
In 1976, the Navy sent me to Rome for some work. That gave me the marvellous opportunity to visit Vatican City, headquarters of Roman Catholics and home of the Pope. On the very first weekend, I went there and headed for St. Peter's Basilica. As soon as I entered the Church, I heard an organ starting to play Schubert's "Ave Maria" and I remember standing transfixed in front of Michelangelo's La Pieta, sculpture of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus after his crucifixion. I was overwhelmed by an indescribable feeling and overcome by emotion. After a long while, I stirred myself out of my trance to see the rest of the Church and the nearby Sistine Chapel, known for Michelangelo's brilliant frescoes on the ceiling.
In London in 1987, Akhila and I visited St. Paul's Cathedral as also Westminster Abbey which since 1066 has been the location of the coronation of 40 English and British monarchs, 16 royal weddings and 18 burials of monarchs. And in 2013, we went to Rio de Janeiro, home of the statue of Christ the Redeemer, one of the seven wonders of the world, amazingly installed in a narrow space on top of a steep hill. That truly was a dream come true!
We have seen many churches but I must mention one of particular significance to us. In June 2012, while visiting Ruchir in New York, I was struck by brain aneurysm and admitted to Mount Sinai Hospital for surgery. For a while, my condition was precarious and Akhila and Ruchir spent some very anxious moments. The hospital was a short distance from Ruchir's apartment and Akhila used to walk to the hospital and back. A doctor suggested that Akhila visit St. Paul the Apostle Church which was on her way very close to the hospital. She did that a number of times and now whenever we go to New York, we make it a point to visit it at least once.
Moving on to Buddhism, I have visited a number of monasteries thanks largely to my tenures in the National Defence College and the Defence Services Staff College. Both these institutions have 'Forward Area Tours' during which one is taken to the northern, western and eastern borders of the country. In the moonlike land of Ladakh, I have been to the Hemis Monastery, about 45 kms. south of Leh on the west bank of Indus river. The monastery is believed to have existed before the 11th century but was reestablished in 1672. In the east in Arunachal Pradesh, I have visited the Tawang Monastery, the largest monastery in India. During a visit to Gangtok, Sikkim, I went to the nearby Rumtek Monastery also known as the Dharma Chakra Centre and famous for its exquisite Tibetan architecture and Buddhist art.
Last year, Akhila and I went to Bhutan, a country full of monasteries which they call 'dzong'. Paro where the international airport is located, is home to the famous Taktsang Dzong (Tiger's Nest Monastery) but we only saw it from a distance as it involves a tortuous climb. But we did enter many others like the one at Punakha, former capital of Bhutan, and Simtokha, near Thimphu, which is said to be the oldest in Bhutan.
Keeping a benevolent watch on Thimphu and blessing all from top of a hill is one of the largest Buddha statues in the world measuring 51.5 metres in height. The statue is made of golden bronze and is hollow allowing visitors to enter it and view 125000 miniature Buddhas 8 to 12 inches tall, placed inside.
A city well-known for its Buddhist temples is Bangkok which Akhila and I visited in 2014. Three temples we visited are fresh in my mind. Wat Arun is the Temple of Dawn and world-renowned symbol of Bangkok's rich cultural heritage. Wat Pho is unique for its 46 metres long and 15 metres high statue of the Reclining Buddha. And Wat Phra Kaew has the Emerald Buddha carved from a single block of jade.
I round up my visits to Buddhist sites by recalling my trip to Dalhousie and Dharamshala while serving in the Signals Intelligence Directorate, Army Headquarters, in 1980. McLeod Ganj in Dharamshala is the home of the exiled Dalai Lama who lives in the Tsuglagkhang Monastery. The main temple room houses the throne on which the Dalai Lama sits while delivering teachings.
Akhila and I fulfilled a long-pending wish when we went to Amritsar towards the end of the monsoon season in 2015. We had a scary flight because of the stormy weather but it was well worth it. We visited the holiest site of Sikhism, the Golden Temple or Harmandir Sahib meaning 'House of God'. The original Gurdwara was completed in 1577 but later, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, founder of the Sikh Empire, rebuilt it and overlaid the sanctum with gold leaf in 1830 due to which it acquired the name 'Golden Temple'. The main building, 'Akal Takht' (Throne of the Timeless) is in the centre of a pool and the holy book, 'Akal Granth', is placed here. Everyone irrespectice of religion or status is welcome in the temple and can have a free vegetarian meal at the 'langar', the community-run kitchen. That incidentally, is a feature of all Sikh Gurdwaras.
Bad weather delayed our return flight to Delhi by a day and that turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It gave us the opportunity to go to Tarn Taran and visit Gurdwara Sri Darbar Singh which has the largest 'sarovar' (water pond) of all gurdwaras.
Delhi itself hosts a number of top-ranking gurdwaras led by Bangla Sahib in Connaught Place and Sis Ganj Sahib in Chandni Chowk. Just a km. from our home is Moti Bagh Sahib which we pass everytime we go towards Dhaula Kuan.
Among Islamic holy sites, Delhi is again prominent with its Jama Masjid which we have visited a number of times. By far the largest and grandest mosque we have seen is the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi which was completed as recently as December 2007. It is a splendid white marble construction with 82 domes, over 1000 columns, 24-carat gold gilded chandeliers and the world's largest hand-knotted carpet. Standing inside the large main hall in complete silence gives one an awesome feeling. The dress code is strict requiring visitors to wear modest clothes and women generally are given a black 'Abaya' (long, loose, head-to-toe cloak) which is available at the entrance.
An unforgettable experience was visiting Mezquita de Cordoba in Spain which doubles as a mosque and a cathedral. It was believed to have been a church to start with but converted into a mosque in 785 A.D. under Muslim rule in Cordoba. In 1236, it was reconverted to a cathedral but a section of the main hall was preserved as a mosque and presently, both the chapel and the mosque function remarkably in one building under one roof.
Cochin, now renamed Kochi, has a small Jewish town at one end of which is Paradesi, the oldest synagogue not only in India but in the entire Commonwealth. It was founded in 1568 by Spanish and Dutch Jews but was destroyed by the Portuguese in the 17th century and then rebuilt in its current form. Its interior is beautifully lit and decorated and I have visited it a number of times the last being in January 2024 with Akhila.
A small and relatively new religion is the Baha'i Faith which originated in Iran in mid-19th century. Its core beliefs are very noble as it embraces Oneness of Humanity, Oneness of Religion, and Elimination of Prejudice. It has no priesthood or ritual but has eight continental Houses of Worship in the world including one in Delhi called the Lotus Temple. The beautiful structure has won many international architecture awards with its main hall consisting of 27 free-standing marble-clad petals arranged in clusters of three to form nine sides. Completed in 1986, it has become a 'must-see' site in Delhi. Regular functions are held there and we have attended many including some musical performances.
Exhaustive list? Perhaps. Complete? Never. As the renowned travel writer Paul Theroux said, one may think one has seen a lot but there is so much left to see!
I do wish to see Angkor Wat though.
Jai Shri Krishna.
In the name of the Father, Son, Holy Ghost, Amen.
Sat Sri Akal.
Allah-ho-Akbar.