Well...where to start on this one...Before leaving for Mt. Abu and the Jain Temples, I was thinking about how much the idea sounded like an Indiana Jones movie. Then Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull was on TV the night before I left. So, I was getting pretty geared up for some interesting sites. Mt. Abu, however, decided to protest recent changes to laws governing how long shops could stay open by staging a strike. So all the shops and restaurants were closed and Mt. Abu was something of a ghost town.
The Jain Temples displayed some amazing craftsmanship. Unfortunately, the upkeep didn't compare with other monuments, so those 1,000 years or so were really beginning to show. Again, no photos were allowed
The second day in Mt. Abu, I made a trip up the mountain overlooking Oriya. A road takes you most of the way up, and there is a short trail to take you to the top. Now there is a small temple at the top, painted orange and white. There was a gentleman (whom I believe was a monk or priest) by the temple dressed in an orange robe. In behind the temple was a mid-sized tower with an antenna. Part way up the antenna was impaled a headless blue robot. Now, not speaking the language, I have had some difficulty in making myself understood on some fairly simple matters. I therefore was hesitant in asking, "Why did the little orange man impale the little blue robot on the tower behind the temple?" I finally did ask another man who spoke some English, and he had two explanations. Firstly, that the robot was a means of communication with God, and secondly, that the little robot arm pointed the direction to God (this will be more clear when I post the photos).
My day in Mt. Abu wrapped up at Sunset Point. Sunset Point sits on the side of a mountain, and looks out over miles of low lying land. Several people head out there to watch the sun set, and it was a beautiful clear evening. Mt. Abu is home to several curious monkeys, and one tourist made a point of feeding one at Sunset Point. This made for some great photos, but he almost had his sunglasses taken right off his face by the monkey. Undeterred, he continued to feed the monkey (even when the monkey started showing his teeth) and I continued taking pictures.
The Jain Temples displayed some amazing craftsmanship. Unfortunately, the upkeep didn't compare with other monuments, so those 1,000 years or so were really beginning to show. Again, no photos were allowed
The second day in Mt. Abu, I made a trip up the mountain overlooking Oriya. A road takes you most of the way up, and there is a short trail to take you to the top. Now there is a small temple at the top, painted orange and white. There was a gentleman (whom I believe was a monk or priest) by the temple dressed in an orange robe. In behind the temple was a mid-sized tower with an antenna. Part way up the antenna was impaled a headless blue robot. Now, not speaking the language, I have had some difficulty in making myself understood on some fairly simple matters. I therefore was hesitant in asking, "Why did the little orange man impale the little blue robot on the tower behind the temple?" I finally did ask another man who spoke some English, and he had two explanations. Firstly, that the robot was a means of communication with God, and secondly, that the little robot arm pointed the direction to God (this will be more clear when I post the photos).
My day in Mt. Abu wrapped up at Sunset Point. Sunset Point sits on the side of a mountain, and looks out over miles of low lying land. Several people head out there to watch the sun set, and it was a beautiful clear evening. Mt. Abu is home to several curious monkeys, and one tourist made a point of feeding one at Sunset Point. This made for some great photos, but he almost had his sunglasses taken right off his face by the monkey. Undeterred, he continued to feed the monkey (even when the monkey started showing his teeth) and I continued taking pictures.
I met my driver this morning at 2:30 am, and now after a 4 hour car ride and two flights, I have arrived in Varanasi. The end of the trip is rapidly approaching, and I will head home in less than two weeks. I hope to update the blog with some photos by the end of the mo
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