see Kunjapuri as being anything but a
bit of a disappointment. The road to Kunjapuri is paved and a whole lot
better, and I got my first look at the Himalayan highlands past the
mountains surrounding Rishikesh. However, it was a bit cloudy to the north,
so I couldn't see the big boys to the north. The Kunjapuri temple requires
walkig about 500 to 1000 steps up a brightly colored set of concrete stairs
before getting to the top, and when you get there, you have a 360 degree
view of the surrounding countryside. It reminded me of the view from Mt.
Tamalpais in Marin County, Ca, but somewhat higher. The humidity and
pollution in the air detracted from the view, but the cool air was a nice
respite from the heat and humidity of downtown Rishikesh.
When I arrive at a temple, I usually examine the natives to see what they do, in order to not do some major faux pas and get thrown out on my ass. I followed a family who also was at Nilkanth in the morning, and made an offering a the Durga temple, another small mountain structure. Both Nilkanth and Kunjapuri have incredibly intricate roofs, apparently a custom of many temples in India. Kunjapuri also has a big Shiva or Krishna blue statue, but to keep people from touching it, it has a cage around it, which seems like a Shiva/Krishna zoo piece.
Don't get me wrong, if you're interested in visiting unique and beautiful
temples, Kunjapuri is definitely worth going to see, especially since you
also get a great view of the area. But even though it did have shakti
energy, it just wasn't Nilkanth. After I sat for a while, the priest/pujarist
asked me where I was from. I told him California, USA, but still feel weird
talking inside temple chambers.
On the way back down, Kuku was flipping radio channels and picked up a Delhi jazz station in English. It was trying to be cool, with the DJ talking in a low, sexy voice like they try to do on 'cool' FM stations. The DJ proceeded to play a new rendition of "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" (don't know if that is the right title), part of the song goes, "I'm wild again, beguiled again...bewitched bothered and bewildered".
After visiting two temples at the heart of Hinduism, it was like a major culture mind-scramble. It was like, "man this does not compute!" - such a ostensibly western song in Rishikesh. It actually made me a bit homesick, weirdly, for my parents, since that song I believe comes out of their generation. I also felt how little their lives are in comparison to mine, their opting for a total bow to safety, security and cultural norms. But I felt my love for them and hoped that they were OK. Like many people of my generation and age, it is at the time when we can get the "call", that one of our parents has passed away, and this certainly came up for me. I wouldn't know for a week at a time, when I would call my wife Annie or contact her via email.