The Monkey God

It would take a lifetime to figure out the religions of India.  It seems like this is the one area of the world where every religion has been richly represented in the culture for centuries: Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Jews (until they all took off for Israel after 1948).  Today, I spotted a Jain Temple which was closed, but I plan to come back.

The Monkey God:  No one who rides the Metro in Delhi can ignore the temple to Hanuman, the “monkey god” (see his mug and tail?) who is revered for his strength and his ability to prevent accidents.  His story is wrapped up in the Hindu epics, but from what little bit I gathered, it sounded like a Lord-of-the-Rings quality tale.  His temple is next to a major Metro stop.  You enter through the mouth of “something.”  Hanuman lives in the forest, so I guess the open mouth belongs to a 'servant monkey.'  Enter and ascend into Hanuman’s body.  There are “chapels” on each floor, some attended by priests.  One priest attended to me by marking my forehead with an orange bindi (dot) and wrapping my right wrist in a bracelet made of orange strings. These dots are typically red, but orange is Hanuman’s color, so everyone who saw me today knew that I was his devotee.  Temple visitors would appear in small groups, look, and leave.  Other deities, especially female deities, seemed to have their own alters in the temple, which may explain why so many visitors were women (unconfirmed observation; could be coincidence).  On the top floor, where I wasn’t supposed to be, there appeared to be a “set” right out of the Hindu epics.  Plus there was a place for the preparation of meals, so here is another instance where devotion to a particular God can get you something tangible.

  

Being a Vegetarian:  When you are in India, it’s not hard being a vegetarian (though that creature who ate me today apparently wasn't one).  I have been one for four days now.  Dal Makhani has become my favorite food, taken with naan, the flat bread of South Asia.  Here you have a perfect diet:  Protein from the lentils and beans, carbohydrates from the naan, and a little fat added by the butter (melted in the dal or on the naan).  Remember, fat (or oil) is a necessary part of any diet; otherwise, many of the vitamins you take (the fat-soluble ones) could not be absorbed by the body.  The perfect diet needs only a complete protein (all essential amino acids), a carbohydrate (for energy), and a little fat or oil.  For your micro-nutrients (vitamins and minerals), add some fruits and vegetables.  It’s as simple as that.  Someone told me that 35% of all Indians are vegetarians, and I would say a majority among non-Muslims.  They seem to be doing well on a diet without meat.  Eggs, milk, and cheese, however, are important to the diet here.  Tea is taken hot, with lots of cream and sugar, for instance.

When I had dal last night, it was at a small “hole in the wall”:  order-taker/money-taker out front, “kitchen” next to him, passage to a room big enough to hold about four tables, but lots of take-out is served.  There was no front on the building; it just opened onto the street.  Note:  kitchen out front where everyone can see what they are going to be eating.  How does that compare with American norms? This was in Karol Bagh, my home neighborhood.

When I arrived at the restaurant, there was no empty table, so I used my Middle East experience:  I sat down at a table with an elderly Sikh gentlemen who could have come out of the movies:  turban, big mustache, beard, robes.  He looked pleasant enough and accepted my intrusion as the norm.  We both cleaned our plates, but he drank the water in the stainless steel pitcher; I didn’t.  Space here is at a premium, and empty chairs are considered underutilized resources.  On the photography side:  people here don’t seem to consider me taking pictures of them an invasion of their personal space.  I have had a great time taking people-pictures in a country where it is so easy.

Geographically yours,

D.J.Z.