Ajanta Ellora
(comments diabled to save my mail inbox right now)
I'm sitting in an internet cafe in Cyberabad, or Hyderabad now after getting off from a 12 hour sleeper train. This is the frist real internet connecton of any speed, so far this trip. (forgive my spelling as I'm on the fly here) There are 5 giggling Hrdrabadi girls looking over my shoulder as I type this. AH Indian internet cafes, no one in india does ANYTHING alone, even this is a community affair.I just came from Aurangabad where I saw the caves @ Ajanta and Ellora (google search those if you don't know). Those are two major Buddhist sites from well over 1000 years ago, caves made by monks from the 4th to 10 centuries. World class stuff, heritage sites of the highest order.
Aurangabad is the staging site city for the caves, as the caves today are miles and miles out in the middle of nowhere. First there are 1000s of Tibetan monks here too. The Dhali Lama was giving a teaching in Adhra Pradesh earlier this month and 60,000 Tibetan monks showed up as it was a truly auspicious once in a lifetime event. NOw all the monks are doing pilgramage to the major Buddhist sites in India, with Ajanta Ellora at the top of their lists.
First day I did Ajanta, an 85 miles trek into the outback. I was on a bus load of Tibetan monks and family members. There was no seats left but a gentleman waved my over and we sat on each others laps for the ride to the caves. He was a teacher at the Tibetan Colony in Dharmasala and with his family and the whole rest of the bus come from the Kalachakara the Dhali Lama's teaching. This family adopted me for the day, praising how much I did look like a Tibetan. I even when unercover and got into the Ajanta cave site for the Indian Price of 10 rupees, instead of the Forien price of 250 rupees.
So I had the rare opportunity to see this great Budhisst site with 1000 Tibetan monks, who were praying and chanting and carrying on at every single Buddha. We were all in a group and pretty much doing our own Tibetan thing (remember I was a honorary Tibetan this day) seperate from the resst of the tourists.
There are 10 pages more to tell, but another time...
The next day I went to the incredible caves at Ellora. Again there were a thousand Tibetan monks. The highlight was In one of the caves which at one time 1200 years ago was a Budhiist monistary for the whole site (Ellora is 2 or 3 kilometers long) the monks staged an inproptu chanting session. I happened to walk up as they were starting. They were chanting on the third story of the cave site. I can't go into detail right now. But I have to say it was the highlight of the whole days at these two caves. Sitting in the coolness of a 1200 year old Buddist cave listing to 50 Tibetan monks doing some complex chant for 45 minutes.
So far I seem to be in the right place in the right time. It hasn't all been easy, but I'm only writing the good stuff right now. I'm here in Hyderabad for two days and then down to Bangalore (again by sleeper train) where I will meet Ed and we will travel the South for two weeks or so.
Gotta go this internet cafe is toooo hot inside.
chao
I'm sitting in an internet cafe in Cyberabad, or Hyderabad now after getting off from a 12 hour sleeper train. This is the frist real internet connecton of any speed, so far this trip. (forgive my spelling as I'm on the fly here) There are 5 giggling Hrdrabadi girls looking over my shoulder as I type this. AH Indian internet cafes, no one in india does ANYTHING alone, even this is a community affair.I just came from Aurangabad where I saw the caves @ Ajanta and Ellora (google search those if you don't know). Those are two major Buddhist sites from well over 1000 years ago, caves made by monks from the 4th to 10 centuries. World class stuff, heritage sites of the highest order.
Aurangabad is the staging site city for the caves, as the caves today are miles and miles out in the middle of nowhere. First there are 1000s of Tibetan monks here too. The Dhali Lama was giving a teaching in Adhra Pradesh earlier this month and 60,000 Tibetan monks showed up as it was a truly auspicious once in a lifetime event. NOw all the monks are doing pilgramage to the major Buddhist sites in India, with Ajanta Ellora at the top of their lists.
First day I did Ajanta, an 85 miles trek into the outback. I was on a bus load of Tibetan monks and family members. There was no seats left but a gentleman waved my over and we sat on each others laps for the ride to the caves. He was a teacher at the Tibetan Colony in Dharmasala and with his family and the whole rest of the bus come from the Kalachakara the Dhali Lama's teaching. This family adopted me for the day, praising how much I did look like a Tibetan. I even when unercover and got into the Ajanta cave site for the Indian Price of 10 rupees, instead of the Forien price of 250 rupees.
So I had the rare opportunity to see this great Budhisst site with 1000 Tibetan monks, who were praying and chanting and carrying on at every single Buddha. We were all in a group and pretty much doing our own Tibetan thing (remember I was a honorary Tibetan this day) seperate from the resst of the tourists.
There are 10 pages more to tell, but another time...
The next day I went to the incredible caves at Ellora. Again there were a thousand Tibetan monks. The highlight was In one of the caves which at one time 1200 years ago was a Budhiist monistary for the whole site (Ellora is 2 or 3 kilometers long) the monks staged an inproptu chanting session. I happened to walk up as they were starting. They were chanting on the third story of the cave site. I can't go into detail right now. But I have to say it was the highlight of the whole days at these two caves. Sitting in the coolness of a 1200 year old Buddist cave listing to 50 Tibetan monks doing some complex chant for 45 minutes.
So far I seem to be in the right place in the right time. It hasn't all been easy, but I'm only writing the good stuff right now. I'm here in Hyderabad for two days and then down to Bangalore (again by sleeper train) where I will meet Ed and we will travel the South for two weeks or so.
Gotta go this internet cafe is toooo hot inside.
chao