We are staying in South Goa, the quiet and rural end of this Indian state. Today, we drove to North Goa, to see the capital city and several important religious sites. Our bus broke down by the side of the road, trapping us for some time, but we ended our day with a boat trip that turned into a rather fabulous disco party cruise, Indian style! What a day!
Our first visit was to a very old and important local temple, the Shree Mangueshi temple. Mangueshi is an incarnation of Shiva, and the lingam that is worshipped here is said to have been consecrated by Brahma himself. The temple that we visited, while 500 years old, is not the original temple. The alter and relics were moved in 1560 as the Portuguese colonized the region. The temple is guarded and cared for by 24 families who have the traditional responsibility for it. They have periodically revamped the temple complex, and it is a fascinating amalgam of styles and time periods. We entered the grounds by a lovely half-mile walkway through a garden on the large grounds.
The main temple is at the top of a slight hill. It is white plaster, in the Portuguese style. After we took off our shoes, we went inside with the worshippers. We were the only foreigners there. The main hall looks more like a church than most Hindu temples, with massive marble pillars carved in a Greek style. The front has the shrine, although it was set far back from us. Devotees were bowing and kneeling, some of them going prostrate on the ground and kissing the stone floor. Priests were blessing people with ash bindis and holy water that worshippers were rubbing on their heads. Above us, interestingly, were a large number of huge fancy antique Venetian glass chandeliers, like something that Marie Antoinette might have had. The inside walls were white plaster except in front, where the walls were paneled in what looked like solid carved silver.
We got an immediate contrast, as we went next to the Bom Jesus church. The word 'bom,' by the way, means 'good' and it is the same word that was used for the root name of Bombay. The church is very old, made of the local red brick. Inside, the walls are white plaster and intricately carved wood covered in gold leaf. This church was the headquarters of the Portuguese Catholic mission in India. But more important, it is where St. Francis Xavier's body is kept. Francis Xavier was one of the original Jesuits and he died fairly young while building missions in Asia. His body was taken to Bom Jesus church, where it is now kept-- desiccated and whole-- in a large coffin shaped box with windows. We were able to see him, or parts of him, at least!
At the end of the afternoon, we went on what we thought was going to be a boat tour of the capital city, Panjim. It turns out that we were actually the only foreigners on a party cruise, complete with a cheesy disco. Every chair on the boat faced the stage, so we (and all the large Indian families with us) were definitely there for the disco, not the water. Fortunately, it turns out that Indian party cruises are ridiculously fun! Not to mention that they are also a really interesting cross cultural experience.
The DJs called up different groups of people to dance on the stage, starting with kids. Then he called married couples--the students pretty much insisted that David and I go up and dance, which we did, and which set off much cheering and clapping. (It was a lot of fun, by the way!) The music was hindi disco, so we had no idea what was being sung, although every now and then there would be random words in english.
Men were called up next to dance, and this was pretty fun to watch. The stage was swarmed by tubby middle aged Indian men who were having a lot of fun. Let's just say that most of them were far more enthusiastic than actually talented. But they went for it. Then our beloved escort, Uttam Mishra, got on the stage and really put on a show. Students could not stop screaming and laughing, and then the DJs played the only song we knew, 'I'm Sexy and I Know It," and it was all a big party from there.
By the time they called women up there to the stage, students were ready to dance. The DJs gave a special shout-out to "Elmira University," and EC put the dance party on that cruise. It was so cheesy, and so fun. It was really genuinely fabulous!
The dance party continued on the bus back--who knew that the bus had blue interior ceiling lights, or that the sound system could play Indian pop music?
It was a great end to the day. As I write this, some students are taking a night swim in the pool. Others are hanging out in the common rooms. A few, who aren't feeling well (nothing serious) are in bed. Tomorrow is our last day in India, and we have free time all day. I know a lot of last minute shopping is planned, for all those gifts for everyone back home. I think some serious beach time is planned as well. It's hard to believe we leave so soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment