Our weekend trip to Hassan, Halebidu and Belur was incredible. Unfortunately I cannot upload pictures because my laptop doesn't get wireless here-but I'll keep trying. On this trip [my favorite one so far] we saw breathtaking sights of temple ruins in Halebidu and Belur. The temple that I found the most moving was on the summit of Vindhyagiri, where the largest monolithic statue stands. The statue is of Banubai [also known as Gomateshwara] and it was commissioned in 982AD by General Chamundaraya who served King Gangaraya of the Ganga Dynasty. The temple serves as a pilgrimage site for Jains all over the country. I'm almost as fascinated by the Jains as I am by the Hare Krishnas. The Jains are incredibly devoted to their religion and non-violence, some to the point of starvation.

Before even arriving at the site we were told it was going to be a bit of a hike and we were going to do it bare foot [that's fine, no problem]. So we dropped off our footwear and walked toward the site. I looked up and didn't see the temple. What I did see were steps, six hundred and twenty of them! How was I ever going to make this "hike"!? this was going to be a long long journey. So I started walking, water bottle in hand-thank goodness, and was able to make it without a problem (!!!). A few people couldn't make it to the top because of the height and someone got very sick during the walk up and had to turn around. My professors were carried up because the last time one of them tried to do it he almost had a heart attack.
I stopped to take a lot of great pictures but but the best views were from the top. After a few hundred steps I reached what I thought was the top but I was mistaken, so I finished walking up the rest of the steps and finally made it to the temple where I saw this monumental figure towering over me and the rest of the city, it was unbelievable.
I entered the temple and made the walk around. The man giving blessings had the kindest smile I've seen in my time here. Out of respect I usually donate ten rupees and get a blessing, and most of the time the gentleman giving the blessing gives me a strange look [I wonder why...] but this man asked my name, where I was from and incorporated my name into the blessing. I was later told by my professor that the man wished me a long life and good health. The blessings are one of my favorite parts of a temple visit. I don't consider myself a religious person but there is something I really like about putting your hands to the fire and then to your face. You feel physically warm of course, but you also leave in good spirit.
After being blessed I stood in front of the figure for a good fifteen minutes or so. I think it might have been the first time I looked at a work of art and didn't question anything, I didn't think about who made it, how it was made, how long it took to make it, what it was made with etc. Instead I just sat there and thought about how it made me feel. This was completely involuntary. Before I had a chance to analyze the figure in an art historical context, my surroundings hit me with an overpowering blow so all I could think about was how I felt.
It made me feel small, standing 58 ft it obviously towers over me. More importantly, and something I've realized at many of the temple sites we've visited, it made me feel good. That's not saying much but I don't know how to describe the feeling. After climbing 620 steps to this magnificent sculpture I felt like I was worthy of seeing something that incredible. It was a pretty amazing experience.

A little less moving but still pretty exciting, today we're going to see a costume designer [who works with Bollywood stars] and possibly have some saris and salwar kameez fitted. My new Bollywood obsession is Amitabh Bachchan-I'm really looking forward to seeing him in Sarkar Raj, even though the movie is a sequel and I didn't see the first one [google him, he is dreamy-he's kind of like the Al Pacino of India] Check out the link to his blog, I'm looking at it now and I'm pretty sure the girl next to me thinks I'm strange!!

I haven't waisted all my time obsessing over Amitabh. Not having daily access to the Internet has given me time to read. I finally got through One Hundred Years of Solitude [ Marquez is officially my favorite author and I wish I had Love in the Time of Cholera with me], Interpreter of Maladies and I'm currently reading Rousseau's Dog. I'm open to suggestions :)

Oh and no worries, I'm not coming home a Hare Krishna, but here is an interesting article npr.org published today http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90639998