Description

I went to one of God's houses today, The Monkey Temple. What a setting! It is a series of temples nestled between a couple of jagged mountains, and it is a welcoming haven for all living beings -humans, monkeys, cows, dogs. God doesn't turn anyone away. 

The origin story, as I understand it, goes something like this: Long ago, this region of India was parched, with no sacred water to be found. One devout monk, Rishi Galav, began an intense meditation campaign. Moved by his devotion, the Gods made a holy spring burst forth between the mountains.

That same spring still flows today, feeding two sacred pools where the devout come to bathe and receive blessings. Even during times of drought, the waters have never run dry.

The temple is home to both Monks and Priests. The distinction? Priests are allowed to marry and live conventional lives, tending to rituals and temple duties - essentially holy caretakers. They are the guys that aggressively beg for donations. No matter what amount you give them, they will demand the double.

Monks live a strict life of austerity, discipline, and simplicity. They renounce all worldly attachments and don't even eat- sustaining themselves on the milk of the temple’s cows. They sleep on the ground or on a thin mat. Their rooms are austere - a small room in the monastery with just enough space for their mat, some prayer beads, and perhaps a sacred text. To them, luxury is a distraction from the divine.

They live in harmony with the animals around them. Monkeys are treated with respect as they are thought to be descendants of the divine. Monks feed them and clean up after them. Cows are also revered here. Their close association with Hindu deities makes hamburger Friday feel like a distant, irreverent memory.

The temple is self-sufficient - a simple and divine eco system.

After visiting the Monkey Temple, I went to the Amber Palace. What a contrast! This by comparison, is about as earth bound as one can get. Ornate and opulent, there is nothing austere about it. 

The palace is enormous - so vast that it took three generations to build. Construction began in 1592 By Raj Singh and was expanded by successive generations - each adding its own artistic vision. 

You walk into a huge courtyard, where elephants in full regalia once paraded. There are two entrances - one for villagers, one for royalty. We entered through the villager entrance. 

A holy temple, dedicated to the goddess Kali, was built into the corner of the courtyard, but it looks nothing like the Monkey Temple. This one is built from fine white marble. Guarding the entry way is a statue of Ganasha, which according to local lore, is made from the largest single piece of corral in the world. Somehow, I doubt the pilgrims at this place drank only cow's milk and slept on the bare floor.

It took a quite a while to wander through all the fabulous chambers and gardens, each one tremendous - fine hand carving of marble and sandstone, fabulous gardens designed after a Persian carpet. And what an open concept floor plan!

The most impressive part of the tour was the women's quarters, where Maharaja housed his 12 wives. That's right 12 queens! Each had her own identical apartment- two bedrooms and a kitchen. I can only imagine the suterfuge, gossip, and hair pulling going on in those halls - sounds like a veritable catfight. Oh, to be a fly on the wall.

The queens' jewelry boxes were the size of steamer trunks, overflowing with precious gems, no doubt. Their sarees were so heavily embroidered with gold and jewels that they couldn't walk -   so servants carried them in ornate chairs. They had a special cooling room - a clever design using water and cross ventilation as an early AC system. During the summer, the queens dipped their feet in the in-house viaduct, to combat the vapors. What a life! I wonder what they did all day.

I don't know if they shared their palace with cows and monkeys. but I doubt it. 

Photos