Eve of Maha Shivaratri

Now that we have been here for 20 days and we are getting the lay of the land, I have had the urge to explore! Tomorrow is Maha Shivaratri, a huge celebration for Shiva, the amazing deity. So off we go to the palace tonight to see the palace lit up. They turn the lights on from 7 - 8 p.m. on Sundays and it is stunning!

We spent the early evening after conference with Sharath at the shala and then we met this great couple from Austria with their 1 year old boy here. We had breakfast with them by chance and after conference, the lovely mom, Mags and I headed to this Austrian bakery that she heard of. It was great and they had like 10 different coffee drinks on the menu. It felt very Starbucks. As in India, you order coffee and you get coffee, black. Maybe in a french press if you go to one of the western restaurants.

After the coffee, Mags and I headed to the palace. Wow! Gokulam is hopping on the eve of Maha Shivaratri. People come out everyday in the early evening and there are rickshaws, cars, ox, people walking, people praying in the temples for the early evenings prayers, people eating on the street, cars honking, dogs running around, cars pulled to the side of the road with Punjabi music playing, vendors selling food, just busy busy. It’s a trip and the city is really “alive” at this time of nite. Being with Ms. Toddler, it is rare we are out after dark, but we had to see the palace and with the holiday tomorrow and Shiva’s main temple within the palace we HAD to go.

Whisking through the streets to the palace, lights all around us, families of 4 on a motorcycle or scooter, families piled in rickshaws with like 8 people in one rickshaw, it’s just busy busy. We get up to the palace perimeter and WOW! It’s huge and amazing. Mags is saying, “wow, cool!” I think she got that from me. We pull up and people are everywhere, selling popcorn, fruit, veges, balloons, toys, kids are coming up to us trying to put balloons in her hand saying 10 rupees. It’s totally like Disneyland in India. I whisk Mags and her stuffed dog (not a real dog) up into my arms and we head to the entrance snapping pics like crazy tourists. People are stopping us, taking photos of Mags, pinching her cheeks, saying, “What is your name?” in their great Indian accent. The Indians, especially all women love children. They are all true mothers in their hearts. We get to the line to get in and it is seriously about 3 - 4 blocks long. I couldn’t believe it! Oh,  Maha Shivaratri! You start worshipping and chanting at 5:30 a.m. till 6 a.m. the next day. That is why everyone is here, it is the eve and they are getting ready. Everyone is dressed in their amazing saris and clothes. Just a gorgeous site to see.

I swoop her up, while a trail of kids selling balloons and trinkets follow us saying, 20 rupees, 10 rupees, how much? make the trek with us. We are heading to the next entrance to see if that is better. Cheek pinching, a few more photos and we make it to the next entrance. No one is hardly there. We walk through a metal detector and there we are. Amazing! Just stunning and Maggie says: “Maggie’s home!” I said, “Good girl, way to have high aspirations.”

Very cool to see that and all the people there, it was fantastic. Now we are home. Mags is crashed and I am going to have an apple. On this lovely holiday, you fast till the next day which is a moon day. Two great days back to back. We have no practice the next 2 days, so perhaps with my fasting, chanting and praying to Shiva I will find a little bit more of my inner self.

Happy Maha Shivaratri Day! Jai!