I slept very poorly, and finally just got up at 4:30AM and walked to the all-night diner across the way. The rickshaw drivers were surrounding a fire outside the restaurant. I had rice and
dahl, and at 5:30AM, headed for the mountain.
I started climbing the 3750 steps in total darkness, amongst what appeared to me to be ghosts - Jain pilgrims dressed completely in white. Most of them were barefoot (I decided I needed my arch-supports). It was a beautiful starry night and a new moon. As the sun appeared from behind the clouds, many people stopped and prayed.
The main temple complex covers 20 acres, with 108 large temples and 872 smaller ones. 400,000 pilgrims visit the temples annually. They were built over 900 years, though many of the temples were destroyed by Muslim invaders in the 14
th and 15
th centuries. The current temples date back from the 16
th century.
There was one man who walked up the steps completely naked. Many people bowed to him as he walked by (It reminded me of anxiety dreams I would sometimes have before the start of a new school year.)
The Jain pilgrims were silent as they walked up. The only
sound was the clanging of the walking sticks on the stairs, and, every once in a while, the ringing of a bell.
I started climbing the 3750 steps in total darkness, amongst what appeared to me to be ghosts - Jain pilgrims dressed completely in white. Most of them were barefoot (I decided I needed my arch-supports). It was a beautiful starry night and a new moon. As the sun appeared from behind the clouds, many people stopped and prayed.
The main temple complex covers 20 acres, with 108 large temples and 872 smaller ones. 400,000 pilgrims visit the temples annually. They were built over 900 years, though many of the temples were destroyed by Muslim invaders in the 14th and 15th centuries. The current temples date back from the 16th century.
There was one man who walked up the steps completely naked. Many people bowed to him as he walked by (It reminded me of anxiety dreams I would sometimes have before the start of a new school year.)
The Jain pilgrims were silent as they walked up. The only sound was the clanging of the walking sticks on the stairs, and, every once in a while, the ringing of a bell.
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