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6. India
Amritsar -
Haridwar -
Rishikesh -
Manikaran -
Pushkar
Bombay -
Goa -
Hampi -
Dharamsala -
Gorakhpur
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Haridwar
Haridwar is one of the holiest places of India, and one of the localities were every 12 years one of the four Kumbh Melas takes place. The three other places are Nasik at Godawari-river, Ujjain at Shipra-river and Allahabad at the confluence of the three sacred rivers; namely Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati.
I went through the from pilgrims populated and from them well living city to the Ganges. The Hindus call it "Gangama" or Mother Ganga. The bath in the river is believed to clean of sins and promises absolution. Many Hindus like to die along it and to know that their ash will be scattered into the river.
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Hari-ki-Pauri
Photo by Ting Po
Directly in close proximity to Hari-ki-Pauri, the point of principal destination of the pilgrims, I found a yard entrance with a sign:
Prof. Kriparam Sharma - Philosopher and Spiritual Technologiest
"Wow, a philosopher!" I thought and went through the yard into a arched and mouldy room. It was monsoon time, and the annual traces could not be ignored. I was received by an old bald-sheared man in a Dhoti, a long piece of thin cotton, which is wrapped abround the waist and the legs, and knotted at the waist. One always saw Mahatma Gandhi in this type of garb. The professor had some pilgrims-guests and searched in his rolled-up books for entries of their relatives. With folded hands I bent myself in greetings.
"Namaste, Professor Sharma! I'm a friend of Peter from Germany".
"You are cordially welcomed! Peter is a very dear desciple of me, and I am pleased to learn to know one of his friends. I'm busy for the moment. Please, come to visit me tomorrow morning!"
It rained again, and now I would have gladly worn a Dhoti. My white cotton trousers became even dirtier on the pulpy road. As the dusk began, I went to a restaurant at the river, in order to wait there for the evening spectacle f colors, sounds and smells that happened every evening!. Beside me sat a few Sikhs, who seemed to be drunk. And this in a 'Dry Area'. In Haridwar and Rishikesh absolute alcohol prohibition applies, and also the consumption of meat is forbidden. But here 'Charas', as the Indian call hashish, seems to be smoked a lot. The Kumbh Mela was only past a few months, when saddhus from the most remote parts of India meet. In only one day the city was populated by 10 million pilgrims. A logistic master achievement. In 2001 there were 90 million in Allahabad. And the smell of Charas might have been pervasive. No miracle, if one considers that one of the three main Gods, Shiva, smokes charas.
Bells and conch shells announced Aarti.
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Ting Po
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Conch shell
Small boats from leaves, called diyas, filled with flowers, candles and incense, were sacrificed to the holy river.
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Lichtfaktor
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Aarti
I tried to pursue mine in the center of many others. And I regarded it as good Omen that mine was to be seen for a long time.
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Aarti II
I continued to go up the river, and saw on a small island, a fire burning. I wanted to explore that in the next days.
"Namaste, professor!"
"Welcome, my friend! I'm glad to become acquainted with a friend of Peter. First of all you must take a ritual bath, and I'll you accompany with a ceremony." It came in a poor-looking pilgrim.
"Would you like to walk around a bit or to remain?"
I remained, and looked forward towards the things to come. Mr.Sharma looked in his books for any entries. The man seemed not to be able to afford a bath ceremony, and the Professor left him with a few benediction sayings.
Ohm Vishn.. Ohm Brahm.. Ohm Shiv...
When he saw the tenrupiesnote offered by the pilgrim, he said:
"Isn't the benediction of the Gods worth anything anymore?"
On which, the poor man was searching with a tearful face for some more Rupies in his perforated trousers.
I was somewhat shocked. He explained to me the meaning of the OM. It stands for the transcendental primordial sound, from which the entire universe is developed. The Mantra of all Mantras. It symbolizes the threeness of the mental, physical and the unconscious world. And the trimurti, the hinduistic trinity. United in the formless Brahman.
 = OM
 = Vishnu (Holder)  = Brahma (Creator)  = Shiva (Destroyer)
At the river I got my head shaved blad, by one of the many hairdressers.
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Hairdresser
Photos by Lichtfaktor
Only dressed with my underwear I took a bath accompanied by blessings. We sacrificed a diya, to which my brahmin added a note. On it I promised not to eat anymore meat. I was a vegetarian anyway. I remunerated it with 50 Rupies and arranged a date for the next day.
In the evening I went to the island, which was to be reached over a small footbridge. Around the fire a few Saddhus and a young german woman sat. She was the only one, which pulled not at the constantly circling Chillum. Her name was Sheela. I experienced that her Baba drove even up to the ministrys of Delhi, in order to receive a residence visa for her. She lived already for some time with the Baba on the island, and left a very strong impression on me. Many years later I experienced the fact that she built a temple for her Baba and is admired like a holy person.
On the next day the professor made a kind oracle with me. On a paper sheet fields were like and no. I do not remember any longer, what otherwise still stood on it. I put the hand with others together on a coin, which moved after a question on one of the fields. Naturally it was steered by the 'guru'. He prophesied to me, which I would meet a woman named Sheela. When I answered to it, which I already could do her, he replied:
"The oracle includes the past also!"
I don't remember what I answered. But all of it occurred very dubiously to me.
further
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