The Inner Sanctum
By Tony on April 3, 2009 | No Comments »
As impressive as our pictures and videos of Hindu culture may seem at first, I can vouch for the fact that there is a tremendous amount that we cannot show you on our blog or in pictorials or videos because of limitations on photography at sacred sites.
Half of all Hindu temples refuse entry to foreigners, so they are clearly “out of the picture.” Of the remaining temples, many ban the photography of temple interiors, which is a serious shame because many of them are really spectacular.
Of the temples that allow photography of the interior chambers, foreigners are usually not allowed to approach or enter the inner sanctum. And on the few occasions that we are allowed to enter the inner sanctum, we are almost never allowed to take pictures.
On the handful of occasions where we have been allowed to photograph inner sanctums, they are never truly representative of the more spectacular temples meaning that there is a great deal that we can’t show you.
So what are the temple interiors really like? Many of them are truly phenomenal constructions featuring massive, columned temple halls with ornate carvings of gods, mythical beasts, dancers, and crazy acts of semi-sexual contortion. Quite impressive, especially here in Tamil Nadu where the superstructures lined with psychedelic, technicolor temple murals bear an odd resemblance to late dynasty Egyptian temples.
Inner sanctums often come with temple guardians and priests, often shaved bald or sporting unusually long ponytails which sprout out of the top of their heads or are folded into elaborate buns. These holy men perform a series of exotic rituals which usually involve ringing brass bells of various sizes, waving around bundles of incense, collecting offerings of food, flowers, gold, money, whatever. Sometimes they pour liquids over the giant lingams or attend to the temple god statues. The chaotic yet ancient atmosphere is really unlike any other religious environment we have witnessed.
As you approach the inner sanctum of larger, more important temples there is usually a strangely practical setup to control crowd movement quite similar to the more popular rides at Disneyland. Temple devotees wind their way through switchback lines for hours at a time to approach the lingam or god statue, make an offering, or receive a blessing from one of the temple priests (usually only after they hand over some cashola).
Quite amusingly, the priests become quite bored with endless lines of pilgrims waiting for a blessing. It’s not unusual to see priests, dressed up in ancient garb, touching the heads of pilgrims while simultaneously chatting on their cellphones or even sending a text message with their free hand!
Topics: India | No Comments »
