From our most excellent lunch in Trivandrum, we headed South into the state of Tamil Nadu - to experience the town of Kanyakumari, the southern-most tip of India, and the place where the three seas meet: The Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea, and the Indian Ocean. Apparently you can actually see where they meet - the waters are slightly different colours. I didn't find this out until afterward, so I neglected to look for it, but I could unquestionably feel the convergence. The air in the city is charged, as if there is a storm coming in off the water. It's incredible. It's also the one place in India where you can watch the sun rise and set from the same basic vantage point.
The late departure of our train meant that we arrived in the dark, but we wandered through the village anyway, and found a beautiful place in front of the temple to look out at the water. I am continuously awed by the power of water - especially the ocean, and the energy there was immense. I think I could have quite happily spent the night sleeping (or just being) on the beach. I am certain that I could have spent a week or more there and never gotten tired of being in that energy.
We missed the sunset but we set our alarms and got up for the sunrise the next morning. As most of you know, that's a real sign of devotion for me to get up that early (and two days in a row, with jet lag!) We walked down to the beach and down the very long pike of huge rocks, and planted ourselves near the tip to watch the sun come up. When we looked back toward shore we could see the hundreds of people that had come down to various places along the shore, in front of the temple . . . anywhere they could get a water-front view, to watch the sun rise. Just by coming, and watching the sunrise, we had joined a sacred ritual of pilgrimage.
It's interesting to me to reflect on that experience and recognize it as pilgrimage - because certainly that wasn't the conscious intent that either of us had going in. I can't say what my friend's experience was, but I know that the word fits for me. I have always been drawn to the water, and I consistently return to it for healing, for reflection, for rejuvenation. After my first difficult month in India, and my race home for the holidays, I recognize that I was called to this powerful convergence of great waters to connect back into source before re-embarking on my journey, both personal and professional, in India for the coming months.
We continued that pilgrimage from the pike, along the shore, over to the temple . . . where we followed a 'guide' through, offering prayers, getting anointed with oils and ashes, and then ultimately down to the beach behind the temple where we joined the many bathers - dipping themselves in the sacred ocean. Fully clothed, of course, because we were female. Had we been men, we could have gone in our underwear - but as women, everything must stay covered . . . . so we did. I am eternally grateful to Sabrina who led the way, as we were both watching the bathers with envy and it was she that announced that she could no longer just watch, she had to go in. I was wearing completely impractical clothes for the experience and decided to just dip my toes in ... but the call of the water was stronger than the hold of practicality. The day was hot, and it was an experience not to be missed.
Afterward we both dripped our way back to the hotel for breakfast and put our clothes in a bag for our train ride North.
PS: my pants took 2 days to dry....and it was totally worth it!
The late departure of our train meant that we arrived in the dark, but we wandered through the village anyway, and found a beautiful place in front of the temple to look out at the water. I am continuously awed by the power of water - especially the ocean, and the energy there was immense. I think I could have quite happily spent the night sleeping (or just being) on the beach. I am certain that I could have spent a week or more there and never gotten tired of being in that energy.
We missed the sunset but we set our alarms and got up for the sunrise the next morning. As most of you know, that's a real sign of devotion for me to get up that early (and two days in a row, with jet lag!) We walked down to the beach and down the very long pike of huge rocks, and planted ourselves near the tip to watch the sun come up. When we looked back toward shore we could see the hundreds of people that had come down to various places along the shore, in front of the temple . . . anywhere they could get a water-front view, to watch the sun rise. Just by coming, and watching the sunrise, we had joined a sacred ritual of pilgrimage.
It's interesting to me to reflect on that experience and recognize it as pilgrimage - because certainly that wasn't the conscious intent that either of us had going in. I can't say what my friend's experience was, but I know that the word fits for me. I have always been drawn to the water, and I consistently return to it for healing, for reflection, for rejuvenation. After my first difficult month in India, and my race home for the holidays, I recognize that I was called to this powerful convergence of great waters to connect back into source before re-embarking on my journey, both personal and professional, in India for the coming months.
We continued that pilgrimage from the pike, along the shore, over to the temple . . . where we followed a 'guide' through, offering prayers, getting anointed with oils and ashes, and then ultimately down to the beach behind the temple where we joined the many bathers - dipping themselves in the sacred ocean. Fully clothed, of course, because we were female. Had we been men, we could have gone in our underwear - but as women, everything must stay covered . . . . so we did. I am eternally grateful to Sabrina who led the way, as we were both watching the bathers with envy and it was she that announced that she could no longer just watch, she had to go in. I was wearing completely impractical clothes for the experience and decided to just dip my toes in ... but the call of the water was stronger than the hold of practicality. The day was hot, and it was an experience not to be missed.
Afterward we both dripped our way back to the hotel for breakfast and put our clothes in a bag for our train ride North.
PS: my pants took 2 days to dry....and it was totally worth it!
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