Monkey Temple

I decided it was time we ventured out of our gated comunity into the real India. I wanted to see some Hindu Temples around our neighborhood. There must be one every other block, Some temples are very small and close to businesses. Click Here to View Slideshow. They are just a little room open to the street and people can go inside for quick prayers on the way to work (my guess). Inside you can find a figurine representing one of the many Gods of the Hindu religion. The ones we went to visit are bigger buildings. In these kind of temples the Hindus perform "Puja" which is a prayer or ritual to worship their Gods. The driver took us to several temples but they are only open in the mornings and evenings. So we were only able to take pictures of the exterior. Which is a good thing because I had the children with me and visiting these places during the day was weird enough, visiting them at night could be a little too much for their impressionable minds. There was one temple that was open and was worth visiting: the temple for the monkey god Hanuman. To enter the temple people remove their shoes. This day in particular the temple was almost empty but the priest told me that on Saturdays they can get as much as 1500 visitors. They believe that the monkey god will bring them good luck during the week. If you want to learn more about Hanuman click here. Inside there were many altars and fires, and we got the chance to see "Puja". Overall it was a very strange experience because everything is so different from our western cultures, but I enjoyed it and I am glad to have had the chance to see it :)
Check the "picture of the week" at the bottom of this page.