A Darkness You Can Feel

We never know what to expect in India. No matter what you plan the day before when you wake up in the morning all bets are off. In the words of JRR Tolkin “It’s a dangerous world out there. Stepping out side your door, you never know where the road will take you.” This morning we were woken up by Caleb asking us to join him on a prayer walk. Thinking he meant a leisurely stroll around the neighborhood we all got up and put on our savalkamies. It wasn’t longer before we realizes we were in for something different, we had NO idea just HOW different it would be. Caleb’s friend drove us to Uthera Meadu one hour away. After driving for an hour in a cramped car we arrived in a busy dirty village of Uthera. The streets there were like many others I’ve seen in India; dusty, filled with lots of different sized vehicles, and lined with rickety shops on the edges. But above the grim and sights and noise there rose a huge tower, solid and white. Boldly standing against the sky, beckoning its heathen worshipers to flock to its gates. Caleb and the other pastors that had been riding with us went to a prayer meeting. They left us with a local guide to show us the temples and shrines in the city. The 1st temple we visited was of modest size, built of large cut block stones one on top of another. We left our shoes at the temple gate and walked across the HOT stones to the temple door. From the first stone to the last step before the temple door colorful and intricate designs in chalk paved the way. The temple door was a heavily carved wooden door painted blue. The heavy door was bolted shut by a huge lock. Through the key hole we should see a single flickering candle somewhere, everything else was pitch-black inside. A faintly eerie feeling began to creep around us. We knelt at the temple door and prayed against the darkness. We prayed esp. for the all those in the town living under the temples bondage. We prayed that they would find God’s light. We prayed for a Long time. Then we crossed back over the hot stones and went on to the next temple.

The next temple was huge! Obviously the biggest of the 3 we visited by far. It was only 3 levels but it was well over 3 stories tall.
We stopped under the huge white stone gate to remove our shoes. To ole women sat begging under the gate. A table selling mini idols and prayer beads also sat under the tall gate. The barefoot walk from the gate to the temple was even longer then the last place and the stones were even hotter. As soon as we entered the first floor of the temple we all felt creeped out. The feeling that something very dark and menacing is lurking close by. As we entered the first room our eyes began to adjust to the darkness. We began to see that the room was very large, reaching far back to our left and right. Large shapeless objects covered with cloth were on either side. At the end of this room we inter a narrow hall way. A Shaw man welcomed us to his temple. He looked like something out of a movie, exactly how I would have pictured a Shaw man. He was a dark man, about my height, with a round belly, he wore only a cotton skirt, and a string tied across his chest like a sash. On his forehead was painted the customary doted U. He lead us to the back of the hall where 2 carved idols stood. They looked menacing and creepy. Wrapped in Saree's and adorned with flowers they stood slightly taller then a grown man. They were black and sticky as if they had been drenched in blood. A small flame burned between them. The priest reached into a small bowl next to the idols and drew out what looked like 5 crystals. He placed one in each of our right hands. Our guide promptly popped his into his mouth. After a series of grunts and hand gestures we understood that it was something like rock candy. Candy or not, there was NO WAY I was about to eat anything that had been offered to a Hindu god! The priest also gave each of us a string of jasmine flowers. We were expected to eat the rock thing, but there was no way we were going to. We quickly left the room and went on the next floor.

The stone steps scorched our feet as we ran quickly to the next level. The next level had a smaller even darker chamber. It also contained two dark carved idols that were even creepier then the first ones. You could walk around the outside on the second level. There was three stations each facing a different direction were there was a covered idol that you could look at. In front of each one there was a tiny bowl where incense burned.


To be continued… dun dun dun