yesterday i visited the haji ali temple in mumbai. it's a muslim temple that holds the body of the muslim saint haji ali himself who also had it built before renouncing all wordly possessions and starting a pilgrimage to mecca. unfortunately, he died before getting there and his body was returned to mumbai and depositted in this temple until today.
i was fairly excited when i read in my guidebook that you had to cross a narrow causeway over the water to get to it, and was even more so when i laid my eyes on it and saw all the pilgrims walking over to reach the entrance.
now, the monsoon has just hit mumbai and the sea is pretty rough, but when you see the dozens of people walking back and forth across the narrow path, it seems like nothing wrong could ever happen. obviously, wrong is the key word here. well, it was only after a few hundred meters that i noticed some people coming back from the temple completely drenched. that should have given it away, shouldn't it? but there i go, full of confidence and trusting that everybody else's better judgement was as good as mine... nevertheless, the tide was rising!
i managed to get halfway through with only my feet wet when a wave swept over the path and left me with one shoe less! i was just about settling for going home barefoot as i watched it floating away into the brown sea when, out of the blue, a guy jumps into the water to rescue my humble flipflop and brings it back to me... i'm still completely stunned with all this and he is already out of the water bargaining with me for the rubber sandal. i give him whatever few rupees i have in my hand purse and carry on to the temple. after all, i have other concerns now.
i can see the entrance clearly but there aren't that many people about any more. i just want to rush to the safe haven that i magine awaits beyond the temple's door. by now, my long trousers have soaked up and i'm wet to my knickers so it only takes one more wave splashing against the causeway to finish the job and leave me drenched from head to toe! i can hardly see with the salt burning my eyes and i do not dare open my mouth. i reach the temple's door just in time: they are about to close.
they do indeed close the door behind me. some kid is repeating 'four.. four' to which i assume he wants four ruppes for entrance fee. wrong. i later find that all visitors have to wait until four o'clock to leave the temple as that is when the tide will lower enough to allow for a safe return. gladly, the temple's inside is a well deserved reward. lined in white marble it's in stark contrast with the grey landscape. i accept the fact that i am completely soaked and walk around under the gaze of the other visitors. inside the mausoleum, one of the tomb's guardians blesses me by striking my head a few times with something resembling a long, feathered, dust brush. i can only hopes this will help me on the way back. but that is only in four hours!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haji_Ali
i was fairly excited when i read in my guidebook that you had to cross a narrow causeway over the water to get to it, and was even more so when i laid my eyes on it and saw all the pilgrims walking over to reach the entrance.
now, the monsoon has just hit mumbai and the sea is pretty rough, but when you see the dozens of people walking back and forth across the narrow path, it seems like nothing wrong could ever happen. obviously, wrong is the key word here. well, it was only after a few hundred meters that i noticed some people coming back from the temple completely drenched. that should have given it away, shouldn't it? but there i go, full of confidence and trusting that everybody else's better judgement was as good as mine... nevertheless, the tide was rising!
i managed to get halfway through with only my feet wet when a wave swept over the path and left me with one shoe less! i was just about settling for going home barefoot as i watched it floating away into the brown sea when, out of the blue, a guy jumps into the water to rescue my humble flipflop and brings it back to me... i'm still completely stunned with all this and he is already out of the water bargaining with me for the rubber sandal. i give him whatever few rupees i have in my hand purse and carry on to the temple. after all, i have other concerns now.
i can see the entrance clearly but there aren't that many people about any more. i just want to rush to the safe haven that i magine awaits beyond the temple's door. by now, my long trousers have soaked up and i'm wet to my knickers so it only takes one more wave splashing against the causeway to finish the job and leave me drenched from head to toe! i can hardly see with the salt burning my eyes and i do not dare open my mouth. i reach the temple's door just in time: they are about to close.
they do indeed close the door behind me. some kid is repeating 'four.. four' to which i assume he wants four ruppes for entrance fee. wrong. i later find that all visitors have to wait until four o'clock to leave the temple as that is when the tide will lower enough to allow for a safe return. gladly, the temple's inside is a well deserved reward. lined in white marble it's in stark contrast with the grey landscape. i accept the fact that i am completely soaked and walk around under the gaze of the other visitors. inside the mausoleum, one of the tomb's guardians blesses me by striking my head a few times with something resembling a long, feathered, dust brush. i can only hopes this will help me on the way back. but that is only in four hours!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haji_Ali
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