mysore

i came to mysore intending to stay 3 maybe 4 days. it is now day number 19. as soon as susanna (a friend from the ayurveda course in kannur) and i pulled into town on the bus, i told her that i really liked the way this town felt. this is why i have stayed so long - practing yoga at various shalas (astanga), attending philosophy class, swimming at the pool, exploring the fascinating architecture in different parts of the city, wandering the devaraja market, conversing with fellow yogis and intellectuals over chai, getting blessed by the priests ontop of chamundi hill...

i came with suzanna because her friend, gibran, had an apartment that he had rented for the entire month. we were planning on all traveling together to go visit belur, halibib, and sravanabelagola. however, our departure was pushed back from saturday to sunday to monday to tuesday - and we managed to leave on wednesday morning. the three towns were great - in order i would reccomend visiting halibib, sravanabelagola, and then belur. the temples in belur and habibib are incredible - examples of hoysala architecture and extremely intricately detailed. at sravenabelagola there is a 17+metre high stature of a jain saint on top of a mountain composed of explosed rock - basalt i think. we climbed up the 614 steps hewn out of the mountain side in the afternoon - barefoot, as is required. the views from the path up as well as the top are beautiful - karnataka is a lovely lovely state with wide plains randomly punctuated by lobs of mountains and rocks. the statue itself is beautiful - there is something to be said of giant statues carved out of one piece of rock - and such grace and elegance in the lines. halibib, where we stayed overnight - is quite delightful. fresh and small, with only 2 guesthouses and 2 restaurants, and many elegant temples. in the morning, after our breakfast of puri, rice bath, vada and coffee/tea - we walked up the hill 2 km to see the rarely visited jain temples. we were the only ones there - a wedding procession had just visited before us to obtain blessings and their offerings were the only sign of life in the three temples. such stillness and grace inside the elegantly simple temples. out of all the temples i have visited, the jain temples are the most elegant and have the most calming and settling effect.

on our return to mysore, i was deeply conflicted with what to do with my remaining time in india. one month was just too short, and i really really liked how mysore felt - how life moved, the people i was meeting, the opportunities here for study and growth. so, i have stayed. i found a room in a delightful house (sutra house) in lakshmipuram - south of the center of mysore. there is a wonderful garden where i take my fruit salad and tea every morning (brought to me by the delightful ratna or jaya - the two maids who keep this house running smoothly). the decorations in the house are well chosen and very nice - lots of old prints and neat statues and great fabrics. stan, the frenchman who 'owns' the house, is a most delightful tour guide and conversationalist. i practice astanga at sthalam 8 - a 7 minute walk away with ajay, a young yoga teacher. i never was a fan of astanga, but i am starting to like it - especially because it is to straightforward (easier for private practice). the philosophy class i attend with Narashima is amazing as well - a room full of westerners sitting at his feet, while he elegantly explains away our doubts regarding anything indian - philosophical, cultural, spiritual.

perhaps the most important thing i have learned here in mysore (other than regaining my focus, which was highly distored in kannur) is that i really don't have to waste time and energy wandering all over india looking for something which i can't even name. staying put, at least for me right now, has been providing the most depth in my practice and exploration of the interior dimension of consciousness.

thursday, i leave for rishikesh. i could not leave india with out a bath in the holy mother. i decided that just a taste of the north would be appropriate, because if i liked it too much i would really have a difficult time leaving. also, it is extremely hot in rishikesh right now - much worse than mysore (which has been having spectacular sunsets due to the clouds that blow in every evening - freshening everything up). i suppose that i can handle 45C for a few days...