The Golden Temple in Vellore is not old. It was consecrated in 2007. The stone is not worn smooth by centuries of feet. The gold is new. But the temple is not a monument. It is a statement. The temple is covered in pure gold foil, over 1,500 kilograms of it. The path to the … Read more
The Eklingji Temple sits twenty two kilometers north of Udaipur, in the town of Kailashpuri. The road passes through dry hills and small villages. The temple is not on a hill. It is in a valley, surrounded by walls. The deity is not a lingam in the usual sense. It is a Chaturmukha Shivling, a … Read more
The Salasar Balaji Temple sits in the small town of Salasar, in the Churu district of Rajasthan. The land is dry. The wind is hot. The town is dusty. But the temple is not dusty. The marble floors are clean. The queue moves. The devotees chant. The idol is Hanuman, but not the Hanuman you … Read more
The Maihar Devi Temple sits on Trikut Hill, in the town of Maihar, Satna district, Madhya Pradesh. The hill is not high. The climb is not easy. One thousand and sixty three steps. The steps are stone. The trees are thin. The sun is hot. But the devotees climb. They climb for the goddess. Her … Read more
The Sri Bhadrakali Temple sits on a hill beside the Bhadrakali Lake, in the city of Warangal, Telangana. The water is still. The hill is dry. The temple is not large. The idol is. The goddess is Bhadrakali, a fierce form of Durga. She has eight arms. Each holds a weapon. Her eyes are wide. … Read more
The Ghati Subramanya Temple sits about sixty kilometers north of Bangalore, in the village of S.S. Ghati, Doddaballapur Taluk. The city is behind you. The fields open. The hills rise. The temple is not on a high peak. It is in a valley, between rocks. The deity is not one. It is two. Lord Subramanya … Read more
The Surapura Dada Bholad Temple sits in Bholad village, about thirty five kilometers from Ahmedabad. The land is flat. The fields are dry in summer, green in monsoon. The temple is not ancient in the way of the stone temples of the south. It is old in the way of memory. The story is not … Read more
The Baba Baidyanath Dham Temple sits in Deoghar, Jharkhand, in the dry plains that rise towards the hills of Santhal Pargana. The temple is not on a riverbank like Varanasi. It is not in a cave like Amarnath. But the lingam here is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. And next to it, in the same … Read more
The Guruvayur Temple sits in the town of Guruvayur, in the Thrissur district of Kerala. The temple is not ancient in the way of the stone temples of Tamil Nadu. It is not large in the way of the gopurams of Madurai. But the devotion here is different. The deity is Guruvayurappan, a form of … Read more
The Tiruchendur Murugan Temple sits on the seashore, in the Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu. The waves crash against the rocks. The salt spray reaches the gopuram. The temple is not on a hill like Palani. It is not in a cave like Thiruchendur? No, it is on the sand. The god here is not … Read more