Wherever There Is a River, There Is Deity

The capital of Maharastra is a city known as Nasik. In Nasik, one ought to visit the riverside in the morning. If Godavari River is considered the artery of Nasik, then the huge marketplace, located inside of the riverside temple and filled with vendors, must be the heart of Nasik.

In India, wherever there is a river, there is a deity. Inside the riverside marketplace in Nasik, there is a bright red monkey-god statue, Hanuman, behind a vegetable vendor. Next to the garment vendor, there is a small temple, where the Shiva linga is worshiped. Religion and food like spiritual and material necessity are closely lined up along both riversides.

Compared with the noisy and crowded riverside, the hillside of Pandu Lena, south of Nasik, appears very peaceful and quiet. Twenty-four Buddhist caves hid stealthily under mournful trees, where only local hikers and a few tourists will come to pay a visit.

These caves are more than a thousand years old. There are signs of renovation and reopening, which might have happened in the sixth or seventh century. The eighteenth tower-and-hall cave is most significant and the oldest one, where a whole intact Buddhist tower sits in the middle of the worship hall. The stone pillars besides the tower is carved in the Pali language. The third cave is where monks lived. The animal shape of the head of the pillars is very vivid, which makes the trip worthwhile.

The Indian monks meditated inside of the cave, pondering the myth of life-and-death and reincarnation. Now some crazy shouting can be heard occasionally inside the cave, which turns out to be caused by a group of undisciplined Indian youth. The only thing that has remained unchanged is the stone Buddha, which has witnessed the changing of the mundane world but still kept silent with an expression that, while it resembles a smile, isn't.

Indian Dream Factory: Bombay

Bombay, known as "Little India", is not only the biggest harbor in India but also the most contemporary, free and open city. Over here, the brightness and darkness coexist; the rich and beggars live next to each other. People from all over the country and foreign lands come here to search for their dreams. Some succeeded because of hard work and opportunity; others become jobless, homeless and too embarrassed to return to their homelands.

The only common point is that they all come to Bombay to look for a better life. The famous movie industry, Bollywood, plays the role of a dream factory, and produces eight hundred films each year. Even Hollywood is not as prolific.

There isn't anything impossible in Bombay since even the land underneath is man-made. There used to be seven small islands, but the sea was filled up and the city was built on top. Under the colonial rule, shipping and trade expanded rapidly. Other industries such as textiles also became prosperous. After Indian independence, Bombay's magnificence and energy continued more strongly and has never decreased a bit, resulting in a big city with the highest population density. In 1996, the city's name was changed back to the original name, Mumbai. In the local language the name of the most respected and beloved goddess is Mumba.

This city restored its own name and rid itself of Great Britain's sovereignty. However, Mumbai is open-minded and never holds grudge. The Indian Gate, which commemorated the visit of the British king, George V, still stands tall facing the Indian Ocean. The graceful and magnificent Victoria Terminus looks exactly the same as British Gothic Cathedral. Bombay is like a huge magic swirl, absorbing and digesting everything from every direction and producing the most exuberant Indian style.