Kalna, Temples And The Market

The riverboat was already moored when we awoke the for the first morning of the river cruise portion of our trip. The Ganges surprised us. We expected it to look like the Yangtze had with lots of trash flowing past. The river does have a current but not as strong and there was no trash at all. It was very brown but the only thing floating by was mostly water hyacinths.

We had arrived in Kalna sometime in early morning or perhaps late night. We slept so well we heard absolutely nothing. Breakfast in the dining room was lovely and soon we were gathering outside the dining room doors to exit the boat. There was a large set of cubby holes that had appeared from somewhere. Each cubicle had a room number and contained our passenger badges that were a way of keeping track of who left the boat and who had returned.

The idea was to take the flip flop shoes provided in our closets and set them in the corresponding cubicle so that upon return you could exchange your shoes for the flip flops and leave your outdoor shoes for the staff to clean. It would be obvious before long why the cleaning was necessary. Since Bob and I were both wearing socks with our shoes, we opted to just wear those to our room when we returned. Flip flops have never been a good thing for us.

There were two barge-like vessels we had to cross over before we reached the shore and all along the way, staff was there with an extended hand to be sure we didn’t trip on anything. Once on shore we began our walk to where a new type of transportation awaited us.

Lined up and ready to roll were “Totos”. They seemed to be a cross between the rickshaw and the tuk tuk. A short ride through the town showed us that this place looked to be a little cleaner than most of the other places we’d been. Much less trash and we even passed a crew that was shoveling trash into the back of a small truck.

Our tour this morning would be to the Rajbari complex, a unique mixture of temples in the region. Our group started on one side of the road with the Nabakailas temples that were built in 1809. There were two circles, one inside the other. We stopped just inside the entrance and took our shoes off and covered our feet with paper like shoe protectors like those you see on repairmen who come to your house and don the protectors so they don’t carry anything in on their shoes. This was more for respect for the religious aspect of the temple than protecting the stone walkway.

Between the two circles, there are 108 aat-chala temples. They are kind of egg shaped with what is called a linga inside each. The outer circle of temples alternate between white and black lingas. They looked kind of like a large candle holder and the white and black I believe signified good and evil. I was having a bit of a time getting used to Sachi’s English. The inside circle of temples all had white lingas and also had a fruit tree with pear-like fruit that he said had something to do with the offerings to the gods. I remembered other places we have been where we have seen fruit offerings made to Hindu gods.

When we had walked around and explored a bit, we went back to the entrance where our shoes were all lined up and found ours, disposed of our paper foot protectors and put them on—only after making sure the ants that were all around had not sought shelter in them.

Across the street were the other temples. There were various styles of Bengal architecture. Several different temples dated back to different times anywhere from the mid 18^th century to the 19^th century. There was one large raised and covered square area which Sachi said was the dance platform where religious celebrations were marked with dancing and music.

The temperature was climbing fast and much of the area we walked in was not shaded. I was about out of water which had become warm enough I think I could have made tea with it. Suddenly a hand appeared with a cold bottle of water. One of the staff who accompanied us was ready with fresh cold bottles of water. Two or three of the staff from the boat would be with each group spaced out among us and certainly one bringing up the rear. It was not unusual for someone to get caught up in taking pictures and have the group move on. This assured they wouldn’t get lost.

Some of the carvings on the temple that was home to a bird god who, if I understood correctly, successfully rid them of the evil cobras that are depicted on the roof of the structure opposite the temple. The craftsmanship in the carvings on the outside of the temple were just amazing. I know I’m overusing the word amazing but I’m running our of appropriate descriptive words that can express the awe and wonder of what I’ve seen.

The temple portion of our tour over, we were given the option to go to the local market or back to the boat. I asked how long the walk through the market would be. I couldn’t do much more in the heat. Sachi assured me it would only be ten to fifteen minutes. I could do that. We soldiered on.

I am so glad we did. The market was fascinating. All local markets in the countries we have visited offer a wonderful glimpse into the culture of the area no matter how modern they might be. Here, we saw produce being measured on hand made scales. Fish being cut on huge curved knives anchored securely on the podium where the seller sat and adeptly cut the portion of fish for the buyer.

The fish were still flopping a bit, definitely fresh. I had to smile at one lady shopper who put her hand into a shallow pan of fish that were 6-8 inches long, some still moving, and pinched a few. I wasn’t sure if she was seeing if they were alive or perhaps just checking to see how much meat they might have on those bones.

There were chickens but we didn’t pass them. Since there is no beef eaten, the diet consists mainly of chicken and fish with a bit of pork tossed in now and then though we have not seen any pork on the hoof yet. Lots of goats but I think that just supplements the milk and cheese supply.

The produce was unusual in some places and there was one green fruit with a spikey outside I’d never seen before that was said to be good for diabetes. Bob wasn’t ready to change his diet.

We passed a cart on our way back that was selling sugar cane juice. The pieces of cane were piled on the cart and when someone ordered the juice, he would use some sort of grinder and press to extract it.

Our afternoon would be spent on the river moving to our next stop and listening to the talks about India’s spices and the history of the Ganges and how it ties into the Hindu mythology. So many gods. So many stories. All seeking a way to cleanse them from sins (a specific time at a specific place to bath in the Ganges) and offer a break in the chain of reincarnation to attain eternal peace. So glad for my faith in my Savior.

Just before dinner there was time to sit out on the sundeck as the sun was setting. I couldn’t see the setting sun but it was tinting the hazy sky a beautiful pink. The GVII moved slowly past pampas grass and fields and birds that soared gracefully over the water. So peaceful. A lovely end to the day.