Week Ending 17 March 2019

- March 25, 2019

Monday and Tuesday wrap-up of our Nepal adventure and then back to Delhi to complete the preparations for a celebration of Indian traditional song and dance, with a side trip to Old Delhi and the wonders that are always to be discovered there.

Copper workers - off the street in Kathmandu

Golden Buddha - third to the right is covered with scaffolding, being refurbished.

Prayer Wheel at the Golden Buddha - Jeanette and Sr. VanDenBerghe

Monkey at the prayer wheels!

Jeanette at her morning prayers!

Jeanette & Grant at prayer wheels

Baby Buddha

Moving to the Swayambhunath Stupa aka the "Monkey Temple"

Buddhist Monk

Monkeys

More Monkeys

and more!

And this is why it is called "The Monkey Temple"

Grant & Jeanette at top of steps at Monkey Temple

Jeanette & Grant with standing Buddha at top of Monkey Temple

Proof that the "Force" preceded the Star Wars series!

Himalayas from the top of the Monkey Temple

Holy Man at the exit from the Monkey Temple

Thankga Tibet Buddhist painting on cotton depicting the levels of existence

And then back in Delhi - - -

Common street scene -

Typical means of delivery

Saturday Jeanette along with Carol and Michael Toone, the new office couple, took a walk around Old Delhi. As usual the experience was a sensory overload of colors, smells and the variety of human life and experience. The objective of walk was to see the remains of the city's havelies, traditional town houses or mansions. On the way we passed through the charcoal market.

Organized around a central courtyard, havelis are entered by beautiful wooden or metal doors surrounded by ornate stonework. Note the niches for lamps and the stone benches on either side of these doors.

Another beautiful haveli doorway.

The Haveli Haider Quli was built in 1916 and is part of a larger manion of the late Mughal period which belonged to Haider Quli Kahn, Commander of Artillery in the reign of Muhammad Shah.

The haveli is entered through the ornamented semi-circular arched gateway. Ganesha, the popular elephant-headed god of prosperity with the power of remove obstacles.

Through the door is a courtyard with rooms on three sides. This is the central living area

Women would have been relegated to the upper storey. Both Muslims and Hindus imposed strict purdah, the practice of screening women from men and strangers, in Old Delhi.

The walk ended in the Spice market where colors for Holi were being sold.

Ox cart delivery - Old Delhi

Saturday, March 16, 2019 in conjunction with our good friends the Cultural Active Delhiites (CAD) we sponsored the third annual celebration of traditional Indian culture - song and dance. The artists are well known and recognized throughout India for their outstanding talents.

CAD founders Alok Bhuwan and Anand Maheshwari with Jeanette and Grant

Shalini Ved

Musician, Anand M, CAD, Priya Gandhi, Rajeev, Shalini Ved, musicians, Sister Pandey, President Pandey (1st counselor Stake Presidency), Jeanette, Grant and musician