These caves are shrines to different Indian Gods. People (young, old, physically challenged, everybody!) walk up the never-ending steps to reach a huge cave system that has statues of cows and gods. Many people bring cow’s milk in ornate containers to serve as a gift to the gods. Cows are sacred to many Indian people. A lot of Indians cut out meat entirely from their diet and become vegetarians. I heard people say that they don’t eat dirty (meaning they don’t eat meat.) Or some will say that they eat clean which means the same thing. We saw people with white dots smudged onto their foreheads. Our cab driver, Khana, explained that the white powder is partly made from cow dung (poop) and is very sacred. Some babies had it rubbed all over their heads.
We were probably the only white people from quite a distance and many people stopped to say hi or hello and take pictures with the boys. Maddux’s blonde hair and Lennon’s curls are unusual here. Someone even took a picture with Jesse and he wasn’t even a soccer fan. I was transfixed on the monkeys and Emerson wanted to leave the cave because the smell was pretty gnarly.
marschmadness 