Everyday spirituality in India

India is, as everyone says, a place where everyday spirituality is apparent. We were there for a special yearly Hindu celebration for Shiva while we were in Jaipur. We visited two temples with our guide and came out blessed with flowers. Later we visited the renowned Jain temple at Ranakpur where we were all blessed by a Jain priest. On our way to that temple, we happened upon a big celebration and opening for a new rural temple honoring Hanuman, the Monkey God. We were welcomed as people arrived in colorful dress and with camels and oxen fully garbed and painted. They danced and prayed. Later, in Udaipur, we visited a temple where all were singing late into the night. Of course, we also visited several Muslim sites - Taj Mahal in Agra and the Red Fort in Delhi.

Perhaps our most unexpected visit was a stop along the road between Jodhpur and Udaipur to see the "motorcycle temple" where a rider had died in a motorcycle accident years before and his motorcycle made its way back to the scene of the accident several times on its own. The machine now has its own temple and devotees.