Ashram Inauguration

Hi all,

We just wanted to share with you an exciting event - the inauguration of the new 'Mukteshwar Matth' which we were privileged to attend and participate in as official photographers. (photos below)
'Mukteshwar Matth', which means 'Lord of Salvation Matth', functions as a spiritual centre and is similar to a monastery. It has now officially been opened by our old language teacher - Swami Muktanand ji - who is one of the founders of the Ashram and is now residing there as a spiritual teacher.

Though the inauguration started at 4 am with an anointing service for Swami ji as the Acharya, or head of the Ashram, the main event started at 4 in the afternoon.
About 200 people showed up (far more than expected) and there was a lively worship time, singing bhajans (traditional devotional songs) and with a short teaching by Swami Dayanand Bharati (one of our School of Hindu Studies teachers) who came to Varanasi especially for this event. After the teaching food was served but half way through eating, the electricity shut off (which happens every day here in Varanasi, but the Ashram has no back up system (generator or batteries) so we lit candles.

Anyway, they say a picture speaks a thousand words so here are the pictures:

Kids playing in the alley way outside the Ashram

A view of the singing from an Archway

The Aangan - every old house is built around a central opening which allows air flow and heat to rise from the house

Prayer

Dana and her friend Shuchita

Lights out

To see our previous post on the Ashram, click here.

Dev Diwali Pictures

On the river on the night of Dev Deepavali

Lighting the Lamp - May the whole world be filled with the light of love in every heart.

Lighting lamps in a patern of a Swastika - a symbol of good fortune and well-being (not at all associated with Nazism)






Sunday November 5th was the festival Dev Deepavali which in Varanasi is the most beautiful night to be on the ghats (the steps on the banks of the river)
The ghats are the focus of this holy city, especially this night, because thousands of people light lamps and place them in rows all along the river.

Ten of us rented a small boat together and spent two hours on the river along with hundreds of others. It wasn't the most fantastic Dev Deepavali I've seen- two years ago, there were more lights out - but it was very cool anyway.
Above you can see some of the pictures we took along the way. One of them a picture of a friend lighting one light from another which we later floated on the river - each one with a prayer for the city and it's people.