Irreverent, informed and downright eclectic books and reportage from South Asia and beyond
This is a travel story from some years back about a visit to a rather peculiar temple. So take a ride to the Temple of the Possessed…. Ashok was a great driver.
We are on our way to Balaji Mandir, a temple dedicated to the mighty monkey king Hanuman, who rescued Sita, Ram’s wife, [...]
The Wild Holy Men Of India, Caught Between Past and Present
Boom Boom Baba
Boom Boom Baba sits on a stone platform above the Benares ghats, the steps where millions of Hindu pilgrims come to bathe every year.
“I am Naga, I am very dangerous. But I will pray for you and make a good puja.”
Boom Boom Baba [...]
The plains of West Bengal stretch into a milky horizon. In May, much of the rice has just planted and the midday sun’s glare is reflected in the shallow paddies. Here and there, small clusters of mud and straw huts form tiny hamlets in an ocean of green. The Kanrup Express takes more than 30 [...]
There are many Kali temples in the Kathmandu Valley but only one, demands daily sacrifices - Dakhshin Kali. And on Saturdays, the blood runs faster, deeper and longer than on any other day.
The first rays of the sun break through the pine trees that cover the steep slope that seems to drop right down to [...]