Began the day visiting monastic caves carved into a hillside by Jain priests over 2000 years ago. The sun was intense despite the fact that we arrived at around 10am. We took every opportunity find respite in the shade.
Next we visited a real Bhubaneswar gem – the Museum of Tribal Art & Artifacts. Orissa is home to 13 officially designated “Primitive Tribal Groups”. I was shocked to read in the museum’s brochure that these peoples make up 22% of the state’s population. Exhibits are arranged by theme (jewelry, textiles, musical instruments, hunting, agriculture, household objects, etc) and include examples from each tribe. These tribes must be an anthropologists’ delight. In one tribe, men and women dress exactly alike even down to hairstyle. The only way to tell gender apart is by number of nose rings (women wear three; men two). In another it has become taboo for women to wear any clothes above the waist. Instead they cover their bodies with layers and layers of beaded and silver necklaces. In another, a shaman paints a beautiful protective or curative painting in white on the interior wall of the home. These paintings are so famous that facsimiles are depicted on the tribal museum’s exterior walls. I could go on and on. We were interested in buying books to tell us more about the indigenous tribes and so went to another building (the “Library and Research Center”) which was the most antiquated place I think I’ve ever seen. It was filled with stacks of paper to the ceiling and boxes of manuscripts I suppose, all yellowing and covered with dust. Four men assisted in filling out the receipt for my small purchase, in triplicate, with lots of “official” rubber stamping. It reminded me of getting a liquor permit in Gujarat.
After lunch we drove 30km to town of Cuttack, which until 50 years ago was the former capital of Orissa. It is situated between two important rivers. Because of its age and its confined footprint Cuttack has a much different feeling than the more modern sprawling town of Bhubaneswar. Its narrow winding streets and brightly colored (albeit decaying) buildings were charming. We wandered through various markets, looking in shops, some selling silver filigree and gold jewelryh, others selling brass objects, others selling food of every conceivable kind. I love seeing the barbershops, tailors with one old painted sewing machine, and the pharmacies. In other places like fabric shops the salesman sits on the floor on a cushion behind a small boxlike table. The visitor takes off their shoes before entering.
As we walked we quizzed our guide about the deities depicted everywhere, from shop banners to statues in shrines recessed in small alcoves along the streets. Hinduism has a pantheon of thousands of gods, but the most important are Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the protector) and Shiva (the destroyer). Where it gets really complicated is that each deity has been reincarnated many many times and each time has a new name. For example Krishna is also Vishnu, but in a different reincarnation. Shiva in various incarnations has about 10 names. We are here in India during the time of a Kali festival. Kali is another form of Parvati, the wife of Shiva. (Keep in mind that Dhurga, who we heard much about in Bali, is also another form of Parvati, but a different mode.) We are learning how to identify each deity. For example Shiva is always depicted holding a trident; Vishnu a wheel; Laxmi a lotus. Ganesh, second son of Shiva, is easy since he has the body of a man but the head of an elephant.
Then almost an hour-long drive back to Bhubaneswar in thick traffic and red hazy smog. The sun is already beginning to set at 4pm these days. It seemed as if every vehicle in Bhubaneswar was on the highway at 5pm, each on a mission to get to where it was going and by any means necessary. Indian driving is exactly as everyone had described to me: no rules, everyone going whether they like, all vehicles honking incessantly. We especially liked signage on the front of local buses that use brightly colored flashing bulbs (think slot machine in Vegas).
