Varkala, Vishnu and Honey Ginger Lemon Tea

Pick a side.

Verbal learning of scriptures & motivated sacrifices, penance & charity can’t show you reality as it truly is. - The Bhagavad Gita.

Sweet, sweet red rocks and cliffs of Varkala. It was nice to get away from massive cities, having spent the first week in Chennai and Delhi, and settle in some epic tropical landscapes. Massive rolling red cliffs encasing a cozy beach in the sweet silent air is a pleasure that is rare, and jarring if you always trawl through cities. You can stand over the cliffs and just let the ocean scents simmer in your nose.

Rows of green nestled above the beach.

A supreme view is the default.

There are many pathways to the beach.

Whenever I go somewhere, I try to photograph the flora, as it sets the tone of the environment.

Lots of little flowers set the mood.

Closer to the cliffs the waves were tumultuous.

The gentless forms of life are thriving.

Varkala was made when Lord Brahma went to perform the ritual fire sacrifice and decided to choose Varkala as the place to enact the sacrifice. He became obsessed with the ritual and forgot his duties of creation, so Vishnu came down as an old man to visit Brahma. Brahma’s assistants tended to Vishnu and fed him, but his hunger could not be quelled. Vishnu’s perpetual hunger led him to Aabhojana, and Brhama realizing the old man was Vishnu, said to him that if he eats this meal the world will be swallowed by a final deluge. Vishnu promised not to indulge if Brahma went back to his role as creator. This duality between Brahma and Vishnu was observed by the lesser lords who laughed at the creators, and they responded with fury demanding repentance. In this repentance, they created Varkala.

The rocks were coloured by the fire sacrifice, the water was formed by Vishnu and the land was moulded by the lords as tribute to Vishnu and Brahma.

The cliffs of Varkala seperate two beaches.

The rocks are enormous and jet out of the ground in steep slopes.

Blood red rocks circle the environment.

It’s a bit of a hike to get to the other side.

Statues stand watch over the middle ground.

The town watering hole has beautiful trees draped over it.

2000 years later, a statue sits in front of the ancient temple holding Aabhojana in one hand, the sweet food inching closer to it’s mouth, representing the tenuous foundation of modern life.

I found it all quite poetic.

But, modern life in Varkala is very different. Tourists, T-Shirts and Holymen recreating the holy essence of Lord’s Brahma and Vishnu. Take a look, I’ll describe more with photo captions.

The son of a leather store owner. Very charismatic young guy, and he was a blast to talk to - but he sold me shitty leather sandals that broke.

This women had the most unbelievable clothing I’d ever seen up to this point in my life. She was very old, and was the matriarch of this store. I couldn’t help but wonder how the path of her life evolved for her to be selling t-shirts to tourists.

Her granddaughter lay nestled in the storefront, awaiting her life on Earth, unaware of the world she was born into and the ideas we’ve all come to believe.

This old man was very proud of his work. He charged a price, but insisted that the work was the most important to him.

He made me a few custom shirts, and they are unbelievable.

I’m sure Vishnu or Brahma didn’t see this coming.

On duty, but chilling waiting for people to go for a ride.

Personally, I feel as though my willingness to go with my emotions has emerged as one of my most potent sources of strength. But, it opens you up to a lot of vulnerabilities. In Varkala, just like much of India there are many vulnerable people - people who are poor and downtrodden by the wider scope of society. As we were walking to the temple grounds I was approached by a holyman to do Puja, which is a sort of ritual cleansing of bad omens. Everyone believes, in how they think it ought to be.

In India, many poor people congregate around temples: one of the more popular points of Hinduism calls for caring for people around temples. This particular temple was 2000 years old and pretty popular so there was quite a lot of people affected by all walks of life. It’s often a shock to see people living without access to things, which I view as so fundamental and accessible for modern life. It’s hard to see so many people suffering, so I did what I know how to do.

Old school temple description.

The man who led me through my Puja.

The process involves organic materials being cleansed and cast out into the ocean.

These two might not have had a lot, but they gave me a hell of a laugh.

A lot of people gathered around this building for shelter.

The harsh life conditions also affected doggies.

This couple was married and waved as I walked by.

I thought it would be cool to get a photograph and show them.

He particularly liked his portrait.

Although, you can’t change the world overnight. Our minds are so powerful, able to create a world much better than the one our eyes can see. These things can inspire you to be a more wholesome and better person in your day to day life, and maybe consider that there are greater things than self-fulfilment. Making others happy is often a great path to happiness as well. Small steps are the way to build staircases, and most importantly - decisions are made by those who show up.

That’s where the Honey Ginger Lemon Tea comes in. Over the next few days, we relaxed and enjoyed the vibes - with a beautiful start to each morning: Honey Ginger Lemon Tea. Tune in next time, for the epic Keralan backwaters.

Peace and Love
Sandro

If you’d like any prints from my India travels, contact me and I’ll make them for you at cost.

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