Buddhist Shrine and Devipuram

On Wednesday we traveled to the countryside to see a 2,000 year old Buddhist shrine and also Devipuram, which I will explain later. I have to say I LOVED being in the countryside! I definitely feel at my best in that environment, compared to being in a crazy city full of people. It was so refreshing. The scenery was also very beautiful.

Walking up to the shrine:

A really pretty flower:

 From the shrine on top of the hill. My camera didn't do the best job of capturing the views.

Handsome Craig:

This is an interesting depiction of a goddess who apparently protects children, but also eats them(?) Several years ago people would throw stones at her and so they moved it up on top of the hill to hide it. Apparently they recently brought it down again because the resentment towards this goddess has died down. I don't understand any of it!

This is the entrance to Devipuram. Devipuram is the main site of a new cult within Hinduism. It's kind of hard to grasp, and Dr. N. and Krishnayya are interested in studying it to understand why people are so drawn to it. It is only 80 years old. From what I understand, it is based on worshiping the female and all the creative power she holds. It is attracting people from around the world and Dr. N. wants to know why. The night before we visited Devipuram we met a woman who is a strong devotee of the cult and witnessed the rituals performed in her home. It seemed like normal Hinduism to me, but apparently is very unique. 

One of the many shrines.

Apparently their shrines are considered to be very erotic to many Hindus, and here you can see why. Most Hindu statues are clothed, for one thing. This cult has unique depictions of their gods. The whole site of Devipuram is actually shaped in the form of a female body. 

This is the main temple. It resides in the uterus area of the site of Devipuram.

This is the founder of this cult. He is 80 years old. It was a special privilege to be able to meet him. On his left is the devotee I was talking about earlier. The American in the front came all the way from San Francisco to visit this site. Apparently this cult is attracting people from all over the world.

The main temple. There are several female statues surrounding it, none of them clothed, and some in very erotic positions. It was getting dark, so these pictures aren't very good.

Another American devotee who is performing the ritual and prayers before the fire. 

Overall there is still a lot I don't understand about Hinduism. It is one of the most complex religions in the world because everyone views it differently. Even from one end of the street to another, everyone on that block will have slightly different understandings of the gods and how they worship and the traditions they have. So it was very interesting to visit Devipuram!