Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Love story about India & me ♥

I´m back from India for two weeks now and I just keep wondering, what was it in India that I just love so much? India is the most controversial place I´ve ever been and still so energetically balanced. Arranged weddings on the one hand and so spiritual and beautiful traditions on the other. But maybe that´s why love really lives in India. It lives there, in the Indian traditions, in the Indian people, in the poor street life. I´ve thought why the hippies love India so much? Beaches are not so beautiful there, it is dirty, the traffic is loco. The only rule is-, that there are no rules. But, there is one very special thing in India,- your mind is free there. It is mystical! Yes, your heart has to be open to feel it. But, if you feel it once, you are addicted to it. And I just love the stories behind the traditions.

-My first love: henna (mehndi). There certainly is a secret and fascinating history to henna. Much more than just the hand adornment, henna has an extensive and splendid history. It was used by Cleopatra to seduce Mark Anthony, it has been used to treat infections and headache, the Egyptians used it to protect their skin from the sun. In the North and Western parts of India, the desert areas where the henna plant grows, henna is a very important part of the wedding ritual and ceremony. As the story goes, the deeper the colour obtained on the skin, the longer the love between the couple will last.  Hence, the belief that a proper henna application is tantamount to a prayer to the gods for everlasting love and a successful marriage. There is something deeply satisfying for an Indian bride to have her hands and feet painted on the day before her wedding with beautiful intricate henna designs. She is revered by the wedding party and henna is used as means of idealize her. She is not allowed to do any work before or after her wedding until all the stains have disappeared.

My second love: bindi. Bindi is a visually fascinating body decoration. Hindus attach great importance to this ornamental mark on the forehead between the two eyebrows - a spot considered a major nerve point in the human body since ancient times. In Southern India, girls choose to wear bindi, while in other parts of India it is the prerogative of the married woman. A red dot on the forehead is an auspicious sign of marriage and guarantees the social status and sanctity of the institution of marriage. The area between the eyebrows, the sixth chakra known as the 'agna' meaning 'command', is the seat of concealed wisdom. It is the centre point where all experience is gathered in total concentration. According to the tantric cult, when the latent energy rises from the base of the spine towards the head during meditation, this 'agna' is the probable outlet for this potent energy. The red dot between the eyebrows is said to retain energy in the human body and control the various levels of concentration. It is also the central point of the base of the creation itself — symbolizing auspiciousness and good fortune.

These pictures were captured in Taj Mahal. The magnificent monument which stands at the heart of India has a story that has been melting the hearts of millions of listeners since the time Taj has been visible. A story that ended back in 1631, continues to live on in the form of the Taj and is considered a living example of eternal love.  An English poet, Sir Edwin Arnold best describes it as "Not a piece of architecture, as other buildings are, but the proud passion of an emperor's love through in living stones. But to find out more, you have to go to India ;)

 Love lives in you, just set your mind free :) and if you give everything to the world, you get it back twice as good. Thank you so much Hedit for patiently capturing some of these pictures.  My DNA is Scandinavian and the attitude bohemian, so Don´t mind my English please :D.

























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