Author: Stephen Alter
Publisher: Penguin
Year: 2001
Language: English
Pages: 356
ISBN/UPC (if available): 0143028014
Description
This is an account of a journey taken in India. The destination is the origin of the Ganga, the holiest and most famous of Indian rivers. It is a physical journey, involving months of trekking through forested valleys and snow covered mountains.
A spiritual journey up India's most sacred river. This is an account of a journey taken in India. The destination is the origin of the Ganga, the holiest and most famous of Indian rivers. It is a physical journey, involving months of trekking through forested valleys and snow covered mountains. It is also a journey of the spirit, taking a man deep into the heart and soul of an ancient religion.
Stephen Alter, who was born in the Himalayan foothills, crosses many miles and several millennia, to search for the essence of Hindu culture. Traveling from one holy spot too another—meeting grounds for pilgrims, remote towns and forgotten temples—he explores tales from the epics, the intimate connection between natural history and mystical experience, and the sacred wisdom that animates the religious legacy of India.
As every pilgrim learns, a spiritual search involves travel, but ultimately returns to the inner self. 'Sacred Water' is a richly told, compelling narrative of a whole civilization, and of a man's interior journey.
Contents
Acknowledgements
Map
Sravan
CHAPTER I : INQUIRY(Rishikesh - Yamnotri)
Footpaths and Motor Roads
Exile in the Forest
The Sons of Sagar
Lake of the Gods
Yamuna Devi
CHAPTER II: EXPERIENCE (Yamnotri-Gangotri)
December
Lost Trails
Winter Solstice
Fire and Ice
CHAPTER III: REFLECTION (Gangotri-Kedarnath)
The Cow's Mouth
The Shape of a Stone
The Goddess and the Buffalo
Pathway to Paradise
CHAPTER IV : TRANSCENDENCE (Kedarnath-Badrinath)
Vehicles of the Gods
Shiv’s Navel
Chipko
The Realm of Vishnu
Soliloquy
Afterword
Bibliography
Glossary