Temples etc.Some of India's holy (and other) sites

A thorny subject. Though not religious myself (unless you count atheism as a religion, which it essentially is, a belief in the non-existence of God), I have nonetheless always been interested in the religions of others. And respectful. Hence the thorniness, in balancing my curiosity with due deference to people's religious sensibilities. Oftentimes, it was an easy battle, as many of the most sacred sites of India are out of bounds to the non-believer. This is especially true of India's mosques (I visited none, compared to the many I went to in Iran). Some of the more interesting sites were accessible for being no longer active. Then there were the ones which pricked my conscience, active temples which allowed the likes of me to intrude. I was always cautious, and if anything, the caution tended to win out against my curiosity. So there could have been more insightful stories here, if I had been willing to be a little more insensitive; but I wasn't, so there aren't, and I'm glad of it.

There is no lack of articles here, partly due to my own fascination and curiosity, though all the same I have added 'etc.' to the title, that I might include some miscellaneous places which are only semi-religious in nature or even wholly secular.

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  » The ghats: a microcosm of India

  » Evening worship

  » Lingaraj Mandir

  » Arjuna's Penance

  » The temple at Thanjavur

  » Sri Meenakshi Temple

  » Indragiri

  » Chandragiri