Jains
of Khajuraho
in
the state of Madhya Pradesh, North India
The
following
sequence tells a story. The photos were
taken at a
Jain temple complex located about one kilometer
from the more
famous (and more impressive) Hindu temple
complex of
Khajuraho. While Dr. Laughlin and his wife Randy
were there,
they encountered a group of five sisters, who
were more
than happy to be photographed with Randy.
(Our guide
was perplexed why Randy found this infinitely
more engaging
than the temples, much less
his rehearsed
description of them.)
As it
turned
out, the girls were waiting for the appearance of
a Dighambara
Jain monk. The monks of that conservative
school of
Jainism emulate their ascetic founder, Mahavira
(pictured),
by renouncing clothes. This monk appeared
suddenly,
moved quickly from one temple building to
another, then
joined the girls in a circle for a lesson.
The whole
incident,
while quite natural and normal for
them, was
a serendipitous gift for the Western visitors!
(
Because Dighabara monks are nudists -- on
religious
grounds -- the following sequence contains
male frontal
nudity. If you find that offensive, do not
scroll down
past the first five images.)
TThis is
Mahavira
(Nataputta Vardhamana),
the 6th
century
BCE founder of Jainism.
As a strict
ascetic, which is one who not only does not
make
concessions
to the flesh, but actually may punish
it through
any number of physical disciplines, Mahavira
eschewed
clothing.
His strictest followers, the Dighambaras,
require their
monks to "follow the leader" in this regard.
(Notice the
devotion being paid to him by the little girl.)
The one frame
is blurred because he was moving very
quickly indeed.
The result
is a seemingly incongruous gathering like this:
Namaste!
