Is This the Same Religion?

Okay, time for differences between the regions, dealing with Hinduism.

1. Havelis. Okay, generally speaking, a haveli is a type of house found in Gujarat and Rajasthan. However, here, havelis typically refer to a house of religion. BUT it's not a temple. Havelis do not have the typical shape and feel of a temple, and often times you don't even know that it is a temple unless someone takes you. Sometimes, only the next difference is the only sign of it's religiosity.

2. Flags. This is specific to Saurashtra, meaning that it isn't even found in Eastern Gujarat (Kuchch I don't know). All the houses of worship, at least the Hindu ones, have flags over them. So, mandirs (Hindu temples), derasars (Jain temples), akshardams (Swaminarayana temples), and havelis all have flags proudly flying overhead. I am so appreciative of this, because I often times would not be able to find a haveli without the flags.

3. Turtles. One of the very first things I did when I arrived to Gujarat was to go to a Shiva haveli for Shivratri. And the first thing I noticed as I approached the murti (statue) for darshan (viewing) was that, at the front feet of Nandi (the bull) was a flat-ish statue of a turtle, of course with a svastika (the original one, not the Nazi one) on it. People would touch it right after Nandi, thus showing it some reverance. Now, I know enough about Shiva to know that he is not associated with a turtle. So, what was up with this? My theory is that it has to do with the second avatar (incarnation) of lord Vishnu. He was a turtle, used as the base for a pole turned by gods and demons to churn up amrit (divine nectar) from the bottom of an ocean. I think this is the only turtle really mentioned in Hindu mythology. The funny thing is, I don't think most Gujarati Hindus know why the turtle is even there. So, if any of you readers know, please let me know.

4. Jalarama Bapa. Also found only in Saurashtra, not even in most of Kuchch (this I know). Jalarama Bapa is very much like a Guju and Saurashtran Jesus. He preached religion with a social purpose, performed miracles, and now has lots of people worshipping him. I don't think either historical figures ever wanted people to treat them as gods, and yet that's what has happened. Jalarama Bapa is EVERYWHERE in Saurashtra.

5. Krishna. No, Krishna is everywhere in India. But there is something here that I don't think any other religion has ever done. It's so weird to me, I just can't seem to understand it. Krishna is important...there's no doubt about that. His entire life (yes, even as a god, he had a lifespan) has been carefully documented, and at different points in his life, he did different things. Therefore, people don't simply worship Krishna here in Gujarat, but they worship a part of his life. Balakrishna (baby Krishna) is really popular, in which worshippers treat him like any baby, actually spending an entire day doing nothing but taking care of his murti. There are rituals for waking him up, giving him breakfast, putting him down for a nap, etc. I have never seen anything like it. Another very popular one is Srinathji, who is Krishna as a child. Worship of Srinathji is very popular in Southern Rajasthan and in Saurashtra, and has curiously skipped over Kuchch. There's even a worship for an adolescent Krishna, though I don't remember what he's called at this stage. Amazing. I really have never seen anything like this.