Lunar cycles

It was a rare night in New York that I looked up and noticed the moon, its brilliance usually surpassed by streetlights or obscured by skyscrapers. Occasionally, I would find its gossamer glow adorning my dorm room when I came home late from a party. In those moments I would feel a close warmth (not just from the whiskey), knowing that untold generations of humans had gazed upon and enjoyed the same spectacle.

I am lucky to have come to a place where the moon's phases are as important as the work week. When I arrived, Ramadan was just beginning and lasted until the new moon at the start of October. That day also marked the beginning of Nauratri, which ended in Deshera nine days later. The subsequent full moon (two days ago) held a ceremony in which a watermelon was left outside all night and consumed in the morning. And the approaching new moon means Diwali.

Festivals

Today is Mahatma Gandhi's birthday, a national holiday. Furthermore, the end of Ramadan was delayed by a day because clouds obscured the moon, so it is Eid as well. We are also in the middle of Nauratri, 'nine nights' dedicated to Durga. So it's quite a festive time.

Deshnok, the temple of rats

Last Sunday (before tricking out my bike) I awoke early to head to Deshnok, the famous rat temple of Karni Mata. This goddess (a manifestation of Durga) has been the patron of Bikaner ever since its founder Bika secured her blessing, and the number of times she has saved the city from certain destruction and drought are countless in the region's lore. I was content with some simple sight-seeing.

We arrived around 7:30AM (after a highly gratifying ride along new roads where I could exceed 30mph!) in time to see most of the rats bedding down for the day. Aside from the mandatory bare feet and layers of rat shit, the temple was quite beautiful, with different rooms and adornments added since the first (innermost) simple shrine. We glimpsed a white rat, a symbol of good luck. It is believed that the souls of local villagers are reincarnated only as humans and rats. This is why the pests are tolerated and so lovingly cared for; indeed, stepping on one can only be repaid by the erection of a silver rat statue.

Now we're in the middle of a nine day festival in honour of Durga, and to kick it off every Hindu in Bikaner made the 30km walk to Deshnok over Monday night. We took a jeep with 300kg of bananas to distribute as prasad, enjoying the sights of the pilgrimmage along the way. Among impromtu dance parties outside tuk-tuks sporting massive speakers, parades of Hindu nationalists chanting slogans, and the sheer spectacle of 400,000 people in motion it was a memorable night.

Getting down in the desert: