Mumbai and Lonavla, Maharashta, India

The pictures on this page are from our 2013 pass through Mumbai and Lonavla. You can scroll through all pictures or click on an icon on the top to go to its full image and then click on Back to top to return. [Last updated: 9 Nov 13]

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Mumbai

We arrived in Mumbai 10 October and stayed for three days recovering from a 32-hour, three-flight trip from Los Angeles that moved the clock ahead 11.5 hours. We had been there several times before so spent time relaxingly visiting known places. Because of that there were few new pictures to take.

Gate of India in Kolaba section of Mumbai, the ceremonial entry to the country in colonial times. This is where we entered the city in 2004. (12 Oct 2013)
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Ferry boats at the Gate of India.
These boats stand at the Gate of India ready to ferry passangers to various points around the Bay of India. We road one of them from Nava Sheva Port when we arrived from Europe on a container ship in 2004. Then we walked from boat to boat through four boats to get to the quai. (11 Oct 2013)
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A Banyon tree on a Mumbai side street in Colaba. The hanging things are auxiliary roots. The tree drops them as a way to assure that it gets nutrients. (11 Oct 2013)
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One of many parrots outside our window in Mumbai. (10 Oct 2013)
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The god Kali.
The god Kali in the Taj in the Taj Hotel in Mumbai. (12 Oct 2013)
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Flowers in the Taj Hotel. (12 Oct 2013)
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Kaivalyadhama Yoga Health Center, Lonavla, Maharashta

We arrived at Kaivalyadhama Yoga Health Center in Lonavla 13 October and began what will ultimately be two months of Naturopathy, Yoga, and Ayurveda Panchacarma treatments in addition to a lot of relaxing and reading. At the time of this reading we have finished Panchacarma and a lot of Naturopathy and are feeling a lot better. This is our third time at Kaivalyadhama.

Entrance to the Yoga Health center in Kaivalyadhama, our home for two months. (27 Oct 2013)
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This three-headed cobra is the symbol for Kaivalyadham. It comes somewhere from mythology. Someday I will look that up and add the story here. (22 Oct 2013)
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Our room in the health center. It's a bit smaller than our home in Santa Fe but it is a quite comfortable. (7 Nov 2013)
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We posed outside the health center office for this picture after a week of Naturopathy and two weeks of Panchacarma. We were feeling better than when we arrived. (2 Nov 2013)
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A Kaivalyadhama flower. (22 Oct 2013)
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A Kaivalyadhama palm leaf. (27 Oct 2013)
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Our yoga hall is all decked out for a high-end pranayama (breathing) class.
One of our yoga halls is all decked out for a high-end pranayama (breathing) class. (3 Nov 2013)
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Lalu, in one of his favorite positions, sleeps in the middle of the road. (27 Oct 2013)
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Rannie sits regally on the porch in front of the office.
Rani sits regally on the porch in front of the office. These two dogs have the run of the place and sleep pretty much wherever they choose. (2 Nov 2013)
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A knife sharpener.
One day walking back from a treatment, I happened on a man sharpening a bunch of knives on this bicycle, his occupation. (22 Oct 2013)
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Painting after the rainy season, this guy was swinging on the side of the building. At the end of each monsoon after so much rain, they have to scrape off the mildew and repaint. Notice the top of the rope and then look at the next picture. (29 Oct 2013)
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Human counterbalance.
A human counterbalance sits on the end of a latter to hold up the painter. He lets out rope as the painter moves down the side of the wall. At the bottom of the wall the painter climbs the stairs back to the top, they move the latter, and he begins a new strip down the wall. OSHA is not in India.(29 Oct 2013)
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Shree Narayani Dham Temple, Lonavla, Maharashta

We visited Shree Narayani Dham Temple around the corner from Kaivalyadhama on Diwali, the festival of lights, 3 November. The temple is a huge place made mostly of white marble. The gods, Ganesha, Narayani, and Hanuman bedecked in thousands of jewels and sit glittering in floodlights on the back of a raised white marble platform covered with a white roof. It was wonderful sitting on chairs along the perimeter enjoying the breeze on a hot day while watching hundreds of holiday tourists come and go to give homage to their gods.

We spent a few hours in the morning and then came back late in the afternoon with some friends and watched the evening prayer service. Music played loudly, priest waved fire pots and feathers, bells rang, colored lights flooded the gods, people moved around, Diwali fireworks banged and boomed outside. After the ceremony we ate dinner at their dining hall, visited the cows again, and walked home. It was close to a sensory overload and a marvelous experience. These pictures attest to the splendor of the place.

Cows along the road to the Temple. They are not aggressive. (3 Nov 2013)
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Fred, Petra, Florence, and Annie make their way to the Shree Narayani Dham Temple. The temple is just short of the Beverely Hills Hotel. (3 Nov 2013)
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Fountains in the courtyard entrance to the temple. The temple steps are beyond.(3 Nov 2013)
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The temple hotel. (3 Nov 2013)
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The Shree Narayani Dham Temple. (3 Nov 2013)
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The temple interior and gods. (3 Nov 2013)
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Temple looking towards side and entrance. (3 Nov 2013)
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Ganesha sits on the left front. (3 Nov 2013)
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Narani sits in the middle.
Narayani sits in the middle. (3 Nov 2013)
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Hanuman sits to the right front. (3 Nov 2013)
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Detail of the temple interior. (3 Nov 2013)
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Cows are holy in India. They are treated very specially. They are never eaten. This is the temple cow barn. (3 Nov 2013)
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