Lotus Group’s Spiritual Trip to India!

There were 8 of us from the Lotus Healing Seva Group Kenya … Raj, Dee, Lata, Nalina, Bubbles, Mamta, Anuradha and myself ! We were joined by Sandy from Nairobi, Raziya from Mumbai and Gita from London for our holy trip to India from September 30th to October 9th 2013.

We started our ‘Yatra’ in Amritsar with the beautiful, beautiful Golden Temple. What an awesome site it was! The queuing up to reach the Gur Granth Sahib was full of anticipatory excitement, which was heightened by the sounds of the shabads from the loudspeakers and being chanted by the people waiting in the queue! Besides the temple there was so much more to see in the Temple grounds ….. The tree where Guru Ramdasji meditated and brought forth the waters of the lake in front of the temple which gives Amritsar its name (Amrit = nectar, sar = lake or pond). The lake’s purity even today was evidenced by the colourful goldfish swimming in it! There was also the miracle bathing waters, a dip in which will cure all diseases …. We walked around the whole complex, touched the walls and the floors in reverence, and meditated as we breathed deeply the holy air of the place.

Day 2 we visited the Jallian Wala Bagh, the scene of the tragic massacre of thousands on April 14^th 1913. Innocent Indians, Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims had gathered for Vaisakhi, the Sikh New Year when they were gunned down by the then general Dyer. Their sin? Not allowed to meet in public in groups of more than 3, something which no one was aware of. 100 years later, one can still see the bullet holes in the walls, and the air is still heavy with fear and sadness especially around the martyrs well where many tried to escape and died. We sat down in the grounds and sent healing to all the souls and to the whole place too.

Day 3 we went to the Wago Border post between India and Pakistan. The soldiers looked so tall and strong and their headgear was spectacular! The loudspeakers blaring out one Indian patriotic song after another charged the place with patriotic fervor, which was infectious! It was not long before we were all shouting out at the top of our lungs: ‘Vande Mataram!’ and ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai!’ And standing at the border fence with the Indian soil beneath our feet made us feel even more connected to our India roots.

Our next stop was Dalhousie, A hill station 6400 ft high in the foothills of the Himalayas. It was cold, cold, cold, but at the same time, breathtakingly beautiful. The views were fantastic on the journey and in Dalhousie itself. We literally felt we were in the clouds! The town had a charm of its own, but there was not a single flat street. Each street was either going up or going down! We visited a Mata temple and saw the 80 foot high Shiv Bhagwan Murti on the mountainside! Next we went to a 12^th century Khajjiar Nagdevta (Shiv bhagwan) temple and a place called ‘Little Switzerland’ which resembled the valleys in Switzerland with cattle grazing on the grass.

Then it was on to Dharamshala, a lovely little town tucked away in the hills. The one overpowering feeling one experiences immediately in Dharamshala is that of calm and peace, due, I believe, to the presence of the Dalai Lama and to the chants and prayers of the Tibetan Llamas and nuns who have made it their home in exile. We visited the Kala Chakra Temple, and the other Tibetan temples, where we sat down to meditate and take in the vibrations of love and Peace. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take out pictures in these places. The other places of interest and of spiritual value were the Bhagsur Shiv Temple also from the 12^th century and the magic waters and the Panch Mukhi Shiv Bhagwan outside it and the waterfall nearby.

I have written in brief. It would take many many more words to describe the wonderful sights, feelings and experiences of this yatra and to do justice to its spiritual content. Suffice it to say that it was food for our soul. Each of us came back spiritually, mentally and emotionally enriched, and we are already planning our next trip!

My gratitude to Raj who planned and arranged the whole trip perfectly! Do read her version of the trip.

 I hope you enjoy the pictures and video clips that follow! If you do not find pictures of some of the things I have mentioned it is because cameras weren’t allowed. If you find too many pictures of one place or scene, it is because we went a little crazy …. :)) !.

Kamal Tolia

Our Amazing Trip! 

It all started by me saying I want to go to Amritsar to say thanks for all going well this year.

“Kamal said I want to go to Amritsar, never been there, sure I will take you !”I said

Well,  it so turned out to be an eleven group trip!

Kamal in excitiment rings telling me my husband says we should go to Dharamshala which is only as far as going from here to Nakuru! 

Out came the google map and it so happened that Dharamashala was about 10 hours from Amritsar. So we decided to go there with a few nights stop over on the way. Make my  trip sent me four options and we choose the one that said spiritual and great sight seeing. 

We all agreed to it so set off this great trip arriving in Amritsar on the 30th September.Having an experience with the flights!(always carry your credit card that you do the flight bookings with!) 

Amritsar the golden temple, the temple built in the middle of the “Sarovar” water with four doors indicating that people from all walks of the world are welcome. In every corner they have prayers going on and a history of each written In English Punjabi and Hindi. 

The next day on the 1st October we got to the temple at 4am. and at that time I had the most spiritual experience when meditating at the tree of healing.I felt I know why I was there and what is my mission in life. I just saw a vision of myself helping old people of various nationalities.

It gave me the greatest happiness. I felt at peace. 

After that day the whole trip was a gift, the next day just shopping and then  Wednesday 2nd we that is Sandy, Bubble and myself wanted to do the 84 stairs of the life cylce. It is said that if at every step you  recite the Japji Sahib and then dip in the well  you rid yourself of rebirth. Well we did not have the time to do the whole JapjiSahib but did the first five chapters which took us from 10a.m. to 5p.m,. without going to the loo, without food or water. Had it not been for Sandy I would have given up half way, at the end I wanted to cry, the feeling of having completed this was a gift. Again while coming back I was in bliss and just in the moment! 

The next day was on route to Dalhousie, and great news our visa for Australia had come through! Now the bigger picture was coming clearer, the creator has plans for me to do some work with the old folks in Australia.The drive to Dalhousie was mind blowing and stopped for lunch and tea. 

Hotel was not as exciting as we thought it would be but the next morning the view was just out of this world, the meditation in the morning made me feel yes we are blessed to be here at this time, what blessings to be able to be in a place which was so beautiful and so close to the creator.

Sight seeing in Delhousie was great and the next morning meditaion of I AM was breathtaking and again to be able to touch the mountains and meditate with them was a bonus. Above the clouds felt like we were in a place that was home away from home, no family, no worries, no responsibilites, just in the I AM MOMENT. 

The next three days the place known as McCloud gunj, the temples, small streets and the people all had the look of happiness.  They had little if you look at financial growth but had abundance of spiritual wealth. Opened their little shops daily and were so happy with what they received. Maybe it is us who have so much think we are happier than them! The meditaion at the temples was just from another world, it felt as though I had no clue where I was and was again living in the moment! 

Then the last three days were spent sight seeing in Mumbai and meeting up with our Mumbai LHSG for lunch. After lunch I was thinking how fortunate we are that we are able to do so much sewa here and so easily meet every week for our meetings. The distance makes the Mumbai group work independently but they are trying and doing sewa in their own way. 

Coming back I have definately felt a shift in me and it has reinforced sewa and living more and more in gratitude. 

I will not for a moment  forget the spiritual growth this trip has brought in me and more so the closeness it has created with the members of the LHSG family. 

love,light and laughter

Raj

photo gallery AMRITSAR PHOTOS   DALHOUSIE PHOTOS: DHARAMSHALA PHOTOS: Mamta’s India Trip video 1

Mamtas India Trip video 2

Dee’s india trip video

Lata’s video