The Beauty and Need of India

Our trip continued to the temple city of Puri.  This is also a costal city.  We arrived at our hotel mid afternoon and could hear the beating of the waves down at the beach.  It was a beautiful sight.  When we walked down there we saw large waves breaking against the shore and enjoyed the beauty of the moment.  It was like an escape from all of the other things we had seen in the midst of our travels, but this too is India.

We relaxed by the shore and interacted with the vendors that were there to give us great deals on their products.  Unfortunately none of us had brought any money with us and so we told them the same, but indicated we would be back in the morning.  There was a tea man, however, and a man who was giving massages that both gave us great interest.  Soon we had agreed upon a deal with the tea man to cover the cost of our expenses until in the morning.  We all relaxed by the bay and watched the sun go down.

Interestingly it was only 6:30 p.m. and the moon was shining brightly on the water in the midst of the darkness.  To us it seemed to be much later.  Some stayed at the beach and others returned to our rooms to clean up before we had our evening meal.  We were going to leave at 8:00 p.m. for dinner.  We went to another hotel we knew and enjoyed a great meal.  It was after 10:00 p.m. when we left.

The next day our plan was to see the temples of Puri and to push on to Konark to see the sun temple.  You may see pictures of these places in my February 2008 post, “catching up with pictures.”  The next day was an auspicious holiday for the Hindus and there were many worshippers at the Temples in Puri.  There were bamboo fences set up to help with crowd control and keeping the people in a reasonable queue. 

We went to a place on the roof of the library where we can see all that is happening away from the press of the crowd.  It is just remarkable to see the devotion of these people to gods who I believe are false.  The activities that were being done to appease the god’s are as old as the recorded religious traditions of the world.  People are seeking something that will satisfy the need of their soul.

I believe this satisfaction is found only in Jesus Christ, God among us.  The one who came and paid the price for our sin so that we can place our faith in him and by grace receive the peace and satisfaction that we all crave.  If you do not know Jesus I encourage you to find a Christian Bible and start by reading the book of John.  In the pages of God’s Word you will meet the One who can bring true satisfaction and meet your need.