The temples and ceremonies of Vrindavan are spectacular – beautifully ornate, lit up, and resonating an energy of majesty and divinity. Walking through the main streets of Vrindavan, one them all around, pilgrims dressed in traditional clothing roaming the city. The atmosphere triggers the feeling of a world festival. Entering temples, one feels their sanctuary.

Vrindavan is known as the holy city of the Hindu lord Krishna, who is beloved and celebrated in many temples and homes in this city and throughout India. Here the main greeting is “rather radhe”(pronounced like “radi radi”) in honor of Krishna. He is usually depicted in blue skin, playing a flute, with his wife Radha to his left side. Radha is one of the most revered goddesses in the Hindu religion.

As we enter the Radha Raman temple complex, we take off our shoes. Pushing and shoving in line with hundreds of visitors, I get shouldered by three aggressive women aiming to shove ahead of the group of tourists, while we all had been waiting in line for quite a bit of time to go inside.

Entering inside the temple, we are given prayers to read out loud, honoring Krishna. Every time we step on a lotus flower drawn on the ground, we say the prayer once. There are 180 lotus flowers around the temple… I look over my shoulder and see the temple guards approaching to check for proper chanting at every flower, aka the religious police. Then they walk over to my friend urging her to move faster through the flowers, as our group is now holding up the entire line of hundreds of visitors. He throws an ear to make sure he hears the right words being muttered.

After saying the prayer about 100 times (shamefully below the required 180 times), I can share that it is “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna/ Krisha Krisha Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hara aRama/ Rama Rama Hare Hare.”

As we approach the center of the temple complex, I feel the beatings of the drums and tambourines run up through my bare feet on the ground. Excitement grows  as we get closer to the music, with crowds of people funneling in through the black and white marble checkered floor and columns in the midst of the chanting, signing, and hands thrown up to the sky. While clearly tourists and outsiders  at this point, we feel welcome and enjoy the celebration, music, and dance.  On a personal level, the temple visits are some of my favorite memories from this trip.

Religion has a central role in India, creating a strong sense of community. Generally, everyone is welcome to view and participate in the public celebration. People see that we are foreigners and offer free explanations to share their religion with us, such as by showing us puja in their Hindu temples.

A part of daily life and culture in India, religion even dictates personal laws determining practices like marriage. The purpose of Yoga, practiced daily, is also to serve the spirit. Spirituality is more integrated into the lives of Indians than it in western nations. Puja in Hinduism is one of the most beautiful ceremonies performed in front of an altar, and varies depending on where it is done (usually in private homes). The smell of incense and altar decorations create a peaceful atmosphere.

Religion in India is extremely diverse. While Hinduism is the official religion, comprising 80% of the population, it adapts to other faith. For instance, one finds Christmas decorations everywhere in the mall and airports.

There exist tensions between Islam and Hinduism, which have been known to sometimes turn violent. The ancient Vedic tradition of the Indus Valley civilizations and the Muslim invasions centuries after, ie. the Mughal Empire, meshed to combine the existing diversity and unease. In more modern history, this split resulted in the eventual separation of Pakistan and India, and contributes to current military tensions between the two.

Additionally, the minority religions of Sikhism and Jainism have their own impact on Indian society. Not to mention that India was once a cradle of Buddhism. Different dress sometimes gives clues as to which religion one follows. It is fascinating to see a colorful array of religions existing side by side, although not free from tension. Religious tolerance is relatively high in India and something that Indians are proud of, again with some exceptions.

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The Lotus temple of the Baha’i faith,took the national symbol that unifies Indians, the lotus flower, and constructed it into a major architectural feat. Walking into this house of worship, I hear temple volunteers and children sing as the worship ceremony wraps up at dusk. At this point all visitors have left and the temple has been closed to the public for the day. Outside in the cool air of the night, the majestic lotus rests lit up in white open petals.