The tour part 2 - the goat

After we finished at Mother Theresa house the next schedule was for the largest Temple in kolkata,  which based on the temples we had seen in Thailand seemed a good idea.

We arrived at a very busy area, and the car dropped us off.  There must have been thousands of people,  the noise was just amazing and the sides of the streets are lined with hundreds of stalls all selling every Manor of religious goods. People are shouting,  children and dogs are running around,  beggars are showing their disabled limbs and asking for money,  it's hundreds of different events taking place in the space of seconds.

We are taken through alley ways,  where every single space is occupied by small businesses, some people rolling small pastries and sweets,  others threading flowers to be given to the gods.  Money is changing hands constantly and i seem to be the centre of attention being the only tall white person in the area.

We are ushered into a small side room where we are asked to remove our shoes,  now at this point I cannot look at Heather as I know she will be glaring at me,  as I said I was sure we wouldn't be walking across dirty floors. ..

And if course out of the little room back into the dirtiest walkway you can imagine following the line of shops.

Eventually we come through the corridors of people and shops into the start of the Temple and it is heaving.  There must be 1000 plus people moving around us,  and the Constant noise is unrelenting.

The floor we are walking on is very dirty and streaked with different colours.  Heather said' is that blood?  No said me..'

We passed some lovely little black goats and heather lent down to pat their heads,  they were really cute.  Suddenly without warning the man holding them leans across and cuts their throats - they were there for a sacrifice. OMG - then Heather looks down and realises that the red marks that she had been walking on are in fact dried blood.  Ooh boy am I in trouble now.  I think it's called 'managing expectations'

Then they cut them up and cook them for the Pilgrims and feed over 1200 a day. It seems that over 50 goats are sacrificed a day.

Then we queue to go through to get blessed and the priest blesses us and puts a finger  of red paint on our forehead.  Great.

Then just when we thought it was over we went through part two and were blessed again and to ensure our wishes were granted we parted with cash to give to the gods.  How much?  Well they suggested £40 but we settled on £20, even the priests like to negotiate it seems.

Finally we leave the Temple and get back to our shoes, and the guide holds out his hand for his tip,  looks like another trip to the ATM...

Traumatic and unexpected is the best way to describe that visit,  but it's everyday life I guess to all the thousands of Pilgrims that are there.

Anyway....