Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 7.22
Varanasi, India.
Hindus per-
form morning rituals in the
Ganges River at one of Hinduism's
most sacred places, the city of
Varanasi, known as the city of Lord
Shiva.
© Alexander B. Murphy.
Field Note
“In the summer of 2007, the newer, Hi-Tec city area of Hyder-
abad, India was under construction. Migrant workers built
new roads, new apartment houses, and new offi ce buildings
throughout the city. Beautiful homes refl ected the wealth
accrued among many of the city's newly wealthy. In front of
the new homes, I could see Hinduism in the cultural land-
scape, as many owners built temples for their favorite Hindu
god. In the oldest parts of the city, I visited Golconda Fort,
built more than 1500 years ago. On the day I was there, the
Hindu women of the city were participating in the Bonalu
Festival as an act of honoring Mother Goddess. The women
climbed nearly 400 steps to the top of the fort, carrying with
them offerings of food. At the top, I was welcomed into the
temple. I took off my shoes and took part in a festival that
began in the mid-1800s, when the Hindu women began the
festival to ward off the anger of the gods, as the city stood
under the siege of the bubonic plague.”
Figure 7.23
Hyderabad, India.
© Erin H. Fouberg.
