India
The Ganges, the Kumbh Mela and Hindu temples, explained respectfully alongside Buddhism.
Start here · Essential guide
How the sacred Ganges is worshipped as the goddess Ganga in Hindu life, and how it appears in Buddhist texts as a landscape and a teaching image, without ranking either.
The Kumbh Mela is a Hindu festival, not a Buddhist one. Learn its origin story, its four sites, and what Xuanzang's account of a gathering at Prayag does and does not show.
Gangotri and Gaumukh, the Ganges headwaters, are Hindu pilgrimage sites, not Buddhist ones. A careful guide to their meaning and the serious altitude and trek cautions.
A cautious, practical guide to attending a Kumbh Mela as a respectful visitor: understanding the crowds, following official advice, and treating a Hindu festival with care.
Lakshmi Narasimha temples are Hindu Vaishnava shrines, not Buddhist ones. A respectful look at the deity, the story, regional temples and how visitors can behave.
The Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai is a Hindu shrine to Meenakshi and Sundareshvara. A respectful guide to its story, gopuram architecture and visitor etiquette.
How the Ganges appears in Buddhist texts: the sands of the Ganges image, the Buddha crossing the river, and similes of flow, and why it is not the birthplace of Buddhism.
Related topics