Of Gods and graves....

After a long time I was strangely taken back down the spiritual memory lane when I saw the Birla temple in Kolkata today. The Radha Krishna temple at Ballygunge uncannily resembles North Indian temples for more reasons than one. Despite the hassle of not being able to enjoy with my friends, the place just left me speechless in terms of its maintenance, beauty and size. By far, I think it is one of the best temples in India . Though in terms of its size and popularity it is perhaps no match to any Tirupatti, Jagannath or Vaishno Devi yet when you climb up the stairs and encounter the vast marble area before your eyes with so many huge statues of Radha, Lord Krishna and Lord Ganesha around you are left wondering if you are in one of the most beautiful temples of India. What strikes one the most is the way they have staunchly maintained its cleanliness by refraining from allowing flowers and any kind of liquid product as offerings to the Gods. Whether you are religious or not this place is bound to make you feel blissful and at peace with yourself.

The third day of our Kolkata Kaleidoscope started with the feeling of such bliss when we entered our first destination of the day at Lower Circular Road Cemetery. After my fateful visit to the Park Street Cemetery last year, I was quite nervous and apprehensive about my trip to this cemetery. However , the well paved roads leading to the different sections of graves provided an instant relief to the assurance that there is no chance of slipping and falling here unlike the slippery mossy paths South Park Street Cemetery. What amazed us the most was the huge area replete with graves ranging from ones dated in early 19^th century to ones built last year, all placed side by side in pretty congested rows of uncountable graves. There are some holding three family members with elaborate arches and designs on the tombstones and the others which are cracked and broken in an eerie manner almost as if someone has tried to break in, plunder and loot a grave. Besides the well-known graves of Michael Madhusudan Dutta bearing the famous epitaph , Drinkwater Bethune and Deenabandhu Andrews ,there are the more recent graves which reflect the impartiality of a cemetery allowing even simple graves with a planted cross over holding lesser mortal with equal care and reverence. Some bear photographs of its long lost residents and some have beautiful lines inscribed over them but in the end you realize that Thomas Gray was not very wrong when he wrote,

‘’ The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power,
And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave,
Awaits alike th' inevitable hour:-
The paths of glory lead but to the grave.’’