Saturday, July 20, 2013

Crossing to the Pagoda.

The Global Vipassana Pagoda is a Meditation Hall near Gorai, in the northwestern part of Mumbai. It is built on donated land on a peninsula between Gorai Creek and the Arabian Sea. 

The pagoda is to serve as a monument of peace and harmony. The Global Vipassana Pagoda has been built out of a sense of  gratitude to the Buddha, his teaching and the community of monks practicing his teaching. Its traditional Burmese design is an expression of gratitude towards the country of Myanmar for preserving the practice of Vipassana. The shape of the pagoda is a copy of the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar. It was built combining ancient Indian and modern technology to enable it to last for a thousand years

I went last Sunday to visit this Global Pagoda on Mumbai's western coast line. A bus ride to Gorai creek and then rushing on to the ferry that took us across the creek en route to the Pagoda. Once off the ferry, there are two roads one can take. One takes you to the Esselworld  Entertainment Park , and the other takes you to the Pagoda. 

Fifteen years ago, I might have taken the first road.  This time , I took the second.

This is a place  of holy pilgrimage ....

This is the first of a two-part post......




The route to reach the ferry.


 Fishermen's boats  all tied up across the creek.




 The Pagoda from a distance.


Another boat tied up in solitary splendour at the shallow end.

 



Fishermen go fishing in these kind of small boats



 Folks crowded on to the  ferry takes the general public to the other end of the creek.



 An approaching boat coming from the pagoda side, on a return trip.




Rushing  to the Mainland


 Clicked from the boat's bow (front side).





 A beautiful caterpillar also seeking something golden


 A statue of Buddha at the entrance of the Pagoda.



 The path to enlightenment (which leads to the Pagoda).

Stay tuned for part II.....

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