Galta: Where the Beauty Arises

You will hear all the theories about India, about its charm, its contradictions, its people, its food…At the end of your trip you will have your own and personal theory, one that will be so far, but at the same time so close to all the things you heard about the country.
Octavio Paz, Nobel Prize in Literature, wrote a book about its perceptions, reflections and objections about the country; “Vislumbres de la India” was the original name that can be translated as “Glimpses of India”. Besides the content of the book, the name couldn’t be more accurate because India is a place where you see and perceive, in the most unexpected manners, glimpses of beauty, happiness, magnificence and spirituality.
In India, the chaos, noise and dust is overwhelming in every sense, but between all that noise, chaos and dust sometimes you can see a glimpse of beauty. The most common example would be the magnificent temples and mausoleums, but the gem that I found wasn’t of that kind of splendor –very visual, obvious, clear or conclusive.
It’s not coincidence that the gem that I found, Galta, is located in Rajasthan, home of the sons of the sun, and just ten kilometers from its capital, Jaipur city, famous for its precious stones.
The road that leads to Galta, commonly known as the Monkey Temple because of its large population of monkeys that dwell shamelessly around the site, it’s signaled by two rows of colorful fabrics covered by seeds that feed the animals and people who ask for some rupees for offer them to the temple.
The complex that encompasses fresh water springs that feeds seven holly tanks or ‘kunds’ is situated on a hill, so each tank is staggered in a way that one leads to the other. As you pass by, brown skins and hazel eyes shine with the relentless sunlight reflected on the holly waters, and there’s a display of bright colored saris, which contrast with the earthy and vanished colors of the ancient temple.
After passing the kunds, the stone road begins again with a sharp slope guarded by the monkeys. Suddenly, without much notice, more than the tiredness of your legs, you get to the top, to the Sun Temple. Its quiet, surprisingly calm, notably clean. It’s not magnificent, it’s humble, and there you can see Jaipur city at your feet.
Going down, the sun is also coming down covering with a reddish light all the things that cross its path: the water, the eyes, the clothes, the skins. And you realize that in Galta the beauty born every day with the sunlight.