to see a world in a grain of sand

Kataragama: A sacred paradox

SRI LANKA | Thursday, 10 January 2013 | Views [256] | View Larger Image

After the offering, the fruits are consumed by the pilgrims, and the leftovers are trashed. You can surely imagine the number of offerings from the volume of garbage collected daily.

The pilgrimage would not be complete without offering a platter of fruits and flowers; shops aplenty offer ready-made platters for upwards of Rs. 1500 (12$), while bespoke platters with exotic fruits can cost Rs. 10,000 (80$) or more.

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And yet, just outside the temple, this destitute old man sleeps under a tree after begging all day to eke out a living.
It seems he has been forsaken, not only by the scores of pilgrims passing by who think nothing of spending millions on rich offerings, but also by the god next door in this most sacred of cities.

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to see a world in a grain of sand

Kataragama: A sacred paradox

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