Rant 47: Dharma Dharam Dharamsthala

A few weekends ago, we visited a place called Dharamsthala.
It's about 70 Kms east of Mangalore, or a 2 hour bumpy bus ride away, through some lovely ghats and overlooking some beautiful scenery.
However, pointless statues were not the only worthwhile sight at this place. The temple complex also boasts a beautiful antique museum, which has everything from old guns to old cameras...yes even an ancient Nikon!! Plus, there's even a car museum here...Buicks, limos, etc...even the old Gangsta, Al Capone era getaway type car. Sadly, we weren't allowed to take pictures at these two museums, though I did try to capture a bit of video at the car museum which came out really crappy
still, as always, enjoy the pics that I was able to take

en route all smiles?...maybe not...(L to R) Melllissa, Vinod and Yashpal

The gateway to Dharamsthala

The temple and the hostel


Devotees...

...of all shapes and (hair) sizes...


not to mention, of all idiosyncracies....anybody say The Wailing Gate???

large structures, one useful...the other... simply self-aggrandizing

I learned in my high-school Biology classes that one of the defining characteristics of being a "Living" being, was Response to Stimuli...I guess my teacher forgot to mention it was the same for Exploitation as well
Boy I hope that woman gets her money's worth of blessings, otherwise religion would just be an exploiter...

Ohhh wait...