Today was basically a museum touring and shopping day.  We first stopped by the National Museum, packed with exhibits ranging over 5000 years;then the Crafts Museum, which displayed rural arts and crafts from villages of India.  In both museums, there were many depictions of Lord Krishna, Shiva and Shakti.  (Many others, but I remember these Hindu deities).

Lord Krishna (I’ll see his birthplace tomorrow in Mathura) was predominate in Southern India around the 7th-9th centuries.  He is mostly depicted in artwork as “blue”….he was considered a god-child, prankster, lover, hero, and supreme being.  (Pretty much everything).

Shiva (the destroyer) is said to be the founder of yoga.  He represents supreme consciousness whereas Shakti is his counterpart and represents energy (cosmic force in all beings).  Basically, the belief is you can’t have one without the other….

My guide was so knowledgeable, so, of course, the day was “information overload”!  I did end the day with the purchase of a sarees (not the one I wanted, but I got a cheaper version)….they are works of art! 

Tomorrow I travel to Agra for the highlight of my visit to the Delhi region…….

Until then, Namaste!

Oh yes – I got to see the wild monkeys roaming the city today!  How bizarre – a pack of monkeys just roaming around….