Practice non-violence to all living creatures. Strict or ultra vegetarians, Jains go so far as to abstain from eating potatoes, onions and garlic to avoid hurting killing tiny life forms; also, eating root vegetables involves uprooting and killing the entire plant. They certainly didn't abstain from making temples that are intricate and elaborately carved from floor to ceiling, inside and out. The one we visited in the quiet village of Ranakpur, had 1,444 columns, each one different from the other.
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| Nestled between the hills |
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| Kama Sutra temple |
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| Paisley ceiling |
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| No two alike |
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| Masked to prevent inhalation (and killing) of microbes |
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| Temple rules |
But in Bikaner, instead of carvings, we were able to see a magnificent Jain temple painted throughout. Underneath, they used 40,000 kg of
ghee (clarified butter) for the foundation! Apparently on hot summer days it still seeps through the marble floors.
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| Bear hug from a Jain priest |
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| On the floor with a Manhattan family of 6, also on a year long trip around the world |
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| Beginning evening puja with a blow from a conch shell |
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| Marc participating in puja |
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