Kedarnath, Shiva’s Disappearing Act

The priest led us through the temple doors into the jammed room of chanting voices and clanking bells. Shoulder to shoulder we inched our way through the throng to the large rock that protruded from the stone floor, the remnant of Shiva’s hump after diving into the earth in the disguise of a bull. Circling the rock we each took turns pouring liquid on the stone…then stopping, we kneeled and the priest had us press our foreheads to the wet rock.  He dabbed dampened rice onto our foreheads and then exited into the cold air. I stood confused and dazed trying to comprehend what had just occurred. Kedarnath, India