I went to a Mosque the other day. As we came to the entrance, shoes off, I picked up my shoes in my right and and sauntered up the stairs as if I knew all that was going on (of course being in my kashmiri suit, no one could tell that I'm a foreigner... they just think I'm a village girl as I don't wear any make-up!). All of the sudden my friend yells a whisper to me "left hand, left hand"... realizing my mistake I transfer my chupples from my right to my left hand (because of course we eat with our right hand... aah... too many things to remember). Now I've got it all right: I'm walking barefoot, chupples in my left hand, my dupatta is covering my head and I walk towards the main area following my friend but he stops short to tell me that I'm not allowed in this part. I can only walk around and look in. I'm not entirely understanding why but I respectively walk around and stand at a window along with the many other women who are chanting, praying, crying for their own personal reasons. Admittedly I said a small prayer of my own... the rest of the time I was trying to fill my soul with the beauty all around me. So many people and yet it was strangely peaceful.

The inside where the men pray was a shrine enclosed with dark wood carvings typical of Kashmir. Endless stacks of the Koran could be found in all corners. The floors were dressed in traditional wool carpets with a dark red-wine coloured background and a white and dark navy floral design. The smell of incense floated through the windows along wiht the individual chants and prayers of the men.

When I finished my round I was brought back to the main part. There stood a wide marble table with silver bowls piled on top. On the side were silver containers plentiful with blessed water. Rs10 and I got to have a bowl full of the holy water to drink and to put on my chest for my asthma problem. A handfull of figs and small sugar candy ended my first time in a Mosque.