13 things to do while visiting ancient ruins

March 1-5, 2009
Aurangabad, Ellora, & Ajanta, Maharashtra

I’ve been visiting a lot of gorgeous, ancient pieces of stone lately, and decided to compile a list of things to do while visiting ruins.

1. Imagine what you would look like carved in stone.
2. Listen in on other people’s guided tours (look casually in another direction).
3. Pretend you’re not dehumanizing the vendors by completely ignoring their existence. Ignore their existence (or be followed, it’s a personal choice).
4. Accept requests to be in photographs with women, small children, and families. If, in the process, a woman hands you her baby / baby sister, take the child, coo, pose, and return. Politely decline requests to be in photos with young men, especially those trying to take your photo with a camera phone while you’re not looking.
5. Experiment with ways to use a scarf / dupatta / handkerchief / spare map to keep the sun out of your eyes. Alternatively, experiment with the speed with which your eyes can adjust to sudden darkness by counting the seconds before you can pick out details on the back wall of the cave/palace/temple.
6. Design your ideal lunch menu. Adjust for local options. Procure, consume, enjoy.
7. Process all those situations in which you never quite figured out what happened / what she meant / where he went / why you reacted that way. Process whether the person(s) in question really need to know your new analysis of the situation.
8. Re-create the life story of the worker who created a particular detail (the mason who carved that cornerstone, the artist who designed that frieze, the ancient chaiwallah who brought the workers refreshment), and imagine what they were thinking about when they painted/carved/etc. the detail in question.
9. Take artsy photos involving late afternoon light, and let yourself believe that a hundred thousand tourists haven’t taken exactly the same shots.
10. Imagine how a future archeologist would interpret the patterns and meaning of your life based on different objects that might be preserved. Repeat for your city, country, and/or civilization.
11. Have your hair braided by the female attendants guarding the ruins. Nod curtly but politely at the male attendants. If you are being followed by any overly eager tour guide style attendants, explain that you need peace to enjoy the beautiful objects that they guard, and back away quickly.
12. Learn, preferably from visiting monks, how to honor/pay your respects/genuflect to and circumambulate the deities/prophets/kings depicted.
13. Enjoy the art (or what’s left of it – and recreate the rest in your mind’s eye)!

Please see the (forthcoming) photos albums for actual descriptions of the stunning Ellora and Ajanta caves, and to hear the tale of the family adventures we took there…