What I was listening to while creating this:
Mosul | Bass Boosted Arabic/Turkish Trap | Mix (2017)
My brother and I were on a high after walking 6km around Trivandrum city streets in the boiling heat. It was the first time I attempted to wear jeans and sandals outside in India – and the last. My feet were blistering and it felt like my jeans had melted into my skin. I don’t know how they do it! But the walk itself inspired us to go on a second adventure after lunch. I’d googled places surrounding Trivandrum before I arrived in India and the Beemapally Mosque stood out being pink and all. We looked it up and it was an estimated 7km walk from where we were staying and close to the beach. Still on that endorphin high (and probably delirious from the sun), we fuelled up, changed and set out on our voyage – from city to ocean.
Walking from Trivandrum City to Beemapalley Mosque
Luckily we had a tracker on the phone because there were a few moments we had no idea where we were. It wasn’t a straight forward walk. We trekked through backstreets and crossed busy highways, and there wasn’t much visible signage directing us to the beach. We were on high alert the entire time finding our way to the Mosque. There’s a lot to take in. But the best thing about walking is the details you notice that you might not see in the car.
The path led us to a dead end where the bridge was under construction. Two men were labouring away and were joyful to see us. Waving us around, we had a quick chat before they directed us to the other side. It looked like a sewage area and there was no visible path but we trusted their direction and eventually we lined up with the dot on our map.
We came out to a street where the vibe was very different to the city. This is purely my assumption but I feel we entered deep suburbia where it was uncommon for tourists to walk this street. People laughed at us as we walked by. It wasn’t in a bad way, it was more of a surprised look and laugh. Maybe it was unusual for two westerners to be waltzing down these back streets. That’s the vibe I got. They waved to us and yelled hello from the paddocks, where we passed by massive cows chilling on the path side. People were washing clothes on the streets. A few held out their hands begging. And this lady was holding a baby with what seemed like black makeup on it’s eyes, mouth and eyebrows – like a face drawn on. It was a little frightening I will admit and I’m not sure what the significance is. If anyone knows, please comment below!
We could see the pink mosque off in the distance. As I stopped to put my camera away, two young school girls came over and stood right next to me watching my every move. “Hello, how are you?” they said. “Good, and how are you?” I responded. They laughed and continued to stare. I asked them a few questions but they looked at me confused. I realised their English was limited and chuckled with them as we acknowledged our language barrier. As I continued to put my camera away they stood there staring and cutely laughing at my every move. I felt like a specimen from another planet. It was pretty funny.
Tranced by the Muslim Call to Prayer echoeing through the streets
As we approached the mosque, the call to prayer was echoing from the speakers in the streets. It was the most surreal experience I’ve had while travelling. The world around me slowed down and all the senses within my body responded. Even as motorbikes sped by, the air was taken over by this trance like sound. It was incredible and very pressing on my emotions.
One of things I love about India is the music played on massive speakers throughout the streets for different religions and festivals. It feels like you’re in a movie as you pass by and it adds an almost euphoric feeling to the experience. I also admired how people attend their places of worship to pray in the middle of the day. One guy we met shut down his entire shop to pray. It’s a different lifestyle than we are used too in Australia, that’s for sure.
One of two entrances
Entrance to the mens only prayer room
My brother and I arrived at Beemapalley and felt out of place at first. We didn’t realise it was a very active mosque and I wasn’t sure if it was a place for tourists. People were intensely staring as we walked around. We asked if we were allowed to take photos. They were more than ok with us taking photos and told us people from all faiths come to visit. After this, I relaxed.
The mosque is enclosed in a very large area. Inside the main part of the mosque, people were praying and sleeping on the floor. If you go inside, you need to take off your shoes. Off to the side, there was a room with only men praying. I’ve done some research and I think this room is off limits to women, so keep that in mind if you visit. At the front of the mosque people were sitting in circles chilling on a large sandy area. Surrounding the mosque there are market stalls. Goats roam freely around and chickens with ropes around their necks were tied to poles like little pets. Quite a few beggers came up to us including young girls who weren’t beggars. We later saw their parents telling them off for asking us for money. Cheeky kids. I learnt the word “Neh” which means no. Beggers can be persistent but if you are firm they generally leave you alone.
About the Mosque
Beemapalley mosque is open to all faiths and people from all walks of life. The tomb of Beema Beevi is the main attraction of the mosque, a woman with miraculous powers believed to belong to the Prophet Mohammed’s family. I didn’t know this until after I left and found it fascinating.
While there is no written rule about wearing covered clothing, in the temples and places of worship, it is respectful to wear covered clothes. The Hindu temples were strict with this and here at Beemapalley, we felt it was the respectful thing to do. You’ll find the women walking around are covered. If you wear a tshirt like I was, put a scarf in your bag so you can cover your shoulders or chest. I forgot mine and my brother loaned me his manly scarf to tie around my neck. We both laughed at how gangsta it looked with my aviators. But it did the trick!
Fashion and dressing respectfully
When it comes to other countries and religions, it’s nice to take part in how they approach their culture dresswise. It opened my mind to viewing fashion and body image from a different angle. In Australia we don’t think about clothing in such a conversative way unless it’s at work. We’re pretty casual in that regard. I don’t wear revealing clothes anyways for my own reasons. But it was nice to join in and take away ideas from the way they dress – both religiously and culturally.
Now, I am going to interject here because I am not fully qualified to talk about other religions and their dress atire. I do know first hand to some degree what it feels like for women to be controlled and forced to wear certain clothes due to my upbringing in church. There are expectations in different cultures and religions that can be oppressive to women. My observation was simply on the way women carry themselves and the different ways they express themselves in the clothing that aligns with their culture and beliefs. I admired that even within the context of fully covering the body, the layers, contrasting colours and designs spoke volumes of their creative minds and spirits.
And then there’s me looking like a man
Sunsetting at the mosque
After spending time at the mosque, we headed towards the beach which is only a street away. We met a huge family due to the fact that their houses were two steps away from the beach. Literally – front yard is their beach! After a long day out, it was time to catch a tuk tuk and head back for dinner.
But the Beemapalley adventures continue..Oh do they ever!
Beemapally at Night; Festival Lights
I wanted to visit the mosque at night as we saw them setting up lights. I planned to come back and visit at night. The next day after lunch I felt incredibly ill. Buffet food doesn’t sit right with me if it’s not heated properly – just a word of warning. I never got sick once with the street food and restaurants, and I think it’s because it’s super hot and cooked fresh. Also, I’m vegetarian, so there’s less risk of getting sick. Anyways, I had to lie down in the afternoon. But I was determined to see the mosque at night as I didn’t want to miss the chance. I mustered up the strength and said my prayers in the hopes that my stomach pains would go away. While we were in the tuk-tuk, I felt my stomach ache ease off a little and I am so glad I went. Our tuk tuk driver was incredibly patient. He drove us from our accommodation, waited while we took photos and took us back to Trivandrum city.
The back of his head deserved a feature – kindest tuk tuk driver ever!
Can I just say – wow? The creativity and life of this place blows me away. What a beautiful representation of God – our almighty creator. Colourful and filled with life. I really enjoyed taking and creating these images. It was my first time taking photos at night with my DSLR and landscape lens. I was like a kid in a candy store. Literally. I must’ve had a smile ear to ear. I’m so excited to do more shoots at night!
Festival preparation outside a Hindu Temple in Trivandrum city
After the excitement of Beemapalley, we were dropped in the city by our amazing tuk tuk driver to check out the night life. Wondering the streets at night is a must do (even though I’m a nanna most nights). The ambience and life of the city doesn’t slow down in the evening. It’s chaotic and buzzing. Different buildings are covered in colourful lights similar to the mosque. We passed by a hindu temple where a few men were preparing for the festivals. The scent of the flowers was suttle and beautiful. There were signs saying no photography so I snapped it with my mind.
And the adventures of Beemapally and night life came to a sad end.
Final thoughts
It will come as no surprise to you that I highly recommend this place if you love places of worship, architectural design and colour. As a colour junkie and lover of God, the experience was very unique and special to me. The mixture of sight, smell, sound and senses that go beyond the physical were entirely engaged. While I walked around the mosque I felt the whisper of direction in my heart – where I’m heading in life. Although I grapple with it at times because it’s way out of my comfort zone, when I accept the call in my spirit – I feel like this mosque. Lit up.
Wow this place is incredible! That colour is my favourite!! It’s interesting to think of fashion in other countries and cultures and how it affects you when you go there. Not so much for religious reasons but definitely for style reasons, I find that the types of fashion and trends in certain places do affect how I dress when I’m there. I pack accordingly so I will blend as much as possible. I.e. In NYC i constantly got mistaken for a local, in Italy people often thought I was Italian (when they heard my greeting in Italian and started rapid firing the language at me lol), In Tokyo I didn’t seem to have the word “tourist” stamped across me. It definitely helps to take it into account. Great post!
I really enjoyed the photos! I occasionally go into Middle Eastern markets here in Florida and when I do I’ll throw on something to cover them up just out of respect for their culture.
Great images you captured for your post. I love the idea of a pink mosque and the use of different colors. Where I’m from things just blend all together lol. The street activity looks really inviting!!