My original post was published here in Jan. 2008
Margaret Deefholt's colorfully related piece is an
excellent read and the accompanying video is
a perfect testament to this rare and unusual sight that
takes place in Sivapur, - about an hour's drive from
my old hometown of Pune.
Above image and a great article seen at:
http://www.aulia-e-hind.com/dargah/Pune.htm
Say, are you mystified by mystical occurences and psychic
phenomena like I am ? The weird experiment mentioned
below is one that I can personally vouch for, having taken
part in it, in fact it takes place on a regular basis !
If you are making plans to visit India I highly recommend
making the trip to take part in something that can only
be described as truly extraordinary. Something that falls
'off the beaten path' of Tourist agendas.
This link from an article by John Decker at Keelynet.com
entitled 'Gestalts and the Production of Anomalous
Phenomena' mentions the Sufi shrine I visited during the
Seventies in Shivapur, near Poona, India :
'It is named after Sufi holy man Qamar Ali. In the courtyard,
visitors to the temple are asked to assist in a demonstration
of Qamar Ali's divine presence. The experiment involves two
large boulders in the courtyard, one slightly larger than the
other. When eleven people stood around the largest boulder*
and lightly touched it with a single forefinger (as I understand
it, either hand could be used), they were instructed by a
disciple of the temple, to chant in unison, the phrase,
'Qamar Ali Dervish' in a kind of sing-song style. After a
couple of minutes of this chanting, the stone would rise up
off the ground. If the chanting stopped or just one person
removed their finger from the stone, it would instantly fall
to the ground. The smaller boulder could also be lifted in
similar fashion, yet it only required the participation of
nine people. On our recent trip to Egypt, I SO wanted to
go to India to witness this phenomenon and do it for myself,
making a videotape and taking measurements where
possible, however, the cost was beyond my budget.
Again, we have the combined willpower of a group of
people, expecting a specific goal to occur.'
Related story here
*138 lbs.!
it, either hand could be used), they were instructed by a
disciple of the temple, to chant in unison, the phrase,
'Qamar Ali Dervish' in a kind of sing-song style. After a
couple of minutes of this chanting, the stone would rise up
off the ground. If the chanting stopped or just one person
removed their finger from the stone, it would instantly fall
to the ground. The smaller boulder could also be lifted in
similar fashion, yet it only required the participation of
nine people. On our recent trip to Egypt, I SO wanted to
go to India to witness this phenomenon and do it for myself,
making a videotape and taking measurements where
possible, however, the cost was beyond my budget.
Again, we have the combined willpower of a group of
people, expecting a specific goal to occur.'
Related story here
*138 lbs.!
Thank You Fred
ReplyDeleteFor sharing this I have yet to visit this Holy Shrine..
Thanks for visiting and commenting, Firoze. You will like this baffling experience, but I don't know how tourist-y the place is nowadays.
ReplyDeleteDhanyavaad Fred...i always appreciate those links and info youve been posting in facebook...i will visit India someday...this one really mystified me.
ReplyDeleteNice of you to stop by and comment, Sylvia ! I am glad you have such a fascination with India just like so many others around the world. If you do go, let me know so I can give you some advance helpful contacts and ideas like this post.
ReplyDeleteNice of you to stop by and comment, Sylvia ! I am glad you have such a fascination with India just like so many others around the world. If you do go, let me know so I can give you some advance helpful contacts and ideas like this post.
ReplyDelete