99 Palms: Horn OK Please (14 page)

Mystery of the Secret Temple under the Ganges:

“Right. Here it is. You see, I’ve studied water samples from all across Ganga over the past few years. Right from stretch of the river from the Himalayan Valleys in India, it flows right down to Bangladesh. What I found was startling! I found that the purest water sample is found near Sarnath. If I draw a straight line into the Ganges with the Dhamek Stupa at the other end, that is the point I’m talking about” said Wei, her eyes growing wide with excitement.

“Wow! That sounds interesting, so what would it mean?” asked Goose as he leaned toward Wei, visibly excited.

“Well, for starters it would mean that since we now know that the ridge that exists at Dhamek Stupa, it is the ridge that is causing the creation of the mysterious ‘X factor’ in the Ganges. It also means that the Stargates exist underwater!” said Wei, shaking her head vigorously as her face glowed.

“Well, I agree on that bit where you say that the ridge at Dhamek Stupa could be the secret behind the creation of this mysterious “X factor’ in the Ganges that makes the water pure. Or maybe not! Keep that aside for the time being, but what makes you say that the ridge exists underground?” said Derek, trying to make sure that we had all loose ends closed out.

“Well, it is said that a hidden temple, a Stupa, exists under the waters of Ganges. It may just be a legend. Though just a legend, many locals and holy men claim to have seen the
harmika,
the top of a Stupa under water during low tide when the water recedes. I have not seen this myself, but this is a legend that’s as old as Emperor Ashoka today. Ever wonder if it could be the secret society of Nine Unknown who have applied this science? Maybe the underwater temple could be the source of it all! The ridge point!” said Wei, clapping her hands like a child, filled with glee.

“That does seem to make a lot of sense. So you mean to say that there would be a secret passage from somewhere at Dhamek Stupa that could lead us to the underground Stupa? Could the Nine Unknown have built this underground Stupa exactly where the ridge exists? The four gateways to Shambala?” I asked unable to contain my excitement.

“Well, it could be, Chief. I see no other way. I don’t suppose that you should expect the Dhamek Stupa to be the ridge. Rather you should search for a secret passage at the Dhamek Stupa that would lead you underground. This underground passage should lead you the Stupa where the ridge lies. Again, this is just my guess. But I’m so excited!” said Wei, rubbing her hands together with glee unable to contain her excitement.

“True, it seems logical. Dhamek Stupa is too obvious a place for a secret society like the Nine Unknown to walk in and walk out. It’s sure not our regular subway or a toll gate on a highway, so we need to find a secret passage” said Goose, rubbing his chin, playing with his two-day stubble.

“This part is clear, Wei, thank you, we now know what to look for in Dhamek Stupa. You earlier mentioned about a special suit with Ganga water, Wei, what was that about?” Derek quizzed as he seemed to be taking no chances that would make us lose out on Paradise.

“Oh! Shit! I forgot. Glad you reminded me. See, if the ridge is underground and once you reach the Stupa, obviously you’d need some cooling gear to journey down to the center of the earth since you’re not used to it. Nobody knows but the journey might require some special clothing for mere mortals and so I have this theory” said Wei in a soft voice as we all huddled together closer at the steps of
Deasashvamedha Ghat,
oblivious of the people around us.

“Pray, tell us what it could be, sweetheart?” said Goose, smiling at her innocence.

“The Nine Unknown evolved and went to Shambala. They have this secret society on earth that comprises of humans. Some of these human members must be travelling to Shambala and back, time and again. So maybe, just maybe, since the ridge exists here, they may have invented some kind of an advanced device that is constantly creating the mysterious ‘X factor’ and pumping it into the Ganges! Maybe, that’s how they protect the human members of Nine Unknown when they journey down to the center of the earth, to Shambala and back! Maybe they wear loose robes that have a lining of Holy water from Ganga?” Wei tried to guess.

“You mean to say that this could be an application of one of their sciences and we may need to have suits designed that would hold small pouches of water from Ganges, something like a lined wetsuit? The kind of shit we wear for Scuba? But why?” I asked, unable to fathom the logic behind her theory.

“Look, Chief, I’m sure the Nine Unknown won’t just leave a door open to Shambala, no matter how well hidden it may be. They would surely want the vandals and greedy to burn up and turn to ashes if they ever chose to come to Shambala to steal their gold. You’re no different. Do this one for me, please? Come back with the Philosopher’s stone and do your bit for charity? Please?” pleaded Wei. She seemed genuine enough for us to comply.

“You mean you want nothing in the bargain for what you shared with us right now?” exclaimed Hound in surprise.

“Just wear the suits and do your bit to charity. Let me know if you find a device down there that could be the source of the mysterious ‘X factor’, get me a photo of it, that’s all”, said Wei, as she got up, picked up her bag.

“I know a friend and colleague in Varanasi who could help you with it. She’s an expert. She’s an expert Marine Biologist who knows a lot about all the 8 fields a science that the Nine Unknown seem to have books written about. She’ll help you prepare for the journey once you are able to find the way to the underwater Stupa near Dhamek. Her name is Lind Besua. She’ll be here in Varanasi once I’m gone”, said Wei and hugged Derek as we all got up to leave.

“You mean you’re leaving this place now? We just came in!” said Derek, dusting off the dirt from his butt as we walked through the crowded marketplace.

“Yes, Derek, I’m leaving for Japan tonight, not sure when I’ll be back. I wish you success! If you’re back from Shambala safe, do call me and let me know all about it. You’ll help me crack this mysterious “X factor” thing so we can replicate this all around the world and save lives. Be respectful of the holy river, please, she’s a Goddess beyond pure science!” pleaded Wei.

“Well, can we at least do coffee before you leave, Wei?” asked Derek, his desperation clearly showing on his face.

“Sorry, Derek, no time now, come to Japan, we shall. I suggest you stay off coffee till your adventure is over. Stay focused. Once you have all the riches, you can buy your own harem…err…chain of coffee shops”, said Wei as she gave Derek a knowing glance.

We watched Wei walk through the crowded marketplace as we stood there, watching her. She knew Varanasi and she knew her job. She respected India much more than many Indians did. It was time for us to go too as we decided to leave for Dhamek Stupa as Goose hailed an auto-rickshaw.

Onward Dhamek Stupa:

We rested for a bit in our resort as each one of us seemed to be lost in our own thoughts. Hound was playing with his treasure – the broken piece of clay, still trying to figure out what it could be while Goose was flipping through the palm leaf scriptures of 99 Palms, hoping to find some clues. Derek was reading a book about Emperor Ashoka as I flipped through my notes about the Nine Unknown and Shambala. The good part was that we had a couple of weeks till Buddha Purnima when the rift would create a tear between two dimensions. Now all that remained was to find a way to the fabled underwater Stupa from Dhamek Stupa.

We left for Dhamek late afternoon and reached Sarnath in no time. The massive Dhamek Stupa stood majestically between the well-maintained lawns of the heritage site. Built during the reign of Emperor Ashoka, the spot marks the deer park where Lord Buddha is said to have given his first sermon to his five disciples and taught them the path to attaining salvation. This great Stupa has been enlarged on six occasions but the top of the Stupa remains unfinished.

Towering at a height of 43.6 meters, this is still the tallest structure in the sleepy town of Sarnath. It has a broad base of 28 meters and looks like a big cylinder, a rocket about to take off. It is said that the basement of this structure was left untouched since Emperor Ashoka’s time. They seemed to have been hell bent on making it more and more bigger. So this was the Ridge point.

As we neared the Stupa, we could see figures of humans and birds on the structure. There were many inscriptions on the structure, same as in the ancient scriptures of 99 Palms, in Brāhmī script. Though there were five Stupas in Sarnath, this one is said to be of the most important and oldest one of all. We knew why. It’s been around for over 2500 years.

Exploring Dhamek Stupa:

As we went about surveying the site, which would be our home for the next few days, it was evident that many archeologists had come to this place. There was a deer park around the lush gardens. There were ruins of partially excavated monasteries that were dotted with small, votive stupas, the ones which are dedicated to some holy person.

“Dude, do you see that? Look at those small votive Stupas? There are close to a dozen of them all around the excavation site of the monastery! All these small Stupas are placed like pawns of chess on a massive chessboard and at a lower level than ground”, exclaimed Goose as he went berserk with his camera. He had been entitled with the task of taking pictures of every possible nook, corner and crevice around the Dhamek Stupa for us to study later.

“Keep clicking, Goose, Take as many pictures of the elevations of the Dhamek Stupa along with the excavated ruins of the monastery. These votive Stupas, each one of them, make sure you capture it all” barked Hound as we headed to a farther point to get a compete view of the site.

The Dhamek Stupa looked like a massive rocket, solid and closed on all sides spreading over a diameter of 28 meters. If there were to be a structure underneath it, it would well be hidden from the public eye for this would serve as a classic diversion. Though the Stupa itself is a landmark very close to the Ganges river, it was well out of bounds for most people who would come to Varanasi for a dip in the holy waters.

Sitting on the lawns at a distance, we went about analyzing the site.

“Dude, if there is to be a structure underneath the Dhamek Stupa, the opening has to be from somewhere here. I’m sure it is here somewhere, a secret path of a hidden hatch. Look for everything that looks loose, recently used, resembles a switch or a door. Any clue. Let’s come back in the morning tomorrow and study every brick and structure”, I said, obviously overwhelmed by the sheer size of the Dhamek Stupa and the surrounding areas.

“Well, don’t we get any help from anyone who’s studied the place? Don’t we have anyone like Geri who’s been there, done that?” said Goose, pulling out a few blades of grass as we watched the tourists getting ready to leave. It was nearly closing time and the security guards were blowing the whistle.

“No, we don’t. The best we can do is get ourselves a good tourist guide like the one we had in Kalinga and get to know the place better tomorrow. We should know about every monument around the place. We just have two more weeks to Buddha Purnima”, said Hound, knowing fully well that we were now on our own.

“The best we can do is to see how much help we can get from Dr. Lind Besua. I’ sure she is a jack of all trades. So we do have some help. But it certainly seems that no one knows about the secret entrance from the Dhamek Stupa”, I said as I rolled over and rested on my stomach, trying to take the sheer beauty of it all.

“Chief, what are we looking for? What are we supposed to look around for? Just hatches and doors?” said Derek, as he stared at the Stupa. Clearly, we felt intimidated.

“We’ve got to look around the place for anything that is out of the ordinary. Let’s assume that there is a secret cave or a tunnel under the place where we’re sitting right now, looking at the Stupa. We must try to find a doorway to this underground tunnel that could possibly lead us to the underground Stupa where the Ridge is supposed to exist. The exact coordinates if you note, falls right on and not just the Dhamek Stupa, but also on the monastery ruins and votive Stupas”, I said, based on what I’d gathered from my internet surfing in the afternoon when I was going through my notes.

As we got up and headed out back to the resort, I was awestruck by the sheer beauty of massive structure that stood before us. Even more intriguing was the depression that seemed to exist in the excavation site of the monastery where lay a dozen votive Stupas in what seemed to look like a gigantic pond. Brilliant researchers have come to this archeological site over hundreds of years.

After all the secret path or door leading to the underground structure would have been built by the brilliant architects of the Emperor Ashoka who spawned off the secret society of the Nine Unknown. It was not going to be easy to find the secret door to the cave that would lead us to the fabled underground Stupa, that is, if it exists. We would have to do some serious research in the next few days to plan our heist in Shambala. The whole thing was a blur and that’s what made it even more exciting. At least we were searching for the unknown.

“Chief, what does
‘votive’
mean? Those votive Stupas in the monastery ruins?” asked Derek.

“The term
‘votive’
means something dedicated in fulfillment of a vow. The Stupas were a dedication by someone to someone. Why do you ask?”, I said, looking at Derek as we headed out from the gates.