I knew just how the earth must feel, as I experienced the gradual melting of snow in my bones the next morning. Just as one is about to get snug in the chill, the sun warmly steals it away. The morning brought with it brand new sets. To think that it is the same village as last evening would be a mistake! The silence of the region got flirted with by the tinkling sound of the rolling prayer wheels, as whiff of rhododendrons mingled with the aroma of thukpas and mutton momos being cooked by a giggly village family. Legendary myths are living creatures in Kalpa. The entire village is under the benign governance of the living and loving presence of Mataji, none other than the revered Durga. She selects individuals through whom she channels directives, answers only on Sundays, and by nods few can decipher!
The village is sprinkled by monasteries and Kali temples alike, and it is believed that the natural 70 meter Shivalinga peak of Kalpa (rising to 6,050 meters) changes several shade during the course of one day. I kept watch, but to my eyes it had only one color thus far, that of the snow. Strangely, I felt Krishna's presence resplendent in this Shiva land, when I saw snow linger lovingly over the peaks before drifting away forever. Or when I saw the final hovering of light over possessed peaks. Chant of Om Namah Shivaya switched to Hare Krishna of its own accord, as I sighted the milkiness of the moon playing hide and seek with the fake denseness of clouds.
Mountain boundaries merged with darkness, while patterns of their silvery hung loosely under moonlight. It seemed as though the watercolors of a child (God?) spilled, smudging the artwork!
The entire region looked like a cot wherein creation had been lulled to sleep. I, too, slid into a reverie and witnessed a brilliant vision of the Shivalingam change hue from a transcendental blue to a flaming orange, then to a white, a yellow and red. And I understood what Kalpa was about—an integration of the unmanifest Shiva, and the most stunning expression of the manifest, Krishna.