through atlas obscura, the boy found out about this hindu temple (or mandir) near where we were staying in toronto. it’s a special place because the whole thing was meticulously carved out of marble and other stones, and then put together here like a 3d puzzle, without any iron framework or nails even! just pieces of rock, stacked together with “glue”. it’s hard not to feel awe when looking at something like this.

given how the temple built, the scale of it was really impressive. it’s one thing to carve a couple of rocks… but to carve all these thousands of pieces (inside and out) to make a whole temple is a labour of love.

you can’t photograph inside, but the ceilings and walls in the main chamber were just amazing to look at. every bit of space was carved intricately, the light playing on its shapes and depth. flowers and patterns emerged from domes, covering everything in a canopy of beauty.

we’re not religious in the least, but i can’t help wonder if it helps, if people who pray here feel somehow different for having this physical proof of effort and devotion all around them. it was certainly inspiring to just walk around in our socks, eyes glued to the ceiling.

on our way out, a quick detour through the giftshop revealed a treasure of yummy vegetarian snacks! naturally, we tried some out and could barely contain ourselves from inhaling the whole thing on the ride home. :D