Discover India, Land of Mysticism, Beauty and Culture
Mystic India: An Incredible Journey of Inspiration Opens at Denver Museum of Nature & Science Friday, September 23
Note to Reporters and Editors: Join us on Wednesday, September 7, at 8:00 a.m. or Thursday, September 8, at 8:00 a.m. for a media screening of Mystic India. Please call 303-370-6407 by Friday, September 2, if you plan to attend.
DENVER—Experience India’s geographic and cultural diversity, marvel at the natural beauty of its land and architecture, and celebrate its spectacular festivals and spiritual wonders. Mystic India:An Incredible Journey of Inspiration, the first large-format film ever to explore India, opens in Phipps IMAX® Theater at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science on Friday, September 23.
Narrated by legendary screen actor, Peter O’Toole, Mystic India provides a look at the culture and history of India by following the true story of Neelkanth, a young yogi who lived in India 200 years ago. From 1792 through 1799, Neelkanth embarked on a spiritual quest, walking alone and barefoot 8,000 miles over the length and breadth of India. His journey ended in Loj, where a great saint and teacher, Ramanand Swami, persuaded Neelkanth to become his successor. From that point forward, Neelkanth was known as Bhagwan Swaminarayan, and grew to be one of the great spiritual leaders and social reformers in Indian history.
As the audience follows Neelkanth’s story through the course of Mystic India, they also tour India’s natural and geographic diversity. The country contains nearly every kind of habitat on Earth, from the freezing, towering peaks of the Himalayas to scorching deserts to tropical rainforests where 1,000 inches of rain fall each year. Mystic India also explores the country’s vast plains, its 4,000 miles of coastline, and the sacred value of its great rivers, including the Ganges. More than 100 locations were filmed for Mystic India, and the filmmakers traveled thousands of miles to capture captivating images of India’s rich landscape.
Through Neelkanth’s story, Mystic India also introduces the audience to the people of India, one of the largest and most diverse populations in the world. Today India is home to one-sixth of the world’s population, people of different religions, ethnicities, traditions and backgrounds, who speak 18 languages and hundreds of dialects. It is also a land with a long history. Civilization has been flourishing here for 8,000 years and has provided important contributions to the world. India is credited with the invention of the zero and the decimal system in mathematics, for instance.
Better known are India’s cultural marvels. Neelkanth leads the audience through a land ornamented with grand monuments, palaces, shrines, temples and stone relics. In the course of his journey, he visits Badrinath Temple, one of the most revered in India. Situated at 11,300 feet in the Himalayas, it closes six months of the year because of the deadly winter cold. He also visits the ancient temple to Lord Vishnu in Muktinath, encircled by 108 water spouts, and Rameshwaram Temple in southern India, which has 1,212 pillars and the longest stone corridor in India, stretching three-quarters of a mile.
One of the most impressive and visual aspects of Mystic India is the re-creation of several festivals and celebrations as they would have happened in Neelkanth’s time, which required using thousands of extras. One of the most logistically difficult shots was the re-creation of the 2,500-year-old Rath Yatra, the Festival of Chariots. A cast of 8,000 extras dressed in period costumes were required to make the staging of this festival happen. On cue, hundreds of people begin pulling an immense chariot with four massive ropes, while others explode with excitement and energy, while cheering, dancing, singing and playing music.
In all, more than 45,000 volunteers and extras worked 1 million hours over the two-year shooting schedule of Mystic India. They were recruited and managed by BAPS Care International, a nonprofit, volunteer-based, United Nations-affiliated organization that is engaged in educational, cultural and humanitarian services. BAPS Care International has presented Indian culture to more than 55 million people worldwide through cultural festivals and exhibitions.
Mystic India: An Incredible Journey of Inspiration is a presentation of BAPS Care International and is distributed by Giant Screen Films.
Museum Information
Background: The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is the Rocky Mountain Region’s leading resource for informal science education. A variety of engaging exhibits, discussions and activities help Museum visitors celebrate and understand the natural wonders of Colorado, Earth and the universe.
Standard Hours of Operation, Ticket Pricing and Discounts: The Museum is open seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed December 25). IMAX tickets are $8 each for adults and $6 each for juniors (ages 3–18) and seniors (65+). Combination Museum/IMAX tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for juniors and seniors. General Museum admission tickets are $10 each for adults and $6 each for juniors and seniors. Group discounts available. Call 303-322-7009 for more information, or check www.dmns.org.
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Many of the Museum’s educational programs and exhibits are made possible in part by generous funding from the citizens of the seven-county metro area through the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District (SCFD). IMAX® is a registered trademark of Imax Corporation.
