Khajuraho & Sanchi

This trip covering two UNESCO heritage sites in the central part of India was planned a few months back.  Rail being the predominant mode of transport, we had to settle for getting onto and alighting from trains at odd times.  My friend Sanat joined me at Chennai from Bangalore and we boarded the Tamil Nadu Express for Jhansi at 10 PM on a warm Thursday evening.  We quickly settled down to get some sleep.  The train covered the dry and arid Deccan plateau and Vidharba regions through the next day and dropped us at Jhansi just after midnight.  At Jhansi, we were joined by my cousin Ram and his friend Rahul who came from Hyderabad on a train that dropped them at Jhansi about half an hour earlier.  We had some tea outside the station and spent time observing the statues, paintings and travel details adorning the walls of Jhansi station.  Jhansi is located in Uttar Pradesh and is a major station on Chennai-Delhi route.  Our train to Khajuraho arrived at around 2 30 AM and we boarded our coach and settled for some sleep.  The UP Sampark Kranti Exp, on which we were travelling, had a few coaches that would go to Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh.  The rest go to Manikpur in UP.  At dawn, we reached Mahoba junction.  Here the train was split into two - our portion driven to Khajuraho.  We reached around 7AM in the morning.  The station was very clean and our train was only one of two express trains reaching Khajuraho daily.  The town is about 5kms from the railway station.  We found an auto driver who drove us to the town and to a hotel close to the famous Western Group of Monuments in Khajuraho.  Share autos charge Rs 10 per person for a drop to the town from railway station.  

There are quite a few luxury hotels in Khajuraho including Radisson and Ramada.  We chose a deluxe room in Hotel Yogi Lodge.  We refreshed ourselves with a quick bath and had a breakfast of parathas.  

We purchased tickets for visiting the Western Group of Monuments - audio guides were available for a nominal rate of Rs 100 for English and Rs 60 for local languages.  After picking up audio guides we made our way through the Western Group campus.  The carvings that swathe Khajuraho’s temples are among the finest temple art in the world.  Most of the 85 temples - of which 25 now remain - were built during the period from 950 AD to 1050 AD by the Chandela dynasty.

The temples are superb examples of Indo-Aryan architecture having bands of exceedingly artistic stonework showcasing a storyboard of life a millenium ago. Temples for Varaha, dedicated to Vishnu’s boar incarnation and Lakshmi are two small shrines facing the large Lakshmana temple.  We spent time observing the wonderful 1.5m high sandstone boar, dating from 900 AD and meticulously carved with a pantheon of gods.

The Lakshmana temple is arguably the best preserved temples in Khajuraho.  The outer walls of the temple had carvings of battalions of soldiers, incidents from daily life, war scenes and pairs of men and women, usually depicted in erotic poses.  It was surprising to us that the erotic content, for which Khajuraho is known to most people, forms only 10% of the sheer volume of artwork in Khajuraho.  Some major sculptures in the Western Group include a superb dancing Ganesha carved into a niche, graceful nymphs, one removing a thorn from her foot; another draped in wet sari; a third admiring herself in a mirror.  The audio guides highlight some of the easy-to-miss details.

After spending time at Lakshmana temple, we proceeded to Kandariya Mahadev temple - the largest of temples in Western Group.  The Kandariya Mahadev temple dedicated to Lord Shiva had acrobatic statues, most nearly 1m high - taller than those at other temples in the Western Group.

Devi Jagdamba temple located on the same platform as Kandariya Mahadev temple was originally dedicated to Vishnu, but later to Parvati and then Kali.  Its three-part design is simpler than Kandariya Mahadev temple and is less embellished with carvings. 

North of Devi Jagdamba, Chitragupta is dedicated to Sun god.  Its condition is not as good as other temples and the inner sanctum houses Sun God Surya driving his seven-horse chariot.  The Vishwanath temple and Nandi shrine complete the tour to the Western Group.  The temple is reached by steps on northern and southern side.  Elephants flank the southern steps.  We spent time enjoying the sculptures of Vishwanath temple complex and capturing moments on camera.  After completing our sight-seeing of the  Western Group of Monuments in around 3.5 hrs, we quickly visited the ASI museum located right opposite the Western Group.

After having a marwari meal for lunch, we hired an auto to cover the Eastern and Southern Group of Monuments.  The major temples on the Eastern Group are the Vamana temple, Javari temple and Jain group.  These temples are non-ticketed and are much simpler than the Western Group of Monuments. The Dulhadeo temple was the only temple we covered in the southern group as we had to return to the railway station to catch the evening train at 06 20 PM for Jhansi.  

The train reached Jhansi by 11 45 PM and we had our next train at 01 15 from Jhansi bound for Vidisha.  The trains were punctual and we reached Vidisha by 4 30 next morning.  Vidisha is a quiet town located 10 kms away from Sanchi, our next destination.  An auto driver waiting outside the railway station offered to take us to the famous Sanchi stupa and drop us back by 9 AM in the morning as our return train to Hyderabad was at 9 20 AM.  

In 262 BC, repentant of the horrors he had inflicted on Kalinga in present-day Odisha, the Mauryan emperor Ashoka embraced Buddhism.  As a penance he built the Great Stupa at Sanchi, near the birthplace of his wife.  A domed edifice used to house religious relics, it was the first Buddhist monument in the region.

After refreshing ourselves at the Sri Lankan Mahabodhi Society in Sanchi, we proceeded to the foot of the hills on which Sanchi Stupa was constructed.  The stupas are open from dawn to dusk, however, we had reached even before ticket counters had opened.  From the hills, we caught glimpses of the beautiful sun rise capturing some wonderful silhoutte moments on our camera.  

By around 6 30 AM, gates to the stupas opened and we were the first to enter the complex on a quiet Sunday morning.  Stupa 1 is a beautifully proportioned structure right in front of you as you enter the complex from the north.  Constructed by Ashoka, it was later enlarged and original brick stupa enclosed within a stone one.  Presently it stands 16m high and 37m in diameter.  Around the stupa are four magnificently carved entrances called toranas that are the finest Buddhist works of art in Sanchi.  Jataka tales that speak about Buddha’s various lives are carved into the pillars on the toranas.  At this stage in Buddhist art, the Buddha was represented symbolically rather than directly - lotus stood for his birth, the bodhi tree his enlightenment, the wheel his teachings, and the footprint and throne his presence.  The stupa itself symbolized the Buddha.  The back-to-back lions supporting the Southern Gateway form the emblem of India, which can be seen on every currency note and coin.  The freshness of the morning added to the scenic experience. 

Every train on Bhopal-Jhansi route passes through Sanchi and one can see the stupas on the hill from not far off. Stupa 2 through 5, temples, pillars and monasteries are other monuments located in the Sanchi Stupa complex.

The ASI museum at the bottom of the hill opens at 8 30 AM.  Since we had to catch our train, we left Sanchi town by 8 AM to reach Vidisha for breakfast.  A roadside vendor served hot poha-jalebis for breakfast.  Kachoris and alu vadas added crisp flavor to the breakfast.  After munching the snacks to fill our stomach, we left for the railway station.  As we settled into our train back to Hyderabad, the hills of Sanchi crossed by our left.  We caught glimpses of the magnificent stupas one last time - this time from the train and reverted to our seats.  

South Karnataka - A spiritual retreat

From Dharmastala to Subrahmanya to Sringeri to Udupi,  South Karnataka offers a host of temples for pilgrimage.  Located on the serene locales around Mangalore, these places are best travelled by cab.  December was the month and we were a group of 10 members from my family – my grandmother included.  Mangalore was our base and hence we travelled to Mangalore from Chennai by Mangalore Exp that left Chennai at 17 00 hrs and reached Mangalore at 08 30 the next morning.  The train travel was very comfortable, considering our fear that it would be very cold since it was late December. 

We had booked a cab, a tempo traveler with capacity of 12 members which had reached the station by the time our train chugged into Mangalore Central.  We got into the vehicle and were taken to our hotel – we had booked Hotel Parkway near Old Bus Stand.  After a quick bath and breakfast at a restaurant below, we left for our first destination – Dharmastala. 

Dharmastala is a temple village on banks of the Netravati River and around 70kms away from Mangalore.  The journey to the temple took an hour and a half and road was good.  The Dharmastala temple houses the shrines of Lord Manjunatha, Kanyakumari Devi and Dharma devas.  The temple is run by a Jain administration and pujas are conducted by Hindu priests of Madhva order.  Long queues defined entries to the sanctum sanctorum – though senior citizens were allowed to enter from a separate entrance and worship the deity without delay due to long queues.  The temple administration runs a number of educational institutions and hospitals which they believe is a service to God. 

The senior members of our group made a quick entry to the sanctum sanctorum through the special queue and had a nice worship of the deities.  The rest of the group took around an hour to complete their worship as we all assembled at the outer chamber of the temple premises.  Dharmastala is also very famous for the free food it provides to all pilgrims visiting the temple.  The temple administration runs mechanized kitchens that serve hot food to around 2000 pilgrims seated at a single time in the huge halls that are allocated for ‘Annadana’ – free meal service.  Every one of the thousands of pilgrims who visit the temple is an honored guest irrespective of caste, creed, race or color.  The dining hall is called Annapoorna.  As we sat for our turn to eat, we were served hot food in organic leaves.  Food was served at a very quick pace, in order to ensure people do not wait too long for their food.  The meal was simple – rice, sambar, rasam and buttermilk.  We were astonished at the sight of the large number of people who were being served at the same time.  The food is served every afternoon and night for two hours.  After lunch, we sat by the shade for a while before we resumed our journey.  The next stop was Kukke Subrahmanya – around 60 kms away.

Lapped in the luxurious abundance of the beauty of the nature the village of Subramanya lies in the Sullia Taluk in Dakshina Kannada with a sancity which very few places can boast of. The temple is situated in the heart of the village. Nature reveals herself in all her unhidden beauty in the rivers, forests and mountains which the temples is surrounded by.

Lord Subrahmanya is the main deity of Subrahmanya. The main entrance of the temple lies to the east. We entered from west through main Gopuram and through the inner quadrangle from the east. There is a pedestal in the centre of the sanctum. On the upper Dias there is the idol of Shree Subrahmanya and then the idol of Vasuki and little lower the idol of Shesha. While entering the inner quadrangle devotees had to remove their shirts and banyans.

The temple was not too crowded and we had a satisfying darshan of the deity.  The temple town had a number of shops lined on either side outside the main entrance.  After having light refreshments, we returned back to Mangalore in our cab – a journey of around 104 kms that took us a little over two hours. 

After dinner at the restaurant below our hotel, we retired for a deserved sleep.  We woke up early next morning and checked out of the hotel by 5 AM.  Our next stop was Udupi – around 60 kms away.  It took an hour to reach Udupi, which is well-known for the Krishna Mutt.

The Mutt area resembles a living ashram, a holy place for daily devotion and living. Surrounding the Sri Krishna Mutt are several temples, the most ancient being made of basic wood and stone of 1,500 years origin.  The Krishna Mutt was founded by the Vaishnavite saint Shri Madhvacharya in the 13th century. He was the founder of the Dvaita school of Vedanta. It is believed that Madhvacharya found the idol of Sri Krishna in a large ball of gopichanda.

Legend has it that once Kanakadasa, a pious worshiper and devotee of Lord Krishna, was not allowed entry into the temple. It did not upset him; instead it made him pray with intense devotion. Lord Krishna was so pleased that the statue turned back to where Kanakadasa was praying, and the wall before Kanakadasa broke up to allow the disciple to gaze upon his heavenly form at the back of the mutt. Till today, devotees still worship Lord Krishna by praying through the same window that Kanakadasa was blessed with a view.  It is known as Kanakanakhindi. 

We had a peaceful early morning darshan with the chant of slokas in the background.  The mutt administration maintains a Goshala – a place where a large number of cows are sheltered.  Goshalas focus on treating cows well out of their religious significance in Hinduism and consequent cultural sensitivity towards its welfare.  After visiting the smaller shrines, goshala and a few shops selling pooja items, we returned back to our cab. 

We were now heading to Kollur – a village situated 75 kms away on the foot of Western Ghats and famous for the Mookambika temple.  This temple was also crowded and like other temples in South Karnataka had a special entrance for senior citizens.  In spite of the crowd, we completed our darshan in around 45 minutes.  The Goddess is called Mookambika as she is said to have slain the demon Mookasura.  The goddess is described as in the form of a jyotirlinga incorporating both Shiva and Shakti. The panchaloha image of the goddess on Shri Chakra is stated to have been consecrated by Shri Adi Shankaracharya. The Divine Mother is said to be a manifestation of trigunas or triple forms. The shikhara of the temple is well gilded with gold. 

The temple is constructed on the banks of a tributary of souparnika river and in the middle of forest. Just in front of the temple, Kodachadri peak and mountain is visible, which is a delightful sight. It is believed that original temple is on top of Kodachadri peak, and to make it convenient for devotees to offer pooja, the temple was constructed at Kollur. Devotees from all over South India visit this temple.

It was too early for lunch and hence we decided not to wait, but proceed to our next destination – Sringeri.  Sringeri is situated around 110 kms away from Kollur and the approach was through a hill route. 

Sringeri is the site of the first Mutt established by Adi Shankara in the 8^th Century on the banks of River Tunga.  According to legend, Adi Shankaracharya is said to have selected the site as the place to stay and teach his disciples, because when he was walking by the Tunga river, he saw a cobra with a raised hood, providing shelter from the hot sun, to a frog about to spawn. Impressed with the place where natural enemies had gone beyond their instincts, he stayed here for twelve years.

Sringeri is famous for the Sharadamba temple.  We stayed at the temple guest house, right opposite to the main entrance to the temple.  The temple complex housed the two main temples, Sharadamba temple and Vidya Shankara temple, in addition to huge prayer halls and congregation centers.  The current head saint of the Sringeri Sankara Mutt resides in the temple campus. 

The Sharada temple, dedicated to the Goddess of learning and wisdom, has grown from a simple shrine dating to the time of Adi Shankaracharya. In the fourteenth century, Vidyaranya is said to have replaced the old sandalwood image with a stone and gold image. The temple structure itself continued to be made of wood till the early 20th century. After an unexpected fire that damaged the structure, the current structure was built in the traditional south Indian style of temple architecture.

The Vidyashankara temple was built in commemoration of the pontiff Vidyashankara, around 1357-58 C.E.. It was built by Vidyaranya, patron-saint of Harihara and Bukka, the brothers who founded the Vijayanagara empire. The niches in the temple have a number of sculptures from Hindu, Buddhist and Jain mythologies. Inscriptions in the temple record contributions made by several Vijayanagara emperors but the temple was probably built on an earlier Hoysala site as it combines Hoysala and Vijayanagara architectural features. The temple architecture is also an exhibition of the astronomical expertise of medieval south Indian temple builders. The main temple hall features 12 pillars designated for the 12 signs of the zodiac. Windows and doors along the temple walls are arranged such that equinox’s sunrise views reach the deity. The northern and southern gates enable the sunrise view from the hall during solstices.

Food is served free for all pilgrims on the hall to the right side of the main entrance in the temple campus.  The meal consists of rice, sambar, rasam and buttermilk is served on metal plates that are maintained spic and span by the temple authorities.  The cleanliness of the dining hall, in spite of the large number of pilgrims who eat their meals there, is just for all to see.

We had our dinner at the dining hall after our visit to the various establishments in the temple campus.  The temple guest house offered clean rooms with attached baths.  We retired for sleep after our tiring day.

Next morning, we had another quick darshan of Goddess Sharada and started our journey to Horanadu – around 75 kms away.  The journey took us through some forest areas and lasted around an hour and a half.  Horanadu is famous for its Annapoorneshwari temple.  We had breakfast at a small restaurant before we headed into the temple.  The main deity of the goddess was put in place by Adi Shankaracharya; the new deity of goddess Annapurneshwari was consecrated in the temple in 1973. 

Male visitors to the temple had to remove their shirts and banians and preferably cover their shoulders with a towel or a shawl, as a symbol of respect and humility in front of god.  The main deity of Annapoorna is made of gold. It is believed that a person who seeks the goddess' blessings would never have any scarcity for food in life. It is believed that Lord Shiva once had a curse and that this curse was reversed when the lord visited Goddess Annapoorna and sought her blessings.  The temple was not too crowded and we had a quick and peaceful darshan of the Goddess.

This was our last stop in our pilgrimage trip and hence we returned back to Mangalore, a journey of more than 3 hours through the Kudremukh forest reserve, by afternoon to have lunch.  We were then dropped at the railway station by the cab driver.  As we had dinner and retired for sleep in the train, the peaceful locales of the various temples we visited over the past few days flashed through our minds.

Gujarat Day 4 - Ahmedabad & Gandhi Nagar

Ahmedabad is the 6^th largest city and a commercial hub of the state of Gujarat.  Although, it is not a very well known ‘tourist’ destination, it is certainly worth a visit.  Two friends joined us with their motorbikes and offered to show us around the city.  After having a typical Gujarati breakfast of snacks and chutney, our group of 4 members reached the famous ISKCON temple.  This temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna and his consort Radha and is one of the most beautiful temples in the city.  The interiors of the temple were adorned with paintings and sculptures depicting important scenes from mythology. The sanctum sanctorum was very quiet and had marble deities of the Gods.  The temple with its calm and peaceful atmosphere offers the perfect spot to spend some quiet time with oneself. 

After our worship, we proceeded towards Adalaj, a village located close to Gandhi Nagar, the capital of Gujarat.  A stepwell named Adalaj Ka Vav is a unique Hindu water building in the village of Adalaj.  This stepwell was built in 1499 by a Muslim King for his wife.  There is no entrance fee for visiting the stepwell.  We observed scores of school students who had come to visit the well as a part of excursion from school.

Built in sand stone in Indo-Islamic architectural style, the step well is five stories deep.  It is octagonal in plan at the top and built on many intricately carved pillars. Each floor is spacious enough to provide for people to congregate.  It was dug deep to access ground water at that level.  The pillars are carved with women performing daily chores such as churning of buttermilk, adorning themselves, scenes of performance of dancers and musicians etc.

The temperature inside the well has been implied to be five degrees lower than the outside temperature during hot summers.  We spent about an hour capturing photos of the well from various angles and enjoying the intricate sculptures on the interior walls of the well. 

Akshardham is the most popular and one of the largest temples in Gandhi Nagar.  The temple complex is spread over an area of 23 acres and combines devotion, art, architecture, education, exhibitions and research at one place.  The temple was built by the BAPS, an international social, spiritual and charitable NGO affiliated with the United Nations.

There is a high level of security at the temple and one is not allowed to enter the temple with any electronic item.  There are deposit lockers for mobile phones and camera.  Slippers were deposited at a location just to the right of the main shrine.

The monument enshrining the 7-foot high gold leafed idol of Lord Swaminarayan is the focal point of the complex.  The majestic stone structure is intricately carved and surrounded by sprawling gardens.  The garden is a unique blend of contemplative garden and children’s park.  Recreation activities of varying kinds were made available for children towards the left side in the main campus.  This included rides and games, a herbal garden, a lake and a waterfall.  On the right side of the main campus, there was a book exhibition center and a restaurant.  Due to lack of time, we could not spend time at the cultural exhibitions and displays depicted at halls around the main temple.  After worship, we had a light lunch and left the temple campus for Sabarmati ashram.

Gandhi ashram, also called Sabarmati ashram, is located near Vadaj and was founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1915.  It is today the biggest tourist attraction in Ahmedabad and lies on the tranquil stretch of the Sabarmati River.  It was from here that Mahatma began his famous Dandi March in 1930 to protest against the Salt Tax imposed by the British regime.

The ashram is an exhibition of Mahatma’s life, from his childhood to his death.  The rare portraits and photos transform us to an earlier era and bring us close to the life of the ‘Father of the Nation’.  One can spend time by the banks of the Sabarmati River and also visit the home of the Mahatma, which is located in the same campus.  The house has a separate room for the Mahatma, his wife Kasturba, a room for guests, a kitchen and a courtyard.  We spent about an hour and half at the tranquil calms of the ashram and then left for our final destination of the day – river front of the Sabarmati.

River front is a new addition to the attractions of Ahmedabad.  A concrete pathway by the side of River Sabarmati with seats to sit and enjoy the river is the place of interest for many youngsters and elders alike.  Many people were taking routine walks and exercising to keep themselves fit.  We spent an hour sitting by the river front before we returned back to our accommodation.

Ahmedabad is certainly a must visit for anyone who has Gujarat in his tourist calendar.  The city with almost no power cuts, good water supply, multiple places of interest, a structured Bus Rapid Transit system and umpteen eatery options is surely a development model other cities must vie to acheive.

Gujarat Day 3 - Gir, Junagadh & Rajkot

Somnath bus stand at 6 45 in the morning wore a quiet look.  The sun was not yet out and there was a bus that was about to leave for Kapadvanj, a town to the east of Ahmedabad.  To visit Gir Forest, we had to reach Sasan, around 70 kms away from Somnath.  The bus that was leaving would take another route – so we had to alight at Veraval and catch another bus from there.  As we reached Veraval bus station, another bus was just leaving for Rajkot.  The trip to Sasan took an hour and half and we reached the Gir Interpretation Zone at Sasan by 8 30 AM. 

After a light snack, we enquired about the jeep safari.  Jeeps were sent in groups and each jeep could carry around 6-8 visitors.  There were three time zones when safari is conducted – 6 AM, 9 30 AM and 3 30 PM.  We tried acquiring permit for the 9 30 AM zone.  However, there was a huge crowd and the morning safari was already booked completely.  People were waiting in queue to book for 3 30 PM safari.  We had limited time and hence we decided to leave Sasan, feeling unfortunate of not having got an opportunity to see the Asiatic Lion.  Before leaving, we visited a display zone in Sasan Gir – that provided us information about the Asiatic Lion, Sambar, black buck and other wild animals that have made the Gir Forest their home.  

We met a few security personnel in the Sasan Gir campus who apprised us of a bus safari at Devaliya, around 12 kms from Sasan.  We were told that chances of seeing the Asiatic Lion in the bus safari were very high; however we would likely get only 30-45 mins looking for wildlife.

There were share rickshaws of a unique kind – a rajdoot bike engine attached to a cart behind – that were available at Sasan.  We caught one such rickshaw and paid Rs 200 for a return to Devaliya.  The journey through the forest road was interesting, especially in a vehicle we were travelling on for the first time in our lives.  

At the Devaliya Interpretation Zone, we purchased tickets worth Rs 105 per person, to avail the bus safari.  The bus started soon and we got good seats at the front of the bus.  Deers and antelopes caught our eye; then we saw a few caged lions.  This was far from what we expected in this safari – we wanted to see Asiatic lions roaming out in the open.  As our hopes dropped, we caught the lovely sight of two lionesses standing next to each other in the open forest.  The bus went close to the lionesses and the driver stopped the vehicle for a while.  We caught some wonderful snaps of the Asiatic Lioness.  

One lioness walked away from the bus and the driver started dodging the lioness – we understood they were stage managed.  However, the sight of a lioness so close to our bus was an unforgettable one.  A few meters away there were two lions lying down next to one another.  We observed the lions from a distance for a while; then proceeded to other routes in the forest.  Black bucks, Nilgai, wild pigs and more deers crossed our path.  

The trip to Devaliya was worth-while.  The bus dropped us at the interpretation zone and we hopped on to the rickshaw which dropped us on the forest highway; we caught a state bus to Junagadh, our next stop.

Near the Junagadh bus station, we had a Gujarati thali for lunch and caught an auto rickshaw to drop us at Uperkot fort – an attraction in Junagadh.  The fort is located at the foot of Girnar Hills and was built by Chandragupta, the Mauryan emperor in 319 BC.  The fort was besieged 16 times over an 800-year period.  There were no defined directions in the fort premises and we followed some used paths to explore the fort.  We noticed a fifteen-foot canon, two large step wells and some wonderful sights of Junagadh town and Girnar Hill at the fort premises.  

From one point, we could see temples over Girnar Hill through a telescope.  The temples included the famous Ambaji temple, Dattatreya temple and few Jain temples.  There were also a few Buddhist caves down the road, said to be over 1500 years old, but due to lack of time we had to return to Junagadh station in time to catch a train to Rajkot.  

The 100 km travel took around 2 hours and by evening we were at Rajkot railway station.  As per our plan, we were to catch a late evening train that would take us to Mount Abu, our next destination.  Unfortunate news awaited us at Rajkot railway station.  Our train was late by around 8 hours and would arrive only next morning.  Since this would affect our travel plan adversely, I decided to cancel our tickets to Mount Abu and instead booked bus tickets for an overnight journey to Ahmedabad. 

After booking bus tickets, we headed towards the famous Swaminarayan temple in Rajkot.  Located at the city centre, the picturesque temple made of pink stone had a main shikara standing 47 feet high.  The central shrine had marble idols of Lord Swaminaryan and two other swamis.  There were idols of Lord Krishna, Radha and a few Maharajs from the Swaminarayan Sanstha.  We spent our evening at the peaceful campus of the temple and headed back to Rajkot bus station after worship.  We had dinner at street side – a Gujarati thali again. 

We boarded the bus that was bound for Idar.  We would reach at 4 30 the next morning and our friend would pick us up at Ahmedabad.  As we slept through the chillness of the night, I was reminded of the magnificent Asiatic lions that stood close to us that morning in Devaliya safari.

Gujarat Day 2 - Dwarka & Somnath

It was a chilly morning and our bus was heading close to Dwarka.  Even at around 7 30AM, the sun was not out and we were still with our sweaters and blankets.  There were windmills on either sides of the road.  The bus entered the temple town of Dwarka and dropped us at the bus station.  The Dwarkadish temple was 1km away from the bus station.  We searched and found a dharmashala for refreshing ourselves.  After taking bath, we headed to the Dwarkadish temple.  The lanes leading to the temple were very narrow.  There were shops selling sweets, clothes, items for worship, toys for kids etc. 

The Dwarkadish temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna and the main shrine is a 5-storey building, supported by 72 pillars.  The present temple was built in 16^th Century and it is a part of the Char Dham pilgrimage considered sacred by the Hindus.  Adi Shankaracharya visited this shrine and even today a memorial within the temple is dedicated to his visit.

The entrance to the temple from the North is known as Moksha Dwaar, while the entrance from the south is the Swarg Dwaar.  From the Swarg Dwaar, a flight of steps lead to the sacred River Gomti.  The temple spire is 78m high and constructed of limestone.  The temple shows intricate sculptural detailing created by successive dynasties ruling the region. 

There was a queue inside the temple and people were waiting to see the idol of Lord Krishna which was closed due to a worship procedure in the morning.  Once the doors to the sanctum were open, people thronged around the main hall from where you could see the decorated idol of Lord Krishna as Shree Dwarkadish.  After worship, we walked around the ghats of River Gomti where we observed hundreds of people taking a sacred dip.

We were on a tight schedule – so we left Dwarka and caught an auto to reach Nageswar Mandir, which is one of the 12 jyotirlingas mentioned in the Shiva Purana.  The temple is located 17kms from Dwarka and Nageswar is believed to be the first Jyotirlinga on earth.  

There were groups of people waiting in queue to get a glimpse of the Jyotirlinga.  We joined as well and worshipped Lord Shiva in the form of Nageswar Jyotirlinga.  Sacred texts were painted on the walls.  We learnt that the famous singer Gulshan Kumar made huge donations to the temple.  Outside the main shrine was a huge statue of Lord Shiva with a snake around his neck.

We returned to Dwarka and had a quick lunch.  As we were proceeding to the bus station, we noticed a private van starting on its journey to Porbandar.  We wanted to reach Somnath by evening and Porbandar was enroute.  We hopped in and after a 2 hour journey, we were dropped at Porbandar from where we caught another similar van to reach Veraval by dusk.  Veraval is a fishing town located 10 kms away from Somnath.  From Veraval, we got share autos to reach Somnath.  At Somnath, we found a Paying guest accommodation for Rs 400 a night.  After refreshing ourselves, we proceeded towards the famous Somnath temple.

Somnath temple is another Jyotirlinga located along the shores of the Arabian Sea.  The campus of the temple extended far and there were elaborate security arrangements for visitors to the temple.  We could not carry any electronic item into the temple and there were two separate queues at the entrance – one for men and the other for women and elders.  The queue moved rather quickly and we reached the sanctum in just 20 minutes.  On each chamber, there were display screens relaying live images of Lord Somnath.  

Once out of the shrine, we proceeded to an area where there were exhibits of each of the 12 jyotirlingas.  There was a Marwari food center outside the temple where we had our dinner.  After sitting for a while by the sea coast and listening to the waves, we returned to our accommodation and retired for a well-needed sleep.

Gujarat Day 1 - Bhuj

Christmas season and it was shutdown time at our HP office.  Gujarat – it was to be and I reached Mumbai from where my friend, Sumit and I boarded the Sayaji Nagari Express bound for New Bhuj in the Kutch district of Gujarat.  The train left at 2 50 PM and reached New Bhuj station at around 7 30 AM the next day.  The sun was still not out yet and it was pretty cold outside.  Right time for a morning snack and we feasted on the fafda, jalebi and khaman that were on offer at a roadside vendor just outside the station premises.  Bhuj was a dusty town and we hired an auto to drop us at the bus station.  After booking our bus tickets for the night's trip to Dwarka, we headed to find a backpacker's inn, just to drop our luggage and refresh before we began our sight-seeing.

The places of interest in Bhuj are located close to each other and the best way to see them is by walk.  We started from the guest house after refreshing and made our way to the Kutch museum to start off.  The Kutch museum is a two-storeyed old building that houses lot of antiques.  With an entry fee of Rs 10, the museum houses maps describing the area of Kutch and models depicting the various tribes in the region.  Also, available are antiques retained from the period when kingdoms ruled over the area.  The museum takes you back in time as you wonder at the various handicraft arts that co-existed at those times.  Each tribe specialized in a particular handicraft type and even today you could go to their villages to see in person the creation of those art pieces.  The Rann Utsav aims at showcasing the work of these tribes and hence there is lot of focus on art and culture.  You would need atleast three days to move around the villages and have a peek into their art work.  We were on a tight schedule and could only catch glimpses of their work in the museum. 

From the museum, a straight walk along the Hamirsar lake takes you to the twin palaces of Prag Mahal and Aina Mahal.  Entry ticket for each palace is Rs 20 and camera fee is Rs 50.  The Prag Mahal palace built sometime in the 19^th century housed some antiques used in those times.  Of interest was the huge storage boxes, weaving equipments, clubs and palanquins – all of these were made of wood.  A path through a flight of curving stairs led us to the top of the clock tower.  At various levels of the clock tower, we could see the pulley mechanism operating the huge clock.  

The top of the tower provided wonderful views of the entire town.  One could spot the Hamirsar Lake on one side and the railway station on the other.  We learnt that palace was used to shoot scenes in some Bollywood movies.

The Aina Mahal palace stands next to the Prag Mahal palace, however, smaller in size.  “Aina” means mirror and the palace was aptly decorated with mirror exhibits.  From old paintings to huge clocks to rare objects used by the emperors of those times, the palace caught the eye of every visitor.  There was a room where the musicians would perform for the king.  The room had a center stage and a corridor surrounding it.  The corridor was provided with lamps for lighting. 

The palaces were busy with visitors, mostly kids who were being brought from their schools on excursions.  Once out of the palace area, we saw the Old Swaminarayan temple.  A medium-sized structure, the temple in the interior was ornately decorated with paintings and sculptures.  My friend enquired about the history of the temple and the priest obliged.  There were paintings on the ceiling and walls – each one as charming as the other.  The priest also informed us about the huge New Swaminarayan temple that had been built a few years back.  The New Swaminarayan temple was located on the other side of the Kutch museum.

We walked along the Kutch museum and the white marble structures at a distance immediately caught our eye.  The New Swaminarayan temple was a huge complex, mostly made out of marble.  The decorated doorway led us to the interior of the complex.  With plenty of open space, the temple had lawns and a pathway leading to the main shrine.  The exteriors of the complex were bounded by buildings dedicated to people involved in service for the temple.  Construction of a new assembly hall was in progress.  The temple structure had many pillars decorated with splendid sculptures.  The ceiling also had plenty of sculpted pieces of male and female Gods.  The sanctum sanctorum was closed since it was afternoon.  We decided to return back later in the evening to catch a glimpse of the idols that adorned this lovely place. 

We were hungry and returned back to the bus stand.  An air-conditioned restaurant on the first floor of a complex surrounding the bus stand served hot Gujarati meal.  It was my first taste of an entire course of authentic Gujarati food.  Gujarati restaurants are mostly vegetarian.  The Gujarati thali usually consists of rotis, daal, two/three curries, kadi, a sweet, some snacks, rice, papad and buttermilk.  This restaurant served us some vadas and khaman for snack.  The daal was a little sweet but very tasty.  The meal cost Rs 90 and was very filling.

From the restaurant, we went back to our rooms and took a well-needed nap.  We woke up by 4 PM in the evening and refreshed ourselves before we left to see the other places in Bhuj.  At around 2 kms from the Kutch museum stands the Sharad Baug Palace.  A modest palace structure with exhibits showcasing the daring hunting experiences of the erstwhile ruler welcomed us.  Around the palace area was variety of flora – a delight for anyone interested in plants and flowers.  We saw a peacock that was enjoying its day in the garden.  The garden was well maintained.

We walked to the Rajendra Baug, that was located right in the center of Hamirsar Lake.  The garden was unimpressive and there seemed to be some infrastructure work in progress.  The Ram temple nearby had an attached step-well but it was not well maintained.  

Through the lanes, we walked to the New Swaminarayan temple, this time to see the idols.  It was evening, and time for aarti.  There was a good crowd at the temple.  The idols were impressive and charming.

Late in the evening, we returned back to the bus stand area.  We had dahi vada, kutchi dhabeli and faluda.  

It was time for us to leave the guest house.  We took our belongings and left for the bus stand.  Our bus to Dwarka came at 8 30 PM.  We got seats in a sleeper and the seats were comfortable for the night’s sleep.  We were left with memories of the colorful town as the bus travelled out of Bhuj towards Dwarka.