Travel – Page 3 – The Timber Trawler

A Peek into Prachi Valley in Odisha

Despite spending the first half of my life in Odisha, it was only last weekend that I finally got the chance to trace the pearls of heritage hidden along an innocuous but highly-fabled river, reduced now to a rivulet, called Prachi.

Centuries ago, the Prachi river along with its valley, was host to a flourishing civilization that not only prospered on trade with Southeast Asia (Bali, Indonesia etc.) thanks to its ‘sadhaba’ (sailor) sons but also reveled in art & architecture of the highest order, being home to some of the most skilled artisans & sculptors. At the same time, the region was also a melting pot for the seamless chronological prevalence of Jainism, Buddhism, Shaivism, Shaktism & Vaishnavism leading to a syncretic religious fervour.

Some accounts date the region’s earliest artifacts to even before the Indus Valley Civilization. Yet the currently standing vestiges of the civilization dotted along the valley afford us a peek only into the period from 7th century AD to the 15th century AD. Nevertheless, these bear fine witness to the cultural richness of the erstwhile Kalinga, being some of the finest representatives of the distinctive Kalingan temple architectural style.

Trail on this trip covered the following places: Chausathi Yogini Temple (Hirapur, Bhubaneswar), Buddhanath Temple (Garedipanchan, Balipatna), Sobhaneswara Temple (Niali), Madhabananda Temple (Niali), Angeswara Temple (Pitapada), Varahi Devi Temple (Chaurashi), Mangala Temple (Kakatpur) and Jahania Beach (Astaranga).

We first stopped at the 9th century AD Chausathi (64) Jogini Temple, the tantric temple built in circular fashion, at Hirapur just at the outskirts of Bhubaneswar. The legend behind the temple, according to priests, goes: Goddess Durga took the form of 64 demi-goddesses in order to defeat a demon. After the fight, the 64 goddesses (Joginis) asked Durga to commemorate them in the form of a temple structure. Accordingly, 56 idols line the inner walls of the structure with the remaining 8 carved on the 8 sides of a central square platform (altar).

(left) Chausathi (64) Jogini Temple. 9th Cent. AD. (right) Idols lining the inner side of the wall

Next stop was Buddhanath Temple, an 12th Cent. AD. Shiva Temple, located in Garedi Panchana, 11km from Hirapur . The temple is said to be built on tantric principles, and was apparently also a Buddhist monastery at some point of time.

(left) The Buddhanath Temple (right) Example of Kalingan stone art on the walls of Buddhanath temple.

15km further away, lies the Sobhaneswara Temple, another 12th Cent. AD, temple at Niali, of which only the lower half survives from the original structure, with the upper half being restored by later kings. Consequently, the lower half provides another demonstration of the intricate stone art of Kalingan artisans.

Glimpses of the intricate stone art of Kalingan artisans on the Shobhaneswara temple walls.

Next stop was the Madhabanada Temple, built in the 13th Cent. AD, located at Madhaba. Said to commemorate Madhaba (Krishna) located near the site where Jayadeva, the author of the famed Geeta Gobinda, is purported to have worshipped Madhaba.

Madhabanada Temple. 13th Cent. AD. Said to commemorate Madhaba (Krishna) located near the site where Jayadeva, the author of the famed Geeta Gobinda, is said to have worshipped Madhaba.

Just a couple of km away, lies the Angeswara Temple, a 10th Cent. AD. Shiva temple, which is probably one of the few surviving brick structures from the era.

(left) Angeswara temple (right) A snapshot of the Prachi Valley countryside landscape outside the temple, not very far from the sea either.

As we proceeded from Angeswara, we finally made rendezvous with the river whose valley we were exploring – the Prachi river today is a pale shadow of the splendour attributed to in historical records.

A glimpse of the sacred Prachi river, now almost reduced to a trickle.

4 km further from the Angeswara temple, is the Barahi temple, a 10th Cent. AD temple dedicated to Maa Barahi, the shakti form of Baraha, the boar-form of Lord Vishnu’s incarnations. This temple incorporates Khakra style, a variation of of Kalingan temple architecture, reminiscent of Mahabalipuram temples.

(left) Barahi Devi Temple (right) Front view of the Varahi Devi temple

A motif on the Varahi Devi Temple wall representing ‘Adisesa’ – hooded serpent shielding upper body of human with folded hands and lower body of a serpent on the columns and pillars

Moving on from Barahi, we reached a crossroads at Charichhak, and were faced with two choices – take a right turn and see a few more monuments from the Prachi Valley or take a left, to the sea. With the evening about to descend, we chose the road leading to Astaranga, which has an adjunct beach at Jahania. Astaranga, literally, of the seven colours, seemed to be a fitting finale for this trip, as it sat upon the mighty Kalinga Sea, which the Kalingan sons traversed to spread the Kalingan glory far and wide.

(left) Road leading to Jahania beach from Astaranga town. (right) Jahania beach

Read more about the above places
Buddhanath temple: https://odishatourguide.com/temple_post/buddhanath-temple/
Shobhaneswara temple: https://odishatourguide.com/offbeat…/sobhaneswara-temple/
Madhabananda temple: https://odishatourguide.com/temp…/madhaba-temple-at-niali/
Angeswara temple: https://odishatourguide.com/offbeat_places/angeswara-temple/
Barahi temple: https://odishatourguide.com/offbeat_places/barahi-temple/

How to reach
You have to invariably take private transport and follow Google maps, since many of these sites are not on a major road. Alternatively, you could join some of the day-long heritage walks organized from Bhubaneswar by a few heritage enthusiasts.

Route map (source: Google Maps)

Jodhpur and Jaisalmer: A Family Expedition into the Thar

Ruminating over fond memories of my previous excursions to the Thar, I realized that it was time my family members also got a taste of the desert, and so materialized my family’s first tryst with the Thar – and my third – in the end of November 2019. We took the Mandore Express from Gurgaon railway station, where we had to execute the train boarding with rocket-science precision on account of the train stopping only for 2 minutes, and reached Jodhpur at 8 AM next morning.

Day 1: Jodhpur and Mandore

We checked in to the Om Heritage hotel that afforded an excellent view of the Mehrangarh fort from its rooftop. The plan for the day, drawn on the experience of my previous sole trip to Jodhpur, was set, and so, the first thing we did was hire for the whole day one of those large auto-rickshaws that could accommodate all five of us, and headed over to the Umaid Bhawan Palace. Our next stop after that was at Mandore Garden, the place that had me mesmerized in my previous trip to Jodhpur.

Mandore, the seat of the Gurjara-Pratiharas in the 6th century AD, later became the capital of the Rathores before Rao Jodha shifted to the newly-founded city of Jodhpur. At Mandore, we first walked through the lawns and saw some of the temples and royal cenotaphs, and then visited the Government Musuem. From there, walking up an incline, we crossed a dammed mini-reservoir, and reached the ruined Mandore fort located on the top of a hill, getting a panoramic view of Mandore. After an hour and half well spent, we had our lunch in Mandore, and proceeded to Jaswant Thada on our way to Mehrangarh Fort.

The Jaswant Thada itself is located on the top of a flat red-coloured rocky hill which is barren, only punctuated with water pools, and has the scenic backdrop of the Mehrangarh fort on one side. Next up was Mehrangarh fort, which we reached at 4.30 PM just in time before the gates closed for entry. Taking up a guided tour, we gawked at the imposing palaces and exquisitely done interiors, before ending the tour at the raised long platform lining the fort wall the end of the fort where the cannons stand. We were then back in the hotel to have dinner, and prepare for checking out next day to proceed to the next leg of our trip.

Mehrangarh fort as seen from the rooftop of Om Heritage Hotel

Day 2: Exploring Jaisalmer city

The next morning, we started at 8.30 AM by the Innova car we had booked for the remainder of the trip. We passed through Balesar, as the land became progressively arid, with it becoming more distinctively barren and sandy as we approached Pokhran. By 2 PM, we had reached Jaisalmer and checked in at Hotel Heritage House, a hotel modelled as a typical Jaisalmer-style haveli. After a quick lunch at Shree Jee Restaurant, we went to see Patwon ki Haveli, actually a cluster of five small havelis, of which the most famous is the one in the front called Kothari’s Patwa Haveli.

Patwon ki Haveli was constructed over 50 years, starting in 1805 AD commissioned by Guman Chand Patwa, a trader of jewelry and fine brocade. The haveli is typified by latticed balconies carved out of sandstone but seeming as if carved from wood, ornate wall paintings, exquisitely carved pillars, and extensive corridors and chambers. After seeing the haveli, we proceeded to Jaisalmer Fort. At Jaisalmer fort too, we took a guided tour through the main palaces, hearing stories of the past, getting transported to the times when these were inhabited by the royals.

Later, we walked through the streets outside the palace, passing by and entering the street on the left side of the Lakshminathji temple. Just 100 metres in, we came upon the Baa ri Haveli, which we entered out of curiosity and were treated to interesting tidbits of the Rajasthani culture by way of of the artifacts on display, such as sculptures, furniture, toys, handicrafts etc. As we reached the terrace of the haveli, we saw the sun setting in the horizon marked by a long sandy ridge running in the distance outside the city limit, while twin spires of two temples stood in the foreground right in front of us.

An ornately decorated and painted hall in the Patwon ka Haveli, Jaisalmer

Soon after, we had tea and snacks at a roof-top restaurant hugging the fort wall while enjoying views of the city and the barren landscape beyond it. Back in the hotel, we retired to bed after dinner in anticipation of our outstation trip from Jaisalmer the next day.

Day 3: Off to the Border – Ranao, Tanot and Longewala

We started lazily next day, checking out of the hotel at around 11 AM and proceeded towards Tanot, stopping at places to get down to admire the desert landscape, and taking pictures of the landscape and of ourselves. By 1 PM, we reached the location that had left such a lasting impression in my mind the last time that it was the primary reason I was so excited about the trip, keen to show it to my family too. Yes, the place was Ranao, and it lived up to its promise and how!

We got down at the decline before the road reached the lowermost point of the depressed stretch reminiscent of a river bed, and ventured into the sand dunes lying on the side of road, taking pictures. As we began to move on, and were almost reaching the bottom of the ‘bed’, we were hailed by a person standing beside a Bolero pick-up, who offered us a paid session of dune-bashing as well as a tour of the vestiges of the Indo-Pak war. We readily agreed, and were amply rewarded with an enriching experience as we wandered through the sands going up and down the dunes. Further, we checked out the numerous bunkers, and sat on the sands partaking of the views of the oceans of sand.

Ranao village lies in the dried ‘river bed’

Finally, even though not content, in the interest of time, we left Ranao for Tanot which we reached by 3 PM. There, having a light meal, we proceeded to Longewala moving alongside the Pakistan border, reaching at 4 PM the War Memorial where we could spend just a little over half hour as evening was fast approaching. Thereafter, we headed back in the direction of Jaisalmer, reaching Sam Sand Dunes around 6.30 PM by when darkness had already fallen. We checked in to the Vinayak Desert camp, our stay for the night, where after seeing the folk art programme and a Rajasthani buffet, we went to sleep.

Day 4: Back to Jopdhpur through Osian

Early next morning, I woke up specifically to see sun rise from behind the sand dunes, barely catching the marvellous sight. A little later, we had breakfast, and then checking out from the camp around 10 AM, proceeded to do some camel-riding near the sand dunes. After that, we were headed to the last site of our Jaisalmer leg, the ruins of Kuldhara, which was as fascinating to me this time as it was the previous two times I was here. I was glad to see the family was enamoured too.

Sunrise as seen from the Desert camp at Sam Sand Dunes

By 12, we were back again on the road headed back to Jodhpur, through a different route than the one we took for the outward leg from Jodhpur. Around 2.30 PM, we stopped at Phalodi to have lunch, and by 4.30 PM, we were at Osian. Osian, dubbed an oasis in the Thar, was a major religious centre of the Gurjara-Pratihara period dating from the 5th to 12th century AD, and had been a trading centre from well before that, at least from the Gupta period onwards. Today, the ruins of Jain and Hindu temples from that period stand witness to its glorious past. The Oswal community is said to have originated from Osian.

At Osian, we visited the Sachiya Mata temple – Sachiya Mata being the town deity, who as per Jain legend is the form of Chamunda that was turned vegeterian by Acharya Ratnaprabhasuri in 457 BCE. As a result, Sachiya Mata is worshipped also by Jains, and the temple itself has many Jain features. From the temple which is situated on a hillock affords a panoramic view of the landscape beyond the town, including the sand dunes located on the outskirts of the town. Apart from the Sachiya Mata temple, I managed to get a glimpse of a few other temples, including the ruins of the Harihara temple, Vishnu temple and Sun temple that were located on or in the vicinity of the main road.

View of Osian town and beyond from Sachiya Mata temple premise

By 5.30 PM, we had to leave Osian as it was getting dark and we had a train to catch from Jodhpur. We caught the 8.30 PM Mandore Express from Jodhpur and reached Gurgaon the next morning, still delirious from the memorable family expedition into the Thar desert.

Diwali in Mewar: Udaipur, Kumbhalgarh and Chittorgarh

Inspired by the experience of spending Diwali in the hills the previous year, I decided to spend the Diwali this year too at an interesting place. The place was not very hard to choose, as I had been planning to take my parents to Udaipur soon, and thought it would be wonderful to see Diwali over Lake Pichola.

Accordingly, a fortnight before Diwali, seeing a great deal for the day, for which most hotels were already booked or overpriced, I booked a room in Hotel Thamla Haveli that stands right on the bank of Lake Pichola exactly opposite the Gangaur Ghat. On the other hand, not getting tickets on the Chetak Express, the only train connecting Gurgaon and Udaipur, I improvised and booked tickets on a 2 PM train instead from Jaipur, which we would reach by bus.

Day 1: Off to Udaipur

On the day preceding Diwali, we reached our designated pick-up point at Rajiv Chowk around 6 AM, only to learn that we had left behind the food Mother had painstakingly cooked and packed for the journey. So, I rushed back home, which thankfully was only one-and-a-half kilometers from our bus-stop, to pick up the food, and was back in time to catch the bus.

Relishing the views of the Aravallis and the countryside on the way, we reached Jaipur at 12, catching the train to Udaipur as planned. This being a day train, we had the opportunity to see the landscape the railway line passed through, including the topography of areas around Ajmer, where I felt a strong pang of desire inside me to visit Ajmer sometime soon. We reached Udaipur around 9 PM and soon checked-in to a hotel near the railway station.

Day 2: Diwali in the City of Lakes

The next morning, i.e. on Diwali day, after breakfast, we checked out of the hotel and moved over to Thamla Haveli, checking-in around 11.30 AM. We were quite pleased to know that the window of our room opened to, and in fact, hung right over the Pichola lake – if you fell from the window, you drop right into the water! Then, we checked out Ambrai Ghat, which was only a 200 metre walk from our hotel and gave us an exhilarating view of the City Palace sitting across the Pichola Lake.

Morning at the Ambrai Ghat on Lake Pichola, Udaipur

After that, we hired an autorickshaw to show us around Udaipur the whole day, and first proceeded to Sajjangarh Palace, a monsoon palace that stands on the top of a hill, overlooking the city and the Fatehsagar and Pichola lakes. From the terrace of the palace, we also got breathtaking views of the Aravallis. Descending from Sajjangarh Palace, we had lunch near Saheliyon ki Bari, an early 18th century garden, which we visited next. Next up was the City Palace, which I was seeing for the fourth time in as many visits. We ended the day by visiting the Jagadish temple, which stands right on the road that the Palace tour exits to.

Back at the haveli, from our window we were treated to the electrifying sights that we had hoped to see – the fireworks going over the skyline across the lake, with their reflections sparkling over the lake’s surface. As we climbed to the rooftop restaurant for dinner, we were rewarded with even clearer views of the Diwali celebrations. We finally went to sleep, as Diwali celebrations drew to a close.

The city and sky are lit up on Diwali night, as seen from Thamla Haveli, Udaipur

Day 3: An Excursion to Kumbhalgarh

The next morning at 7.30 AM, we walked to the Ambrai Ghat again and were mesmerized by the views of the city palace bathing in the morning sun. Soon after, I booked an outstation Ola cab after some struggle, to take us to Kumbhalgarh. Starting at 11 AM, we drove for about two hours, mostly through the Aravallis, to reach Kumbhalgarh fort which was taking forever to appear. However, given the scenic beauty on the road, the drive was not that boring after all.

This being our first ever visit to Kumbhalgarh, we took the guided tour savouring every nook and cranny of the palaces and every bit of information dished out by the guide. From the rooftop of the Badal Mahal, we beheld the most magnificent views of the Aravallis and the Marwar plains beyond. Before we realized it, we had already spent two hours.

Descending from the palace, after a quick light meal at one of the shanties located inside the fort premises, we checked out the Vedi temple, and other nearby temples, and capped off the fort visit with a walk along the famed fortress wall of Kumbhalgarh, from where one gets a clear view of the palaces sitting on the hilltop.

By now, it was already 4 PM, leaving us with little for the next stop on our itinerary, Ranakpur. In any case, any possibility of seeing Ranakpur was nipped in the bud shortly, when our cab driver refused point-blank to drive through the hills to the famous Jain temple, on account of the impending darkness, compounded by the fact that the temple closes by 5 PM anyway.

So, we had to leave Ranakpur for another day, another trip! Returning to Udaipur by 7 PM, we checked in to Broadway Hotel near Saheliyon ki Bari, and retired for the day after dinner.

Day 4: Exploring Nearabouts: Eklingji and Haldighati

The next day began with yet another struggle to obtain a confirmed booking for an Ola outstation cab, which I managed to get after attempting for about an hour. Given the dire circumstances, we had to leave out Nathdwara temple from the itinerary, opting instead to go to Eklingji. We finally managed to hit the road at around 10 AM, heading to and reaching Eklingji just in time for the darshan starting at 10.30 AM.

From the Eklingji temple, we proceeded to Sahasra Bahu temples at Nagda, a couple of kilometers away, which comprises a pair of 10th century Vishnu temples. The site seemed to be a popular spot for pre-wedding shoots. Thereon, we drove on to Haldighati Musuem, where we went through memorabilia related to Maharana Pratap, had our lunch, and proceeded to the Haldighati Pass. Turning back, we got down at Udaipur railway station , where we caught the 6:15 PM train to Chittaurgarh, reaching the latter after two hours.

Day 5: On to Chittorgarh

Next morning, I was back again at the place that I love most in Rajasthan – Chittorgarh, for the third time, but it still felt like I was coming here for the first time! We booked an auto-rickshaw whose driver doubled up as our guide, and took us around the fort area which in itself feels like a self-contained region, with a populated area on one side, and the remaining area covered with forests, including a deer sanctuary, and sprinkled with palaces, temples, towers and water tanks.

We started off with the Kubhashyam and Meera temples, then rode over to Vijaya Stambh, then saw the Jauhar kund and Samadhisvara temple. For there, we moved to the to Kalika Mata temple, and then Rani Padmini Palace. Then taking a wide curve, we switched to the other side of the hill, where we saw the fort’s main entrance gate, Suraj Pol, while also being treated to a breath-taking view of sparsely populated valley below. We then went over to a handicrafts shop, where we bought some scented silk fabric items.

By 1 PM, having completed one full round around the periphery of the fort, it was time leave, with a heavy heart, as far as I was concerned. Nevertheless, down in the city, we had a Rajasthani meal, and were in the railway station at 2.30 PM.

Chittorgarh fort sits atop of the flat long hill, as seen from Chittorgarh railway station

With part of our return train journey happening in daylight, we were again able to enjoy the interesting landscape, especially as we neared Bundi, where the railway line descended to the barren escarpment below. Then entering a tunnel, the train emerged out to amble along the edge of a reservoir on the other side of which ran the Aravallis. As we reached Kota, night had fallen, and when we opened our eyes early next morning, we were already approaching Gurgaon.

Hopscotch through Hadauti: Kota, Bundi and Jhalawar

In end-August, we planned a weekend excursion to the erstwhile Hadauti region, centred around present-day Kota. Taking the 3.35 PM Garib Rath from Delhi, we reached Kota by 8 PM, and promptly checked-in to a hotel.

The next day, we booked an outstation Ola taxi, and headed off to first see the Kota Garh Palace standing on the edge of a canyon on the Chambal river. With origins in the 13th century, the fortified palace served as the residence of the Raos and Maharaos, the rulers of the kingdom of Kota. The ground floor is converted into a musuem, while many of the palaces are open to the public – from one of the palaces, the Kota Barrage and Kota river are visible.

A little later, crossing the mighty Chambal river, and riding for some time, we passed through a tunnel in the Aravallis, and then climbed up a pass in the hills, before we saw a most fascinating sight of a yellow-coloured multi-storeyed structure with balconies, windows and domes etched at a height against the hillside, separated from the road by a large pond with a cenotaph in the centre.

The Bundi Garh Palace beckons from across the pond

Winding around the pond, we entered the narrow lane of the village located at the foothill, and then rode up a steep incline to reach the large front gate of the Bundi Garh Palace. Soon, we were inside the precincts of the fortified palace, climbing up the winding, steep stony path, admiring the tall walls of the palace hanging on the cliff. Then, we encountered a final tall arched gate that led us into the Garh Palace’s courtyard.

Main outer entrance of the Bundi Garh Palace

Inside the Garh Palace, we explored multiple storeys of the palace, climbing up the labyrinthine stairs, walked through the many halls and rooms, and reached the roof of the Badal Mahal which owing to it being at one of the highest points of the palace, afforded a panoramic view of the village and the pond nestled in the hills. We then walked to an adjacent structure, called Chitrasala, which houses numerous murals and frescoes.

Following this, we made our way through the narrow village lanes to the more urban portion of the town, where we saw the Raniji ki Baori, a 17th century covered stepwell, that is 150 feet deep, and is fairly well-maintained and filled with water even now. Then, we proceeded to the Nawal Sagar lake, located on the outskirts, on the banks of which Rudyard Kipling spent some time in a modest but attractive bungalow. Afterwards, we saw the Chaurasi Khambon ki Chhatri or ’84-Pillared Cenotaph’, another 17th structure with a shivling at the centre of the space enclosed by the pillars.

The next day, we woke up to rain pattering on the parapet of our window. Still, in the light rain which was for the most part a drizzle, we proceeded to Jhalawar, hurtling across the Kota plateau, and then winding across the Mukundra Hills, in pursuit of Gagron fort. From Jhalawar town, we turned northwards passing through the countryside until we could see the fort in the distance.

River crossing in Mukundra Hills, on the way to Jhalawar from Kota

Then we rolled down a slope, and came face-to-face with the Ahu river, overflowing due to the rains, completely submerging the low bridge that connects the side we were on to the hillock that the fort stands on. With no signs of the rain and river water abating, we turned back, disappointed. It being only noon yet, we figured we could somewhat compensate for the lost opportunity, by exploring some other nearby place – that place turned out to be Jhalrapatan.

The overflowing Ahu river, cutting us off from the hillock upon which Gagron fort sits

Within half-an-hour we were in Chandrabhaga and Chandramoleshwar temple complex with structures dating back to the 7th century, on the banks of the Chandrabhaga river that runs around Jahlrapatan town, and is also the site for the Chandrabhaga cattle fair held in November every year. Next, we saw the 10th century Surya (Sun) temple that is located in the middle of the town, and headed back to Kota.

Chandrabhaga Temple complex, Jhalrapatan

We then took an overnight train to Delhi. If not for the rains preventing us from seeing the Gagron fort, the trip as a whole was satisfying, giving us a taste of the heritage and topography of the Hadauti region, making us want to come back again.

In Search of the Treasures of Bundelkhand: Chanderi, Deogarh and Morena

In February 2019, my friend Abhijit & I picked up our backpacks and forayed into the Betwa and Chambal Valleys in search of some less-heralded archaeological treasures. Planned to be a quick weekend trip, we took an overnight train from Delhi, got down at Lalitpur and checked in into a hotel early in the morning. After gorging on a breakfast of the famous local dish poha, we took off by public transport across the Betwa river to the quaint little town of Chanderi which is tucked behind a hill range.

Chanderi, famed today for its sarees, was under the control of Bundela Rajputs of Orchha from the 16th century before it passed to the Gwalior Scindias, and then into British hands in 1844. It is home to a fort and a few other monuments, including Jain caves & Tirthankara sculptures and a Scindia haveli. Chanderi was most recently featured in the Hindi horror-comedy movie, ‘Stree‘. In fact, a beautiful gated hill pass featured towards the movie’s end is what had fascinated me about Chanderi in the first place.

One of the gates leading to Chanderi city. The last scene of the movie ‘Stree’ was shot here.

On our way back, with darkness fast approaching, we took a bold venture into the thick forests of Deogarh on the other side of Lalitpur, in pursuit of a 6th Century Vishnu Temple called Dashavatara (of the 10 incarnations of Vishnu) Temple. It was beyond sun-down, the closing time of most monuments, however, we still got to access the temple as the temple upkeep is not geared towards tourism – a truly unheralded site. As I perused the sculptures and the carvings on the Gupta period temple walls, I trembled with the knowledge that I stood in the vicinity of one of the oldest standing temples of India!

How the early 6th century Dashavatara temple at Deogarh, dedicated to Vishnu, looks like on an early February late evening

Motifs on the walls of the Dashavatara temple

As we pushed ahead towards a 8th century Jain Temple Complex in the pitch darkness, the auto-rickshaw we were riding on was hailed by a couple of burly men, who asked to hitchhike to the Jain Temple. They claimed to be policemen and the auto-rickshaw driver had to relent. With our hearts in our mouths, we rode up a hillside to finally reach a well-illuminated temple complex, which was already closed. Fortunately, the men turned out to be who they claimed they were, and let us inside the Temple complex, as the sole visitors at 7pm on a deserted hilltop!

The Shantinath Jain temple complex, Deogarh, at 7PM – we were the only visitors in the darkness

The next morning, we learnt that our early morning train for Morena was running late by 5 hours, forcing us to improvise. So we ditched the train and took two buses back North towards Gwalior via Jhansi, racing against time. Getting down at Gwalior bus station, we approached an autorickshaw driver to ply us around for the whole day. The autorickshaw driver knew nothing about the places we were interested in, but he agreed immediately to the assignment when we pitched to him that it would be we who would show him around for a change! Now, who gets paid for being shown around?

Soon, pulling away from the main road, we ventured into the Chambal Valley. Encountering the occasional shallow ravines and sparse vegetation. Our first stop was the mesmerizing circular Chausath (64) Yogini Temple atop a hill at Mitaoli, a 1 hour drive from Gwalior. 4 km away lies Garhi Padavali, a fort-like temple, our next stop. However, the most intriguing and spell-binding site lay another kilometre from there – the 8th to 10th century Bateshwar Temple Complex, which was only restored a few years ago, with the help of Chambal dacoits!

Glimpses of the 11th century Chausath Yogini Temple, *Mitaoli*, also known as Ekattarso Mahadeva Temple at Mitaoli, Morena

Glimpses of the Garhi Padavali temple at Padhavali, Morena

The Bateshwar temple complex lies protected in a cove in the hillside, and is accessed by turning around the hillside when coming from the Padavali site. The complex comprises more than a hundred small temples stacked in tiers, along with a couple of bigger temples and a water tank at the innermost end of the complex. Standing at the bottommost level of the complex, the tiered lines of temples is a sight to behold! The story of how the temples were restored is in itself a testament to the dedication to his craft, and perseverance of reputed archaeologist K.K.Mohammed, and to the magic of collaboration amidst disjointed forces in the face of forces of vested interests.

The road leading to the Bateshwar temple complex as seen from atop the fortress wall of the Garhi Padhavali temple

View of the stacks of tiered temples inside the Bateshwar temple complex – the temples are mostly small and a testimony to syncretism of the three major traditions of the Shiva, Vishnu and Shakti within Hinduism.

More glimpses of the Bateswhwar temple complex; the motif in the rightmost picture probably depicts Vishnu

We rounded up the tour with the Kakanmath temple at Sihoniya, 20 km away from Padhavali. Built in the 11th century, the temple is decrepit, but the intricacy of the carvings on the walls are unmissable. After hovering around the site to our heart’s content, as we hurtled towards Gwalior in the autorickshaw through the Chambal ravines and ridges, with the billowing dust-clouds dispersed by the autorickshaw’s wheels bathing, and then clothing us with layers of dirt, I was reminded as to how easy it was for the sands of time to bury things into oblivion, and how, there is so much more from our past to uncover.

Glimpses of the 11th century Kakanmath temple at Sihoniya

A Tale of Two Valleys: Kinnaur and Sangla

Part-1: Kinnaur Valley

Diwali this year afforded us with a very long weekend, and off we (my friend Abhijit, his friend Amiya, and I) set for Kinnaur Valley. We had booked overnight bus tickets till Shimla, and as the bus ascended the sharp turns with each passing minute, it was overtaken by a contagious wave of nausea. Even those who held their fort tight till the very end, had to give in – spurred by bouts of throwing up all around – to throwing up themselves.

After a quick breakfast in Shimla, we hopped on to a state transport bus, even as a 12-hour journey remained before us. Accompanied by Pahadi Nati songs (of which the most memorable one was ‘Teri Paronthi Laga Radio‘), we finally reached Rampur-Busahr at 3PM, and soon got ourselves a room alongside the Satluj river. After a quick lunch, we stepped out to check out a Buddhist temple, the Rampur-Busahr bridge across the Satluj, and then, the King’s palace, where public access was allowed only till the lawns.

A monastery in Rampur-Bushahr, overlooking the Satluj

It was Diwali after all, and so atop the hotel’s terrace, we looked in awe at the night sky, as the twinkling stars became indistinguishable from the showers emanating out of exploding fireworks. The mountain on the other side of the river looked as if it wore chains upon chains of sparkling diamonds. The temperature dropped to below 5 deg. C.

The next morning at 9am, we took a Himachal State Transport bus to Rekong Peo which was the gateway to the Kinnaur Valley. We hurtled alongside the Satluj for the longest time, with the mountains flanking us on both sides, treated to images of waterfalls streaking across the ridges on the opposite mountainside and the numerous hydro-projects. Before soon, we had passed through the famous hoop-like rock tunnel marking our entry to the Kinnaur Valley.

Shortly, we reached Karcham, the point where the Baspa river met the Satluj, and the road diverged, with one branch leading to Rekong Peo and further to Kaza, and the other leading to the Sangla Valley, where the well-regarded village of Chitkul, touted as the last Indian village, is situated. At this point, the snow-capped Kinnaur Kailash was already visible, standing there as if a stone’s throw away, but still unreachable even as we kept windingly moving in its direction.

Reaching Rekong Peo around 2 PM, our first step was to hail a lift from a personal vehicle going towards Kalpa, which is accessible by a 7km drive diverging from the road to Kaza. Getting down at Kalpa, we were immediately struck by the shining peak of the Kinnaur Kailash, which now seemed like a touching distance away. It being the shoulder season, we checked in at a throwaway price into a fascinating hotel in the form of a standalone Himachal-style bungalow located in the village centre, and chose a room with a clear view of the Kinnaur Kailash.

After a quick meal of thukpa at a roadside diner, we walked down the slope to the Kalpa monastery and the Chandika Devi temple. Exiting from there, we stopped to have tea at a homestay run by a 70-year old lady, who offered to make us a hot mutton curry dinner that night for a price. With the cold setting in, the prospect of hot piping food was enticing enough that we paid up the advance, and left for some further sight-seeing… or to put more precisely, aimless wandering.

The Chandika Devi temple with the Kinnaur Kailash in the backdrop

That’s when a local villager offered us a ride to Roghi. Little did we know that we would be subjected to one of the most dangerous roads that I have come across in my whole life: in fact, the Kalpa-Roghi road is cited to be one of the most dangerous roads in all of Asia! The road was as narrow as they came – suitable for barely two small car to pass through – with a vertical wall on one side, and a 500-feet vertical drop on the other, supplemented by a general dose of blind curves.

On the dreaded Kalpa-Roghi road, looking at the Kinnaur Kailash

We stopped at the famous ‘suicide-point’ on a platform jutting outwards into the Valley. The view of the Satluj lying as a shining silver ribbon several feet below, and the road winding around the corners on two opposite ends, with the Kinnaur Kailash standing like an imposing guard overlooking the whole set-up, was breath-taking. The villager took us to Roghi, and dropped us back at Kalpa, after which we explored the Apple orchards on foot, to while away time till dinner was readied by the old lady. The dinner, as it turned out, was delicious.

Walk through the Apple orchards of Kalpa

Part 2: Sangla Valley

The following morning, we were were stuck by decision paralysis – Abhijit wanted to see Chitkul which was quite a detour, while Amiya was keen to just return to Delhi. The quibbling went past 9 AM, the scheduled time of the sole morning bus to Chitkul, and it was time for me to adjudicate. My verdict: we would see Chitkul and leave for Delhi the same day.

Abhijit and Amiya looked at me incredulously, given there would be no public transport to Chitkul until later that evening. I told them I didn’t know how we would would do it, but there would be only one way to find out: we would get down at the fork in Karcham, where the road to Sangla Valley emanated – the point the River Baspa met the Satluj – and try our luck.

So checking out at 10AM, we hitched, yet another ride, down to Rekong Peo, and caught a bus headed to Rampur-Bushahr; got down at the fork in Karcham, as planned; and waited for a lift. Amiya was still sceptical – he would rather he was headed to Delhi – and Abhijit just sat there in quiet anticipation. After a couple of vehicles ignored our hailing sign, we were pleasantly surprised to find a middle-aged couple stop to give us a lift in their Alto. Stashing our luggage in the boot, the three of us squeezed ourselves into the rear row, and soon found ourselves negotiating another death-defying road.

At 11.30, the couple dropped us at the Sangla bus depot, where, upon a quick inquiry, we learnt that there was a bus to Chandigarh at 3.30 PM. So, we had 3 hours in hand to make a trip to Chitkul and back if we wanted to be on our way to Delhi the same day. With no public transport in sight, and the reliance on hitchhiking seeming undependable given the time constraints, hiring a cab seemed to be the only resort. Thus, following yet another round of disagreement, this one involving the budget, we bit the bullet, and hired a cab for Rs. 2000.

Soon, we were headed to Chitkul – with the road seeming less dangerous, since the Baspa Valley in this stretch is not very deep – marvelling at the sight of glaciers flowing down the mountainside into the River Baspa. We encountered a cute-looking waterfall on a stream with a bridge on which only 1 vehicle could pass at a time. The tarmac soon gave way to an unpaved road, even as the mountains on our side of the river soon turned brown with no vegetation, with their peaks topped with snow.

By 12.30, we were at Chitkul village, and we promptly trekked down to the bank of the Baspa, on the other side of which lay a cover of snow. Crossing the bridge over the Baspa, we were soon wading in the snow. There’s something about snow that awakens the child inside of man, and we were not immune to the same, evident from how we soon got down to making snow mortar and throwing them at each other. A pint-sized snowman followed soon after.

But we had to be mindful of the time, so at around 1.30 PM, we clambered back on to the main road, had a quick lunch at a roadside eatery, and headed back to Sangla. At Sangla, we hopped onto the ordinary (non Air-conditioned) state transport bus as soon it arrived, and managed to get ourselves window seats, keeping in mind the long journey ahead. The joy of managing to get those seats, however, was tempered by the vomit stains on the window frame, and on the inner side of the bus’s wall, and on the floor…meaning, leaning against the bus’s wall was not an option.

Desertified mountain on one side of the valley

The bus started at its own sweet time, at around 5, and soon we were traversing the treacherous stretch of the road, with our seats located on the side of the bus facing the deep, deep valley below, and only a hair’s width separating us from the edge of the cliff. Luckily, as it was getting dark – and darkness falls rather quickly on the high mountains – we were spared the scary views of the bottom of the valley from our window seats.

After a dinner stop somewhere near Rampur-Bushahr, we fell asleep, waking up only once the higher temperatures of Punjab lashed at our faces. At Chandigarh the next morning, following a quick freshening up, we caught another state transport bus to Delhi. Amiya seemed exhausted by now, and could not wait to be back home, but Abhijit and I were not helping matters, as we ribbed him by humming the tune of ‘Teri Paronthi Laga Radio‘. Thankfully for Amiya, his misery ended at 2 PM when we finally reached Delhi.

Of Forts and Forests: Gwalior, Datia, Orchha and Bandhavgarh

4-day marathon trail of 5 places: Gwalior-Datia-Jhansi-Orchha-Bandhavgarh

Just 3 months into my new job, my colleague Abhijit, who I had recently befriended, and I, decided to make full use of the last weekend of September, and impulsively booked overnight bus tickets to Gwalior, with no itinerary in place. I did have Orchha in mind, which we decided we could do by taking public transport to Jhansi from Gwalior, since Orchha lay just 15km away from Jhansi. I also hoped to see the monuments strewn around in Morena, near Gwalior, on the trip, and be back in Delhi by Monday morning.

Day 1: Gwalior

Getting down early morning at Gwalior, our first task was to find some lodging to freshen up. Soon, we were down in Naya Bazar to try out for breakfast kachoris which are quite the rage in Gwalior. While munching on the kachoris, Abhijit wondered if we could also visit Bandhavgarh National Park. While I had heard about Bandhavgarh before, a quick Google search revealed Bandhavgarh was over 500 km from Gwalior, with iffy public transport communication. Abhijit said, ‘Never mind’, and got back to snacking. I reconciled to the same, however, as is my wont, I could not stop thinking if there was the slightest chance we could work something out regarding Bandhavgarh.

We then headed to Gopachal Parvat, where there exists groups of Jain sculptures depicting Tirthankaras in both standing as well as seating position, built in between 6th and 15th centuries. The caves themselves are accessed by walking along a stepped pathway cutting the lawns and garden maintained on the hillside. At the end of a series of statues, there is also a perennial spring emanating from the hillside. The foliage around makes it the ideal location for a peace-centred getaway from daily life.

Meanwhile, with my mind racing about Bandhavgarh, with the barest of discussions with Abhijit, I simply booked waitlisted tatkal tickets from Jhansi to Umaria, the nearest railway station to Bandhavgarh. And all this, while having no idea about what to do in Bandhavgarh regarding accommodation and the main attraction, the tiger safari, which I could see from the park’s website, was completely booked for the whole upcoming month! Anyway, this meant the end of my dream to see the monuments in Morena. Perhaps, I could compensate this by seeing the Sheshsaiya statue of Vishnu in Bandhavgarh?

Our next stop was the Gwalior fort which sits upon a elongated flat-top hill, and accessed by two paths. The autorickshaw driver dropped us at the bottom of the Kila (Fort) Gate road that approaches in the southwest side, the other road leading to Urvai gate can be used if one wishes to take their vehicle inside the fort premises. We clambered up the steep Fort road by foot, encountering first Jain caves on the mountainside, and then, the famed Chaturbhuj temple -a 9th century Shiva temple carved out of rockface, that lies on a bend on the road – noted for bearing the earliest known epigraphical evidence of ‘zero’ inscribed as the ‘0’ symbol on stone.

As we approached the gate leading to the main area enclosed by the massive walls, we finally got a glimpse of the iconic image of the blue coloured turreted wall extending into the distance. Once inside, we hired an electric rickshaw to take us around the major sightseeing points inside the fort. We first came upon the 11th century Sahastrabahu (also called the Saas-Bahu) temple, and then the 9th century Teli ka Mandir. Riding through the roads spread across the vast hilltop, criss-crossing each other many times, we got the feeling the fort premises themselves were akin to a fortified small town lying entirely on the hilltop.

Back at the point where we had entered the main fort area, we hired a guide who walked us through the main palace called the Man (pronounced as Maan) Mandir Mahal, named after the reputed Tomar ruler Man Singh Tomar. We then walked further to the area behind the Man Mandir Palace, and saw the Jauhar tank, as well as the Jahangir Mahal. And then, on our way down from the fort along the Fort Road, we also took a peek into the Gurjari Mahal – that lies at the foot of the hill with the fort in the background – now turned into a museum containing many of the artifacts found inside the fort, and in and around Gwalior.

After a quick lunch, we then proceed by autorickshaw to the Tomb of Tansen – the favoured musician in Akbar’s court – which lies inside the compound enclosing the bigger Tomb of Muhammed Ghaus. This is where I made a point to call up my friend Priyam, who at that point happened to be living in Gwalior due to her civil servant husband’s posting. After a bit of admonishing from her for not having informed earlier, Abhijit and I were promptly invited over for dinner that night – it also happened to be her son’s birthday.

After resting for a while in the hotel, and then picking up a birthday gift, we were at Priyam’s place for some catching-up with both her and her husband Neeraj, accompanied by good food and beverages. This is where I mentioned in passing that we hoped to make it to Bandhavgarh: we had train tickets from Jhansi, but just didn’t know how we could get tiger safari bookings in such short notice. Priyam asked us not to worry, and following a few calls by Neeraj, assured us that our stay and safari for Bandhavgarh were sorted! They threw in an additional recommendation for good measure: a place called Datia, which lay midway between Gwalior and Jhansi, our stop for the next day.

Day 2: Datia, Jhansi and Orchha

We started out by road transport at 7am on the second day, and some distance before Datia, we saw a cluster of white spires on the top of a hill- this, I came to know later, is a site called Sonagiri, bearing a Jain temple cluster. Then, just around 9 am, while we were on the outskirts of Datia, as surely as Priyam and her husband had said, we saw the palace sitting proudly on top of a low hill, right from the main road that bypasses Datia town. We got down at the Datia bus-stand and walked down the to the palace.

Datia (Bir Singh) Palace seen from the main road

The 17th century palace, it turned out, is called the Bir Singh Palace, after its builder Bir Singh Deo, one of the most significant Bundela kings, who became a trusted acquaintance of Jahangir, and is also said to have built the Jhansi Fort. The 7-stroreyed palace itself is remarkably well constructed on a square plan, with symmetrically laid squared wings within the main square plan, each inner square having spacious rooms with overhanging balconies, interspersed with L-shaped large courtyards in the centre of the inner squares. It is easy to get lost inside the maze of stairs and pathways inside the palace.

Heading back to the bus-stand, we took a bus to Jhansi, and soon found ourselves inside Jhansi fort by 11.30 AM. After seeing around the Jhansi fort, including the point where Rani Laxmi Bai along with her infant son is purported to have jumped off the fort on her horse to escape enemy forces, we hired an autorickshaw driver to take us to Orchha, which is 16km away. Soon, after a 40-minute ride through Jhansi’s streets, then through light jungle, then across a railway-line, and a tiny bridge, and a dusty track, we were in Orchha.

You could say the moment you stepped in Orchha that it was a special place! We were first enamoured by the sight of the Orchha Fort sitting at a height just across a channel of the Betwa river – in fact, the fort lies on the edge of a fairly large island on the Betwa river. Once inside the fort complex, we were further wowed by the near perfect 16th century palace Raja Mahal, built by Rudra Pratap Singh, the founder of Orchha. From an upper storey, we were treated to breathtaking sights of the town’s skyline as well as of the countryside. Just behind the Raja Mahal is the 17th century palace Jahangir Mahal, built by Bir Singh Deo to honour Mughal Emperor Jahangir’s first visit to Orchha.

I must interject here to make a special mention of the place that we had lunch at before we went to the Orchha Fort. Open Sky Restaurant, run by a middle aged man and his son, is a quaint place with the eating space located on the first floor of a building standing right on the main road. It serves all sorts of items across multiple cuisines geared towards appealing to the western crowd, however, the dish that we ordered simply by chance and were completely blown away by is the Brinjal Tomato Mix Rice.

Our next stop was at the conspicuously imposing and utterly inviting 16th century Chaturbhuj temple, whose multiple spires are visible from all parts of the town. The temple sits on a very high platform and has multiple storeys above the level of the sanctum sanctorum dedicated to Lord Krishna and Radha. A man stood guard at the entrance of the staircase leading to the upper floors, charging us a 5o-rupee fee for entry to what was advertised as the Bhool-Bhulaiya (maze). The so-called ‘maze’ for all its worth did provide us with amazing views of the town and of the countryside.

View of Chaturbhuj temple from Orchha Fort

We then headed to the 17th century Laxmi Temple that sits a little farther from the town center on another low hill, and notable for the many frescoes on its inner walls and ceilings. With it now already being 5.30 PM, we headed down to the Royal Chhatris (cenotaphs) by the Betwa River. After spending some time by the riverside with the darkness already falling, and with the auto-rickshaw driver getting antsy about riding in the darkness, we headed back to Jhansi where after having a sumptuous dinner at the Jhansi Hotel, we reached the railway station to catch our 10.30 PM train to Umaria.

Day 3: Bandhavgarh

Getting down at 8AM in Umaria, our first task was to somehow reach Bandhavgarh by public transport before meeting up with Neeraj’s acquaintance, who then drove us in a Gypsy to a wonderful resort called Nature Heritage Resort. After checking in around 1o.30 AM, freshening up, and resting for a while, we made a tour of the beautiful resort. Then, following an early lunch, we headed out around 12.30 PM for the afternoon safari starting at 2 PM.

Thankfully, because of Neeraj’s prior calls, we were able to make a choice out of the 3 zones, namely Tala, Magdhi and Khitauli – Abhijit and I both chose Tala, for different reasons – for Abhijit, it was the relatively higher probability of tiger-sighting at Tala, and for me, the presence of the Seshsaiya statue! Luckily, we were able to share safari costs with another group – since, a gypsy could take up to 6 passengers in addition to the driver and the guide, and we were just two. And soon we were on the safari trail, where we first encountered the grasslands, then gradually making our way into denser foliage. In the distance stood the a long hill bearing the Bandhavgarh fort.

The Bandhavgarh fort stands on the flattop hill beyond the meadows

I kept reminding the guide about Seshsaiya to his bemusement, even as we stopped at points looking for traces left behind a tiger, sometimes leaving the main trail to go into nooks in search of the elusive tiger. One such narrow detour led us on an uphill path through the dense jungle, where first we encountered ancient structures with open rooms carved out of the hill-side. These supposedly served, in the distant past, as lodging for the visitors to Bandhavgarh. The guide looked at me with a smirk betraying the feeling that he was now going to grant my wish!

Soon, we came upon a fleet of stone steps leading to a ledge, where the guide beckoned us to get down and take a look. With anticipation writ large on my face, I climbed up the steps to the top, and there it was – the 10th century statue of Vishnu in sleeping position, dubbed the Seshsaiya! The moss-covered statue lay in its exquisite glory alongside the inner wall of a tank with the water level lying below the plinth on which the statue lay. Just above the head of Vishnu, lay Shiva in the form of a shivling, and beside the feet, at the corner of the tank, lay the statue of Brahma, now completely obscured by the thick roots of a banyan tree. Thus, the place was graced by all three forms of the divine trinity, the trimurti.

I was so enamoured of the place that I did not want to leave, imagining myself having many adventures around the place, perhaps discovering hidden treasures from inside the structures or protecting such treasures from evil treasure-hunters, à la Indian Jones . But we had to move on, as it was already 4 PM, and we had some ground to cover.

The tiger was elusive, even though we searched for it in the thickest parts of the jungle. Failing to spot one, we continued on the trail before we reached the buffer zone around 5 PM – where jungle and human habitation co-exist. Just as we were losing hope, we saw a group of Gypsies huddled in front of us. And there she was! A tigress burning bright in the rays of the sun setting just behind the tall trees, sauntering leisurely right in front of our very eyes! The excitement, not only in our Gypsy, but also in the other Gypsies was quite palpable.

Minor tragedy, major scare

With the tiger spotting behind us, it was now time to head back. And to make up time, the Gypsy driver drove like a maniac, racing against time, to make it outside the park by the scheduled closing time. As, we stepped out of the Gypsy, I was met with a shocking realization – my mobile phone was missing! It was not on the Gypsy either. I called my mobile phone using Abhijit’s phone, but expectedly, there was no response.

Frantically, I ran to other Gypsy drivers asking if they had found a phone matching my phone’s description, and then to the gatekeeper, asking for advice. The gatekeeper suggested we take another safari of the same trail the next day to check if my phone had fallen somewhere on the trail. Although, we had indeed planned another safari for the next morning, I would have rather we did a different zone, for novelty’s sake.

While I resigned to the fact that we would have to do the same trail next day, knowing quite well that looking for a mobile phone in a National Park would be akin to looking for a needle in a haystack, I attempted one last call to my mobile no. and – surprise, surprise ! – a man received the call. Apparently, the man had found it on the ground on the trail itself – he assured me that the phone was safe with him, and he could hand it over to me… in return for an inaam (reward). While I offered him Rs. 500, he quoted 1000 – grateful for the ‘miracle’ that had just happened, I agreed, and within half an hour, my phone was securely back in my hands. It would not be a lie if I said I had one of the most enjoyable meals that night.

Day 4: Bandhavgarh (continued)

Waking up at 5 AM for the morning safari, we picked up our packed breakfasts and were at the Park by 6 AM for the safari starting at 6.30 AM. With the mobile phone saga behind us, we had the luxury to choose a newer zone on this day – and we chose Khitauli.

Soon, with the cool breeze blowing against our cheeks, and the mist caressing our hair, we perused the diverse fauna and flora inside the park. We came across giant spiders and their spider webs, myriads of birds, some deer… and leopard poo. Again, from across a patch of grassland, the flattop Bandhavgarh hill with the Bandhavgarh fort sitting atop it, stood there beckoning us, maybe not for this time, but for another time.

However, neither a tiger nor a tigress was not to be found on this day. As the sun rose higher and temperatures increased, it was now time to retreat. Back in the resort, we had another laidback meal, and after resting for a while, were ready to check-out. The resort staff refused to accept fees for either the stay or the meals, due to which we decided to drop what we thought was the meal price in the tip-box. By 4.30 PM, we were back at Umaria railway station to catch our overnight train to Delhi. That night’s sleep was one of the most gratifying that I had ever had on a train.

A Hike Through History at Hampi

With just three weeks remaining for my post-graduate course in Hyderabad to complete, I decided to head for a quick weekend trip to a place that had been on my bucket list for a long time – Hampi. So, I took an overnight bus from Hyderabad and was in Hampi by 8.30 AM. After checking in at Clark’s Inn, I went about hiking around Hampi – the capital of the legendary Vijayanagara empire – taking a walk through the annals of history.

Hampi is identified with Kiskindhya of the Ramayana, where Bali and Sugriva, the vanara brothers lived. Anjanadri Hill near Hampi is believed by locals to be the birthplace of Hanuman. Hampi is also called as Pampakshetra because of Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River, which runs through the area. Hampi is also said to be the village of Pampa Devi, another name of goddess Parvati, Shiva’s wife. Another explanation is that Hampi became a place where five faces of Shiva (Paramesvarasya Panchamukhnam), namely, Virupaksha, Jambunatha, Somesvara, Vanibhadresvara and Kinnaresvara, began to be worshipped in the form of Panchalingas (five lingas).

Highlights of the trip are below:

Day 1

Vitthala Temple and Market complex

The 15th century temple, construction of which was started by Devaraya II and continued during the reign of Krishnadevaraya and later kings, is famous of the musical pillars and the stone chariot placed in front of the main temple structure. The carvings and sculptures on the temple and all structures around it, is a testament to the high workmanship achieved by the artists of Hampi.The long straight boulevard leading to the temple complex is flanked on both sides by long continuous lintels supported by a series of pillars – these structures once contained shops. Behind one of the shopping arcade is a pond.

The boulevard cutting through the Market complex enroute Vitthala temple

The Royal Enclosure

The Royal Enclosure is the area where the royal family lived and administerefdfrom. The major highlights of the area include a stepped tank called the Pushakarini Kola, a platform for conducting ceremonies called the Mahanavami Dibba, an ornate bath complex called the Queen’s bath, a hall purported to be for the King’s public audience, and a labyrinthine building with secret underground chambers. A little farther from the above mentioned structures are a structure of unknown antiquity and purpose called the Lotus Mahal that employs an Indo-Islamic style of architecture, and the elephant stables.

The stepped well, called Pushkarini Kola

A series of notable temples/shrines

Further on the trail, were a series of temples and shrines, namely,
Madhaba (Ranga) temple, temple built in 1545 AD exclusively for holding concerts of dance, vocal and instrumental music;
Shri Lakshmi Narsimha temple, built in 1528 AD, houses a fearsome monolithic 6.7 meter statue of Lord Narasimha;
Shree Badavilinga Gudi – a near-3 meter high shivlinga, whose lower part remains in water drawn from the Tungabhadra river, throughout the year;
Krishnawamy temple, an ornate temple built by Krishnadevaraya in 1513 AD, with a Balakrishna image sourced from Odisha;
Saasivekaalu Ganesha a 2.4 meter 16th century monolithic four-armed idol of Lord Ganesha

Hemakuta Group of Monuments

Walking a little further up the Ganesha idol, there is a bald hillock, upon which stands a cluster of temples – about 30 in number – of varying shapes and sizes, and datable between 9th and 16th century AD. Legend says Shiva was meditating on the Hemakuta hillock at the time the gods wanted Parvati to marry Shiva, and sent Manmatha, the god of love, to distract him. Infuriated, Shiva opened his third eye, thereby burning down Manmatha, and also melting down stones and boulders causing them to collected as pool called the Manmatha Honda at the foothills. Hemakuta hill affords a nice view of the sunset as well as of the Virupaksha temple and the Tungabhadra river.

Virupaksha temple complex

Descending the hillock from the other side, one reaches the Virupaksha temple that was expanded into its current imposing form in the first half of the 16th century. Standing on the bank of the Tungabhadra river, the temple complex has two large courtyards with numerous subsidiary shrines. The humongous main sanctum houses Virupaksha, a benign form of Shiva shorn of anger, the tutelary deity of the Vijanagara kings. The temple is most sacred of all sites in Hampi, and puja rituals are unfailingly performed in accordance with norms laid down by sage Sri Vidyaranya, beginning with drawing water from the Tungabhdara, considered equivalent to the holy Ganga.

Matanga Hill

Finally, to close off the day, I hiked up the Matanga Hill, stopping many times to catch my breath before being treated from the hilltop to a breath-taking view of the sun setting with the crimson sky in the backdrop.

Day 2

Virupapuragade or Hippie Island

The next morning, I went back near the Virupaksha temple complex, since adjacent to the temple complex lay the Ferry Point, that facilitates transport to Virupapuragade, a granite outcrop in on the Tungabhadra river. It acquired the nickname Hippie Island on account of providing an atmosphere for relaxation by virtue of the many shacks and cafes serving all sorts of cuisine accompanied by music, both live and recorded, and also abounds in shops selling souvenirs. This is also where one could rent scooters and bikes, which is what I did.

Thankfully, the channel separating the island from the other bank of the Tungabhadra, is shallow or virtually, non-existent, and the low connecting road runs parallel to an ancient aqueduct that now lies in ruins.

Ancient aqueduct on the other side of Hippie Island

Sanapur Lake

On the rented scooter, I proceeded to Sanapur Lake, about 5 km north-east of Hippie Island, on a road winding through paddy fields and barren hills, until I reached a bend that curved around a boulder hill and took me across a dam to a coracle point.

After a peaceful coracle ride, as I was setting off for my next stop, the scooter refused to budge. Despite the spotty mobile network, I somehow managed to call the rent-a-bike shop-owner, and thankfully, got a replacement scooter, delivered to me within 30 minutes.

Anegundi

Racing against time, I rode, again flanked by barren boulder hills, paddy fields and water bodies, 8 km alongside the Tungabhadra river to Anegundi, where a hike up the hill leads to the Anegundi fort. Entering the fort premises, after a short hike, is a cave that legend identifies as the place where the vanara king Bali lived. Further hiking up, I reached the top of the fort, wherefrom I got a panoramic view of the countryside replete with boulder-hills, paddy fields, and the boulder-strewn Tungabhadra.

By 2 PM, back on Hippie Island, I returned the scooter, and following a lunch, I boarded a 4PM bus for Hyderabad, with the hope that I would return to Hampi someday.

Ranthambore and Chittorgarh: Wedding Shenanigans

November 2014: Ranthambore

In November 2014, my then-colleagues and I committed to attending our colleague’s wedding near Dausa. So, we took the opportunity to see Ranthambore, and had our tickets booked for Sawai Madhopur in the 7 PM Mewar Express. I took the day off from work and decided to go watch the movie Interstellar in the afternoon – I reckoned I could just go pick my stuff from Safdarjung Enclave, where I lived, after the movie and be able to make it in time to reach the Nizamuddin railway station to catch the train.

But by the time the movie finished, it was already 5 PM, and I figured halfway to my place, going back to pick my baggage was out of the question – so, I made an instant decision to simply head straight to the railway station, in the only clothes I was wearing and without my eye-glasses, although I had my contacts on. Anyway, as soon as I boarded the train – I became the butt of my colleagues’ jokes… but I wasn’t going to miss a good opportunity to travel with my colleagues-cum-friends for the world. Getting down at Sawai Madhopur at midnight, we checked-in at a resort.

The next morning, after we had fun in the pool, we took off to the local market, where I bought myself a change of house-wear, and a bottle of liquid for my contacts, with which also came a free lens case. With that and lunch done, we headed to the Ranthambore Tiger Sanctuary for an afternoon safari. Making our way through the grasslands, and later, the dense jungle, in pursuit of the tiger, we passed by dried streams with pebbled beds and watering holes, and saw nilgai, sambhar and numerous birds, but no tiger.

Glimpses from the afternoon safari at Ranthambore National Park/ Tiger Sanctuary

At noon the next day, we set off for the trip to the Ranthambore fort deep in the Ranthambore forest. The ride uphill on the winding road through dense forest, with a stream running alongside, supplemented by sighting of deer and birds, made the ride memorable. By 2.30 pm, we were inside the fort, and one of first things we did was taking in views of the hillside and the valley from the many rooms on the fort wall. Then we trekked our way to see the numerous palaces, a 32-pillared cenotaph, a pond called Rani Kund and the adjunct Dargah, The Lakshmi Narayan temple, the Kali temple, and then passing by the big bathing tank, we reached the Annapurna temple and ended the tour with a visit to the Trinetra Ganesh temple that lies at the end of the fort.

Enroute Ranthambore fort, the road cuts through forest alongside a stream

By now, we had spent close to 3 hours, without realizing how quickly time had passed. When we rushed back to the entrance of the fort, we realized there was no public transport left to take us back to town! However, courtesy of an offer from a good Samaritan truck driver, we hopped inside the canopy-covered semi-trailer of his truck. As the truck rolled down the potholed uneven road in the darkness, with us getting thrown around like drums, we laughed and at the same time, prayed that we reach the foothill safely, which we did by 6.30 PM.

Next morning, we left at 6 AM for another safari, this time it was the morning version, at the Ranthambore Tiger Sanctuary. With the early winter morning chill still hanging in the air, we saw deer, nilgais, sambhar, peacocks, and a host of jungle birds, but still no tiger. At 2 PM, we proceeded to Batodi, the groom’s native place, and accompanied the groom to Kothin, near Dausa, where he was getting married, reaching there by 7 PM. After the wedding, we caught a 3 AM train from Bandikui back to Delhi.

The forest glistens in the first rays of the sun

July 2014: Chittorgarh

The precursor to the aforementioned Ranthambore trip was actually another wedding-centred trip, that I had been on with the same group of colleagues, to Chittorgarh in July, that too on my birthday!

Taking the 7 PM Mewar Express from Nizamuddin, we had reached Chittorgarh early next morning. Freshening up, we had set off at 9 AM, squeezed inside an autorickshaw, to see Chittorgarh fort. So, somehow on my 28th birthday, I had wound up in my most favorite place, the second time in two years!

Attending our colleague’s wedding that night, we had proceeded to Udaipur the next day, where we saw the City Palace and the Maharana Pratap Memorial overlooking the Fateh Sagar Lake. Later in the evening, we caught the Mewar Express again and reached Delhi the next morning.

Near the front entrance of Chittorgarh fort

While I had primarily been a solo traveller up to that point, I realized I could enjoy myself in a group trip too, with the right set of people – the people in these journeys might be ex-colleagues now, but ones I truly cherish as friends, and would give anything to be able to re-live those times.

Tomfoolery in the Thar: Jaisalmer, Ranao and Bikaner

Prelude

With my B-school admission fast approaching, and my mobility improving 2.5 months into the recovery after my accident in Khajuraho, I decided to make one last big trip before I left Delhi for the year-long intensive course. So, my friend and colleague Amit and I took off to Jaisalmer by Ranikhet Express, which started around 10 AM from Delhi after a 6 hour delay. That did not put a dent to our itinerary though, since we reached Jaisalmer early the following morning instead of reaching the same night.

After a quick check-in at a motel just below the Jaisalmer fort and freshening up, we set out to have breakfast at a roof-top restaurant. And then, undecided on what to do next, we loitered around, first in search of a hostel, where Amit wanted to put up, while I dissuaded him from the same telling him that we were better off spending that money on an outstation trip, and camping out in the desert. Anyway, we still went to check out a Zostel property, ran into an old acquaintance of Amit and again got back to bickering about the next steps – the bone of contention being, whether we should first see Jaisalmer and then go outstation or do it vice versa.

Part 1: Off to the Border

The bickering was only the beginning of our shenanigans. Continuing to dawdle and finally agreeing upon a plan to go outstation first , we reached a lassi shop near the road leading into the Jaisalmer fort, where we were told we could get our lassis spiked with bhaang, an offer that my wise friend took up on. It tasted about the same, my friend reported while downing the drink, even as I found a cab driver and started negotiating with him for a two-day trip. Shortly, we were on the road leading to Tanot, on the border with Pakistan.

As soon as we left Jaisalmer town behind, we were looking at swathes of yellow with windmills standing tall in the distance. As we pushed deeper into the Thar desert, Amit kept tell me about how useless the lassi was, as it had no effect on him. Meanwhile, the density of vegetation kept decreasing and the distance between the occasional hamlet gradually increased.

About an hour-and-half of driving deep into the desert, passing by expanses of sand dunes with smatterings of grass and shrub, we came upon a steep decline – ahead of us was a depression in the ground, stretching from one end to the other. It looked like the dried bed of a river – only the surface of the bed still looked indistinguishable from the higher ground all around – even as the road winded down the depression and rose again on the other side. There was no trace of vegetation, with only a handful of huts strewn around being the only habitation for as far as we could see of the other side of the ‘river bed’.

Google Maps told us that the place was called Ranao or Ranau, and it was quite a sight, prompting us to stop and stare. We got down, admiring and taking pictures of the landscape. By now, an air of whimsy was descending upon Amit, and he suggested we take staged ‘candid’ photographs of ourselves in the marvellous background, resulting in us whiling away time posing for self-timed clicks for the next half hour.

The road declines to a depression that resembles a dried ‘river bed’ at Ranao

Moving on from Ranao, another half hour later, we were at Tanot, where Amit was washed over by a wave of religiosity and euphoria, forcing him to admit that the lassi was finally taking effect. Paying our respects at the Tanot Mata temple, we proceeded alongside the Pakistan border towards Longewala, through completely empty desert, with only electric poles with transmission lines, the narrow tarred road, our car and its passengers indicating the only traces of human existence. At Sadewala, midway to Longewala, we finally saw humans – a few kids, with whom we took a few pictures.About 45 minutes after leaving Tanot, we were at the Longewala War Memorial, where again under the spell of Amit’s exuberance, we clicked a host of zany pictures.

It was now already 4.30 PM – with the prospect of darkness descending soon, we decided to turn back in the direction of Jaisalmer. By 6 PM, we were at the Sam Sand Dunes, horsing around amidst the camels in the glare of the setting sun, for about an hour, after which we checked-in to the first desert tent-camp resort that our eyes fell on. Watching the folk-arts programme, and having dinner, we went off to sleep.

Tomfoolery at the Sam Sand Dunes (Taken on Amit’s Canon DSLR camera)

Part 2: Jaisalmer and Nearabouts

Actually, the title for this part should have been: Nearabouts of Jaisalmer and Jaisalmer, as we started the day 45 km away from Jaisalmer, at Sam. Although the effect of bhang on Amit had worn off, still taking some cues from the freedom it gave us, we did some more tomfoolery on the Sam sand dunes, and moved to the south, reaching the Desert National Park, which I had been forced to miss in my sole previous trip to Jaisalmer due to paucity of time.

The Desert National Park is a vast area of desert including a variety of topographical features, such as, sand flats, dunes, craggy rocks, and compact salt bottoms, straddling the Jaisalmer and Barmer districts. Earmarked by the government to preserve the unique and fragile ecosystem of the Thar, the park is home to species, including the monitor lizard, desert fox, Russell’s viper, and many migratory and resident birds, of which one of the most noteworthy is the Indian Bustard.

Nevertheless, from the little Park office located just some distance inside the park, we booked a safari, and spent more than an hour roving inside the park, taking pictures with a flock of sheep, and then spotting eagles, monitor lizards, and finally, an Indian Bustard. On the whole, the safari was easily one of the most memorable experiences of my life. For those on a leisurely trip to Jaisalmer and mildly interested in nature, the Desert National Park is highly recommended, in fact, a must-visit.

At the Desert National Park, a must visit! (Picture credits: Amit)

After the safari, we took an interior road that ran through the sands, then passed by craggy outcrops on which stood tall windmills, and more than an hour later, reached Khabha fort, a compact structure that stood like a lone sentinel on the edge of a low cliff in the middle of the desert. Down in the escarpment lay the stony ruins of an abandoned town, a sight similar to which we found in Kuldhara, which we reached half an hour later. Touted as a haunted village, Kuldhara does give off eerie vibes, more so in the sense of transporting you to a time gone by than anything else.

We then re-entered Jaisalmer, and headed off to the Jaisalmer fort, where we spent another hour walking through the corridors and halls in the palaces and the alleys along the fort wall. After that we headed off to Akal Wood Fossil park that lies about half hour south-east of Jaisalmer, which we reached around 5 PM. We trudged through the barren, desolate rocky land, coming across preserved fossilized wood dating back to more than 200 million years, then climbed on a flat hill, and surveyed the intriguing landscape.

As it began to get dark, we headed back to Jaisalmer city, and bid adieu to the cab driver, who by then had become a partner in our shenanigans, at Gadisar Lake. Spending the twilight at the lake, we headed off to the railway station to catch the overnight Leelan Express train to Bikaner.

Part 3: Bikaner

Next morning, we got down at Bikaner railway station and checked-in to a hotel nearby. After resting a while, freshening up, and having breakfast, we hired an auto-rickshaw to take us around for the day, and were in Junagarh fort by noon.

Bikaner city was founded Rao Bika in 1488 AD, after striking out on his own not wanting to inherit Jodhpur state from his father, despite being heir apparent to the throne. The Junagarh fort, itself was built from 1589 to 1594 AD by the sixth ruler of Bikaner, Raja Rai Singh. Earlier called Chintamani, the fort only got its present name in the early 20th century after the royal family moved to the nearby Lalgarh Palace, ‘Juna’ meaning ‘old’. The Junagarh fort is open to public as musuem, with many daily use items including furniture intact in their respective places in the rooms, giving a glimpse of how the royal family of Bikaner lived in the past.

Walking through the various palaces, halls, hallways, corridors, flights of steps, terraces – every succeeding ruler progressively adding more structures and accommodations – we finally came upon a large section, which held in display a DH-9 De Havilland single-engine biplane that saw action in the First World War. This was installed by piecing together the parts from one of two such warplanes shot down in the First World War, which were gifted to Bikaner state in recognition of the 500-strong camel cavalry support provided by Maharaja Ganga Singh to the British Government in the war then-dubbed as the Imperial War.

Palace just inside the entrance of Junagarh fort

At around 2 PM, we left the fort, had lunch and reached the ICAR-National Research Centre on Camel lying on the outskirts of the city, where we learned about five breeds of camels, namely, Bikaneri, Jaisalmeri, Kachchi, Mewari and Jalori, and their respective lifecycles. We also learned how significant and integral the camel is to the human sustenance in the Thar – the camel is useful not while it is alive, but also after it dies, when its skin, fat and bones including teeth are turned into useful products, such as water bags, pouches, lighting oil, ornaments , decorative items etc.

At ICAR-National Research Centre on Camel, Bikaner

Around 4.30 PM, we reached the old part of Bikaner, where lie many havelis of merchants and royal ministers of the past, one of the most notable havelis being the Rampuria Haveli. Just behind the Rampuria Haveli is the Bhanwar Niwas, now turned into a hotel, which we took a short walking tour of by requesting the gateman. Then, walking through the narrow lanes, we came upon the 12th century Bhandasar Jain temple – dedicated to the the 5th Tirthankara Sumatinatha – notable for its beautiful leaf paintings, frescoes and ornamented mirror work.

Rampuria Haveli, Bikaner (picture taken on Amit’s Canon DSLR camera)

At long last, we surveyed the Rajasthani snack shops, now run by descendants of the originators of traditional Bikaneri snacks, such as Bikaneri bhujia, lehsun sev, gathia etc, packets of which we picked up for family members back home. After dinner at one of the restaurants in the old town, we headed to railway station to catch the overnight train to Delhi, and were back in our office the next day.