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Banaras Diary: 2B in B

On 1st January 2024, Deepika & I, on our way to Varanasi aka Banaras, came back just before boarding the Vande Bharat Express from New Delhi Railway Station owing to a family tragedy. Ever since we have been hoping to visit the Holy City and this time our friends and long-time travel partners, Basus’ showed interest with finalising not only the itinerary but booking the train and Sugam Darshan (of Vishwanath Ji) tickets. They also shortlisted the hotels which we booked immediately. Then we were all set for exploring Varanasi or Banaras. The 2B in B (Basu’s & Bhattacharya’s in Banaras)!!

On 10th December night we embarked on the Shiv-Ganga Express from NDRS for Varanasi. The train left on time at 2005 hours with ETA Varanasi at 0600 hours. The AC first class was very nice and clean. Santanu had cautioned us that since there are no pantry car on the train, food will have to be carried with us which we did, only to find that the catering service was available right from snacks to dinner. We were five of us, so one berth was in a different cabin which I took up and slept peacefully. I was awake well before Deepika’s wake up call around 5:15 am. The train was ready to enter the station but was slowed down and finally reached the platform at 5:45 am, 15 minutes before time. The 15-days track record of the train revealed that it has been always on time or reached before time.

The driver of our pre-booked taxi was waiting for us outside the station. We were excited to have reached our coveted Holy city and took few pictures in front of the revamped Varanasi railway station. We decided to drop our luggage at the hotel but before that we stopped at a tea stall to quench our thirst with authentic Banarasi Masala Chai.

The driver, Rakesh showed us two iconic shops, Chachi ki Kachauri and Pahalwan Lassi, the latter had multiple outlets, all claiming to be the original. The uniqueness of Chachi ki Kachauri is the sitting arrangement, empty oil/ghee cannisters of 15kg are used as both seat as well as table, lined on the footpath next to the shop. A 30 rupees plate consisted of 4 kachauris with sabji and jalebi. The items were average in taste with the jalebi being a bit rancid, at least what we tasted.

Thereafter, we decided to walk to the Assi Ghat following the direction given by the hotel guard. The shop of Pahalwan Lassi was opening up, Santanu and I decided to check what’s available. The shopkeeper said that the lassi will take some time to prepare but Malai-O is ready. We readily bought two portions and gobbled it up in quick time before others could reach us. Afterall, Malai-O was on top of our culinary pilgrimage!!

When we reached Assi Ghat, we found the place sparsely crowded with yoga class happening at the adjacent ashram. Soon, the boatmen started marketing their boats for a ride. Sangeeta and Deepika had been entrusted with all negotiations and they hired a boat for an early morning ride. The boat ride was leisurely covering some of the important ghats like, Tulsi Ghat, Ganga Mahal Ghat, Hanuman Ghat, Dasashwamedh Ghat, Manikarnika Ghat Chausatti Ghat, Munshi Ghat, Nepali Ghat, Raj Ghat. It was cloudy as well as foggy so our boat kept close to the banks for us to see them clearly. Some people in other boats were throwing bird-feed attracting flocks of seagulls prompting us to take a few pictures. We spent almost two hours on the boat ride and the banks of Ganga before returning to the hotel only to find the rooms still not ready. We were directed to the third floor waiting room where we spent another hour eating Prayagraj Guava and playing cards (29).

By 1 pm we got our rooms and the first thing we did was to take bath and wear fresh clothes. Sangeeta ordered simple daal-chawal and aloo-gobi sabji for a late lunch. The daal was very tasty as was the sabji but later when we ordered the same dishes, it was average, maybe we were so hungry that our taste-buds were simply happy to get the taste.

We left for Assi Ghat around 4:30 to meet up with our boatman for the evening ride upto Namo Ghat and to watch the evening Ganga Arati at Dasashwamedh Ghat. The latter was a disaster, mainly due to our desire for the boat ride to Namo Ghat which was the farthest consuming precious time. When we reached Dasashwamedh Ghat, the place was jam-packed with boats of different size and shapes. Our boatman did his best by shoving other boats to take ours as close as possible. Still we were far off to get a real view of the spectacle of the evening arati.

We were given the first dose of commercialization of religion/ rituals here at the Dasashwamedh Ghat. At the end of the Ganga Arati, one of the apprentice pandit carried the ‘pradeep’ to the devotees/ audience placed on a big plate or thaali to take the blessings. We realised the blessing is directly proportional to the donation placed on the plate. When he came to us, Sangeeta searched her purse and could find only a hundred-rupee currency which she was compelled to place on the thaali, at the same time Deepika placed a twenty-rupee currency on the thaali. The young apprentice pandit put a ‘tika’ on the forehead of Sangeeta, seeing that Deepika expectantly asked for the ‘tika’. She was rudely rebuked by the man saying, “aap sleeper class ka ticket le ke first class mein safar karna chahate ho?” meaning, “you have paid for the second class whereas you want the luxury of first class.” This type of hypocrisy in the name of ritual is rampant across all the religious places (mandirs) in Varanasi. And the people wonder why the youngsters avoid such places.

We headed back to Assi Ghat and found it crowded with people both local as well as tourists. There was a pizzeria at the ghat where we thought we will have our dinner but the place did not have space even to stand. We came out and contemplated having our dinner at the hotel itself. Shinjini suggested, we try out the famed Banarasi Chaat. The closest one was at the Gaudulia, the famous Dina Chaat Bhandar and their signature chaat is Tamatar Chaat. The shop is located on a street which is not very wide and with parked vehicles on either side of the road, only one lane on either side is available for commuting. There were a sizeable number of customers waiting for their chaat which spilled on the road creating complete chaos. Looking at such chaos, Santanu wanted to leave immediately but was persuaded to stay put. I am sure, he mumbled a muted ‘thank you’ when he tasted the variety of chaat. Personally, I liked the aloo-tikki and the golgappas which were very different from what we get in Delhi.

Deepika and Santanu were brave enough to wake-up at 4 am and go to the Assi Ghat to witness the Morning Ganga Arati. I needed my 6 hours of sleep. We skipped breakfast to reach Kashi Vishwanath temple by 9 am at the gate no.4 for the Sugam Darshan for which we had purchased the ticket on-line. Though, we had a soft-copy of the ticket on our phones, Santanu insisted on a hard-copy (paper) and I realised the importance when we had to deposit our phones, purse (after taking out the money because otherwise how will we pay the ‘dakshina’), belt and smart-watch. The physical ticket needed to be endorsed/stamped at a location 100 metres from the entry gate. The person supposed to endorse wanted us to take the services of a designated pandit or ‘Panda’ which we refused. He tried hard to push us to ‘hire’ a panda by sending us to another person deliberately delaying process. Santanu lost his cool and gave him a sound verbal thrashing.

I do not know if the famous “Baba Vishwanth Gali” still exists in its old glory or not because the temple premises has been expanded hugely with the original temple in the middle of it. I had been to the old temple going through the gali negotiating the bulls or ‘Nandi’ of Lord Vishwanth many years ago and had the darshan of lifetime participating in “Doodhabhishek of the Lord” (milk bath). The blessings were free then. Deepika having learnt her lesson at the boat, offered a 500-rupee currency to the Mahant at the temple and received a garland as blessings. Considering the huge number of devotees visiting the temple every day, these Mahants must be earning few lakhs every month, tax-free.

A Panda had assigned himself to our group and guided us to the Gyanvapi temple within the main perimeter or parisar of the temple narrating us the story. According to the legend, the original Shivalinga was thrown in the well of the temple to save it from destruction by the army of Aurangzeb.

When the Kashi Vishwanath Mandir Parisar was created, many structures were demolished or cut-off, one such casualty is the Manikarnika Ghat, the cremation ghat believed to take the soul of the departed straight to heaven, was quite big as I remembered but now had shrunk considerably. Many terminally ill patients would come here in their last days waiting to depart and cremated hoping their soul to reach the heaven.

By the time we came out, breakfast time was over, we headed back to our hotel but decided to try out some restaurants nearby. After deliberating between an unknown brand of Banarasi Biriyani restaurant and the much known/ visited Sagar Ratna, we settled for the latter and had a hearty lunch which turned out to be the most expensive one as well. There was a Paan shop below the restaurant from where we had the flavourful Banarasi Paan, besides picking up few packs of Paan Masala.

In the evening, the girls wanted to explore the market for Banarasi sarees, Santanu and I had to go along feeling thoroughly bored. While they were busy stock-taking of the shop, Santanu and I explored the street from one end to the other which had nothing except garment shops. We came back and played few rounds of TwentyNine before going to the dining hall for dinner. We all were feeling tired and decided to call it a day. Santanu and Deepika wanted to visit Assi Ghat once more and Shinjini too showed interest in joining them. I knew it would be very difficult for Deepika to go for it twice in succession but did not discourage her. Next day, only father-daughter duo went to watch the morning arati at the Assi Ghat while we slept till late.

As we finished our breakfast, Sangeeta got a call from Rakesh our taxi driver confirming that he’s at the hotel gate. Our plan was to visit Sarnath, Buddhist religious site where Gautam Buddha gave his first sermons to his 5 disciples and Ramnagar Fort, the 18th century sandstone structure built by Maharaja Balwant Singh, the Kashi Naresh (King).

Our first destination was the Ramnagar Fort where we reached around 9:40 am and had to wait for 20-minutes as the fort gates opens only at 10 am. We bought the tickets for the museum not realising that it was the only thing that was to be experienced. Although, it is called a fort but the structure was far from being a fort and more of a palace with garages for the buggy, palanquin and cars in later period. The museum showcased the furniture, clothes and armoury of the bygone era. The most troubling part is the bad upkeep of the place, there were visible layers of dust on the artefacts, the lawns are not tended regularly as a result there are wild growths. No guides to explain the exhibits. And the Ganga River flowing below the fort is at her dirtiest. The authorities need to ramp up the place urgently and ensure proper maintenance. Salarjung Museum in Hyderabad can be their benchmark. The most memorable part our visit is the lassi we had from the 70 years old Shiv Prasad Lassi Bhandar. The thick Rabri Malai Lassi served in a Kulhad (earthen glass) was the authentic, flavourful and a must have when you visit the Kashi King’s Palace.

Rakesh suggested that we take a tour of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) as by the time we return from Rajgir, the roads will be too crowded. The campus of BHU is huge with individual buildings and residents for both the teacher and scholars of different streams of knowledge. There is a Birla Temple in the campus attracting devotees. Interestingly, the deity in this Birla temple is different from all other Birla temple, the presiding deity here is Mahadev as opposed to the Vishnu and his consort in other Birla temples across the country viz. Delhi, Kolkata.

We took the service of a guide to explain us various sites at the Sarnath. We realised the importance of a guide while touring the historical sites in Madhya Pradesh. Surely, lot of times, the guides are not deeply aware of the history of the place but they do try to entertain you with local legends of the site. The guide’s service is “technically free” as per the govt order but they are open to receiving any amount that the tourist offers them. Anyways, our guide took us to the Buddha temple premises and showed us the “Bodhi tree” believed to be the place where Gautam Buddha gave his first sermon to his first five disciples. At the cost of being politically incorrect, I have sincere doubts that the Bodhi tree is 2500+ years old!!! We saw the temple constructed and maintained by the funding of Thai government. Then saw the tall statue of Gautam Buddha (80ft 9inches indicating the lifeline of Buddha including time spent in the womb of his mother), surrounded by a waterbody full of lotus and other flowers. The garden boasted of the replica of the Ashoka Stambh and Dharma Chakra. The Buddha statue is sculpted in line with the now destroyed statues at Bamiyan, Afghanistan. We found the size of the statue and the surroundings impressive but the sculpting is very amateurish missing finesse of the smaller one inside the temple.

The guide took us to the archaeological site from where the artifacts were excavated and now housed inside the museum but there was a huge line-up student from various schools around Varanasi who have come on discovery trip. The guide then suggested and took us to a village of craftsmen supposedly creating the famous Banarasi silk sarees and dress materials. It was a big disappointment as it turned out to be a regular shop in a village where they have a show-piece handloom only. We quickly came out and proceeded to the museum picking up few artifacts from the stalls on our way. The museum had mostly remnants of the sculptures and few utensils of the bygone era. Some of the monoliths were awe inspiring. Deepika and I have seen such artefacts and more on site at Ajanta, Ellora, Bhimbetka in the recent past and every time we felt proud of our rich heritage.

When we started for Varanasi, it was past our normal lunch time and all of us were hungry, the most popular eating places on our list were in Goudulia which was quite far from our location. Rakesh, our driver suggested we look for places in the Cantt. area which will fall on our way. Sangeeta wanted to go to the Taj property but the rest of us restrained her and found a decent eating place called Tandoor Villa right opposite the Taj property. I haven’t had my eggs for three days and when I saw they have egg-curry, I couldn’t resist, except Deepika, who opted for a vegetarian dish, all others echoed their choice for the egg-curry with rice. It was a very satisfying lunch especially as the service was prompt and the serving guys were most cordial. We left some space in the tummy for the Giani’s ice-cream and the Banarasi Paan available right next to the restaurant. We explored the street and found a shop selling Punjabi papad and pickles besides other nick-nacks and bought a few items.

On our way back, Deepika, Sangeeta and Shinjini went to a Saree shop called Taj Express close to our hotel while Santanu and I came back to rest for a while. However, in just about 15-minutes, Santanu came and suggested something that was too tempting to ignore. We came out of the hotel and headed towards the BHU. The original Pahalwal Lassi shop was close-by where we stopped to have Malai-O, the creamy, extremely light dessert only available during the winter months. Then we couldn’t resist the Malai Rabri Lassi, I am at loss of words to describe thick, rich flavourful drink that instantly uplifts your mood and energises. Next, we had the Banarasi Paan from the shop below the Sagar Ratna and bought few packs of Paan Masala as well. We walked the length of the street, almost to the gate of BHU and came back. Just as we were to go in, I found a small shop that was selling Champaran Meat. I have heard about the dish, a rich, aromatic mutton curry cooked in earthen pots. Since we were on a culinary pilgrimage, we decided to try it out. We ordered a pot of mutton curry with rice and a sabji for Deepika and told them that we will pick up after an hour or so. Our hotel was vegetarian only and we did not want to offend their sensibilities and asked him to pack it discreetly.

Traditionally, Champaran Meat is a rustic, slow-cooked mutton curry from Bihar, known for its smoky flavour, cooked in a sealed clay-pot with mustard oil, lots of onion, garlic and whole spices till the mutton is tender and juicy with its own juice. The curry is semi-dry and often taken with plain boiled rice or tandoori roti. We had it with both. The curry reminded me of the Chettinad Chicken I had in Chennai. There were fire and smoke and water oozing out from ear, nose, mouth and eyes and the tantalising, delightful taste prodded us to have more of it till the last piece. Later, Santanu and I collected the bones in the pot and dropped it at a garbage dump, ensuring the sanctity of Coco Casa.

In the morning, after breakfast, we got ready and packed our bags, ready for check-out and informed the front desk that we going out for short while and shall check-out by 12 noon as discussed and agreed when we checked-in. One of the front desk guy named Vimlesh Rawat started acting smart, telling us to vacate the room then only or latest by 11 am. So, I casually asked him, “Or else?” He was about to tell me the hotel policy, when Sangeeta pointed to him that his own Manager had agreed to the 12-noon check-out. I found this man to be unfit for hospitality industries, not because of this incident but he had been rude even when we were checking-in and never once greeted any of the resident guests.

We walked out of the hotel and headed towards the Durga Mandir, supposed to be within 500-600 metres from the hotel, turned out to be approx. a kilometre. The day being Sunday, there was rush of devotees, I decided to stay out and did Santanu. It took about 25-minutes to complete the darshan and once Deepika, Sangeeta and Shinjini came out, we headed for the Sankat Mochan Hanuman Mandir. Initially, we thought it to be close-by but it turned out to be quite far from the Durga Mandir. It seemed, lots of people have ‘sankat’ or problems in their life because the place was really crowded and unmanageable. Deepika & Shinjini went for the darshan while we waited outside.

We came back in the hotel before 12-noon and checked-out as our cab had come. Santanu announced that our train, the celebrated Vande Bharat Express is running late from Delhi and now is scheduled to depart from Varanasi an hour late around 4 pm. We had one extra hour but nowhere to go as Rakesh, our driver told us that he has another assignment from 2-pm and therefore can’t take us anywhere else. We stopped at a paan shop from where our revered PM had once had a paan. I asked for the same kind of paan that he had and it was really good, melt-in-the-mouth kind. We packed up few paan for post-dinner munching.

We were dropped off at the station around 1:45 pm and didn’t know how to pass the time but Shinjini found out an Executive Lounge where our entry became free courtesy the ICICI Bank credit cards. We had free vegetarian lunch and hot tea/coffee. The permit was for two hours and we easily passed the time playing TwentyNine. The train from Delhi finally entered the platform around 3:30 (1.5 hours late), the usual time for cleaning the train after one-leg of journey is 90-minutes but the staff entrusted with job did it in 60-minutes and the train was ready for departure around 4:30 pm. We estimated that if nothing untoward happens, we should reach Delhi around 12:30 am, it was not be… the Vande Bharat Express has a top speed of 130 kmph and it rarely reached anywhere near it, keeping the speed in the vicinity of 60-70kmph most of the time. However, on the brighter side, the seats with ample leg space in the Executive Coach, the food and the service, more than compensated the delay. We finally reached New Delhi Railway Station at 1:55 am. The station at that hour looked quite different, devoid of normal hullaballoo of the day time, the quietness and the low lights made it eerie. We came out looking for a pre-paid cab but none was available, finally Deepika negotiated with private cab driver and we took it to reach home around 2:40 am. We slept around 3 am, about the time, Basu’s reached their Gurugram home.    

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Lepakshi Temple

“At least you can enjoy the cool weather of Bengaluru instead of roasting in Delhi.” Deepika insisted and so I tagged along with her to spend a few days with Ayush and Rajashree.

Deepika’s friend Moushumi suggested we go out for 3-4 days to Belur & Halebeedu, a Hoisala heritage site about 100 miles from Bengaluru. However, the idea could not fructify because of the not-so-good road condition and the unpredictable rains in Karnataka. In any case, I was contended to spend the days at home and cook up some savouries for the kids. Then Moushumi came up with another heritage place, Lepakshi Temple, a day trip from Bengaluru on NH44 (Bengaluru-Hyderabad Highway). We decided to go on Tuesday 3rd June but on Sunday morning my nose turned ticklish and by evening it became full blown cold with running nose and mild fever, thankfully, Deepika was carrying medicine for such eventualities. I must confess that on Sunday, even though all indications suggested that I take complete rest but rest of the gang wanted to go out for lunch on the only Sunday afternoon for a family outing. Sunday happened to be Bengali Jamai Shashti, a day when the son-in-law is pampered to the hilt with a royal feast and we decided to visit the famous restaurant of Kolkata Mitra Café, only to be turned away with a waiting time of over an hour.  Rajashree searched for alternative restaurants in the vicinity and came up with Bier Garten, a roof top restaurant…the weather was decent enough to enjoy a nice meal and a pint of draught beer. Now, you can imagine what aggravated my sinuses!!

By Tuesday, with strong doses of anti-allergy medicines, I felt better and we decided to take the trip to Lepakshi. I suggested we hire a driver to drive Moushumi’s Suzuki XL-6 automatic, not being sure that I will be fit enough to drive. The ETD was 6:30 am to avoid the city traffic on a working day, accordingly Deepika & I reached Moushumi’s home at ACME, Bellandur only to find her sitting in her car, waiting for the driver to come. We waited for 30 more minutes with Moushumi trying to reach the driver or the agency that provides the services but no one responded. It was getting late, so I sat at the wheel and checked the vehicle’s functions. I felt confident to drive the car and we took off around 7:30 am.

It took us one hour to traverse through the city to reach the highway to Hyderabad. I had experience of driving on this stretch having made multiple visits to Bengaluru while stationed at Hyderabad. In those days, there weren’t many good decent places to stop for a bite. I asked Deepika and Moushumi to look for a breakfast place and they came up with A2B (Adyar Ananda Bhavan), a restaurant serving South Indian cuisine but soon realised that we had crossed it by many miles. Then we came across a signage promoting a restaurant called Koteshwaram, about a kilometre away from our location.

Koteshwaram turned out to a nice restaurant with option of fine dining as well as option for a quick bite on the go from the counter. It was a new place started operation four months ago. The food was Karnataka-Andhra influenced… thick dosa and mildly sweet sambhar but otherwise very tasty. On the table was a “tent-card” showcasing their desserts and one item instantly touched a chord in my heart. It was “Jelly Ice-cream”, reminded me of the times I used tag along with my brothers to the football match and afterwards would walk 5 km to Connaught Place from Ambedkar Stadium, Delhi Gate for the promised hamburger and cream jelly at the Indian Coffee House.

After our leisurely breakfast stretching over an hour, we started for our destination. The Google Map showed our destination, Lepakshi Temple, only 1:15 hour away, I drove sedately at 80 kmph (within speed limit) and reached our destination around 11 am, from the outside, it looked a small edifice, making us wonder if we reached the correct location!!

It is actually Veerbhadra Temple at Lepakshi. Veerabhadra Temple is a Hindu temple located in the Lepakshi, in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. The temple is dedicated to the Virabhadra, a fierce form of the god Shiva.

Built in the 16th century, the architectural features of the temple are in the Vijayanagara style with profusion of carvings and paintings at almost every exposed surface of the temple. It is one of the centrally protected monuments of national importance and is considered one of the most spectacular Vijayanagara temples. The fresco paintings are particularly detailed in very bright dresses and colours with scenes of Rama and Krishna from the epic stories of the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Puranas and they are well preserved.

There is a very large Nandi (bull), mount of Shiva, about 200 metres (660 ft) away from the temple which is carved from a single block of stone, which is said to be one of the largest of its type in the world. The temple has been built on the southern side of Lepakshi town, on a low altitude hillock of a large exposure of granite rock, which is in the shape of a tortoise, and hence known as Kurma Saila. It is 140 kilometres away from Bengaluru. The approach from the National Highway NH44/ NH44 to Hyderabad that takes a branch road at the Karnataka-Andhra Pradesh border leading to Lepakshi, 12 kilometres away.

The temple was built in 1530 AD by Virupanna Nayaka and Viranna, both brothers who were Governors under the Vijayanagar Empire during the reign of King Achyuta Deva Raya, at Penukonda who were native to Karnataka. They belonged to the warrior merchant class of Veerashaiva Vani. The temple consists of only Kannada inscriptions. According to Skanda Purana, the temple is one of the Divyakshetras, an important pilgrimage site of Lord Shiva.

The main temple is laid out in three parts, these are: The assembly hall known as the Mukha mantapa or Natya mantapa or Ranga mantapa; arda mantapa or antarala (ante chamber); and the garbhagriha or the sanctum sanctorum. The temple, as an edifice, is encircled by two enclosures. The outermost walled enclosure has three gates; the northern gate is used regularly. The inner east gate is the entry to the assembly hall, which is a large sized open hall designed with a large space in its central part.

It is at the entrance to the sanctum sanctorum and has a profusion of sculptures and paintings over every inch of space on the columns and ceiling. The images on the pillars and walls are of divine beings, saints, guardians, musicians, dancers and 14 avatars of Shiva. Figurines of the goddesses Ganga and Yamuna flank the entrance to the sanctum. The exterior columns of this hall are built over a decorated plinth; the decorations are in the form of blocks of carved images of horses and soldiers. The columns are slim and have features of colonnettes carved with eaves, overhanging in a curved shape. The open space in the middle part of the hall is defined by large columns or piers which have carvings of triple figures.

In the columns in the northeastern part of the hall, there are images of Natesha flanked by Brahma and a drummer. In an adjoining column there are figurines of nymphs in dancing postures, flanked by a drummer and cymbalist. The column at the southwest part of the hall has an image of Parvathi, Shiva’s consort, flanked by female attendants. There are also carvings of divinities such as Bhringi with three legs and Bhikshatana carved in a dancing posture; this is in the northwestern part of the hall. The ceiling of the hall is fully covered with mural paintings depicting the scenes from the epics, the Mahabharata, the Ramayana, and the Puranas along with the life sketches of the benefactors of the temple.

The paintings in each bay on the ceiling of the main mandapa, the antarala and other shrines, depict the grandeur of Vijayanagara pictorial art. They are painted over an initial plaster layer of lime mortar. The colour scheme consists of vegetable and mineral colours of yellow, ochre, black, blue and green blended with lime water; the background is generally painted in red colour. Apart from figures of gods and goddesses, in the presence of the devotees arranged in rows, the frescoes also depict the incarnations of Vishnu. The paintings are in striking compositions where the particular emphasis is on the period costumes and facial expressions. The fresco in the ceiling of ardha mantapa (ante chamber), which is said to be Asia’s largest, measures 23 by 13 feet (7.0 m × 4.0 m). It has frescoes of the 14 avatars of Lord Shiva as: Yogadakshinamurti, Chandes Anugraha Murthy, Bhikshatana, Harihara, Ardhanarishwara, Kalyanasundara, Tripurantaka, Nataraja, Gouriprasadaka, Lingodbhava, Andhakasurasmahara…

The presiding deity deified in the sanctum sanctorum is a near life-size image of Veerabhadra, fully armed and decorated with skulls. There is a cave chamber in the sanctum where sage Agasthya is said to have lived when he installed the image of the Linga here. The ceiling in the sanctum above the deity has paintings of the builders of the temple, Virupanna and Viranna, regally dressed and crowned with headgear similar to those adorning the Krishnadevaraya’s bronze statue in Tirupati. They are depicted, with their entourage, in a state of reverential prayer, being offered sacred ashes of their family deity.

Within the temple complex, on the eastern wing, there is a separate chamber with Shiva and his consort Parvathi carved on a boulder. In another shrine chamber there is an image of Lord Vishnu. Within the temple precincts, to its eastern side, there is huge boulder of granite stone which has carving of coiled multi-hooded serpent providing an umbrella cover over a Shiva Linga.

The apparently “hanging pillar” is yet another attraction in the temple. There is a gap between the base of the pillar and ground through which cloth and paper can be passed, as the pillar is slightly dislodged and touching the ground only on one side. A huge granite Nandi (bull), 20 feet (6.1 m) in height and 30 feet (9.1 m) in length, bedecked with garlands and bells, carved out of a single block stone, is located about 200 metres (660 ft) from the temple, which faces the statue of the serpent in the precincts of the temple.

We were awestruck by the temple’s architecture, stone carving and the fresco art. Deepika offered puja at the Veerbhadra temple for the peace and prosperity of the family. The priest offered us a small banana (Yellaki or Ilaichi Banana) as prasad. Coming out from the main temple, we made a parikrama of the temple complex, the expansive structure and use of the flat hilltop was simply amazing.

I was wearing my footwear sitting on the stairs to the temple when I noticed a few monkeys in the vicinity, two of them were scanning the area for food and one was peacefully sleeping. A group of devotees were passing through the gate which woke up the monkey and it looked at the source of the disturbance with irritation. In a swift movement, it swooped down on one of the devotees and snatched a banana that the man was holding in his hand, quickly peeling off the skin and devouring it. Deepika, unaware of the incidence walked straight towards Moushumi, sitting under the tree, a few feet away from the monkey, asking her to take a picture when the monkey rushed to her and in a swift movement took out the banana (prasad) that was barely visible from her purse. She panicked and started screaming but the monkey was neither interested in her nor in the purse. I told her to calm down and back off from the monkey. The scene was repeated once more on another hapless devotee.

We left for Bengaluru soon thereafter, hoping to evade the notorious evening traffic. The drive was uneventful except witnessing a crash on the other side of the road, a Toyota Hyrider had hit a tractor trolley with its engine completely gutted and a BMW tried best to avoid them but failed hitting the Toyota from behind. There was a huge man-made congestion of onlookers. It costed us precious 20 minutes before we could cruise again.

Reaching Bengaluru, we decided to stop for lunch at the Manyata Tech Park famous for a food court having the best of the restaurants. The food at the Nasi & Mee was excellent and every morsel was devoured by us. Under the specials, they had a sushi dessert called Mango Sticky Rice served with a coconut milk dip, mildly sweet with the natural sweetness of the mango. Even though, it was unique and flavourful, I felt, it lacked the sweetness one expects in a dessert, they could have added a bit of sweetener in the sticky rice before rolling it. Overall, we were very satisfied with both the quality and quantity of the servings, Thai Green Curry with Jasmine Rice, Veg Hakka Noodles and Prawn Curry for the main course as well as the dumplings for starters.

Moushumi, insisted that we stopover at her home for a cup of tea and rest a while before going home. I checked with Ayush if he can pick us up from there on his way back from office, detouring 20 minutes from his usual route and he confirmed affirmative. I handed over the wheels to Moushumi for the last leg of the journey to her home, as she knows the route while I would have needed constant guidance negotiating the heavy traffic. Later, Ayush picked us up but I realized the detour was a torture for his tired soul after a grinding day in the office.

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Dil-Dosti-Yaarana

After a sumptuous dinner and warm welcome by Indrajit and Jagrata, we left for the Service Apartment, EcoSuites by Stayvilla, arranged by Indrajit, about 3 km from his place. EcoSuites, Service Apartment has three 2-bedroom+lounge units per floor, newly constructed, albeit a bit inside…entry through a narrow lane but has car parking for 5-6 vehicles. The rooms are spacious with kettle for making tea/coffee, running hot n cold water and big screen television. I would say, it’s a 3+ star accommodation, rare to find at the price negotiated by my friend. We were informed that room service is available too, round the clock. Initially, we were booked for 2 rooms with extra bed for the 5th person but we got the third room as well. I had the room all to myself as other eligible members refused to share with me fearing my snoring which sounds like the roar of a lion!!!

In the morning, we checked with Indro if he can arrange for a 7-seater vehicle for all of us to travel together; after a while he called up to inform that practically all the bigger commercial passenger vehicles have gone to Prayagraj for Mahakumbh, which is true because we have seen them not only in Prayagraj but on the highways as well. Instead of hiring another smaller vehicle and take two of them, we decided to adjust in our Jeep Compass, Sudipta would sit in the front passenger seat while four of us would manage within the rear seat… Dil mein jagah honi chahiye baki sab adjust ho jata hai…

I wanted to have Dhuska with Aloo-Chhola Sabji, but it wasn’t readily available, so we settled for stuffed paratha and egg with hot tea for breakfast.

DAY ONE (Thursday 20.02.25)

Our first destination was Patratu Valley (I have visited this earlier with Indro), the serpentine road with breathtaking view at every turn makes the journey feel amazing. We stopped at the Patratu View Point to take some pictures of the valley below with the mountain range as backdrop but unfortunately, the day turned out to be cloudy hiding the mountains from view. Anyways, we clicked few selfies and pictures of us with the valley in the background.

There were few vendors selling street foods, we had the phoochka or golgappa from one such guy, the taste was average, lacked the punch associated with the item. I also had a plate of Aloo-tikki with Channa… the Channa tasted tangy and nice but the tikki was nowhere near the famed Delhi version. We had then rounded off with Amul ice-creams before going down to the valley to experience the Patratu Lake created by the dam.

There were a flock of gulls near the shore enjoying swim, occasionally fluttering their wings to hop over the water, apparently, they were fed by the tourists visiting the lake. A few of the tourists were taking boat rides as well, the speedboats creating a jet-spray in their wake reminded me of my boat ride in the expansive sea in Thailand. We bought the tickets for the boat ride and were picked up by the waiting boat which took us to the island on the lake at the far side, took a complete round and a smaller circle and we were back to the shore. It was a less than 10 minutes ride but thoroughly enjoyable, giving us a childlike thrill.

Our next destination was Palani Falls situated 11 km or 22 minutes’ drive away from our location. During monsoon and immediately afterwards, the sight is wonderful but as this winter had very scant rains, the water had completely dried and one only see the dark patches on the rocks marking the path of the water fall. We were disappointed. We spent few minutes at the gate deciding on our next destination, Indro suggested, Tuti Jharna Temple near Ramgarh off NH20, a 1.5 hour drive. Topshe took the wheel and I shifted to the rear seat to take nap.

I woke up when Topshe was navigating through a very narrow village lane of Sandi, reminding me of the numerous trips I had made through such village roads while dropping or picking up my son from his university, SNU situated on the GT Road, Chithara village.   

We parked nearer to the temple complex in the middle of makeshift vendor stalls, empty but likely to come alive in the evening and walked to the temple complex. The atmosphere was serene and calm in the afternoon with a sound of water flowing in a stream coming from the distance becoming more prominent as we got closer to the temple. What struck us is the ancient structure of the temple blending seamlessly with the surrounding landscape. With anticipation we stepped inside, eager to uncover the stories and legends that had stood the test of time (please read at https://indroyc.com).

Tuti Jharna Temple… Continuous water flowing on the Shiv Linga.

The Tuti Jharna temple is renowned for a fascinating natural phenomenon—water flows continuously over the Shiva Linga, yet no visible source can be found. The mystery has baffled visitors for generations, with no scientific explanation to fully account for it. Some say it’s an underground spring, while others believe it to be a divine marvel. Regardless of the reason, the sight was mesmerizing—the steady flow of water over the ancient Shiva Linga, the rhythmic sound creating an almost meditative atmosphere. Standing there, we couldn’t help but be drawn into the temple’s serene and mystical aura. Whether science had an answer or not, didn’t matter—we were content simply to soak in the divine energy that seemed to permeate the place.

The handpump just outside the temple, water gushing out without any human intervention.

Our next destination was Chhinnamasta Kali Temple situated in Rajrappa, 38 km or 50 minutes’ drive from our location.

Nestled amidst the verdant hills of Jharkhand, the Chhinnamasta Temple in Rajrappa is a popular pilgrimage site for devotees of Shaktism. The temple is dedicated to Goddess Chhinnamasta, also known as Prachanda Chandika, who is revered as the embodiment of power, courage, and wisdom.

The journey to Rajrappa is not just a physical one but also a spiritual voyage through time and nature. The Damodar River, with its broad and flat valley, tells a geological story that spans millions of years. The Bhairavi or Bhera River, cascading from the Ranchi plateau, joins the Damodar, creating a picturesque waterfall and a sacred confluence. This spot, steeped in legend and myth, is where Goddess Chhinnamasta is said to have appeared before Lord Shiva and Parvati. This location has a special significance. It is at the union of Bhairavi nadi (female) coming from the top, meeting Damodar nada (male) signifying vipareeta rati (opposite copulation) pose as described in Devi Chhinnamasta’s dhyana (vipareeta rataturam). Here Bhairavi is active Shakti and Damodar is the male passive member of rati action. Damodar is very calm and Bhairavi is an active member.

Chhinnamasta (ছিন্নমস্তা) temple, dedicated to Goddess Chinnamasta (छिन्नमस्ता), is a marvel of Tantric architecture. Adorned with intricate carvings and sculptures depicting scenes from Hindu mythology, the temple stands as a testament to ancient craftsmanship. The main shrine houses the idol of Goddess Chhinnamasta, bedecked with flowers, jewels, and offerings from devotees. The temple complex also includes smaller shrines dedicated to various deities and a holy pond for ritual cleansing. (Source: Indrosphere, https://Indroyc.com)

My friends, when they came to Ranchi for Judhajit’s (only son of Indrajit & Jagrata) wedding, they missed out visiting the temple due to tremendous rush on the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya. However, this time we could actually go inside the Garbha-griha and offer our puja to Maa Chhinnamasta. When the Purohit asked the name of the Jajman, I automatically mentioned “Deepika”, perhaps because she’s the most important person in my life or perhaps I have reached a state of mind where the desires have ceased to exist… I am at peace with my current existence. I know, my friend, Madhav or Keshav is always with me (even when I am writing this) and keep guiding, removing obstacles from my path, like ensuring we could enter the city of Prayagraj, unhindered when many others faced daunting task of walking many miles to the Triveni Sangam. The Supreme One, often tests my resilience too, teaching me valuable lessons of life.

Just to clear doubts from the minds of those reading this, I generally avoid all ritualistic worshipping. I am agnostic by nature and thoughts. I believe, Madhav or the Supreme One is omnipresent in my life by manifesting in the form of friends and family who are wise and full of empathy, always guiding towards the path of Dharma. I am lucky.

After a very satisfying darshan of the Vigraha, we left for our hotel, dropping Indro at his home to freshen up, promising to return after an hour or so to devour another true Bong dinner. We had insisted that we take them out for dinner but Indro sighting the health of Jagrata had turned it down. Moreover, he said that since we are his guests, it is his right to feed us at least one meal a day. We couldn’t argue further and accepted his invite.

Jagrata, dished out another spread of true blue Bong culinary affair consisting of Shukto, Lal Shak-Posto, Sojne Phuler Batichocchori, Lau Chingri, Ilish Machher Jhol (Egg Curry for me), Sada Bhat & Nolen Gurer Rosogolla. Even as I write, my mouth is watering up…

We spent couple hours with them chatting and having a gala time, telling stories of our exploits during our school days and all the merriments we had at the weddings of our sons, Judhajit and Ayush.

DAY TWO (21.02.25)

On our last day in Ranchi, Indro suggested we go to Dassam Falls and then to the 16-Arm Durga Temple popularly known as Prachin Kalin Solah Bhuji Maa Dewri Mandir, through Taimara Ghati.It was a 68km or 1.5-hour journey from Indro’s home through Ranchi Ring Road and then NH33 or TATA Marg. This particular stretch of the road is alleged to be one of the top ten haunted roads of the world. And did we experience anything weird or paranormal?

From the Ranchi Ring Road, we took the exit to NH33 and Indro informed that up ahead, the stretch is known to be haunted though he had never experienced anything spooky. He informed that many travellers have on record said that their watch stopped or their vehicle got stalled in the middle of the road, some even confirmed sighting apparition of a veiled woman clad in white saree. We all became interested and extra alert to spot anything unusual that could be termed spooky. Just to tease my friends, I told them that our watches have suddenly leaped forward from 11:45 to 12 noon. They all checked their watches and were shocked.

Though, Indro had been on this stretch, particularly for Dassam Falls and Dewri Temple and knew the way to both places, the face of the road had changed since his last visit, so we had Google Maps directing us. All was going well when suddenly, the Google Map on the car screen went for a wild dance, it kept re-routing on a single straight road. We thought, it was because of network issue but all the phones showed full strength of the signal. We kept going straight for a while and then the Google Map became alive and directed us to take a u-turn after 3 more km; we had effectively overshot our right turn to Dassam Falls Road by almost 10-12 km. Why it happened, I don’t know, whether it has anything to do with paranormal activity or simply a momentary loss of GPS signal, I leave it to the readers to decide.

The Dassam Falls gets it’s name from the fact that during and after the monsoon, the water falls in 10 different streams from the rock. Dassam Waterfalls, at this time of the year was not the thunderous spectacle as it is during the monsoon, but still held a quiet, undeniable majesty. The water tumbled gracefully down the rugged rocks, splitting into multiple shimmering ribbons that caught the sunlight, creating a mesmerizing display. The verdant backdrop of dense forests framed the falls perfectly, adding to their serene beauty. We spent some time at different viewing platforms taking pictures, going down to the base for the majestic view of the cascading water falling down the rock-face. While coming up, I counted the steps, they are 206 steps from the base to the top surface. A good exercise for the 60-plus youngsters and it called for refreshment as well. We had the orange papaya, a local cultivation and wonderfully ripe n sweet tasting. We also bought Wild Berries (Indian Jujube), 500gm for just Rs.10/-. Coming back home, I made a tangy chutney of it using date-jaggery. We also had freshly made veggie fritters (pakodas) paired with hot masala tea. A family of monkey was following us from base in the hope of getting food but we had none to offer, disappointed they went after a young couple who were having something more interesting for the monkey family. While we were enjoying the fritters a chicken with 5-6 chicks wandered near us pecking at the food they could only see.

Our next destination was the famous Dewri Temple of 16-bhuja Maa Durga. On the way, stopped for a moment at the open roof temple of Maa Kali & Hanuman. The idols were out in the open as if to oversee the travellers on the road below and assure them a safe journey.

In the tranquil outskirts of Tamar, a quaint village nestled along the Jamshedpur-Ranchi Highway, lies a haven of divinity, the Deori Mandir. This sacred abode is home to Maa Deori, the revered sixteen-armed manifestation of Goddess Durga. As I revisit this timeless sanctuary after a prolonged hiatus, memories surge forth, weaving a tapestry of spirituality and folklore. Durga is a warrior goddess, and she is depicted to express her martial skills. Her iconography typically resonates with these attributes, where she rides a lion or a tiger, and has between eight and eighteen hands, each holding a weapon to destroy and create. The main attraction is that the idol is having sixteen hands, normally goddess Durga is seen with eight or ten hands. At the heart of Deori Mandir lies its pièce de résistance – the idol of Goddess Durga, bedecked with sixteen resplendent arms. This unique portrayal, deviating from the conventional depictions, exudes an aura of martial prowess and divine grace. Legends intertwined with the temple’s existence narrate sagas from epochs past, tracing its origins to the era of the Mahabharata.

Among the myriad narratives enshrined within its ancient walls, one resonates with the valour of Emperor Ashoka (Reigned ca. 268 – ca. 232 BCE) and his entreaty for divine intervention during the Kalinga War (ca. 260 BCE). The saga of a visionary king, stirred by celestial dreams, unveils the temple’s hidden sanctum amidst dense foliage, echoing the whims of destiny and devotion. According to folklore, a king of Tamar, believed to be in the 18th century,  once saw a dream. The goddess told him that there was a temple in Deori, where she must be worshipped. Villagers, as directed by the king, cleared a forested patch to find a small temple with a stone statue of Durga. Ever since the deity is worshipped here.

Legend has it that whoever has tried to alter the structure of the temple has had to face the wrath of the gods and suffer consequences. Therefore, new construction is being done from outside keeping the original temple intact. (Source: Indrosphere, https://indroyc.com)

There was market place just outside the temple courtyard where the aboriginal or Adivasis from the nearby villages gathered to sell their produce. The veggies were absolutely fresh from the farm and many kinds of greens which I had never seen before. They were selling different kinds of lentils too, unpolished, unadulterated besides superfoods like quinoa and millets. I bought the Arhaar Dal and raw Turmeric from a lady. Sudipta was still drooling over the Lau-Chingri and Sojne phuler Chocchori, she bought both to take back home and surprise the children with culinary delights.

On our way back, we stopped at roadside restaurant, Panchvati Restaurant, near the Surya Temple, Bundu,primarily to use the restroom and have tea. As I was parking the Jeep, I saw a signage that said “Desi Bakre ka Mans Milta Hai Yahan” meaning Country Goat Meat available here. This intrigued me because, I have heard of “desi murga” as opposed to “broiler chicken” but didn’t know that such differentiation exists in the mutton category as well. Indro checked at the counter and we ordered for two plates of that with Tanduri Roti besides onion pakodas and tea. Whether it was a native or foreign goat, the mutton preparation was delicious with succulent, melt-in-the-mouth pieces of soft mutton. We thoroughly enjoyed the food and the break.

One of Pulak’s cousin lives in Ranchi whom he wanted to meet even if briefly, so on our way to the hotel, we dropped him in Doranda, a populous locality of Ranchi, very close to the MECON Housing Society famous for the residence of M S Dhoni, ex-captain of Indian Cricket Team on who’s life a biographical movie was made few years ago. Indro showed us the flat where he lived besides the school he attended and the football ground where he intended to become a footballer before destiny made him one of the iconic cricketers of this century.

We reached back to our hotel after dropping Indro to his home. After freshening up, I packed my stuff keeping the nightwear and a fresh set of clothes for our long journey to Varanasi enroute to home. Thereafter, putting my phone to charge, I took a quick nap before Gora came in to say it was time to visit Indro’s home for another dinner, this time prepared by his son, Judha and daughter-in-law, Tania. In effect, he had ensured we always have a home-cooked meal, at least once a day during our stay in Ranchi, besides ensuring we don’t spend any money on dinner.

The culinary spread, once again, a glorious spread of traditional Bengali delicacies, laced with the love and affection of the chef and simplicity of home-cooked delish. The fragrant Basanti Pulao, with its saffron-hued grains and subtle sweetness, paired with Guri Aloor Torkari, a tangy, mildly spicy and flavourful dry small potato curry (Jagrata’s creation). This was followed by the aromatic brilliance of Murg Kalimirch with creamy gravy with a hint of black pepper that tingled in your mouth, a delightful dish by Chef Judhajit. The hearty meal was rounded off by my favourite Lal Mishti Doi, it’s creamy and mesmerising taste of Nolen Gur kept lingering in our mouth long after our meal was done with.

More than the dinner, it was a celebration of friendship, shared histories, and the irreplaceable joy of gathering around a table filled with good food and great company. No restaurant, no matter how fancy, could ever match the warmth of a homecooked meal. I am sure, we all will remember our Ranchi Reunion as the epitome of Dil, Dosti & Yaarana till our last breath. We can never put to words our feelings of gratitude for Indro, Jagrata, Judhajit and Tania for the love and affection they showered on us throughout our stay in Ranchi.

We bade them adieu and prepared our long journey back home, halting overnight at BHEL Guesthouse in Varanasi. The journey back home was uneventful except the usual culprit being the NH19 right from Sasaram to Varanasi till we took the exit to the city only to face unruly, erratic traffic, typically UP. The final leg of journey was smooth ride via Purvanchal Expressway, Lucknow-Agra Expressway and finally Yamuna Expressway to Greater Noida and then home after dropping my friends at New Ashok Nagar.  

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Mahakumbh & Beyond

The four of us, Tapas, Pulak, Gora and I were at the famous restaurant Al Jawahar in Jama Masjid, having lunch when our conversation turned towards the on-going Mahakumbh. Pulak revealed that he had already visited with his sons and it is very doable by road. That prompted us to plan our own trip to Prayagraj. I suggested that since we are going all that distance, we might as well go a little further to Ranchi (Jharkhand) to visit our dear friend Indrajit. Keeping everyone’s schedule and comfort in mind, we decided the dates, 18th to 23rd February and accordingly booked the hotel/ homestay at Prayagraj, Ranchi and Varanasi.

DAY ONE (TUESDAY 18.02.2025)

In view of the long distance, we decided to take my Jeep Compass… also I wanted to put some mileage as well… after 3.5 years, it hasn’t crossed 20000 km!!

I started from home at 5:35 am (target was 5 am) and reached the pick-up destination, Topshe’s home at around 6 am. There was a bit of apprehension whether the boot-space of Jeep would be able accommodate the luggage of 5 person but everything fitted in the space. We started for Prayagraj… Mahakumbh around 6:40 am, Google Map said 10 hours 50 minutes to the destination. HAR HAR MAHADEV…

A little bit about Kumbh Mela…

The Mahakumbh Mela is based on a legend about the churning of the ocean to find the nectar of immortality or Amrit. The story says that as Lord Vishnu was carrying the Kumbh or the vessel filled with Amrit, he had scuffles with the Rakshasas (Demons) and in the that melee four drops of the nectar fell at Triveni Sangam, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik making them sacred and the sites of the Kumbh Mela. 

Prayagraj, located at the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati River. The third one is hidden.

Haridwar, the site where Ganga descends to the plains from Himalayas.

Ujjain, located on the banks of Kshipra river.

Nashik, located on the banks of Godavari river.

There are four kinds of Kumbh Melas, Magh Mela, happens every year in the months of Jan-Feb at the Prayagraj, Ardh Kumbh, every 6 years on a rotational basis at Prayagraj & Haridwar, Purna Kumbh, every 12 years again on a rotational at the above mentioned 4 sites and Mahakumbh, every 144 years at the Triveni Sangam, Prayagraj, based on the rare celestial event of alignment of the Sun. Moon and Jupiter. This year it was special because of the rarest celestial event when 7 planets aligned in a perfect trajectory. The science behind Maha Kumbh includes astrology, astronomy, and ancient Indian knowledge of geography and geomagnetic forces. 

Astrology:

  • The timing of Maha Kumbh is based on the alignment of the Sun, Moon, and Jupiter.
  • When Jupiter enters Aquarius, the zodiac sign of Kumbh, and the Sun and Moon align, it’s time for the Maha Kumbh.
  • This rare celestial alignment is believed to create the perfect moment for the holy bath.

Astronomy:

  • The 12-year cycle of the Purna Kumbh is linked to the orbital period of Jupiter. 
  • Jupiter takes approximately 12 years to complete one revolution around the Sun. 

Geography & Geomagnetic forces:

  • The selection of Kumbh Mela sites reveals ancient India’s understanding of geography and geomagnetic forces.
  • These locations, often at river confluences, are believed to exhibit strong geomagnetic energy fields.

Ancient Indian knowledge: 

  • Ancient Indian sages identified the 12-year cycle of Jupiter long before modern science recognized it.

Other beliefs:

  • Immersion in the holy waters represents surrendering the ego and worldly attachments, fostering humility and spiritual transformation.

Mahakumbh Mela 2025

Over 55 crore people took a holy dip in the Triveni Sangam during the 2025 Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. This is the largest gathering in human history for any religious, cultural, or social event. The Maha Kumbh Mela began on January 13, 2025 and continued until February 26, 2025. The number of people who took a bath at the Triveni Sangam represents over 50% of India’s Sanatan Dharm followers. The footfall at the Hindu pilgrimage surpassed the population count of all countries except India and China. On the eve of Maghi Purnima, more than 2 crore people took a holy dip in Triveni Sangam, the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati River. There are no precedence of such gathering of people in the history of mankind.

Back to our journey…

We had our first stop at the Food King adjacent to the Agra Toll Plaza where we had tea and the egg sandwiches prepared by yours truly. After freshening up, we continued our journey, Tapas took the wheels, it was first time driving an automatic vehicle for him, I explained the basics to him. The route was quite simple, Noida-Greater Noida Expressway, Yamuna Expressway, Agra Inner Ring Road, Agra-Lucknow Expressway and NH19 all the way to Prayagraj via Kanpur bypass.

We experienced heavier than usual traffic on the road, the reason perhaps is the non-availability of train tickets and skyrocketing airfares to Prayagraj, many people had decided to take the roads, especially as the road conditions have improved over the last 10 years. Anyways, it was a good sign, travelling with larger numbers are reassuring and kills the boredom of the emptiness of driving vast stretch of the tract.

An hour or perhaps more on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway, we found the exit to NH19 towards Kanpur. We refilled the tank right after hitting the NH19 at a Reliance Petrol Station. We needed to use the restroom but it was too dirty for our senses. Moving further, we found a Dhaba with a sizeable number of vehicles stopping and decided to take the break. We ordered for stuffed parathas with curd and took out the Luchi-Aloor Torkari prepared by Sudipta, better-half of Tapas. I forgot to mention that she was travelling with us as well becoming the fifth gang-member.

Tapas continued to drive, he truly loves driving long distance especially on the hilly roads, but was enjoying the driving an automatic on the plains. After the tummy full eating, I felt a little lazy and dozed off while Tapas drove without any incident. The NH19, often passed through some townships and villages with volume of local traffic, slowing us down. We reached the Kanpur bypass around 1:30 pm and realised so many people like us are headed to the Mahakumbh bearing the flags and banners of Sanatan attached to their vehicle. It also started the congestions on the road and at places we were stalled for more than 30 minutes.

Around 4:30 pm, still miles away from Prayagraj, we felt hungry and stopped at the Muskan Palace, a Baratghar or Banquette Hall, converted to a restaurant for the Mahakumbh yatris on NH19. They were serving a variety of lentils with rice only, we ordered one of each, Chhole, Rajma, Arhar dal with rice. Deepika, even on her off day, makes each of them far tastier and filling and if she’s in a mood, the dishes become finger lickingly delicious!!

Tapas had driven quite a distance since morning, so I took over the wheels. The drive to Prayagraj was more or less smooth with few intermittent congestions and we reached the “Y” fork where the lefthand side road boldly announced “way to Sangam” and the righthand side road was heavily guarded by the UP Police, allowing fewer vehicles to go through. Indrajit, my friend has a contact named Sonu with whom we were in touch and he suggested we take the righthand side road. Further, he told us to tell the cops, if stopped, that we are headed towards the airport, I did that and was allowed through the barricaded road. Once on that road, we stopped as Sonu said that he is sending some kind of “pass” which turned out to be a train ticket to Nagpur, changing our narrative from airport to the railway station. Our next hurdle to enter the heart of the city came near the Nehru Park area which had been converted to a massive vehicle parking area. I was in the middle lane of the traffic and for a good purpose as the vehicles on the left were diverted to the parking and the right lane were asked to take a u-turn for some other parking. I was behind a Scorpio SUV that had a large sticker declaring “Bhadoria Family”, we had on our way seen a convoy of at least 15-20 cars/ SUV with same sticker and had thought them to be a marriage party. The Bhadoriya Family must be having some influence as it was allowed to go through the barricade, without looking at the cops, I quickly followed it crossing the barrier. Madhav was with me and did the trick. Thereafter, we had a free run through the city and came to a roundabout from where the Google Map asked us to take the second exit for our homestay, a mere 2 km away. The road was barricaded, the vehicles ahead of me were taking the u-turn and an ambulance waited patiently for the passage through the prohibited road. The cops were communicating through walkie-talkie on the loudspeaker. The control room advised the cops to open the gate for the ambulance and close down immediately. This was enough for the alert drivers to follow the ambulance in close proximity to pass through. Soon, we reached the location as advised by the homestay guy but could not see “Vinayak Homestay” board anywhere. Tapas and Pulak went to check and called up our contact. With his new direction we drove through a lane to reach the house, parking was in the open, leaving space enough for another car to pass. The facilities at the homestay was bare minimum, a bed with clean sheet and a blanket, no towels (thankfully, we all carried our own); at the time of booking, they showed us pictures of the room including bathroom which claimed existence of geysers, however out of the three rooms, only one had a geyser but non-functional. It was matter of one night stay, so we weren’t too hassled.

We quickly freshened up and changed into appropriate clothing for the holy dip at the Triveni Sangam. The homestay owner, showed us a quick getaway to the river banks, the maps showed 3.4 km or 15 minutes of walking. We were elated being so close to the destination. We reached the ghat and saw Ganga flowing in full glory to meet her sisters Yamuna & Saraswati, we followed her for another 3.5 km to the Triveni Sangam with at least a million more faithful.   

As we walked sedately towards the bathing ghats of Triveni Sangam, we came across humanity from all across the country speaking in variety of languages, some familiar, some alien. One thing was certain that the barrier of caste, creed and colour was non-existent at the Mahakumbh Mela, the assimilation of human race was complete.

We finally reached the bathing ghat, ready to take the dip in the holy water of the Sangam. Pulak, having taken the dip, few days back was ready for the repeat, Sudipta too was keen. Tapas, Gora and I had a look at the water and the people taking the dip in the confined bathing area, and stood back. I am no one to judge the belief and faith of the people but I could not convince myself to plunge into the pool of practically stagnated water; had the water been flowing freely like it was beyond the confines, I would have taken the dip. We bowed to the confluence of rivers and requested Pulak to splash the water on our head as a symbolic bath. Ironically, all the videos of the celebrities taking the holy dip shows free flowing rivers or perhaps the VVIP/VIP areas were differently curated than the one’s for the proletariat creating a class distinction, very contrary to the tenets or philosophy of the Mahakumbh, proving that money and power are more equal than faith.

We filled few bottles of the holy water for back home, the colour of the water was dark grey because of unwanted particles and muds; surprisingly, by morning, the water had become almost clear.

After more than 16000 steps or almost 12 km walking, we were hungry and looked for a decent place to have something. We found one in the market and ordered for Masala Dosa (only item available with minimal oil) and sat in the restaurant area. I am not commenting on the quality and taste of it but it did fill our hungry tummy.

We came back to the homestay, completely exhausted and crashed out.

DAY TWO (Wednesday, 19.02.2025)

We were all set for the second leg of our journey to Ranchi for the reunion with our dear friend Indrajit. We started from the homestay around 7 am and it took us an hour to negotiate through the city streets to reach the highway towards Varanasi.

We started around 7:30 am for the 525km journey to Ranchi expecting to cover it in 10.5 hours. We were grossly mistaken. It took us almost 1.5 hours to get out of the Prayagraj city. Once we hit the highway (NH19), the going was good, we could speed up to 110-115kmph on some stretches keeping our ETA at Ranchi at respectable time. While driving, we finished off the butter-jam sandwiches that we had for a situation where we get stranded without any amenities.

Around 11 am, we stopped at the Rajpoot Dhaba, more for using the restroom than eating. The place was chock-a-block with large number people stopping for breakfast, it took some 30 minutes to find a table for the 5 of us; we shared the large table with 5 other people, 4 ladies from Mangalore and their driver. They narrated the unprecedented rush in Varanasi, especially around the Kashi-Vishwanath temple, staying near the temple, they said that there wasn’t an inch space in the lane leading to the mandir. They were going to Prayagraj after visiting Kashi-Vishwanath. They had booked a tent at the Prayagraj, so I guess they had nice experience.

The scene at the entry points to Varanasi were no different from Prayagraj, all the entry points were completely shut, no vehicles were allowed inside the city. This resulted in haphazard parking of vehicles on the highway itself leaving very little space for other vehicles to pass. Tapas drove with admirable patience through the congestion. We hoped for smoother drive once we cross over to Bihar!!

The Bihar roads presented a different level of challenge. There’s ONLY ONE ROAD, NH19 that connects the Eastern part of the country to North, West and South and this is under renovation, widening, recarpeting and new flyovers for a smoother ride in the near future. But right now, there’s absolute chaos with narrow and unlaid service roads coupled with unruly traffic creating congestion every few kilometers. By the time we were crossing Aurangabad, the Sun was on its way down on the western horizon and soon it became dark with blazing headlights.

We drove on in complete darkness following the numerous diversions and negotiating the congestions till we left the NH19 for NH20 to Hazaribagh. The drive became easier and we were cruising through the Hazaribagh bypass towards Ranchi with new ETA of 11:05 pm. Nearer to Ranchi, the ghat section stirred up Topshe to drive at 100+ kmph; Sudipta and I told him to slow down as it was an unknown stretch for us, we were not sure what lay ahead. Upset at being curtailed, he felt offended and stopped communicating and driving at below 70kmph till we reached our destination.

We had shared our live location with Indrajit, he came up to the main road to guide us to his housing complex, Global Lavanya. Jagrata, his wife had prepared an elaborate banquette of typical Bengali cuisine for us. Once upon a time I had shared my desire to have typical Bengali food (my household being cosmopolitan, it is always a fusion food) and my friend and Bouthan went miles to fulfil my desire. I am and shall forever remain indebted to them for the love and affection they showered on us.

Note: The second and final part the RANCHI REUNION to follow soon…

Begun Bhaja, Mochar Ghonto, Sona Muger Dal, Lau-Shukto, Katla Machh Aloo-Kopi Diye, Sada Bhaat and Nolen Gurer Kshir

Posted on by Aranyascope · 3 Comments

Ajanta-Ellora Sojourn

Let’s go somewhere in the coming week, declared Deepika.

Where? I asked knowing well that I will have to search the destination. I shortlisted few places… Varanasi, Corbett, Kanataal, Aurangabad and Goa. All of them are drivable as far as I am concerned.

Let’s go to Aurangabad but fly down because I have to be back by Saturday. So, in 24 hours, the flight ticket bought and hotel booked. Sumita (Deepika’s friend) joined us this time.

Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar (Aurangabad)

There are four direct flights to Aurangabad, 2 in the morning and 2 in the evening. We took the evening Indigo flight and reached Aurangabad around 6:15 pm and in the hotel by 7pm. There was a bit of confusion at the airport… Deepika had booked a taxi service for our entire stay right from airport pickup to drop. She received the vehicle number and we were surprised to find a Toyota Innova and then another group of seven also claimed it to be theirs’ but we beat them in occupying. The driver was in a dilemma and called the owner to explain the confusion. The owner realised his mistake and gave us the number of another vehicle, fortunately, the car, a Suzuki Desire was there at the airport parking and came to us in quick time.

Once we checked into the Hotel Click, suggested by my friend Tapas, we freshened up and went to The Bhoj Thali Restaurant at CIDCO, next to Fern’s Residency. The speciality of this restaurant is the Thali consisting of over 21+ items and unlimited regional delicacies and non-alcoholic local drinks. We were not very hungry but still enjoyed the tasty platter and when we thought we are done, they brought Khichdi and Rice which we had to decline.

Ajanta Caves

Ajanta Caves are about 100 km from Aurangabad on way to Jalna and takes approx. 2.5 – 3.0 hours, most of the road stretch is in good condition with work in progress at few points. We had a quick breakfast and by the time we are done, the cab also arrived at the hotel.

We checked about the road condition with the young driver, Samadhan (Solution) and he confirmed that roads have been re-laid/newly constructed however there are patches where work is still going on. He said that he makes at least ten trips to Ajanta every month.

It took us about 2.5 hours to reach our destination. We paid for the parking and use of utilities and was told to proceed for the bus which will take us to the cave site. The bus ride costs INR 30 per person each way for non-AC coach and INR 35 for AC, though I couldn’t find any AC coach. The drive was through serpentine hilly track of 4.5 km and took about 10 minutes.

The Ajanta Caves dates back to 2nd century BCE through 6th century CE and had been a sanctuary for the Buddhist Monks and their disciples. The caves are adorned with sculptures as well as paintings that still reflect vibrant colours. There are 30 caves but some of them remains unfinished…the important ones to explore are 1, 2, 16, 17 & 19 for mural paintings and 1, 4, 17, 24 & 26 for sculptures. The cave number 9, 10, 19, 26 & 29 are Chaitya Halls while the others are Viharas. Out of these, Chaitya caves 9, 10 and Viharas 8, 12, 13 & 30 belongs to Hinayan system where instead of the Buddha Idol, the symbols associated with Gautam Buddha such as Dharma Chakra in the shape of Lotus, Stupa and the Bodhi Tree were worshipped through 2nd century BCE to 2nd century CE. The other caves excavated after long break belongs to the 5th & 6th century CE and belongs to the Mahayana sect. These caves have the image and idol of Gautam Buddha in various postures.

The theme of the paintings is Jataka Tales right from the birth of Buddha to his attaining Moksha. Similar themes can be found in the sculptures as well. The fascinating details in the sculptures and the use of vivid colours in the paintings made us wonder at the creativity and workmanship of our ancestors. They not only hand carved those caves cutting up the mountains, large enough for habitation but created chambers for different activities without any modern tools and machines. We were told that the caves were carved out at different periods over many centuries. After the decline of Buddhism some time in the 6th century CE, the caves were abandoned and remain hidden behind thick foliage and jungle for many centuries. It was accidentally discovered by a British Cavalry Officer named Captain John Smith in 1819 while hunting a tiger, he stumbled upon the horseshoe shaped rock with many caves having Buddhist artifacts inside…couldn’t resist to leave a graffiti message on a painting in the cave number 10, “John Smith, 28th Cavalry, 28th April 1819”.

We spent more than 3.5 hours exploring the caves and each one fascinated us with its creativity and workmanship…told us stories of the bygone era. Even the unfinished caves have their own stories to tell if only someone has the patience to sit back and meditate.

On the way back to the parking, we stopped at a shop to buy few rough-cut stones like amethyst and crystal. I bought two idols of Ganesha and Radha-Krishna as an act of charity from a roadside vendor.

While driving back, Samadhan, our driver received a call from his uncle that his father had a paralytic stroke and taken to the hospital. On returning to the city, he still took us to the shop specializing in Paithani Silk sarees and dress material as he had promised to Deepika and Sumita. I pray to Madhav for his father’s quick and complete recovery.

We rested for about half hour in our rooms while our phones were charging then went to another famous restaurant of Aurangabad called The Great Sagar specialising in Mughal cuisine. We were told their specialty dish is Naan Khaliya, a non-veg preparation of either chicken or mutton and served with thick naan or Khamiri Roti. It sounded to be a good dish and Sumita decided to try it out the chicken version, I wasn’t so sure, so opted for the tried n tested mutton biriyani while poor vegetarian Deepika was stuck with dal-tadka, paneer and roti. As it turned out, the Naan Khaliya is a overhyped dish…it is basically a spicy soupy curry of chicken or mutton with naan, a damp squib. Deepika found the vegetarian dishes below par, but the biriyani was decent flavourful with well cooked mutton pieces. Overall, it was not a pleasant dining experience especially after our visit to the Bhoj Restaurant.

Back in the hotel, we played Rummy till midnight… needless to say I did not win a single hand.

Ellora Caves

We started a bit late for the Ellora caves as the cab designated to us had a flat tyre and came late to pick us. We had earmarked few other places to see besides Ellora. Our first destination was Ghrishneshwar Temple, close to the Ellora caves. Ghrishneshwar means “lord of compassion”.

Ghrishneshwar Jyotirlinga is a Hindu temple of Shiva in Verul village of Aurangabad district and considered as the 12th Jyotirlinga mandir. The mandir is a national protected site, 1.5 Km away from the Ellora Caves and approx. 30 kilometres north-west of the city Aurangabad. Ghrishneshwar finds mention in various scriptures such as Shiva Purana, Skanda Purana, Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

The temple structure, just like the Somnath Temple in Gujarat, was relentlessly attacked and destroyed by the Delhi Sultanate in 13th and 14th centuries. It was re-built by Maloji Bhosale, grandfather of Shivaji Maharaj in the 16th century only to see another destruction by the barbaric Mughal empire. The current form of the temple was re-built in the 18th century under the sponsorship of Queen Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore. Today, it is an important and active pilgrimage site of the Hindus and attracts devotees from across the country. There is no bar in entering the temple premises and its inner chambers, but to enter the sanctum sanctorum or garbha-gruha of the temple, the local Hindu tradition demands that men must go bare-chested just like in Guruvayur Temple in Kerala.

Deepika and Sumita went inside the temple while I remained outside guarding their belongings. Mobile phones and cameras are not allowed inside, like in many other Hindu pilgrimage sites, a practice, I neither understand nor support. It took them more than half hour to perform the rituals and we started off for the Ellora Caves.

As you enter the Ellora Cave complex, the majestic Kailasha Temple (cave no.16) welcomes you. The Kailasha temple is the largest of the rock-cut temples at the Ellora Caves. A megalith carved from a cliff face, it is considered one of the most remarkable cave temples in the world because of its size, architecture, and sculptural treatment. It has been called “the climax of the rock-cut phase of Indian architecture“. The top of the structure over the sanctuary is 107 ft above the level of the court below. Although the rock face slopes downwards from the rear of the temple to the front, archaeologists believe it was sculpted from a single rock. The complete temple complex gives an impression of a Chariot on the move.

The Kailasa Temple (Cave 16) is the largest of the 34 Brahminical, Buddhist, and Jain cave temples and monasteries known collectively as the Ellora Caves, ranging for over two kilometers along the sloping basalt cliff at the site. Most of the excavation of the temple is generally attributed to the eighth century Rashtrakuta King Krishna-I (756 – 773), with some elements completed later. The temple architecture shows traces of Pallava and Chalukya styles. The temple contains a number of relief and free-standing sculptures on a grand scale equal to the architecture, though only traces remain of the paintings which originally decorated it.

The Kailasa Temple is notable for its vertical excavation—carvers started at the top of the original rock and excavated downward. The traditional methods were rigidly followed by the master architect which could not have been achieved by excavating from the front.

“The local Marathi legend, Katha-Kalpataru by Krishna Yajnavalki (c. 1470-1535 CE) mentions that the local king suffered from a severe disease. His queen prayed to the god Ghrishneshwar (Shiva) at Elapura (Ellora) to cure her husband. She vowed to construct a temple if her wish was granted, and promised to observe a fast until she could see the shikhara (top) of this temple. After the king was cured, she requested him to build a temple immediately, but multiple architects declared that it would take months to build a temple complete with a shikhara. One architect named Kokasa assured the king that the queen would be able to see the shikhara of a temple within a week’s time. He started building the temple from the top, by carving a rock. He was able to finish the shikhara within a week’s time, enabling the queen to give up her fast. The temple was named Manikeshwar after the queen.”

The entrance to the temple courtyard features a low Gopuram. Most of the deities at the left of the entrance are Shaivite (followers of Shiva) while on the right-hand side the deities are Vaishnavites (followers of Vishnu). A two-storeyed gateway opens to reveal a U-shaped courtyard, edged by a columned arcade three storeys high. The arcades are punctuated by huge sculpted panels, and alcoves containing enormous sculptures of a variety of deities. Some of the most famous sculptures are Shiva the ascetic, Shiva the dancer, Shiva being warned by Parvati about the demon Ravana and river goddess Ganges coming out of Shiva’s knotted hair.

Within the courtyard, there is a central shrine dedicated to Shiva, and an image of his mount Nandi (the sacred bull). The central shrine housing the lingam features a flat-roofed mandapa supported by 16 pillars, and a Dravidian shikhara. The shrine – complete with pillars, windows, inner and outer rooms, gathering halls, and an enormous stone lingam at its heart – is carved with niches, plasters, windows as well as images of deities, maithuna (erotic male and female figures) and other figures. As is traditional in Shiva temples, Nandi sits on a porch in front of the central temple. The Nandi mandapa and main Shiva temple are each about 7 metres high, and built on two storeys. The lower storeys of the Nandi mandapa are both solid structures, decorated with elaborate illustrative carvings. The base of the temple has been carved to suggest that elephants are holding the structure aloft. A rock bridge connects the Nandi mandapa to the porch of the temple. The base of the temple hall features scenes from Mahabharata and Ramayana. There are five detached shrines in the temple premises; three of these are dedicated to the river goddesses: Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati. There are two Dwajasthambs (pillars with flagstaff) in the courtyard. A notable sculpture is that of the Ravana attempting to lift Mount Kailasa.

After being awestruck by the magnitude of the marvelous Kailasha Temple, we proceeded to see the cave nos. 30 to 34, the Jain excavations. We were taken there by an electric van… the distance almost 2 km from the entrance gate. The cave number 32 is the biggest of the caves having a large hall with antechambers and the sculpture of Lord Mahavira. Its 2-storey cave with steep unequal stairs going up to reveal a serene room fit for meditation. There is a connecting narrow corridor to the cave no.34. We were sceptical of the unequal stairs and decided to climb down carefully, no point in injuring oneself at this ripe age.

The EV took us to the cave number 29, another massive cave structure, 46 metre wide and almost 6 metre high. It has a group of halls in the form of a cross with wide columns and a pair stone lion guarding the entrance. Everything in this cave is huge… Lord Siva with eight arms depicting the fearsome destroyer. Another colossal Shiva in Nataraj dance posture in the portico.   

We were dropped back to the main entrance gate from where we walked towards the cave nos. 10 to 1 but midway, Sumita decided to stay back because of exhaustion. These are primarily Buddhist excavation quite similar to the ones at Ajanta. We quickly reviewed these and left for the Bhadra Maruti Temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman.

At the Bhadra Maruti Temple, located in Khuldabad, the idol of Lord Hanuman is portrayed in a reclining or sleeping posture. It is one of only three places where Lord Hanuman is represented in a sleeping posture. The other two places are on the banks of Ganges at Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh and at Jam Sawali, Madhya Pradesh.

“According to a folklore, in ancient times the Khuldabad was known as Bhadravati and the ruler was a noble king named Bhadrasena, who was an ardent devotee of Lord Rama and used to sing songs in His praise. One day Lord Hanuman descended in the place, listening to the devotional songs sung in praise of his master, Lord Rama. He was mesmerized and without his knowledge took a reclining posture – called ‘Bhava-samadhi’ (yogic posture). King Bhadrasena, when he had finished his song, was astonished to find Hanuman in Samadhi before him. He requested Hanuman to reside there forever and bless his as well as Lord Rama’s devotees.”

Normally, I don’t go inside any religious places unless it has some architectural, historical significance but it had very little crowd and on Deepika’s insistence went inside. It’s a comparatively small temple, quite clean. Inside the temple it was clearly mentioned that photography is not allowed but there were people, not devotees…(they can’t be called devotees if they do not have the basic sense of discipline) rampantly ignoring/ disobeying the order and taking pictures as well as selfies. I felt disgusted at their callousness. Within the complex, there exists another small open temple dedicated to Shani Dev. Just outside the temple perimeter, some vendors were selling Puja Samagri including mustard oil in a small bottle, Deepika was about to buy when I noticed that only male members are allowed to do the puja. I do not know the reason behind it and will ask my learned friend Acharya Indrajit Ji but found it very patriarchal, especially in these modern times. Another interesting thing I learned recently that the Shani Dev idol is never covered from the top, it stands under the open sky irrespective of weather.

Sumita wanted to buy Paithani Saree and Himroo Shawl right from the time we decided to come to Aurangabad. These are speciality items of the region and well known even beyond the borders. While coming from the city, we had seen few shops selling such items. I went with them in the first shop but realised that it was not for me, I decided to sit in the car while my phone got charged, allowing me to take a quick power nap that got me recharged for the evening.

We visited the Bibi ka Maqbara in the evening after sunset, it was all lighted up making it look surreal and beautiful. I haven’t seen Taj Mahal at night… I thought if this looks so beautiful, then Taj would be magnificent majestic with its overpowering presence under skilful lighting arrangements.

“The Bibi Ka Maqbara is a tomb located in the city of Aurangabad, Maharashtra. It was commissioned in 1660 by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s son, Prince Azam Shah in the memory of his loving mother Dilras Banu Begum also known as Rabia-ul-Durrani. It bears a striking resemblance to the Taj Mahal, the mausoleum of Aurangzeb’s mother, Mumtaz Mahal and that is why it is also called the Taj of the Deccan. The mausoleum was intended to rival the Taj Mahal, but the decline in architecture and proportions of the structure (both due to the severe budgetary constraints imposed by Aurangzeb) had resulted in a different and particular monument with its own significant beauty.”    

It was time for dinner by the time we finished exploring the monument… we were hungry too as the last meal we had was our breakfast. Initially, we thought of visiting Lok Seva Restaurant, a multi-cuisine restaurant serving both veg and non-veg dishes but Deepika and Sumita wanted to revisit Bhoj Thali Restaurant. We are living in democracy!!

This time we went to their second outlet, newer and well-appointed décor’ at Pushpa Nagari, Samarth Nagar. We knew what to expect and were ready to rejoice the dishes. I can’t say about my companions but I had a hearty dinner to my complete satisfaction even though it was vegetarian.

Later, coming back to our room, we played Rummy again and this time I won few hands. We slept late after a video chat with Ayush-Rajashree calling from Rome.

Freestyle Roaming

After breakfast, we checked out from the hotel but kept our luggage in the cloakroom of the hotel. We have kept the day for local sightseeing and shopping, though I doubted if we would get anything worthwhile to carry back to Delhi.

Our first destination was Soneri Mahal, located inside the campus of Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar University. The main building is constructed across the ridge of a hill and is surrounded by lush green trees, gardens, and fields. The palace was said to feature paintings made of real gold, thus giving it its name. The entrance is a solidly built structure with fortifications. The Hathikhana gate has ornate arches and is adorned with intricate carvings. From this gate, a central pathway leads to the main palace. On either side of the pathway are gardens and in the middle of this pathway is a large rectangular water reservoir.

Unfortunately, the palace was closed for renovation and I hope they will do justice to the gardens which were full of weeds and other unwanted foliage.

The next destination was Aurangabad Caves, quite similar to the Ajanta and Ellora caves but much more recent excavation. We had to climb more than 82 stairs to reach the caves and it killed me, I was panting like never before. When I looked at Deepika and Sumita, realized they were in no better condition. The caves are divided in three separate sections, we managed to see only one section and had no energy to climb again, moreover, the architecture and ornamentation of the caves are quite similar to Ajanta and Ellora and we had seen them all.

The Aurangabad Caves, are twelve rock-cut Buddhist shrines located on a hill running roughly east to west, close to the city. The Aurangabad Caves were dug out of comparatively soft basalt rock during the 6th and 7th century. The caves are divided into three separate groups, the “Western Group”, with Caves 1 to 5, the “Eastern Group”, with Caves 6 to 9, and a “Northern Cluster”, with the unfinished Caves 9 to 12. The carvings at the Aurangabad Caves are notable for including Hinayana style stupa, Mahayana art work and Vajrayana goddess. These caves are among those in India that show 1st millennium CE Buddhist artwork with goddesses such as Durga, and gods such as Ganesha besides numerous Buddhist deities of the Tantra tradition are also carved in these caves.

With that we completed our touristy exploration, Sumita now wanted to see the local markets, so we proceeded to Gul Mandi Market/ Nirala Bazaar. They are very similar to the markets of Lajpat Nagar, Ajmal Khan markets of Delhi, only scaled down substantially. Deepika bought a suit piece for gifting. Sumita couldn’t find anything interesting and after searching the net, decided to check Paithani Silk Store situated at the Connaught Shopping Market. While they went in, I stayed back in the car, my phone battery had drained out to only 30% and needed immediate recharging… the car charger was old and wasn’t charging the phone, so I went to a nearby shop and bought one. By the time the girls came, my phone showed 82% charged, so one can imagine how quickly they did their shopping!!

As per our tradition, we have one meal in a star rated hotel to complete our travel, so we went to Taj Vivanta for lunch and relaxed there till evening. Later, the cab dropped us to the hotel as the driver had other assignments promising that another cab would come to drop us at the airport. I knew that the owner, Suresh himself would be coming to collect the money and drop us at the airport. I found Suresh to be friendly and amiable person. On request from Deepika and Sumita took us to a shop specializing in Paithani Silk sarees from where Sumita bought a saree.

We reached the airport early and had a long waiting time, so took out the pack of cards and played Rummy till our boarding was announced. Sumita stayed overnight with us and went home in the morning. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would place this escapade at least 8.9 because of certain hiccups we faced which I avoided mentioning. We also skipped two historical places, Daulatabad Fort, because of steep climbing/ trekking of almost 4 km and Tomb of Aurangazeb, for obvious reasons.