U.P. Theerth Yatra - Day 6 (Last day)

Hanuman ji

There are so many places of interest in and around Chitrakoot that we felt we should have planned for one more night here. Due to paucity of time, we could not visit important landmarks such as Atri-Anusuya Ashram where Ram & Sita met them, the Gupt Godavari caves, Bharat Khoop (Well), Lakshman Bharat meeting place etc. The river Mandakini which flows in this district is said to be Ganga Herself who came here on the request of Anusuya.

In the morning of our last day, we had a heavy breakfast at the restaurant attached to our hotel. It was a buffet spread (pure vegetarian fare only) and, surprisingly, their idlis were very well made as was the Poha. We then checked out and left for Hanuman Dhara which was 6 kms away. Located on the top of a hill, this place is called Hanuman Dhara because of a gentle stream which flows over the statue of Lord Hanuman The statue of Bajrang Bali (another name for Lord Hanuman) has been built of red stone marble. It is placed on a small cave which oversees devotees entering the temple.

Legend has it that Lord Hanuman, after setting fire to Lanka, returned to this spot. He was fuming with anger and could not control his anger. Bhagavan Rama told him to come to holy Chitrakoot to cool down. Lord Hanuman then took a bath under the stream of water which flowed from above which helped him to overcome his anger and become cool again.

One must climb about 800 steps to reach this temple. Alternatively, there is also a ropeway service available which takes about 12 minutes to reach the top. The return fare for this is Rs. 160 per person. We chose to take this to save time. Little did we realise that there was a 45-minute wait in the queue to get in. After reaching the top, the temple is accessed through a flight of stairs. At the top, one can have lovely views of the entire countryside landscape. Above this temple, there is also a small structure inside the temple named Sita Rasoi (kitchen). Most visitors also go here but we didn’t go as we were told that there isn’t much to see here.

We could immediately get seats in the ropeway for the return journey down. After this, we left Chitrakoot and proceeded towards Lucknow. Nothing much to be said about the return journey except that we didn’t find any good place for lunch on the way. Luckily for us the heavy breakfast helped quell any hunger pangs. The roads were not great till we neared Lucknow. At one roadside Thela / shop, we stopped for some tea. It was excellent as were his Samosas which were prepared hot & fresh.

Once we neared Lucknow the roads became wide we entered a four lane toll road. The going became smooth. We reached the airport nearly 5 hours before departure and spent our time browsing through the shops there. I did my evening prayers in the prayer room and we also had something to eat at the lounge which was small and terribly crowded. The return flight was uneventful and we reached back safely home around midnight of Day 6.

U.P. Theerth Yatra - Day 5 (Part 2)

Ganga Aarti at Janaki Kund

The district of Chitrakoot, located on the border of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, is a very holy place due to its  connection with Ramayana. It is here that Bharata met Rama and tried to persuade Him to return to Ayodhya. It is here that Rama performed the last rites of his dead father Dasharatha and later spent 12 years during His exile. Many sages of that time, including Atri and Sharabhanga, had their ashrams here. It was here that the delightful interaction happened between Anusuya (wife of Sage Atri) and Sita where they discussed Stree Dharma and the details of Sita-Rama wedding.

Our hotel called “River Side Resort” was decent and located very near some of the holy spots of Chitrakoot. We reached around 4 p.m. and after some rest, a bath and evening prayers, we had some excellent tea at the restaurant. We hired  a local Electric Ricksha to take us around as they would be familiar with the places of interest and the best way to go around. He first took us to a place called Ram Darshan which is like a museum depicting various episodes from the Ramayana besides having a small shrine. This is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Chitrakoot. Unfortunately, this place got closed just as we reached there. We didn’t mind as we were keen to see historical & religious spots and not museums.

Our next halt was Spatikh Shila (Crystal Rock).  This is located on the banks of the Mandakini River which passes through Chitrakoot. This site is named after the crystalline rok formations found here. It is believed that Ram, Sita and Lakshmana came here during their stay at Chitrakoot and there is a rock which bears their foot prints. There are also several small shrines near this.

At Janaki Kund

We then went to Janaki Kund. Janki is another name for Sita Mata and this place has been named after her. It is believed to be the place where Sita Devi would bathe during her stay here. There are two temples located just behind the kund, namely, Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple and Shree Raghuvir Temple. In a small temple located here, you come across the footprints of Sita. The water of the Janki Kund is clear and transparent, and some pilgrims could be seen taking a dip in it. The silence in the surroundings makes it serene. It is especially a great place for those that are looking for some moments of peace and calm. There is a dense forest which lies across the river. We also saw the Ganga Aarti being performed at dusk by a group of young students from a nearby veda patshala.

Kamad Giri Temple

Our next halt was the famous Kamad Giri temple located on a hill which was a drive of about 4 kms from our hotel. It is believed that Bhagavan Ram fulfils all the desires of His devotees who visit this place. Pilgrims often perform a circumambulation of the hill (about 5 kms) to receive blessings. Many holy places lie along the religious route. The principal deity of Chitrakoot is Lord Kamtanath – another name for Shri Ram. According to one legend, Lord Brahma performed here His first yagna before beginning His work of creation. This is also  the place where Lord Rama and Goddess Sita spend twelve years of their exile. Due to lack of time, we only visited the main temple which could be reached after climbing a flight of about 30 steps. Here, we could see the idols of the entire Ram family. The place was crowded but not too much. We could have our darshan within 10 minutes of arriving here.

We then went to Ram Ghat which is located on the banks of Mandakini River and is among the most visited religious destinations in Uttar Pradesh. It is a beautifully developed area with ghats (bathing steps) on both sides of the river. There are lots of shops around and in the evening when we visited, we could witness the Ganga Aarti. This was a beautiful sight with many well-lit boats full of pilgrims witnessing the aarti from the river along with a large crowd witnessing it in the ghat area. The whole atmosphere was divine, and one can easily spend half a day here enjoying the ambience. It is believed that Bhagavan Rama, Devi Sita and Lakshman gave darshan to the contemporary Saint Goswami Tulsidas here. There are several shrines here and we visited a couple of them.

After this, we returned to our hotel. We then had dinner at the restaurant along with our driver. He was happy that we did treat him as one of us and relished the excellent meal while telling us about his personal life. After this, we were absolutely ready to catch up on our precious sleep which we did in our room which was perfect – right temperature & no mosquitoes.

Thus ended a long Day 5 of our Theerth Yatra.

U.P. Theerth Yatra - Day 5 (Part 1)

Snanam at Prayagraj Triveni Ghat

We had read & heard from many sources that Prayagraj gets choked with traffic due to the Maha Kumbh rush. Hence, we thought that if we left early in the morning, we might not encounter this problem. So, at 2 a.m. sharp we checked out of our hotel and left for Prayagraj from Varanasi – approx. 130 kms away. The previous day, I had met a driver at Dasaswamedh ghat who had been to Prayagraj 3 times in the past fortnight.  He advised me that we should proceed to a car park called Jhusi parking from where we can easily go to the Triveni Sangham using a two-wheeler.

Accordingly, we set that as our destination on Google Maps and proceeded. Along the way, we encountered huge traffic on the main Grand Trunk Road. So, our driver decided to go from the service road below which runs parallel to the GT Road. Soon, this road also got choked due to excessive rush of vehicles. The main problem was caused by drivers going to the opposite road (incoming traffic) to avoid the rush, which caused blocks as the incoming vehicles could not proceed.

Somehow, our driver expertly managed to find gaps and took us close to Prayagraj by 5.15 a.m. which was fantastic and much better than what we had anticipated. One of his driver friends had already reached a particular parking place and sent him the location. Our driver decided to go to the same place so that the two of them could also go for a dip together. As we came close to that car park, we suddenly found ourselves stuck in traffic which seemed to be non-moving. This is because people parked their vehicles in the middle of the highway haphazardly leading to the virtual standstill situation. We were about 7 kms away from Prayagraj.

One two-wheeler guy came to our car and offered to drop us at Jhusi ghat for Rs. 500. Without thinking, we hurriedly took our bag and climbed on the bike and were on our way. In the beginning, the roads were risky as we were riding alongside a deep ditch on one side and parked cars on the side of the road. There were hardly 3-4 feet of muddy road on which we were going. Any error on part of the driver or a loss of balance could have sent us down the ditch and caused multiple injuries. Luckily nothing of that sort happened, and after a short while we came to normal roads alongside some fields. There was no traffic here and we went at brisk pace in the cold pre-dawn winter morning. I was holding our bag in one hand and was holding the bike seat with the other hand. Lalitha, who was behind was clinging on to my shoulder and desperately managing with the little seat space that she got.

After about 25 minutes of riding (maybe 7 / 8 kms), our bike guy dropped us at a point and said that the ghat is only 150 meters from there. We took his number and asked him to drop us back after we returned to the same spot from the Triveni dip. We then started walking along with hundreds of other pilgrims, none of whom had any idea of the directions. After walking some distance, one more biker came up to us and offered to drop us to the correct spot which he claimed was another 4-5 kms away. As we did not know where to proceed, we thought it is better to go along with him. He drove for about 15 minutes and dropped us at the Maha Kumbh mela area.

Here, we could see tens of thousands of pilgrims walking around and huge, massive tents / camps all over. There was no clear signages to indicate the way. Everyone we asked for directions gave us different answers. There were bhajans and holy songs blaring out of loudspeakers which made it difficult to hear ourselves. We were searching for the area from where boats were available. Some told us boats have been stopped since the stampede, some told us boats will be available only from 8 am onwards and some told us that for boats, we have to go some other place. We found a tea seller where we had tea (it was around 6.30 am) and asked her for directions.

Based on the tea seller’s directions, we proceeded by walking along with the huge crowds. After some time, we came to Bridge number 1 (makeshift bridge made by the administration to allow people to walk to the Triveni Sangham area). Here we were told that the first few bridges were only for people to return from the Sangham. So we walked all the way to Bridge number 12 and crossed over on foot to the other side. From here we had to walk a long distance (about 2 kms) to reach the main bathing area. On the way, we had some boiled corn from a vendor.

Once we reached the main bathing area, we found it completely packed. There were many temporary shelters for women to change clothes, but these were crowded and had huge queues. There was hardly any place to stand. We hurriedly did our sankalpam at one place and then took turns to go for our dip. There were light poles which were marked by numbers. So, Lalitha waited near one pole whose number was memorized by me to return to the same place. One group had spread a plastic sheet on the ground, and we placed our bags on it. I went through the crowd to reach the bathing area, which was also crowded and quite dirty with all kinds of trash, pooja articles, clothes etc. discarded there. At the outer edge of the bathing area, there were many boats which were not plying and looked more like a security / safety arrangement.

I had the customary 3 dips wearing my traditional Veshti & angavastram. I also collected some water in a bottle to take back and distribute to people who couldn’t make it to the Maha Kumbh. Then I came out and found Lalitha waiting at the place where I had left her. While she went for her dip, I quickly changed my clothes. By this time, it was nearly 7.45 a.m., and the Sun had risen & shining brightly. Lalitha decided not to change her clothes as the changing places were crowded and dirty.

After our Snanam

We then crossed over to the other side using Bridge number 2. It was very warm by now and we were feeling tired and were desperate to reach our car. Our driver sent us his location using Google Maps. As we came out, we saw a biker and asked him for a drop back. He quoted a huge price but as we had no options we agreed. We told him the name of the parking place and also described the place to him. After driving some distance, and enquiring with local people, we found that there were two parking lots with the same name. To drop us near our car park, he demanded extra charges. We agreed and he took us through inner roads and then through crowded & dusty main roads. Finally, he dropped us at a place and said he cannot proceed further as return will not be possible for him.

I called our driver and sent our location to him. He requested us to take another auto / bike to reach him as roads were blocked and it would take him a long time to come. So, we took another bike and rode the last 3.5 kms on the bike to reach our parking area. When we finally located our car at around 10.30 am and boarded it, we heaved a sigh of relief.

We immediately left for Chitrakoot which was 125 kms away. Here too some main roads were barricaded and our driver found inner roads to get past them. Along the way, we stopped at a roadside Dhaba to have lunch. The place looked dirty with flies and garbage, but we had no choice. We had a simple lunch of Roti, Daal and rice. The roads were not very good due to which we reached Chitrakoot only by around 4 p.m.

More about Chitrakoot in my next blog.

U.P. Theerth Yatra - Day 4

Kashi Vishwanath Mandir 

Our Day 4 was reserved exclusively to go to few select temples within Varanasi. We began by visiting Kashi Vishwanath temple in the morning. Thanks to a contact, we luckily got 2 special entry passes called 'Protocol Entry'. The timing for our entry was between 8 & 9 a.m. So, we woke leisurely around 6 a.m., finished our morning routines including prayers. As this hotel had a good place (in the terrace) for drying clothes, we also washed a few clothes - mainly the towels used for the dips in the previous two locations.

As it was Sankatahara Chaturthi on this day, we were observing a fast till Sunset. So, we proceeded from the hotel around 7.15 a.m. and went towards the Godowalia Chowk area in a cycle rickshaw - a distance of about 1.5 k.m. Like in Ayodhya, we only carried our entry ticket and our wallet as electronic items are not allowed inside the temple. At the chowk, we had tea at a roadside vendor. Then we started walking towards gate 4 which is the entry point for Protocol ticket holders. This distance was only about 500 meters. As there were unprecedented crowds, it took us a long time to reach. 

The road was flooded with pilgrims walking in both directions. On one side of the road, there was a huge queue of people waiting in the line for hours for a few seconds of darshan. There were all kinds of people on the road - many vendors selling their wares, many beggars seeking alms using different techniques to gain sympathy. We could also see several dead bodies being transferred to cremation grounds - most of these were of people who died elsewhere but were brought to Kashi for the last rites. The crowds were so huge that we feared that we could get lost here or there could be some kind of stampede. I understand that on that day alone, there were more than a million pilgrims at Kashi - most of them either on their way to or back from Prayagraj. 

When we reached the entry point, we found a huge number of people trying to gate crash - some were claiming they were old, some handicapped etc. Each had some reason to plead with the guards to let them through. Somehow, we reached the front by squeezing through the rush and showed our ticket printout as well as Aadhar card to the security guys who allowed us entry. After entry, we decided to leave our footwear near the barricade so that we could collect it on our way back.

After we entered, we walked in through the gates only to find that there was a huge queue of protocol ticket holders. We joined the line and waited patiently for about 30 minutes in the slow-moving line. After some distance, we found that there was a secure place to keep slippers and mobile phones. As we walked in towards the temple, we could see the old structure that had been converted into the mosque - there were clear signs of the pre-existing temples. The pillars, the archways, the doors etc. are all clearly pointing to the old temple. Along the way, we could have a darshan of the Vyas ka Tekhana which has been permitted from 2024. We also had darshan of the original huge Nandi of Kashi temple which is facing this underground temple.

Annapurna Devi

After we entered the main temple premises, we could see multiple queues coming from different directions. To reach Kashi Vishwanath temple, there must  be at least 5-6 queues which originate from different points and winds its way through different gullies before finally converging at this place. As the Kashi Vishwanath sanctum has 4 doorways, the different lines are directed towards different doors where people are allowed to have darshan from a distance of about 10 feet for maybe 4-5 seconds. People who bring with them garlands, water, flowers, Bael leaves, milk etc. pour / fling it towards the Lingam and are then quickly ushered out by the security personnel. Due to the multiple queues, there are many barricades around the sanctum area, and one cannot even do a proper circumambulation here. We too had the brief 5 second darshan of the Jyotirling whose one glimpse is sufficient to remove all ailments of the body & mind.

Visalakshi temple

From here, we wanted to go to the nearby Annapoorna temple but were told that if you go there, you cannot come back the same way. As our slippers were kept near the place from where we entered, we decided to go back to the same place. When we came out, we realised that it was not possible to go near the barricade area as entry to that area was restricted. After pleading with the security guy, he allowed me to go & collect the slippers. When I went there, I found that all footwears were heaped into several heaps. It seemed impossible to trace and locate our footwear as there were literally a few hundred slippers in each bunch. By sheer luck, I could locate both our footwears and come out.

Visalakshi Devi

Then, we started walking around the temple area through the huge crowd to reach Annapoorna temple. After some distance, we entered the gully area that would lead us. We kept asking for directions from the locals to reach Annapoorna temple. When we neared it, we found the gully blocked with barricades. We were asked to go around another way. After some more walking, we came to another barricade which prevented us from going further. We were feeling helpless as we desperately wanted to have the darshan of Annapoorna Devi.

We then decided to first have darshan of Visalakshi Devi. When we reached this temple, we found an unusually long queue waiting for darshan. We joined the line, and after about 20 minutes, we got darshan of Visalakshi Devi. The main deity is a small idol who stands immediately behind a larger idol of the Devi. This temple is visited mostly by South Indians. After this darshan, we made one more attempt to have darshan of Annapoorna Devi. So, we went back through the gully to reach the barricade. Here, I showed our protocol pass and assured the policeman that we only wanted to visit Devi temple, and we were not trying to join the queue of devotees going towards Vishwanath temple. By divine grace, he seemed convinced and let us through.

Dundhi Ganapathy

On the way, we had a good darshan of Dundhi Ganapathy which was one of the deities we wanted to have darshan of. As we were going towards the Devi temple, a local shop keeper came and told us he can get us quick darshan. We went with him along with another couple. He sold us a saree each to be given as an offering to Annapoorna Devi. He then took a service charge for escorting us to the temple. As we entered the temple, we realised that maybe we did not need his help and that he was just taking advantage of our confusion. We went into the temple and found it surprisingly almost empty. In contrast with the thousands of devotees lined up for darshan of Kashi Vishwanath, hardly any were coming to this temple. It was partly due to the barricading of the gullies leading to this temple and partly due to the eagerness of the devotees to go first for darshan of the Jyotirling. We had a good satisfying darshan of the Devi and were allowed to go inside the sanctum by paying Rs. 100 each.

Rare Ekadashi Idol

After this, we came out and slowly walked towards Kaal Bhairav temple which was another 2 k.m.s away. On the way, we purchased some bananas as we were famished and tired. It was hot and sunny by this time. We took an auto to reach the Kaal Bhairav temple. When we arrived, we found that there was a very long queue to go to the temple. Everyone who visits Kashi tries to visit Kaal Bhairav who is the guardian deity of this holy town. As it was midday and, as we were tired, we decided to go back to our hotel and come back in the late evening. We took an auto to go towards the nearest ghat and, from here we took a ferry to go to Shivala ghat which is a short walk away from our hotel. It was an open uncovered ferry where we got really baked in the heat during the 30 minutes it took us to reach our destination.

Bindu Madhav

After we came to our hotel, I did my midday prayers and took some rest. In the early part of the evening, I walked 15 minutes to reach Dasashwamedh ghat (one of the holiest ghats of Kashi) and did my sankalpam and had a good snanam in holy Ganga. As per Kashi Khand of Skanda Puranam, having a snanam at Dasaswamedh ghat is 10 times more beneficial than having it at Prayagraj. After this, I walked back to the hotel and did my evening prayers. Later, we took a ricksha to reach Godowalia and then walked to the other side of the barricade and took another ricksha to reach Kaal Bhairav temple. The queue was less than the morning but it was still very long. So, we decided to walk about 750 meters to the Bindu Madhav temple. This temple was also virtually empty. We had a leisurely darshan of the Bindu Ganapathy, the Bindu Madhav and also the rare Ekadashi idol.

After this, we walked back to the Kaal Bhairav temple. We purchased some garlands & other offerings from a nearby shop and joined the queue at that point itself. We had cut into the queue and were feeling guilty but, due to paucity of time, we went ahead. After being in the queue for about 20 minutes, we entered the temple and had a good darshan of Kaal Bhairav. We also got new holy wrist bands tied to our wrists – this is something very sacred and it is believed that Kaal Bhairav offers His protection to all who wear this.

After this, we took a ricksha to go towards Godowalia chowk. After reaching there, we went to a restaurant and had a simple dinner (our breakfast) of Rotis, Daal and Jeera Aloo. We then returned to our hotel to catch a short sleep as we had planned to leave for Prayagraj at 2 a.m. the next day. Thus ended the long & satisfying Day 4 of our yatra.

U.P. Theerth Yatra - Day 3

The hotel / lodge where we stayed in Ayodhya was called Sri Ramanuj Padhachhaya at Ramkot, Ayodhya. It was only 700 meters away from Sri Ram Janmabhoomi, 400 meters away from Hanuman Gaddhi and 100 meters away from Kanak Bhavan. 

On Day 3, we finished our morning prayers before proceeding by foot towards the newly constructed & consecrated Ram Janmabhoomi temple. We only carried the printout of the special darshan pass, our aadhar card and wallet as we were told no electronic items were allowed inside.

Within 10 minutes, we reached the first check point where our pass was checked and we were allowed to proceed. After that, we came to the second check point where we were frisked - they couldn't find anything and hence confiscated my pocket comb !! Here we saw a security chief of some outfit who had come with his wife was stopped and frisked. He was upset but chose to not protest vehemently.

From here, the temple was only a few minutes walk away. There was a place to remove our footwear. From here, we walked about 100 steps to reach the Sanctum. For us, there was absolutely no crowd and entry was smooth. However, we could see huge crowds coming in from the normal queue which was separate.

We stood in front of Ram Lalla (about 20 meters away) who was adorned with minimalistic jewellery. He was carrying a bow in one hand and an arrow on the other. The deity is beautiful and looks lonely standing alone without His consort. Neither was His favourite servant Hanuman seen in the vicinity. I guess this is because Ram is seen as a young child here. We had a long darshan and no one aggressively asked us to leave, as it happens in some other temples. After about 5 minutes or so, some other people came in and we reluctantly left the same way as we came. Once outside we realised that we could easily go back in as the security & movement arrangements were not fool proof. In any case, we decided not to go back in as we were satisfied with the long darshan.

We could see that the whole temple complex is huge and work is still under way. The total area of this complex is about 70 acres while the temple itself is about 3 acres. The rest of the area huge construction work is going on and, I guess it will take another couple of years before the entire construction activity will get completed.

We returned to our hotel where we had hot Poha for breakfast. The quantity was huge, the taste was good and the poha was slightly undercooked due to which we had to chew it hard (some exercise to our jaws !!). Then, once we came to know that our car had arrived at the parking area, we checked out of the hotel. Luckily, this time we got an electric Auto which dropped us to the parking area.

Our new car was also a Sedan (Swift Dzire) and in decent condition. Our driver was a youngish Pandit from Ayodhya who was freelancing as a driver due to the huge demand for drivers. He said his main activity is to take care of a family temple somewhere in Delhi.

Dasharath Samadhi

Before we departed from Ayodhya towards Varanasi, we also visited the place where Dasharath was cremated. There is a small temple here not frequented by many visitors but we came here as advised by someone. We were told that Ram is pleased when people visit the Samadhi area of His father. This place is about 15 kms away from Ayodhya. The Yogi government has recently restored this site by renovation of the existing temple, painting it with bright colours and clearing the area around.  The Padma Purana describes its spiritual significance. Visiting this place and reciting the Shani Stotra composed by Dasharath can bring relief from troubles caused by Saturn.

From here we left for Varanasi. On the way, we stopped for some tea & snacks at a roadside eatery. The going was smooth till we reached the airport area of Varanasi. Here we found the roads were closed due to a visit by CM Yogi who was returning after inspecting the facilities. This caused a delay of more than 90 minutes. Later, as we entered the main city, we encountered slow moving traffic. By the time we reached our hotel, it was around 8.30 p.m. I had already arranged for light snacks for dinner from a local lady who does this service for yatris. This was delivered to our hotel even before we arrived. Our car was stopped about 100 meters away from the hotel by the police - so we walked the rest of the way. The car was allowed inside after 11 p.m. and the driver parked it in the basement parking of the hotel. The name of our hotel was Golden Petals at Shivala Ghat area - we had stayed here earlier also and liked it as it was neat and clean with good proximity to the Kashi Vishwanath temple.

After evening prayers, we had our dinner (idlis with sambhar & coconut chutney) and called it a day.

PS: We did not take any pictures on Day 3 - All pictures posted are from Google :-)

U.P. Theerth Yatra - Day 2

Through God's grace and help from a contact, we got a special entry pass to have darshan of Ram Lalla at the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple on the morning of Day 3. That gave us the time to spend the entire Day 2 going around important sites in & around Ayodhya. We had told our driver that we will reach the parking lot by 8.30 a.m. to go around.

After finishing our morning prayers etc., we came outside to hire an auto to go to the parking area. After a long search, we finally got a bike to take us to the parking area. We went triple seat on a bike to the parking area. It was quite an experience for both of us as we were riding a bike after more than 30 years. After arriving here, we found that our driver & car were not to be seen anywhere. I called him on the phone, and he said he will come in a couple of minutes as he has gone to the toilet. After more than 10 minutes passed, I called him again and he said he will need another 5 minutes as he has gone to have tea. This went on for more than 30 minutes while we were standing in the windy, cold dust filled area with no shelter.

I then called the car owner and asked him what was going on. He asked me to be patient and said the driver will arrive soon. After another 15 minutes, I called Savaari.com through whom we had booked the vehicle. They immediately spoke to the owner and assured quick resolution. When the car finally arrived, it was nearly 10 a.m. (we were waiting for almost 45 minutes). Out of suspicion, I checked the car speedometer and was surprised to find the car had run up 425 kms since we started the trip. I checked Google Maps and realised that the max. kms for our trip was 340 kms. I again called Saavari.com who checked and confirmed that 425 looks unreasonable. They conferenced my call with the owner who started giving lame excuses and finally he cancelled the trip. 

We were stranded without a car and Savaari.com couldn't give us a replacement. Fortunately, they agreed to refund the advance paid to them. I then used my contact to arrange another car from Day 3 which cost us much more due to lack of supply of cars. I agreed to the higher cost as we had no options. 

From the parking lot, we then hired an electric Auto to go around to a few important places that was in our agenda. We first went to Guptar Ghat - This is the place on Sarayu River from where Bhagawan Ram and the entire family along with countless Ayodhya residents left for Vaikunth. It was about 8 kms from the parking area. The whole place is well developed but the number of visitors were not too many. We took a motorised boat to go inside the Sarayu where we found a secluded place to park the boat. Here, I did Sankalpam and had a good snanam. The river was absolutely clean and flowing freely. The water was cold and fresh, and it was such a pleasure to take a dip here. There was a gusty wind blowing which made the dust / sand fly all around. This caused visibility to deteriorate and made the river look like an ocean with no boundaries. 

Bharat Hanuman meeting spot

After spending some time here and taking a few pictures, we came back to the shore. Here, we did a small puja with the help of a local priest. We then proceeded to Nandigram - the place from where Bharat ruled over Ayodhya for 14 years dressed as a Hermit and living as a Sage. It was a long drive to Nandigram (about 10 kms) through Faizabad. We saw the underground cave where Bharath spent 14 years living frugally and with a spirit of sacrifice undergoing similar hardships as his brother Ram. We also saw the pond from where he got the water supplies (now called Bharat Kund). We also saw the holy tree under which Hanuman met him and broke the good news of Ram's return to Ayodhya. If you notice the picture carefully, there are two tree intertwined as if they are embracing each other. It was a very emotional time to visit this holy place which plays such an important part in Ramayana. Here we saw a group of young boys going through their Upanayana ceremony jointly conducted by a local priest. All their families were there to participate in this holy function.

We then had lunch at a local restaurant consisting of hot chapatis, dal, aloo mutter and rice. The food was tasty and cost just Rs. 70 per plate. Then we returned back to our hotel at Ayodhya. On the way, we took a print out of the ticket for the next day darshan. Luckily, the Auto guy could take us right back to our hotel. After taking some rest, we decided to go to the local temples around our hotel. 

Kanak Bhavan temple

The beauty of Ayodhya (like many temple towns), there are nice old temples in every street. Most of the temple sanctums are facing the road and one can get a good darshan from the street itself. We first went to a temple next to our hotel called Sri Ramashram. As it was evening, they had an aarti going on for which we stayed. Later we walked down to the iconic Kanak Bhavan - which was less than 100 meters away. Kanak Bhavan is a large palace which was purportedly given to Sita on her marriage as a gift by Kaikeyi. There is a beautiful temple within the palace. The temple has 3 pairs of Ram Sita idols. There was a huge crowd gathered here for the darshan and we too immersed ourselves in the lovely devotion filled atmosphere.

After this, we walked to the hugely popular Hanuman Garhi mandir. This temple is situated close to the Ram Janmabhoomi temple and can be seen from a distance as it is a tall striking structure. It is shaped like a four-sided fort with circular ramparts at each corner, housing shrines dedicated to the primary deity Hanuman. There are 76 stairs to reach the main temple, where the Garba Griha (sanctum), adorned with silver carvings, awaits. The central dome has three intricately designed doors leading to the inner chamber. Within, a 6-inch deity of Hanuman, depicted in his youthful (Bal) form, is positioned on the lap of his mother Anjani. A silver tulsi garland, inscribed with the name of Rama is adorned by Hanuman. The verses of the Hanuman Chalisa are inscribed on the temple walls. The temple features a Victory Pillar, known as Vijay Stambh.

Dasharat Palace temple

As it was very crowded we were planning to skip the darshan here. Luckily, we spoke to a group of devotees who were returning after darshan and were told that actual waiting time on the queue will be only 10 minutes as it was fast moving. So, we joined the crowds and, in about 15 minutes has arrived at the Sanctum and had a darshan of Hanuman ji.

After this, we visited the nearby Dasharath palace which is a smaller structure than the Kanak Bhavan but equally impressive. Here too there was a lovely temple inside where a group of devotees were singing kirtans in religious fervour. We too joined the kirtan and enjoyed the devotional moments.

The whole area around these shrines is also full of shops selling religious items like idols, conchs, flowers, curios etc. which gave it a nice ambience. Subsequently, after doing some small shopping, we walked back to our hotel where we had a piping hot dinner cooked by their resident cook. The food was delicious especially because it was first offered to the deity in the small shrine attached to the hotel.

Then, we decided to sleep to absorb the lovely memories of the day as also in anticipation of seeing Ram Lalla at Janmabhoomi temple the next day.

U.P. Teerth Yatra - Day 1

Trishakti Dham Temple

2025 started with almost half of India converging into Uttar Pradesh (UP) to be part of the rarest of rare Maha Kumbh. There was so much hype about this rare event and, as we had a fear of missing out, that we also decided to go. However, as we didn't want to go to one place alone, we decided to cover nearby places of pilgrimage also.

After seeing the airfares to Prayagraj shooting up on a daily basis with no respite, we felt it would be better to go via some other nearby city / town. We decided to fly down to Lucknow and return from the same city which was a round trip covering 5 important pilgrim spots.

On Day 1, we took an early morning flight which landed by 7.30 a.m. We had booked a car through Saavari.com based on a good reference from a friend. The car driver, who was scheduled to pick us at 8 a.m., arrived only at 9.30. As usual, the common excuse was shared for the delay - the allotted car met with an accident and we have given you a spare car. The driver, a young Sardar, informed us that it was his first day on this job.

From the airport, we left for Naimisharanya which was about 2 hours away. On the way, we halted for breakfast at a roadside restaurant. The hot Aloor Parathas we had with pickles was heavenly and so was the ginger (masala) tea.

Naimisharanya finds mention in the Ramayana and Mahabharata as well as in many Puranas / Kathas. Ved Vyas had His Ashram here and it is here where the Puranas were first narrated to a gathering of sages. It is a revered place in Hinduism and a cornerstone of spiritual enlightenment. The confluence of the Gomati, Yamuna, Saraswati, Sarayu, and Payaswini rivers in Naimisharanya is also considered a very holy place. 

We reached Naimisharanya by around 11.45 p.m. Some of the temples there close by 12 noon and we couldn't visit them. We took a local electric Auto and went around some temples as enumerated below.

Balaji Temple

The first place we went was to the Gomti River ghat, where I had a traditional dip after doing Sankalpam. It was quite breezy here and there were few others also having their bath here. The water was clear and flowing gently. I also did my afternoon prayers at the ghat itself.

After this, we went to a newly constructed temple called Trishakti Dham where there was a huge idol of Bhagavan Vishnu outside and the idols of Narasimha, Durga & Shiva inside. We didn't spend much time here as it is a modern temple.

We next went to the nearby Balaji Temple which is a traditional South Indian temple with a beautiful idol of Balaji. There was a group of devotees from Andhra who were sitting inside the temple and conducting an elaborate pooja. After a satisfying darshan here, we proceeded onwards.

Our next halt was Hanumanghari. This temple, also known as Bade Hanuman, has a huge 12 foot Hanuman idol. There is a mythological story about Hanuman emerging from the Patal Lok (nether world) after defeating Ahiravana and rescuing Lord Rama and Lakshman. The priests running this temple aggressively demand donations for Annadan - one needs to be aware & careful.

We also had a brief look at Pandav Qila (Fort) which is a place where the Pandavas stayed during their exile. There is a deep well nearby believed to have been dug out by the Pandavas. We did not go inside the fort which was re-constructed by a Hindu minister of Allaudin Khilji in 1305. Outside is a small shrine where one can see the idols of the five Pandavas along with Bhagavan Krishna/

We then visited Vyas Gaddhi (seat), the place where Ved Vyas composed all the Puranas. The Satyanarayan Temple is also near this. It was truly a special moment to come here and have a darshan of the holy place where He resided and wrote all the scriptures which forms a backbone for Sanatana Dharma. We also saw the nearby Havan Kund where all the sages used to conduct their religious activities.

Chakratirth

We then went to Chakratirth which is one of the most popular Hindu pilgrimage sites in Uttar Pradesh. It is believed to be the place where 8000 sages worshipped God and performed penance at the same time. According to a mythological tale, it is the same place where the wheel (chakra) of Lord Brahma made an opening in the earth, thereby resulting in the creation of an enormous body of water. A holy dip in the water of this pond is believed to sanctify one’s mind, body and soul. We contended ourselves by washing our hands & feet here and sprinkling some water on our heads. We also visited the small temples around this pond.

We finally went to Lalitha Devi temple which is a Shakti Peeth where the heart of Devi Sati fell. The temple was small and seemed crowded with devotees. The idol was decorated in the form of a heart and we felt thrilled to have this darshan on the first day of our yatra.

We then proceeded in our car towards Ayodhya after having lunch in a restaurant called 'Treat' located just outside Naimisharanya. The food was tolerable. We took a long time to reach Ayodhya because we spent quite some time locating a CNG gas station to fill up the gas tank of the car. At the gas station, I quickly managed to finish my evening Sandhya prayers. Along the way, we stopped at a roadside dhaba for a quick dinner. The food was served piping hot and was quite tasty. It has grown quite cold by this time.

When we reached Ayodhya, we were told to leave the car at a parking on the outskirts of the city. From here, we took an electric Auto to go to our hotel which was about 4 k.m.s away. It was very cold by this time and we were ill equipped in terms of warm clothing. By the time we reached near our hotel, it was nearly 10 p.m. and we were shivering and keen to get indoors.

The auto dropped us about 100 meters from our hotel as the roads were blocked by the police. Luckily, we were escorted and helped by a policeman to reach out hotel which was an uphill walk from the road.

After we checked into the hotel, we straightaway crashed to bed as we were dead tired & sleepy. It took us some time to get sleep thanks to some loud talking happening in the corridor outside. A group of yatris were moving around talking / arguing loudly and I had to open the door to request them to cool down. 

Thus ended a very long day 1 of our yatra.

Beautiful Bhutan - Part 8 (Concluding Part)

Rinpung Dzong, Paro

We had a deep sleep the previous night as we were extremely tired after the previous day's trek to Tiger's Nest. We woke up refreshed and, surprisingly there was no hint of muscle pain anywhere. Normally, after such a strenuous trek, we have always experienced cramps & pain for 3 to 4 days while the muscles repair themselves. Seems that the hot stone water bath really worked wonders and we felt great without the need for any massages. It was really worth the price paid both in terms of the experience during the bath and the good feeling the next day.

The penultimate day of our stay in Bhutan was relaxed. After a lazy late breakfast, we checked out of our hotel and left the luggage in the cloak room. We then went to visit the Rinpung Dzong. This is a large Buddhist Monastery as well as Fortress located in Paro. The museum we visited couple of days ago, was originally the watch tower to guard this fortress located a couple of hundred meters above. Rinpung Dzong houses the local monastic body as well as the government administrative offices.

The majestic Dzong

Inside the Dzong are 14 shrines – not all can be visited by tourists. We did visit a few and also saw children learning the scriptures very much like the Ved Patasalas of India. After learning the scriptures, most of them become monks while some decide to get married and settle down as householders. The practices are similar to those found in Sanatana Dharma. Some of the children looked at us curiously as we walked around while some others were engrossed in their studies and didn’t get distracted. There were very few visitors at this time of the day.

We were astounded at the beauty of the monastery. To think that this imposing structure were built a few centuries ago and have survived the different kinds of natural disasters, which the Himalayan regions are prone to, is really admirable. The main building in which we did not see any pillars or beams is a stone structure and must be nearly 100 feet high and about 50 feet wide. Some of the smaller structures are made of wood and have lovely carvings adorning them.

Budding Monk

After spending an hour or so here, we came out and then drove back to the shop from where we had made purchases on the day of arrival at Paro. We finished last minute purchases of gift articles here and then came back to our hotel to pick up our luggage before bidding goodbye to Paro & proceeding towards Phutensholing. On the way, we saw a 600 year old iron bridge across the Paro river at Tachog Lhakang. This bridge was washed away and restored traditionally in 2005. The rest of the return journey was uneventful. We stopped at a roadside café for lunch on the way.

Flags behind us..

One thing that we observed all across Bhutan was the flags of different types installed alongside roads, mountain sides etc. The Bhutanese install flags for a variety of reasons like dedicating prayers for their deceased forefathers, to release prayers in the air, to get good fortune, happiness, long life & prosperity, to remove negative karma, welfare of all created beings etc. Flags are of different kinds - those fixed on poles or those hung on strings. Flags are also of different colours - each colour depicting a different purpose. For e.g. white is for purification of negative karma, blue is for health & longevity, red is for fulfillment of wishes and yellow is for overcoming obstacles. Each flag will have some sacred symbols, mantras or inscriptions from their scriptures, the most common being the mantra "Om Mani Padme Hum".I give a couple of pictures of flags to help the reader understand this.

Another example of flags

As we approached Phutensholing, we were stopped at the check point where we had to show our passport & permit to the police personnel. They make sure that we are accompanied by the same guide and that we are returning as per schedule and update their records. It was nearly dusk when we reached Phutensholing. We checked into the same hotel “Ga Me Ga” where we had stayed on Day one. After evening prayers, we had dinner at the restaurant in the hotel. The day ended thus.

White flags for ancestors

The next day, after breakfast we said our goodbyes to our guide and driver. We thanked them profusely for their help during the trip as well as gave them some tips for their services. Parting is always difficult especially when one has spent a few days together and had got to know them intimately as we had exchanged lots of personal information during the journey. We wished them well and then made our way to the immigration at the border check point. This time, we had to go along with our bags which were screened twice (once by Bhutanese & once by Indian authorities). After we came over to the Indian side, we were received by our Indian cab driver. Our phones started working and we were glad to be back.

We drove through smooth roads but in warm weather all the way to Bagdogra airport. About a kilometre before the airport we stopped at a pure veg restaurant for a late lunch. The name of the restaurant is Gour Nitai Mistanna Bhander and they serve all dishes without onion & garlic. We had a sumptuous lunch, and it cost us just Rs. 750/-. The flights were on time, and we landed safely back in Mumbai by evening.

Tachog Lhakang bridge

Thus ended our lovely trip to Beautiful Bhutan. I would recommend Bhutan as a holiday to anyone who is keen to visit hilly terrain. It is beautiful, the weather is fantastic, its people are nice, and the country is very tourist friendly. It is possible to get visit permits issued even from India. It is preferable to go through travel agencies who operate out of Bhutan. Indian travel agents only facilitate the arrangements with some local operator, and this means extra expenses to cover two agencies. If one has contacts, one can also directly engage driver, car & hotel. However, to be on safer side, it is better to go through a good local agency. If anyone wants any guidance or contacts, I will be more than happy to help. Please let me know in your comments..

That’s it from me for now.

Watch this space for yet another lovely trip coming up soon..

Beautiful Bhutan - Part 7

On Day 6, we had a light breakfast before going on a short drive towards the starting point of our trek to Tigers Nest. This is one of the most popular activities of tourists visiting Bhutan. We started around 8 a.m. but it might be advisable to start earlier especially for slow climbers. It can get quite warm on the way up if it is sunny. Now for some information on Tigers Nest. 

Tiger’s Nest is the most iconic image of Bhutan. It is a monastery that requires a 5 km. hike through a well laid out trail – Fit people can do this trek in 2-2.5 hours, we took almost 4 hours as we walked slowly and took frequent breaks. Before starting, we had rented a hiking pole for support during the trek – cost Rs. 100 per pole. We also had to purchase entry tickets costing Rs. 1000/- per person for entering the monastery at the top. Tickets can be purchased either before starting the trek or at the top after reaching.

The Monastery is situated at a height of about 3100 meters above sea level and the height gain from the starting point of the trek is about 700 meters. However, as we near the monastery, we need to go down about 15 storeys and climb up again about 20 storeys to reach it. There are actual steps at this point – both for climbing down and for the climb up. This is the most challenging part as once the body gets used to climbing down, it does not want to climb up again.

According to legend, Guru Rinpoche, or Guru Padmasambhava, is said to have reached Bhutan from Tibet by riding on the back of a tigress (hence the name Tiger’s Nest). He explored numerous caves and cliffs, meditating to conquer local demons. Most of his time was dedicated to the mountainside overlooking the Paro Valley, where he blessed the area that eventually evolved into one of Bhutan’s most sacred monasteries—Paro Taktsang, also known as Tiger’s Nest.

There were many tourists trekking that day but most of them were younger and were moving quickly. We took time off to enjoy the scenery, click some pictures etc. Around the half way mark, there is a restaurant and a halting / resting point. This spot also provides a stunning view of the monastery up above. After halting awhile, we moved forward. Our guide, Pema walked slowly along and kept filling us with the stories and titbits about this place as well as Bhutan in general.

When we reached the top, it was an exhilarating feeling. Comprising four temples and residential shelters for monks, the monastery features a unique design that gracefully rests on the mountainside. Wooden bridges and stairs intricately carved into the mountain link the structures, each boasting a balcony offering breathtaking views of the Paro Valley below. We had to leave behind our mobile phones etc. at a safe deposit locker before entering the temples. The temples are small and compact. There are many paintings depicting the history of the temple as well of the deities. One can sit and meditate or walk around and have darshan of the deities. One can also make offerings in cash – local currency or Indian Rupees or even USD.

Then we started on our long walk back to the starting point. On the way, we met our friends from India about whom I had mentioned in the earlier blog. We had a good company as their walking speed matched with ours. By the time we came down, it was nearly dusk. We had become desperate to reach the end as the walk was looking endless.

After reaching down, we got back in our cars that were waiting and returned to our hotels. The after a refreshing bath and little rest we went for a unique experience. On our way down, our Indian couple mentioned that they are going for a hot stone water bath. We hadn’t even heard about this before. Our guide told us that this is a must do experience and will be worth it especially as it will do wonders to our tired muscles after the trek. He arranged with a place in a village situated about 10 kms away.

This bath is like soaking in a hot tub – except that the water is heated in a unique way. What they do is they take stones from the river flowing nearby (each stone about the size of a large coconut with the husk attached). They heat the stones over logs of wood and drop it in the tub which is filled with water. Apparently, these stones have lots of minerals in them which gets released into the water and this has the effect of soothing our tired muscles. The tub is placed in a room with one half jutting outside the room (through an opening in the bottom of the wall) and partitioned in such a way that water is connected. The stones are dropped on the other side whereas the side where you are sitting has a tap to add more water in the tub in case of need. If you feel that the water needs more heating, you must tap on the partition and loudly shout “Hot stones please”. The person outside the room will carry hot stones directly from the fire (holding it in a pair of tongs) and drop it into your tub from the other side. Immediately, you can hear the water boiling / heating up and soon the warmth spreads across your body.

We were advised not to be inside the tub continuously for more that 10 minutes. We were to take short 2-3 minute breaks by coming out of the tub and only soaking the feet at that time. We were provided with water bottle to stay hydrated and were told to keep sipping it. Initially, it felt very hot (just like the hot springs in some hill stations) and after a while the body gets used to it. We were given a room which had 2 tubs. We were also provided with towels to dry up in the end before wearing our clothes again. The whole experience lasted about 45-50 minutes. In the end, when we got out we were feeling a little dizzy and the cold breeze was welcome. Lalitha felt nauseous and vomited whatever little she had in her stomach. The price for this experience was Rs. 1500 per person whereas the same thing is available at double the price depending on the property.

After this, we drove back to our hotel and had a light dinner before crashing in our beds totally exhausted and drained out. That night we slept like a log. This was easily one of the best days of our trip.