Twenty- five Seven

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  • Lord Ram and Hanuman

    Lord Ram and Hanuman

    We were on the last leg of our trip. Ayodhya.

    For many years this little town on the banks of the river Sarayu was called Faizabad. Indeed, old timers still call it by that name. This sleepy town is known for being the birthplace of Lord Ram, and the famous temple of Hanuman Garhi. As a matter of fact, the local populace gives more importance to Hanuman and it is said that visiting the Hanuman Mandir is mandatory before visiting the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple.

    Foggy welcome

    We arrived at Ayodhya at 6 am after a 19 hour journey from Prayagraj. Despite an early start, the road was packed with traffic going both ways, three cars deep!

    Our driver who had been on duty for four days was quite exhausted and being stuck in a jam put him in a foul mood. As the night progressed, he kept nodding off when forced to stop and then rushing forward whenever he got a chance.

    Luckily we had our stack of theplas and khakhras to see us through. We managed one toilet stop and a tea stop but closer to midnight, I actually relieved myself behind a petrol station as the queue for the single loo was 10 women long !

    The traffic mysteriously eased from time to time but there was a time when our average speed was 1 km/ hr !

    Closer to Ayodhya, the GPS directed us to the back roads as the main roads to the town were closed. Once again it was cross country driving through rough tracks engulfed in fog. Slowly as day broke, we could make out fields and small lanes leading us towards the town. Finally, we came to the inevitable roadblock.

    Knights to the rescue

    While we were discussing our further travel plans at the Kumbh, one of the devotees gave us the number of a tourist guide of repute: Ravi Kumar.

    So when we came across hiccup No.4 we rang up both Monu, the owner of Hotel Madhur Kunj Palace and Ravi to ask what to do next .

    Monu was cross at being woken up but immediately arranged to send us two men to take us to the hotel . Once again it was through back alleys. The hotel was far from a palace and looked quite different from the pictures on Make My Trip. But in the end all we wanted was a comfortable bed for the night. Besides it was conveniently located – a hop, skip and a jump away from the main road .

    Temple Visits

    After a little rest, we decided to meet Ravi on the main road.

    Ravi took us to the Bharat Ramji restaurant for a quick breakfast of chole bhature, dosa and kachori chaat. Over breakfast we discussed our plan.

    Since all VIP Darshans were closed Ravi assured us that he would somehow get us into the temple. And he did !

    But after walking for almost the whole day we finally managed to get to the top of the general queue. And what energy there was! The crowd was charged with euphoria and chants of Jai Shree Ram resonated all around. Though it was crowded the lines moved forward once again after just a brief glimpse of the black idol of Lord Ram,

    The RamJanmabhoomi Mandir is still incomplete but it is still beautifully made . Marble exquisitely carved with stories of the Ramayan, it is a true amalgamation of the present and the past .,

    On the way to the Rammandir we passed the Court of Dashrath. We also visited a Gurudwara which was established by the son of the 10th Guru Gobind Singh.

    By evening we were quite tired and just rested for a bit along the barricades . A policeman with his band of merry men approached us and asked if we needed any help .
    He then instructed his man to take down our number and check in on us.
    And the police called 5 times to make sure we were ok.

    Truly during our entire trip, someone upstairs was watching out for us .

    Ayodhya was a fascinating city with lots of tiny temples and shops selling bangles and trinkets and Pooja stuff.

    Our evening was spent on the banks of the River Sarayu watching the evening arti .

    We had planned on visiting Hanuman Garhi after dinner but after the miles we had to walk we were knackered.

    So was Hanuman annoyed with us that we didn’t visit his temple first ?

    The last hurdle

    Once again we were advised to leave early because of the traffic restrictions. Ola and Uber were NOT allowed anywhere near our hotel. Ravi and Monu spent over an hour trying to get a reliable ride to the airport.

    The next morning we set off again on foot towards the station. But traffic was prohibited there too so we crossed the tracks and met our car almost a kilometre away from the highway. We had walked around 6000 steps already!

    From there on it was a breeze. Our flight home on Akasa was comfortable and we returned home happy that our journey to the Kumbh was successful.

    Why now?

    People asked us what made us go to the Kumbh at this crunch time when our visit coincided with Republic Day, the visit of Amit Shah and the Shahi Snan.

    Quite frankly, this was meant to be. Compared to the hardships and challenges pilgrims normally face, ours was a breeze.

    But I will go back one day in calmer times and visit all the temples I couldn’t get to see.

    Ciao

  • At the Kumbh

    At the Kumbh

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    We had to abandon our plans of going by train to Prayagraj because we were unsure whether the train would run or be cancelled. And even if it did go o Prayagraj, would we get to the Tent city from the station? Reports from Prayagraj told us about packed streets with people even sleeping on the roads and traffic restrictions prohibiting any kind of vehicular transport to the KUmbh area. This was an attempt to stop the crowds gearing up for the Grand Bath or Shahi Snan on 29th January.

    So we left Varanasi as early as possible, though the taxi driver had insisted on going even before dawn. All was well till we came to a railway overbridge at Andawa, from where all traffic was turned back. The taxi driver then put us into an Erickshaw that took us to our camp in Jhusi. It was quite a bumpy road through farms and dirt tracks, trying to get as close to the Akhada where we were staying. Finally, coming to a roadblock around twenty minutes away from our camp, we had no option but to walk. At that moment, I felt like a refugee, walking on a dusty road with my bag rolling behind me, unsure of what exactly lay ahead of us.

    S had a cousin who was part of the Tapisviji Purandas Babaji Ashram at Worli. She also knew a Trustee of the organisation, and they invited us to stay with them at their campsite.

    The campsite was very basic, with eight of us sleeping in a room. But the beds were comfortable, the food delicious and the people so warm and welcoming that within minutes, we felt as though we had known them all our lives. we were given badges to allow us entry to the Ashram and shown to our room. It was really hot, but we were assured that at night, we’d need thermals to help us sleep. And this was despite the thick comforter we were provided with.

    After a hearty breakfast we wandered off to see what we could of the different camps. Unfortunately, no eRickshaws were allowed so we abandoned our plans of visiting the ashrams of The rt of Living and the ISKON.

    We met an elephant along the way and fed him bananas receiving his blessing in return.

    Back at the ashram, we gobbled down a wholesome meal and prepared to walk to the river for a dip with Babaji. The idol was led in a procession, changing hands with his followers who wanted to carry him. Chanting the mantra of “Sat Kartar Bedo Par”, we had quite a walk before we came to a secluded part of the river bank. One by one, we had our dip, unmindful of the cold water, just concentrating on bobbing down.

    People say that your sins are washed when you take a dip in the holy Ganges, particularly at the confluence of the three rivers or Triveni Sangam. Unfortunately, boats to the Sangam were stopped, so we bathed on banks in the waters of the Sangam instead.

    I felt exhilarated, energised and content as I dipped three times into the river. Call it my imagination or fancy, but I felt connected to my ancestors, particularly my parents, whom I lost last year. Somehow I felt they were happy that I had gone to the Kumbh. And I felt a lightness in my being

    We spent the rest of the day hanging out with the other devotees and other travellers, sharing experiences of their journey to the Kumbh. We attended the evening aarti and enjoyed the peace of the ashram.

    Early the next morning, S helped distribute food for the sadhus who came up to the compound. All three of us helped in the kitchen duty sorting out the vegetables, grating bottle gourds and making balls for chapatis. There were over 100 people fed morning and afternoon.

    That afternoon, the food was served outside the compound as there was a security alert. Once again, we were advised to leave earlier than our scheduled 4 o’clock departure, so we quickly packed our bags and walked back to the barricade where we had got off. There, we got into our waiting tax and began our onward journey to Ayodhya.

    Ciao

  • Ghats and Chaats

    Though we had just a day to spend in Varanasi, we wanted to enjoy its ghats and its chaat.

    Like millions of Hindus, the Ganga has been embedded in my psyche since the day I was born. My grandmother used to finish my bath as did her grandmother and her grandmother before her, by pouring a few drops of water around my head, while she chanted the names of the Holy Rivers of India.

    So I was looking forward to the river cruise A had booked online with Alaknanda Cruiseline . Our plan was to visit the street stalls after the boat ride and taste the chaats. After our ghats and chaats we planned to visit the Kashi Vishwanath Temple.

    The blessing

    During breakfast A spotted a teacher from the group of Art of Living disciples who were staying at the hotel. She asked him for a blessing and after they finished, they took us out into the lobby and chanted shlokas that reverberated through our bodies.

    I am convinced that this Blessing saw us through the next few days.

    Our boat ride was well organised. It was wonderful sitting on the upper deck, watching people taking their dips at the different ghats. The commentary took us through the history of Varanasi as we passed each ghat.

    Hiccup no 2

    Because of the Maha Kumh and Republic Day, Varanasi was choc-a-bloc with people. From 4 in the morning people marched down the streets with luggage on their heads. Our plan of sampling street food and window shopping went for a toss. The hotel manager assured us that his hotel’s lassi was equally good and while we waited for Lassi of Varanasi, we overheard a group of travellers from Chandigarh complaining that despite their pre-planned VIP darshan, they had to wait 3 hours since all VIP visits were cancelled! They had almost given up when someone suggested a ruse of entering through a side entrance under the pretext of buying a sari from a shop in the temple complex.

    Shaken by this news we went down to the travel desk to book a boat to watch the evening Aarti. If we couldn’t visit the temple we could at least get a proper view of the aarti at the Dashashwamedh Ghat.

    Sensing our disappointment, the lady at the Travel desk said that we could take a chance and visit the temple since the crowds had thinned a bit in the afternoon. She spoke with a friend who though doubtful because of the long queue that was four people deep and one km long and growing, offered to accompany us.

    Thus began a two and half hour wait in the hot afternoon sun. Hordes of people from all over India: young and old, men, women and children; people in saris, people in lungis people in blue jeans too; people with turbans from Gujerat , Rajasthan, baseball caps and head scarves jostled with each other trying to find a spot to stay still in the mass of swirling humanity. Right in front of us stood the imposing Gate No 4, shut steadfastly keeping out everybody.

    In all this mess, municipal sweepers were busy sweeping the streets and garbage collectors filled up humungous sacks with disposable plastic bottles. All the while barely comprehensible announcements blared over the PA system asking XYZ and OQT to go to the Lost & Found booth where their families were waiting for them!

    After the nth assurance that we would have to wait just another 10 minutes, we abandoned the wait as we had to catch the boat for our evening Aarti. We ytrooprf back to the friend’s shop, and he cheered us with a treat of some delicious Varanasi Tamatar chaat

    Sunset bliss

    We were too tired to walk back to the hotel, so we asked the boatman to fetch us from the shop.

    We enjoyed watching the sun go down as we munched on the biscuits provided by the hotel. A young girl approached us with some flowers and floating lamps to offer to Ma Ganga.

    Image taken from the net without permission .

    Just as the cries of ‘Jai Shree Ram ‘ and ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ rent the air, we got a call to hot foot it to the temple. There was a slim chance that we would be able to get a darshan.

    With our hearts racing, we followed the the boatman as he took us through a maze of narrow alleyways to avoid the crowds on the main streets. We passed brightly lit shops where bangles and beads shone temptingly, we passed many tiny shrines and peeped into homes along the way. It was quite a unique tour of Varanasi by night.

    The lost & found announcements were still blaring, the crowds still milling around but we managed to get in. Once inside the temple complex, a sense of calm descended upon us. Though we got just a glimpse of the main lingam, we were blessed to experience vibrations of the aarti in progress

    Lord Shiva had answered our prayer and we were more than hopeful that all would go well.

    Ciao,

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