OM Ganeshaya namaha
PILGRIMAGE TO NORTH INDIA
After my retirement from service on 1.-8.2005 I had an inclination to go on a tour to some important places to free myself from the routine schedule . While I was planning for such a tour, one of my neighbours Mr.Gopal came up with a North India package tour being organized by one of their friend. I also saw their tour programme and paid an advance amount for the tour.
The package programme was planned from 30.9.05 to 27.10.05. The organizer’s supplied their booklet containing the entire tour programme, the date of departure,accommodation ,place of visits the addresses of pilgrims . In a nutshell all necessary information about the yatra were brought out to enable the pilgrims the type of cloths, temperature and necessary essential drugs to meet any eventuality. They also issued Identify card super scribing the name of the Pilgrimage service ,name of the traveller, age etc and also the important places to be visited , name of the lodge, Yatri Nivas and phone numbers in order to facilitate any emergency.
On 30.9.05 , 43 pilgrims including the tour manager of Sri Badrinath Pilgrimage Service boarded the Karnataka Express for our journey to Agra. All the pilgrims were so exited of the tour. Most of them have crossed 45 years,retired and aged persons. For most of the pilgrims it was the first visit.
Initially, the Manager of the tour, distributed the food packets . The entire journey was colourful and comfortable.
As per the scheduled programme, we reached Agra Railway Station on 2.10.05 at about 8.am. the organizers have arranged their bus to ferry us to the Kaveri lodge,near Dayal Bagh for our stay. We were allotted rooms after making groups of four. I was asked to join a team wherein there was one Bachelor by name Shri Nagaraj and a couple Mr & Mrs Rangaraj Initially, I introduced myself to create a good atmosphere. After a cold water bath, we were served with a good food..
After Lunch, we boarded a 45 seater Luxury bus (displaying the seating chart) for our journey to Mathura , the abode of Lord Krishna. We also saw the encroachment of the temple by a mosque. Later, visited Birla Mandir and Brindavan. During the course of our visit to the temple,we come across lot of monkeys .One of the pilgrims literally lost his identify card issued by the organizer’s. Though the birth place is very sacred to many Hindus, it is very unfortunate that the surrounding areas are not being kept clean. .The same day we returned to our lodge at Agra.
The next day on 3.10.05 we boarded our journey to Jaipur by 5.am and had our breakfast in the mid way. Around 11.am we reached the famous Pink city Jaipur . First we visited Raja Mansing Palace. Here my camera went out of order. It could not click even one snap. I was very much disappointed. Firstly, I had not taken any camera out for any such events. Because of my ignorance or because of some fault in the camera, it did not work. I tried my level best with the available knowledge but no use. Hence, I have decided to procure a camera exclusively to know some sensible technique. Obviously, this incident has made my mood out . After having our lunch in nearby garden, we proceeded towards Amber Palace, Museum,Hawai Mahal, ,Mubarak Mahal, Jantar Mantar, the famous open air observatory built by Maharaja Jai Singh and. it is very interesting to see how in olden days the calendar /time etc., were being calculated with the help of Sun and other mathematical extravaganza were seen. The art and architecture of Jaipur Palace and surrounding areas were really fantastic. Later, we also visited Birla Mandir.
I feel one has to see these places in their life time. To know much about the place, I purchased a CD containing all the important places. It is distressing to sees the damage and destruction done by the Moguls.in these places. Some of the precious things have been removed in the museums and some items are replica During the course of our visit we visited Government sponsored Show Room near the Jaipur Palace where number of garments, jewelry , cloths ,colourful varieties of bed spreads ,saris and rajai were at display. Some items seems to be costly and as far as Rajai’s are concerned, it is really good and within our budget. Later we returned to our Hotel room at Agra.
On the Morning of 4.10.05 after breakfast, we proceeded towards the world famous Taj Mahal.. The entire surrounding is being maintained neatly. However,the city is not that much neat when compared to the tourist in flow both National and International level. There is a good security in and around Taj Mahal... From the Bus terminus, we were taken in a battery operated Auto service .Since the Camera was not functioning, I took an instant snap through a photographer at the place by paying Rs.50/- The photo has come out very well. After visiting Taj Mahal, we visited the Agra Fort,Dayalbagh. The same day after our lunch, we proceeded towards Allahabad.
We reached Allahabad by around 7.am. We got into Bangad Dharmashala,D.T.Road where some half a dozen rooms were booked for our stay. Although,the accommodation provided to us were quite sufficient,. but the bath room and toilet facilities were not up to the mark. Since it is a Dharmashala,one could not expect neatness. It is an every day affair and they are helpless. After, a cup of coffee all the pilgrims proceeded towards the Holy Sangama –Ganga – Yamuna and Saraswati river with the help of three boats. All of us had a good dip. . The boatmen charged Rs.30/- per person.. Some people performed Pitru karya and Veni Dhana. In the evening we visited the famous Anand Bhavan, the birth place of Pandit Nehru,now dedicated to the Nation..The library & office being used by Motilal Nehru was really worth seeing.. We also visited an exhibition which is a testimony to Nehru’s life and Independence struggle. Later we visited the Veni Madhava temple and return to Dharmashala for night halt.
The next day 6.10.05, after breakfast by about 8.am, we left for Gaya and reached the designated Hotel Jeevak International, near Maha Bodi Society,Gaya. Here. I got my Camera repaired . As has been grouped earlier, our team occupied a good room in the Hotel. At about 11.pm we had our dinner.
The next day, 7.10.05, after a cup of coffee, some of us had bath at Suryakunda to perform pitrukarya at Vishnupada temple. The priest charged each of us Rs.700/ for conducting the pitrukarya. It is painful to say that the upkeep and maintenance at the temple was not good.. The place is very significant and whatever may be the shortfall it does not matter much. . The rice supplied, the betel leaf, plantain etc., are very poor in quality and content. Above all, lot of House flies attacked us while doing our rituals. At last the programme concluded within two hours. We prayed our respect to Vishnupada and other places before returning to the residence of the Priest where our lunch was arranged. It is a pity, here also the priest was not considerate. There is much to say but what is the use. Because of the significance of the place, there is nothing more to comment. Sarvam Krishnarpanam.
By about 4.P.M, we visited the 80 feet Great Buddha stautue built by Japan, Temples built by Nepal,Tibbet and ,Thai, each depicting its own style. The ,Main temple of Lord Buddha, the Bodhee Tank and the Maha Bodhee tree are the main attraction.. It is really exciting to see that apart from India, other countries also contributed towards the spread of Buddism in India . There were many magnificent statues and stupas depicting the art and culture. All these temples are neatly kept. I saw many people sitting near the Bodhee tree where Buddha got enlightenment.. I also sat for a while to get some enlightenment. It is significant to note that thousands of pilgrims do visit this place regularly. The journey was equally pleasant and comfortable. We also saw a pillar built by Emperor Asoka. Unfortunately,we could not see the world renowned Nalanda University, Centre of learning of Buddhist philosophy. I was told that this place is being visited by both people of India and Japan
On the evening of 7th October 05 after our dinner, we left Gaya for Varanasi. We reached Varanasi in the early morning of 8th October 05.. Although there was a general accommodation, we opted for a separate double bed room accommodation at Sri Balananda Teerthasharam by paying Rs.250/- By 7.30.am we had a dip at holy Ganga. It was really a fantastic view for one and all. I have not seen such a river in my life time. After breakfast , all of us went in a boat to visit all the Ghats and also nearby temples in the Varanasi. At last we visited the Kashi Vishwanatha temple. Here also the temple is heavily guarded by security personnel. My room key, nail cutter and organizer were taken away by the security personnel at the gate. More than the pilgrims in the temple, one can see more number of security personnel. While entering the temple Gate, some foreigners were also trying to cross the gate. However, they were not allowed inside the temple since they have no faith in our religion. They were allowed to see the temple outside.With all the sanctity of the river etc., the surrounding area have not been kept neat.
I had a good darshan of Lord Vishwanath. It is really painful to see that here also the original temple has been encroached by a Mosque. One can see the Nandi turning towards the Mosque. The Guide who followed us explained the history behind the main temple and the amount of destruction being made by Moguls. The original Shiva Linga ,we were told has been dumped in the nearby well in the temple premises. Though the temple is sacred for all Hindus, the areas are so congested that it is very difficult to walk on the road leading to the temple. After Lunch and rest we visited Durga Mandir,Sankatamochana temple, Tulasi Mansa Mandir, Birla Mandir and also passed through the Banaras Hindu University.
On 9th , I had my bath and breakfast and waited for one of my nephews to turn up at the Ashram. Mr Raghu & his family accompanied by his in-laws visited me at the Ashram where I was staying .His place is 80 kms away from Varanasi . They spent some time with me and there was a photo session. Raghu took two to three snaps and left in his car with his family. It is unfortunate to mention here that one of the pilgrims lost his money to the tune of Rs.4000/- which he kept in his pant packet.It was reported that while giving his pant for washing, inadvertently he has forgotten to remove the money . After our Lunch , we packed up for our journey to Katmandu via Sonuli.On our way we reached Ghorakpur at 10.pm . We halted at Ghorukpur at a Dharmashala. Two big halls were provided to the entire pilgrims. Unfortunately, here also there were lot of flies and it made our life miserable the entire night. There was also a power shut down, which is very common in these areas. We visited the Golaknath temple and other temples near by. All the temple premises here are maintained very well.
The next morning,10th October 05 after bath and breakfast, we were asked to carry minimum luggage to Kathmandu. Hence, the remaining luggages were dumped in a room and locked. We had our lunch in the midway. We reached Katmandu the same day at 11.am.. We were put up in a Hotel Maharaja Palace, near airport in Katmandu. By and large the Hotel accommodation was very good. Except the temple and nature there is nothing special to mention. On 11th October 05 after breakfast we boarded a mini bus to visit the famous Pashupathi temple.The temple is very ancient surrounded by many shivalingam.It has its own architecture. Animal sacrifice is also being done in the temple especially during Ayudha puja. After the temple visit, no other programme was planned.
The next day,12th October 05, I could not make up for local sight seeing, due to the fact that I was down with severe vomiting and lose motion. I was totally pissed off for the sudden ill health and cursed myself. The previous day due to some indigestion, I had taken some liquid soda, this instead of controlling the indigestion aggravated the situation. Later some of my fellow travelers who also took soda along with me had the same problem and one person while returning the bottle noticed that the soda supplied to us were outdated and made a hue and cry. Since we were in an alien land , we do not want to make this a big issue and hence dropped the issue. As a result I could not see the Swayambhunath temple, Budd Neelakntha and Boudhastupa. I had to take the whole day rest to avoid any further complication to my health. Initially, I thought of cutting short my journey and fly back to Bangalore via Delhi. However, my co-travelers seeing plight gave me some medicine which ultimately controlled my problem. Unfortunately, even we could not locate a doctor,because of Dussera holiday. Mr.Nagaraj who all along traveled with me also developed some problem and he was also planning to get back to Bangalore along with me.The sustained encouragement given by the co-travelers helped us very much to enable us to continue our journey without much problem. After this incident, I had taken precaution by reducing the intake while taking my dinner. With all the pain, I could somehow manage to buy a T’ Shirt here.
On 13th October 05 after our breakfast, we left Katmandu for Ayodhya. It was 10.pm when we reached Ghorakpur. In view of the previous experience at Ghorakpur Dharmashala i.e. mosquito menace, we were forced to leave Ghorakpur after dinner at 11.pm All the remaining luggage were loaded into the bus .To our bad luck, the bus got struck up in a traffic jam due to Vijayadhashami procession. After a gap of nearly two hours slowly it moved towards Ayodhya.
The next day, 14th October about 7.00am we reached Ayodhya. We were put up at Birla Dharmashala. The room provided to us was quite spacious and neat but always haunted by monkeys. We had our bath at Saryu river. It was very pleasant. Here also the area is not being maintained properly. The flow of pilgrims is on the higher side. After bath, we visited Valmiki Bhavan Hanuman Gadi , Seetha rasoti, karseva puram where the temple work is in progress . Some of the stones neatly dressed are numbered.. After Lunch and rest, we visited Rama Janma Bhumi. The entire stretch of Rama Janma Bhumi which is under dispute is a high security zone. All pilgrims are checked before entry. I was carrying Vicks bottle with me for cold. Unfortunately, while checking they noticed the bottle and took away for their custody. Later after visiting the main temple,the security personnel returned the vicks botter. We also visited number of temples adjoining the area.
In the evening,Mrs.Rajalakshmi Gopal, one of the pilgrims rendered a vocal recital and also some Bhajans. Like minded people attendead the programme. She also rendered her voice in singing some classical songs during our pilgrimage especially in temples.
The next day ,15th October 05 after our lunch , by 3.pm we packed up for Haridwar We traveled the entire night and day & reached Haridwar on16th evening. We were lodged in Gujaranwala Bhavan .One thing I have noticed in our journey is that the moment the destination is reached all were at their toes to run for good rooms. Pilgrims who carried additional luggage find it difficult to meet the challenge. Luckily, for us among the four in the team, two were having less luggage and hence could run quickly to take the room.
On the next day,17th October after bath & breakfast we were asked to pack up with less luggage to meet for 4 days for our journey to Kedarnath & Badrinath. . Accordingly, only the required luggage were taken and the rest dumped in a room. We boarded a Mini bus for our journey to Gowrikunda By the time we reached our destination – Gowrikunda it was about 11.am. We made an earnest attempt to get a double bed accommodation and at last successful . All the four shared the room. The room was not that much good compared to other place. The same day arrangements were made for our journey to Kedarnath by horse.
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On the early morning of 18th October we had our bath at Gowrikunda, a hot spring bath. Although there was a severe cold all along, at this particular place Gowrikunda one can take hot water bath. It was really a thrilling experience to every body. By 5.15.am the horseman arrived and self and Nagaraj were taken in the designated horse . For the first time in my life I was asked to ride on a horse. With all woolen cloths, socks, kulla etc we traveled towards the famous Kedarnath..The journey was really painful since the horse every now and then used to go near dirty water and slipped twice and as a result I was about to fall down. Fortunately, the horseman came to my rescue. Some people experienced oxygen problem at the hill. Right from the beginning of my journey, I prayed Shambo Mahadeva every now and then. It was 14 km journey .Two way it is 28 km. After 7.km I requested the horseman for a break. The puri sagu packed distributed before our journey was very handy. After eating puri-sagu coupled with good tea we started our journey. It was 9.15.am when we reached the main Kedarnath temple.
We were asked to wait for our entry into the temple since the Governor of Uttarachanl was inside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. After his departure, we were allowed inside the temple. It was really nice to see the main Deity and the temple with the backdrop comprising hillocks, mountains coupled with snow.Here also, I took one photograph with the backdrop of the temple. After a gap of nearly 90 mts, we started our journey back to Gowrikunda. Although , we were well prepared for our horse ride putting sufficient cloth beneath our seat etc, the buttock portion was painful.and as a result while returning, we were forced to halt our horse journey before 3.km. In fact my friend Mr. Nagaraj was literally exhausted and hence we got down from the horse and walked the remaining distance. It was about 3,pm when we reached Gowrikunda.. Immediately, we took some light lunch and slept to ease our tiredness. In the night around 8.pm I purchased two CDs about Kedarnath and Badrinath yatra.
The next day 19th October by 5.am we were ready with our luggage for our journey to Badrinath. After a cup of tea, we boarded the Mini bus for our journey to Badrinath. There were two mini buses to carry the pilgrims . While on the way to Badrinath, our bus had some mechanical problem and as a result we were stranded for nearly three hours.However, the other mini bus proceeded further to Badrinath. Fortunately, though our bus was stranded , it carried the essential food items and as a result we had no problem as far as food is concerned. Finally, we reached Pippalkoti
around 10.30.pm chill weather and halted at Hotel Alkananda
After night halt, the next day 20th October 05, early morning 5.am we packed up to Badrinath . By the Divine blessings all the pilgrims reached Badrinath safely at 9.00.am. We were lodged in Acharya Sadan, nearby temple. .We had our bath at Taptakunda and visited the temple. Some of the pilgrims performed pitru karya. We had good darshan of the Lord Badrinarayan. One should really admire the people behind construction of Kedarnath and Badrinath temple. These two temples more or less has the same temple architecture.Adi Shankara consecrated both the temples. One Special Significance in Badrinath is one can see SALIGRAM MURTHY embedded with Shree Chakra. The snow fall on the mountain gives additional colour to the temple. After the temple darshan, we had our lunch and after some rest again we visited the temple to witness the Arati. Some of the co-travelers also joined us in the Arati programme. All of us were seated in front of the sanctum sanctorum. After making some purchases, all returned to our lodging.
The next morning 21st October about 4.30.am we left Badrinath. Unfortunately, after passing through Jogi mutt, there was some land slide and we had to wait until the entire debris were removed. All along the route there were lot of vehicles stranded due to this landslide. We just passed through Pippalkoti and in the mid of journey we had our lunch It was about 10.pm when we reached Gujaranwala Bhavan.in Haridwar , where our luggages were kept in a separate room. The next day morning 22nd October, we had our bath in Ganga river. It was really pleasant. In the meanwhile we collected our luggage kept separately in a room . After our breakfast we visited about 11 to 12 temples. Some of the temples were really good both in architecture and style. I took some snaps here also. In the evening , we witnessed the Maha Arati. There was a congregation of about 1000 people to witness the Arati. After Arati, we return to our lodging and had our Dinner.
The next day 23rd, morning after breakfast we left for Rishikesh in a Mini bus. At Rishikesh we visited Laxman Joola,Geetamandir,Paramarthiketan . There were many foreign visitors to this place also.We had an opportunity to see the publication of Bhagvad Geeta in many languages. After visiting these places, we boarded a boat for crossing the river to reach the other end.. I had an opportunity to take some snaps in these places. After crossing the river, we switched over to our Mini bus for our return journey to Haridwar. After our lunch, we had sufficient time left for purchases etc. We visited some shops and purchased Rudrakshi and Tulasi malai. We also collected two bottles of Ganga Jal. In the evening some people again witnessed the Arati at river Ganga. We were asked by the Tour Manager to get ready for departure to Delhi the same night. At about 11.pm we boarded a Luxury bus to Delhi.
Because of the Night journey,we were completely exhausted and at last reached Delhi by 6.am the next day 24th October 05. At Delhi we were accommodated at Hotel Swisston Palace, Karolbagh area. The Hotel was really good . The whole day was set apart for our purchase etc.As usual we had our breakfast and since it was a Monday myself and Nagaraj went round Karolbagh market area. We purchased some sweets for household. We also saw some Metro rail work in Karol bagh area.
As a whole,there is a considerable change and improvement in Delhi . During the course of the day I contacted my earlier boss, a senior Doordarshan Official . To my surprise he visited me at my place and had a chat with me. He enquired about my health and also retired life During the conversation, he informed me that he has fixed the marriage of his youngest daughter during November 05 at Vijayawada. After he left the hotel premises, myself and Nagaraj again went round the Karol Bagh area. The climate was very good. By 9.pm we had our dinner and after listening to News we went to Bed.
The next day morning 25th October 05, after breakfast , we were asked to pack up our luggage and loaded into the bus so as to enable us to complete the local visit and also to catch the Karnataka Express to Bangalore
Accordingly, we visited the Red Fort, Rajghat, Lotus Temple, Qutub Minar,Teenmurthy Bhavan, Birla House, Laxminarayan Mandir etc. At Birla House we had an occasion to see the place where the Father of the Nation was shot dead. The entire area is kept very clean. Here I purchased a key chain with Mahatma Gandhi as a memory to my visit to this place.
At Teenmurthy Bhavan , we saw Nehru’s official chamber, conference hall, and exhibition of Mementoes and other articles .His recorded voices during the Independence struggle were also heard in the Exhibition. We also saw the Official residence of Indira Gandhi and the place where she was shot dead by her own security personnel. One of the pilgrims also lost his purse containing some valuables near Teenmurthy Bhavan. We had our last lunch at the lawns of Teenmurthy Bhavan. Later,we visited India Gate I took some photographs at this place as a memory of my visit.
At the last leg of our visit, we visited the Birla Mandir and witnessed the Aarati. By about 9.30.am we were in the Railway Station. After hectic local trip and also transportation of our luggage into the compartment, all of us had a good relief. There was a lot of joy in everybody’s face since they are returning to Bangalore after al lapse of 27 days. In the train, the Tour Manager, supplied us Curds rice and Puliodarai. Some of the pilgrims who traveled with us carried luggage beyond their capacity which ultimately occupied more space in the train. At about 11.30.pm one of the Co-pilgrims gold chain was snatched while she was asleep.
The next day,26th October 05 full day train journey which was boring. All along, I was reading some magazine and also chatting, I could not sleep the previous night, because one of the fellow pilgrims was snoring at her peak, which of course I am helpless. Every one in the compartment were so eager to reach their destination
The next day 27th October 2005 we reached the Bangalore city Railway Station by about 2.pm. The Chief of Badrinath Pilgrimage Service received us at the Railway Station. Though there were some inconvenience to pilgrims during their bus journey and also in getting good accommodation in certain places, it is pertinent to state that the over all service rendered by the agency was quite good especially in giving us good food.
During morning breakfast, normally we use to have MASAKLA DOSA, IDLI SAMBAR,PURI SAGU ,RAVI IDLI ETC. On many occasion,wherever possible additional sweets, Gulab zamoon,Zangir, rava ladu etc were served. This in addition to special meal. There is nothing to comment about the food served to us.
In general the whole journey was pleasant and memorable in my life. Hence I made up my mind to put all the facts on paper so that the facts will not be forgotten.
C.V,Parasuram
Cvpram_iyer_411@rediffmail.com
