This blog post is about a trip to Gujarat and also about faith. Like most of my blog posts, I have mentioned names only when I feel that they are essential. There are few photos in this blog, all without photos of people. For photos with people, please contact me.
My wife had a lean time at work this week. Nearly a month ago, I felt that we could visit either Himachal Pradesh or Gujarat. Since Himachal Pradesh would be cold, we booked air tickets to Ahmedabad and back, leaving Bengaluru on 15-Nov-14 and returning on 21-Nov-14 - though we actually reached home on the morning on 22-Nov-14.
When we prepared our itinerary, it was somewhat like a pilgrimage tour : Dwarka, Somnath and a lot of temples around these two major temple towns ! I am not a religious man : my idea of a good temple is one that has few people and looks clean. Frequently, I have to be reminded by my mother and wife to pray during festivals ! More often than not, my prayer is a brief request to God for health and happiness. Standing in queues for hours for a "darshan" of a God or a Goddess for mere seconds is not required, in my opinion. I would prefer staying at home and praying to the gods there instead.
Unlike most other people, I believe in few rituals. I don't think that the lack of belief in rituals is a good thing, actually. When a mind is troubled, I feel that performing a ritual that has been practiced many times over may bring a sense of calm. Still, if one extends the idea of a ritual, it can easily lend itself to becoming a superstition.
I believe that ceremonies need to be performed at auspicious times. So, if I have to perform a ceremony like a "gruha pravesh" or house-warming, I would do so after consulting a priest. People of other religions may find this behaviour strange and also term it as a superstition. I suppose that they are justified in terming it as a superstition. To me, it is a matter of faith. Now, I don't believe that if a black cat crosses my path, it brings bad luck. Many people do believe it, irrespective of their education. Yet who am I to say that this is "only a superstition" and scoff at it ?! Its origin may lie in a ritual that has since degenerated into a superstition. What then is faith ? When (and how) do some rituals transform themselves into superstitions ? These are questions that require thought and are probably the subject of another blog post ! When the preparation for our trip was done, in one corner of my mind, I felt that my faith was going to be tested during this trip. I knew that it would require me to be patient and have faith in God, particularly when I would wait in interminably long queues !
What follows is a day-to-day account of the trip that my wife and I made.
DAY 1 (JAMNAGAR), 15-Nov-14:
We slept earlier than usual on the previous night considering the flight at 6:15 a.m. and got up at the unearthly hour at 3 a.m. My ex-manager has written a book on the journey of Lord Krishna. I read a few pages related to Dwarka and Somnath. My plan was to take the book with me, but due to the early flight, I completely forgot about it. Due to this omission, we missed visiting a couple of temples around Dwarka, which I shall mention later.
Our taxi came at 3:45 a.m. as planned. By 4:30 a.m., we were in the Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru. An Indigo airlines representative checked us in. We cleared security quickly. By 5:15 a.m. we were at the gate. The only problem was that we had our backs turned to the departure counter ! At around 5:40 a.m., I urged my wife that a cup of coffee would do us good. When we turned, we saw that the counter was half empty ! Both of us were shocked as we realised that one bus load of passengers had left while we were talking with our backs to the counter.
We had to settle for the masala tea served by Indigo airlines, which was surprisingly good. We landed on time at 8:45 a.m. The Ahmedabad airport pales in comparison to the Bengaluru airport. I found the toilet poorly maintained.
The quality of the highways and the roads within the cities is excellent. Except for few small stretches that felt uneven and had potholes, the majority of the roads that we travelled were of good quality. What impressed my wife and me were also the roads in Ahmedabad. The main roads in the posh areas had three lanes and absolutely no potholes. Compared to the potholes that we experience in Bengaluru main roads, the main roads in Ahmedabad are far superior. In the interior of the city, the cleanliness and condition of the roads is more or less the same as in Chamrajapete area of Bengaluru. Compliance with the traffic rules is poor : I saw only around 20% of two-wheeler drivers wearing helmets. Another observation is that the number of bicycles is far more, even in cities like Ahmedabad and Rajkot, compared to Bengaluru. The traffic policemen were active on the main roads in Ahmedabad city. This is probably a sign of the greater prosperity in Bengaluru.
Outside the airport, the driver of an Etios taxi was waiting with a placard. The temperature was around 30 degrees at 9:15 a.m. We ate breakfast and headed towards Jamnagar. There was some traffic before the limits of Ahmedabad ended. On the way, We ate fafda at a hotel. Their were cotton fields dotting the highway. Since my father worked with cotton all his life, this struck a chord with me. This was the first time that I saw such vast areas of cotton. Small white bolls of cotton embellished the green stalks of cotton plants. My wife also observed grains being grown in the fields. My overall impression of the Gujarat countryside as we drove through it is one of the greenery of cotton and grains, combined with swathes of brown land. Our next stop was at a Jalaram Baba temple. The temple is new, clean and has idols of Rama, Krishna, one of the Shakti goddesses and also Jalaram Baba himself.
We checked into Hotel President and ate lunch. The air-conditioners available in all the hotels that we stayed in during the trip were essential during the afternoons. So, we had air-conditioning in the rooms and air-conditioning in our taxi. By the time we finished our Gujarat trip, the remnants of a cold when we caught the flight to Ahmedabad had changed to a cough. The air-conditioning worsened my cold, but it was required during the afternoon.
In the evening, we went to Lakhota lake. There is a temple where the "Ram Dhun" has been chanted for 51 years. The newspaper article at http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/46---still-going-devotees-chant-their-way-into-guinness-book-/729459/2 shows an old article in 2010 when the chanting had completed 46 years. Here is an example of the power of faith - and also the power of organisation. To continuously chant for 51 years requires the faith of the individual worshippers and some planning from the main priests to ensure that the continuity of the prayers is maintained. On one side of the Lakhota lake is the wall of the Lakhota palace which extends into the lake. There is a museum, which contains good photos of the batsman Ranjitsinhji. My wife and I saw several birds on the walls of the palace. There was one majestic bird that particularly caught the attention of my wife.
Jamnagar is the source for bandhini dresses in the shopping places of Ahmedabad and other cities in Gujarat. We ate paani-puri at a road side stall (nothing extraordinary) and then my wife shopped for dresses. It took us a couple of hours to finish. We came back to Hotel President and ate dinner at the restaurant "Seven Seas". The food was decent, though the Gujarati kadi we ordered was sweet. The restaurant has a nautical theme with even a ship telegraph kept on one side.
DAY 2 (DWARKA), 16-Nov-14:
We had a restful night's sleep. The next day, we took a photo next to the ship telegraph when we ate parathas for breakfast. Our driver had suggested that we leave at around 8, since Jamnagar was near the Reliance petrochemicals refinery and the factory traffic could delay us. I think we left at around 8:20 a.m. The Reliance factory complex area is huge and is followed by the Essar refinery also. We saw several windmills on the way. Gujarat and Tamil Nadu are the leaders in wind energy.
This was to be the routine for our Gujarat visit: Reach the place in the afternoon, around lunch time; visit the temple or attraction in late afternoon and evening ; eat dinner and sleep ; get up next morning, get ready, eat breakfast and leave for the next destination !
Our driver suggested that we visit Beyt Dwarka first since the temple closed at 12:30. We saw a lot of windmills on the way from Rajkot to Dwarka. By 11:30, we had passed the Tata Chemicals factory and were searching for a ferry that would take us to Beyt Dwarka. The ferry station is a disaster waiting to happen. There is no structured queue and a stampede during boarding looks probable. Somehow, my wife, my camera and I boarded a ferry and got decent standing space in a ferry that felt alarmingly overloaded. Sea gulls kept us company during the journey. Beyt Dwarka has a Dwarkadeesh temple that is old and looks historic.
We completed the "darshan" of Lord Krishna and enquired about a temple that my ex-manager had informed me about. The temple was a few minutes away. We walked to it, but the doors were closed. My ex-manager has written of another temple which I completely forgot. By the time we reached the pier and boarded the ferry and reached Dwarka it was almost 1:30 p.m. We ate food that we had brought along with us and fruits that we purchased as we drove to the Nageshwar Jyothirlinga. The highlight of this temple is a nearly 50 feet tall statue of Shiva in the seated position. The temple is spacious.
From Nageshwar, we went to Gopi Talav. http://www.gujarattourism.com/destination/details/5/314 describes the legend of the Gopi Talav. There are several small temples here. In one of the temples, there is a floating stone, but we are not permitted to touch it. My rational brain says that this is probably an excuse so that the actual weight and material of the stone is not experienced, but this is also a matter of faith.
We visited the Rukmini temple before reaching Dwarka. My ex-manager has described the legend connected with the temple in his book, like he has done for the other temples also. http://www.gujarattourism.com/destination/details/6/307 describes the legend. What my ex-manager has also stated in his book is that water is offered as "prasad", according to the legend. The carving in the temple is a treat for the eyes.
By the time we reached our hotel Shree Darshan in Dwarka, it was nearly 3:30 p.m. We ate sandwiches and relaxed for a while. At around 4:45 p.m., we left for the main Dwarkadeesh temple. The temple was just 300m from our hotel.
We had to keep our mobile phones and camera outside. In all temples, there are separate queues for women and men, for security checking. The queue moved reasonably quickly. My prayers were made quickly as I left the sanctum sanctorum to search for my wife. She was already waiting for me.
My ex-manager had mentioned about the Panchananda thirth, off the Gomti Ghat. We walked down the steps to Gomti Ghat. The bank of the river Gomti is dotted with temples. There were many devotees bathing in the river. We took a boat to go to an island that stretched for a few hundred metres, parallel to the bank of the river. There is a Lakshmi Narayan temple here and also five wells with sweet water. The five wells are for the five Pandava brothers. There is also a sixth well, for Draupadi. My wife and I drank water from this well and indeed, I can confirm that the water was fresh water, like that from a river. The legend regarding the wells is described by a tourist in the link http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Asia/India/Dwarka-1098966/Things_To_Do-Dwarka-TG-C-1.html.
By now, it was evening. There was a big group of people from Kerala who queued for the return trip. We requested them to allow us, since there were at least 40 of them and the boat could accommodate only around 10 at a time. They obliged us. Small diyas of light floated on the water. It was a pretty sight. I can only imagine how beautiful the Ganga aarati must be, at Varanasi. I suppose it is better left imagined, because the (lack of) cleanliness in Varanasi is almost just as legendary !
The shopping at Jamnagar meant that our suitcase was filled to capacity already. My wife purchased a bag. We ate "dabeli", a "pav" (bread) filled with a mixture of groundnuts, onion and potato. After exploring the streets of Dwarka some more, we returned to Shree Darshan for dinner, eating a Kathiawadi roti made of bajra. After dinner, we shared a matka kulfi between us.
Finally, we were ready to hit the sack, after a satisfying day's tourism (and eating !).
DAY 3 (SOMNATH, VERAVAL), 17-Nov-14:
On 17-Nov-14, we got up at around 7 a.m. and went to see the temple from outside. My main purpose was to take a photo of the temple, at least from outside. We also went to the ISKCON temple, which my ex-manager had suggested to me. It is a clean temple.
After breakfast, we set off towards Somnath. We visited the Mool Dwarka temple. The legend behind the temple is described at http://www.ghumakkar.com/somnath-to-dwarka-by-road-and-lord-dwarkadhish-darshan/. The temple complex contains idols of several deities.
Our route was via Porbandar. As a town, I suppose that Gandhiji would be disappointed to see Porbander now, had he been alive. It is a town full of small roads, with potholes and the level of cleanliness is just like any other town in India : it is rather unclean. The redeeming feature of the town is undoubtedly the Kirti mandir, Gandhiji's birthplace. The room where Gandhiji was born has been indicated and a chronology of the events of his life is also shown. In the first floor, there are photographs that show his life's journey.
The Sudama mandir is also present in Porbandar. The temple is like a tribute to the friendship between Lord Krishna and Sudama, his fellow student and friend.
My wife and I were pleasantly surprised by the variety of birds that we saw in our Gujarat trip. When we stopped for a tea break, we saw a group of birds (I don't know what they were) fly and make formations and break them. Just looking at them was relaxing, rather like watching clouds. We saw several unusual birds.
On the way, we also passed Chorvad, where Dhirubhai Ambani was born. Our driver pointed out a house that the Ambani family uses when they come to the village. We saw coconut trees dot the landscape through out this journey.
We reached Veraval and hotel Safari Resort, around 1.5 km from the Somnath temple at around 2 p.m. After unpacking, my wife suddenly screamed. A wasp had bit her, through the dress that she wore, on her leg. I doubted that a wasp could sting through a dress, but when I looked at her leg closely, it was red and swelling. My wife said that she experienced a stinging pain. I saw the wasp sit on a curtain and tried to squash it between the folds of the curtain, but it escaped. We called the hotel reception and changed rooms. The hotel bell-boys said that they put mud to cool the wound when this happened to them. They gave us some mud, but by this time, my wife was feeling better. The redness had reduced.
At 5 p.m., we left for the Somnath temple. There is a beautiful Gita Mandir at the end, where verses from the 18 chapters of the Bhagvad Geeta are inscribed on the pillars. The various avatars of Lord Vishnu are also painted. One big difference is that instead of the usual 10 avatars, there were 24 avatars including Narada, Dattatreya and Veda Vyasa shown in the paintings. The avatars are described in http://hindupad.com/24-avatars-of-vishnu-24-incarnations-of-lord-vishnu/, but this variation on the Dasha Avatar was new to me. There is a temple for Lord Balaram situated at a lower height. The legend is that Lord Balaram, deemed to be the incarnation of Lord Vishnu's snake Sesha Nag transformed into the snake form and entered into the "paatal" (nether-world). http://www.somnath.org/jay-somnath.aspx describes the legend.
Somnath also has a "matt" established by Shankaracharya. There is a Shivaling in a cave. Just opposite the "matt" is the Triveni sangam, a confluence of the Kapila, Hiranya and the mythical Saraswati rivers. Then we moved to the Somnath temple. If I have to summarise the Somnath temple in one word, it would be "grand". The temple itself is new, built after the Indian Independence. Details of Somnath are available at http://www.gujaratindia.com/about-gujarat/somnath.htm and http://www.somnath.org/. There is a giant TV showing the aarati for those unable to enter the temple.
The crowd was not too much when we entered the temple. We did a "Ganga Abhishek" pooja and booked tickets for the sound and light show at 7:45 p.m. Our driver had informed us that there is an old Parvati mandir also. We came out of the temple to see this temple, which is located opposite the Somnath temple. It was the Indore queen Ahilyabai Holkar who established this temple. We were fortunate to see this temple and the aarati being performed.
The coffee that we tasted at Brewsberry cafe opposite the temple tasted superb. Of course, this was due to our fatigue ! We re-entered the Somnath temple to view the aarati and then settled into the amphitheater to see the sound-and-light show. The sound and light show gives an idea of the legends associated with Somnath and its history. I recommend watching the show, so that one gets an idea of the history of Somnath The temple was destroyed 10 times by Muslim invaders and has been re-built 10 times. It is a testament to the faith of the kings, leaders and politicians who have re-built the temple, despite numerous attempts to destroy it. We ate dinner at Safari Resort itself before retiring for the night.
Dwarka and Somnath are unique places, since there are legends associated with three major Gods Krishna, Shiva and Ram in this place. There is a temple of Hanuman in Dwarka and in Beyt Dwarka, we saw signboards pointing to a gurudwara of a Sikh guru. So, Gujarat provides an example of a place where there are important pilgrimage centres for all religions.
DAY 4 (SASANGIR), 18-Nov-14:
We ate breakfast and set off towards Balka Thirth. http://www.somnath.org/Bhalkha_Tirth.aspx narrates the legend. There is an ancient tree, supposed to be the one where the hunter mistook Lord Krishna's feet for the mouth of a deer. My ex-manager has indicated Golak Dham as a "must visit" place in his book, but again, I completely forgot about this place since I had forgotten to take the book with me.
Just before we visited the temple, a motorcycle driver hit the rear of our Etios. The paint was damaged and our driver was upset about the incident. The motorcycle driver disappeared soon, as was to be expected.
We passed Sasangir and went to Devaliya. Devaliya is a place where one is guaranteed to see lions. They are in an enclosure spanning 412 hectares. We caught the last trip at 11:30 a.m. and did see few lions resting under trees.
We checked in to Lion's Paw Resort at around 12:30 p.m., a comfortable resort around 1.5 k.m. from the highway, located in the forest itself. Our driver said that he could hear the roars of the lion during the night in this place.
My wife and I saw a monitor lizard at the resort.
After a buffet lunch, we reached Sasangir in our taxi. Our tour organisers had made the online booking for the permit. We booked the Gypsy jeep used for safaris at Sasangir. A guide from Sasangir and a local driver took us along for the safari.
I told our guide to describe the plants and whatever animals we could spot. The Sasangir sanctuary is 1882 sq. k.m. in area. The National Park is 258.7 sq. k.m., as stated in http://girlion.in/ForestVisitDetails.aspx. Our guide informed us that each lion marks around 40 sq. k.m. as his territory. There are 411 lions and lionesses in the sanctuary. There are a few pre-defined tracks that the jeep would be travelling. The lion is a nocturnal animal and we were starting our safari at 3:30 p.m. under the rays of a scorching afternoon sun. Hence our chances of actually sighting a lion were poor, to say the least. I had mentally reconciled myself to a forest safari with sights of deer and birds.
The safari began on a low key. We saw many teak trees with withered leaves that had almost become transparent. Our guide pointed out spotted deer and the Nilgiri sambar and tall "peepal" trees. We also saw a gum tree that he showed us. I slowly got into the "forest viewing mode" where I look at the ground and my eyes look for movement. The danger with this exercise is that the brain is easily misled ! Every fluttering leaf and branch appear to look like an exotic bird !! Still, I breathed in the fresh jungle air while our guide showed us wild boar and deer in the distance. The safari drive was refreshing, but not exciting until now.
At the watering holes in the forest, we saw many birds : egrets, cranes and the ubiquitous "seven sisters" which are warblers. If one warbler begins to tweet, all warblers follow suit and hence the name ! Apart from this, peacocks and peahens were also common. In one watering hole at a ravine, the trees made a canopy and the temperature was distinctly cooler. Our guide called this the natural air-conditioner ! He said that as a young man, he had frequently drunk the waters from the stream. When he shared this fact with other travellers, he said that they appeared shocked that he would do that. How times have changed ! Nowadays, we think that only mineral water or treated water is safe to drink and natural streams are considered unsafe !
My "forest viewing mode" helped us spot at least one animal ! I was sitting on the right side and I was responsible for watching on the right side of the jeep while my wife's responsibility was to see on the left side. When I glanced to the left, I saw a small animal run parallel to us and asked my wife to be more alert ! Our guide identified the animal as a mongoose. He said that spotting a mongoose was a good omen. I wished it were true.
Near one clearing, we waited for a herd of cattle (around 40) to pass us. The cattle were domesticated and belonged to a single herdsman. Our guide and driver spoke briefly to him. Accompanying the herd were several white cattle egrets. The egrets eat the ticks on the cattle. Thus, the cattle are rid of their ticks, while the egrets get their meals (or snacks !). The symbiotic relationship could well be termed "Beauty and the Beast" !
Shortly after this encounter, one jeep driver who passed us said that a lion tracker, who is a Forest Department official was driving in the road ahead. Perhaps there was a chance that we could see a lion ! The excitement mounted for my wife and me. Our driver took our jeep near another watering hole and we sat in silence. Soon, a couple of other jeeps joined us.
We could hear the lion tracker make a call, imitating an animal. I remember that except for this sound, I heard little else. Then, suddenly I looked back and towards the left - and saw a lioness majestically pose on the road behind all our jeeps ! My wife and I could not believe our eyes ! Even as I type these words, I remember our excitement and my heart beats a little faster at the thrill of the memory ! The lioness was disdainful of us as she slowly strolled across the road and into the forest !
Any camera more than 7 megapixels required extra charges to be paid. Since my wife had a MotoG 2nd Generation mobile, I had switched the camera off. By the time my wife got her mobile ready, the lioness had disappeared into the forest. Though both our guide and driver tracked the movement of the lioness into the forest also, we could not spot it once it went in !
Congratulating each other, we soon decided to turn back. I told my wife that we still had 50% of the journey left and asked her to continue to be vigilant. I need not have worried. Just a few minutes later, we saw a couple of other jeeps stopped and all their occupants standing up and looking to the left. Curious, we followed their gaze - and to our delight and extreme surprise, we saw two lions at a distance of around 100 feet or so ! We were astounded and tremendously excited. My wife was ready with her mobile and took photos of the lions. One was lying on its back, oblivious to the world. The other was licking its feet. I remembered how our pet dog would perform similar actions. My wife also recorded a video of the lion.
Twilight was beginning by this time. Sated, we headed back. We could hear and see parakeets cry out as they headed back to their nests. We saw a spotted owl on the way back. My wife also saw a woodpecker. Our driver showed us a Nilgiri sambar deer.
At 6 p.m., as we ended our safari, my wife and I were two thankful and satisfied travellers. Our guide showed us a passenger in another jeep who (he said) had come on a safari four times, for a glimpse of the lion. He said that our safari was the equivalent of at least ten safari trips, since we had spotted two lions and a lioness. It was an awesome feeling, though there was undoubtedly some exaggeration in what our guide said !
Back in our room, I told my wife that we should pray and thank god. God had decided to humour us and show us the lions and lioness, I felt. To a large extent, my faith in God has been strengthened by this incident ! Before the safari, my rational mind said that a sighting was unlikely, but instead we had seen two lions, apart from the lioness we saw first. How likely was that to happen ? Also, what about our guide ? Would he remember about the mongoose and narrate this story about how it was sighted and then followed by the appearance of the lioness and the lions ?! Are mongooses lucky animals ?! Again, superstition can be suggestive. My wife and I also saw cattle egrets, cattle, spotted deer and wild boar. Yet, because we also saw the mongoose and there is a superstition linked to it, we could associate the lion only with the mongoose ! Also, perhaps, the mongoose follows the lion (this is unlikely !). So my rational mind thinks !
DAY 5 (RAJKOT), 19-Nov-14:
On the morning of 19-Nov-14, my wife and I went for a walk. We checked with the hotel if it was safe and they said we could go out. We saw a few villagers on the way. We saw peahens and heard and saw various small birds. My wife saw the bones of an animal, possibly killed by a lion. The walk was refreshing.
We departed for Rajkot at around 10 a.m. We visited Junagadh Fort, where we saw Buddhist caves and a deep well.
The view of Girnar mountain from the fort is worth seeing.
In Junagadh town, my wife and I entered the gates of Mahabat Khan Makbara, the tomb of a Nawab. The tall windows brought to my mind European church windows. Even the faces carved looked Grecian or Roman. The newspaper article http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-sundaymagazine/unlamented-let-me-die/article4662001.ece provides some information about the tomb. The architecture here needs to be preserved, studied and appreciated by all people.
We ate lunch at Hotel Krishna where Sachin Tendulkar had also eaten. There are photos of Tendulkar in the restaurant. We ate undhiyo and a dish made of dhokla here. Next, we stopped at Virpur where there is a famous Jalaram temple, but it was closed. Our next stop was at Gondal, a small kingdom. The ticket price of Rs. 110 was expensive for what we saw. The Mysooru Palace is far grander. Still, the palace is worth a look. Seeing the books of the Gondal king in one of the rooms made me feel that I was intruding on private space. There is a collection of clocks and miniature cars. The king also has a collection of antique cars in another house, where he stays, but we did not visit this building due to lack of time. As it is, the collection of miniature cars shows the interest in automobiles that the king possessed. There are also different types of horse carriages and crockery. I had not heard of the area of Gondal earlier. Even in a small place like Gondal, there is a lot of history and culture - and wealth. This was an eye-opener : how much of history and culture India possesses !
We reached Europa Inn in Rajkot at around 4 p.m. It is located just a few minutes away from the market. Our driver had a low opinion of the Rajkot lifestyle. He did not like the fact that businesses shut down from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (or later). He said that people from Ahmedabad had to cater for this break when they visited Rajkot ! Sure enough, most shops are closed in the afternoon, probably due to the dry heat. In the evening, shops are open until 10 p.m.
My wife and I roamed around the Rajkot market area. She purchased a couple of articles.
DAY 6 (AHMEDABAD), 20-Nov-14:
Europa Inn does not have a restaurant. We ordered a breakfast of "poha" and bread toast as room service before leaving Rajkot at around 9:30 a.m. The distance from Rajkot to Ahmedabad is around 220 k.m. It is an evidence of the quality of the roads that our driver completed this distance in around 3 hours. To put this in comparison, the distance from Bengaluru to Hassan is around 185 k.m. and that takes roughly the same time.
We purchased sweets at Gwalia for family and friends before we checked into Treatotel. In the late afternoon, we visited the Adalaj step well (called "Vav" or "Wav" in Gujarati), just outside the city. The carving on the pillars and walls in this well are beautiful. My wife commented that the stone appears like cloth, the way the intricate patterns are carved on it.
From Adalaj, we moved to Akshardham, the temple for Bhagwan Swaminarayan. I read his story after returning, available at http://www.baps.org/About-BAPS/TheFounder%E2%80%93BhagwanSwaminarayan/Life/Childhood%28Ghanshyam%29.aspx. What I like about the Akshardham is its order and cleanliness. Mobiles and cameras are not allowed in this temple, just like they are prohibited in Dwarka and Somnath temples also.
We saw the aarti being performed at around 7 p.m. We had purchased tickets to "Sat-Chit-Anand" which is termed as "India's first Vedic water show". While we waited for the show to begin, I saw a shooting star in the sky. The show began at around 7:35 p.m. Fountains of water create a facade for laser light. We learn of the story of young Nachiketa who meets Yama, the God of Death and asks him the meaning of life. Though the topic is philosophical, the combination of a live actor, laser light effects and fire and water effects make the show an engaging one. The grand finale using water and fire is spectacular. My wife feels that this was one of the big highlights of our Gujarat visit.
We ate dinner at Sankalp, a south Indian restaurant and followed it up with faluda, a cool milk based drink with black seeds (I don't know what seeds they are).
DAY 7 (AHMEDABAD and BANGALORE), 21-Nov-14:
We spent the majority of the day in Ahmedabad, which was a change from our usual routine so far !
I ate a small "thepla" and cutlets for breakfast. At 10:15 we checked out for the last time in our trip. Along with our luggage in the taxi, we went to the ISKCON Krishna temple, a peaceful place.
Our next stop was Sarkhej, where a mausoleum of a Muslim saint Ganj Baksh Kattu is present. There is also a mosque and a huge courtyard. I feel that the tourism authorities need to highlight both Sarkhej and the Andalaj step well better. The environment around Sarkhej is dirty. http://www.sarkhejroza.org/ has more information about Sarkhej.
We visited the Ahmedabad museum. Since World Heritage Week was in progress, there were no tickets to be purchased. We saw film posters from the 1950s and '60s including "Jaagte Raho", "Mughal-E-Azam" and many other pictures. we met a painter Mr. Gadhvi, who was putting up his paintings for exhibiting in the museum. The paintings of Krishna, Lakshmi and Saraswati that he had painted were beautiful to see. The ground floor of the museum contains a kite museum and also a train engine that are interesting to view. The first floor has the history of Ahmedabad and also the Indian indpendence struggle.
From the museum, we went to Kankaria Lake. This is a round lake, with multiple attractions for children. There is toy train, a zoo, a food court and various other attractions. My wife immediately commented that this place was like Cubbon Park in Bengaluru.
For lunch, we stopped at Gopi's, a restaurant that serves Gujarati Thali. The dishes all had sugar in them, but they were still tasty.
Next, we went along the Sabarmati Riverfront to the Sabarmati Ashram. There is a grand vision to make the river front a centre for cultural activities. As of now, there is a park that has been set up and spaces that may be used during exhibitions, I suppose.
Sabarmati Ashram showcases the best of Mahatma Gandhi. Acharya Vinobha Bhave's hut is a separate hut. The room that Gandhiji stayed in has been retained and a charka and few items are placed. Like in Porbandar, the main events in Gandhiji's life are listed in a board. The eleven vows to be practiced in Sabarmat Ashram are shown in Gandhiji's handwriting itself.
There are a few ideas of Gandhiji that I don't agree with but there are a lot of qualities and ideas of his that earn my admiration. His concept of "hate the sin and not the sinner" is probably the most powerful idea that all of us need to inculcate. The way in which he stuck to his principles is also exemplary, as seen in the Chouri-choura incident and many other incidents.
In the ashram, I read about Judge Bloomfield's judgement against Gandhiji in 1922. The charge was sedition. The case, its background and the sentencing are described in http://bombayhighcourt.nic.in/libweb/historicalcases/cases/TRIAL_OF__MAHATMA_GANDHI-1922.html. I quote from the judgement :
Gandhiji's reply shows the greatness of the man and I quote from http://www.mkgandhi.org/law_lawyers/25great_trial.htm :
His speech during the trial is also inspirational explaining why non-violence was required in that time.
I bought a book on the Upanishads written by C. Rajagopalachari at Sabarmati Ashram. We headed to Science City, our last stop before going to the airport.
In the 1980s, I visited Nehru Science Centre in Mumbai and remember the feeling of thrill as I walked through the sections. The Science City in Ahmedabad has many similar exhibits. In the Hall of Space, there is one floor devoted to satellites, the universe and communication. In the Hall of Science on the first floor, there are sections related to optics, mechanics and transformation of energy. For children, the Science City is a treasure trove. There is also an Imax 3D movie on space and a thrill ride.
What was disappointing to see was the casualness displayed by young and old alike. There were very few people who actually stopped and read about the principle. It looked like 90% of the people there were interested in pressing buttons to see what happens and then quickly move on to the next exhibit. While they did experience the magic of science, they are probably just as ignorant (or as knowledgeable) of why and how the magic happened as they were before they entered Science City. This is an unfortunate aspect of Science City, in my view. Overall, my wife and I rather liked Science City.
We drove to the airport and bade our driver goodbye. We were early for the Indigo flight at 8:40 and spent time drinking tea. The flight left on time. We collected our baggage by 11:20 p.m. By 12:15 a.m. on 22-Nov-14, we were back home.
CONCLUSION
What experiences do I take away from our Gujarat trip ? There are many but the Vedic water show at Akshardham and the sighting of the lioness and the lions in Gir are foremost. The unexpected beauty of the Mahabat Khan tomb in Junagadh and the carving at the Adalaj step well are memories that stay. The incident of my wife being stung by the wasp is also an experience that was unusual. The sound of the warblers in Lion's Paw resort and the smell of the coffee in Somnath are sensations that are pleasing to remember. The Gita Mandir and the grandeur of Somnath, the idol of Krishna in Balka Thirth and the twilight at Gomti Ghat are all visual memories that linger in my mind.
Above all, faith is what lies in my mind after our trip. Faith is defined at http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/faith as a strong belief or trust in something or someone. Against considerable odds, when my wife and I saw a lioness and two lions my faith in an unseen power has increased. My rational side says that it was probably just chance, but my more creative and fanciful side says that I should believe more in a greater power. I will end this blog on that note !
My wife had a lean time at work this week. Nearly a month ago, I felt that we could visit either Himachal Pradesh or Gujarat. Since Himachal Pradesh would be cold, we booked air tickets to Ahmedabad and back, leaving Bengaluru on 15-Nov-14 and returning on 21-Nov-14 - though we actually reached home on the morning on 22-Nov-14.
When we prepared our itinerary, it was somewhat like a pilgrimage tour : Dwarka, Somnath and a lot of temples around these two major temple towns ! I am not a religious man : my idea of a good temple is one that has few people and looks clean. Frequently, I have to be reminded by my mother and wife to pray during festivals ! More often than not, my prayer is a brief request to God for health and happiness. Standing in queues for hours for a "darshan" of a God or a Goddess for mere seconds is not required, in my opinion. I would prefer staying at home and praying to the gods there instead.
Unlike most other people, I believe in few rituals. I don't think that the lack of belief in rituals is a good thing, actually. When a mind is troubled, I feel that performing a ritual that has been practiced many times over may bring a sense of calm. Still, if one extends the idea of a ritual, it can easily lend itself to becoming a superstition.
I believe that ceremonies need to be performed at auspicious times. So, if I have to perform a ceremony like a "gruha pravesh" or house-warming, I would do so after consulting a priest. People of other religions may find this behaviour strange and also term it as a superstition. I suppose that they are justified in terming it as a superstition. To me, it is a matter of faith. Now, I don't believe that if a black cat crosses my path, it brings bad luck. Many people do believe it, irrespective of their education. Yet who am I to say that this is "only a superstition" and scoff at it ?! Its origin may lie in a ritual that has since degenerated into a superstition. What then is faith ? When (and how) do some rituals transform themselves into superstitions ? These are questions that require thought and are probably the subject of another blog post ! When the preparation for our trip was done, in one corner of my mind, I felt that my faith was going to be tested during this trip. I knew that it would require me to be patient and have faith in God, particularly when I would wait in interminably long queues !
What follows is a day-to-day account of the trip that my wife and I made.
DAY 1 (JAMNAGAR), 15-Nov-14:
We slept earlier than usual on the previous night considering the flight at 6:15 a.m. and got up at the unearthly hour at 3 a.m. My ex-manager has written a book on the journey of Lord Krishna. I read a few pages related to Dwarka and Somnath. My plan was to take the book with me, but due to the early flight, I completely forgot about it. Due to this omission, we missed visiting a couple of temples around Dwarka, which I shall mention later.
Our taxi came at 3:45 a.m. as planned. By 4:30 a.m., we were in the Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru. An Indigo airlines representative checked us in. We cleared security quickly. By 5:15 a.m. we were at the gate. The only problem was that we had our backs turned to the departure counter ! At around 5:40 a.m., I urged my wife that a cup of coffee would do us good. When we turned, we saw that the counter was half empty ! Both of us were shocked as we realised that one bus load of passengers had left while we were talking with our backs to the counter.
We had to settle for the masala tea served by Indigo airlines, which was surprisingly good. We landed on time at 8:45 a.m. The Ahmedabad airport pales in comparison to the Bengaluru airport. I found the toilet poorly maintained.
The quality of the highways and the roads within the cities is excellent. Except for few small stretches that felt uneven and had potholes, the majority of the roads that we travelled were of good quality. What impressed my wife and me were also the roads in Ahmedabad. The main roads in the posh areas had three lanes and absolutely no potholes. Compared to the potholes that we experience in Bengaluru main roads, the main roads in Ahmedabad are far superior. In the interior of the city, the cleanliness and condition of the roads is more or less the same as in Chamrajapete area of Bengaluru. Compliance with the traffic rules is poor : I saw only around 20% of two-wheeler drivers wearing helmets. Another observation is that the number of bicycles is far more, even in cities like Ahmedabad and Rajkot, compared to Bengaluru. The traffic policemen were active on the main roads in Ahmedabad city. This is probably a sign of the greater prosperity in Bengaluru.
Outside the airport, the driver of an Etios taxi was waiting with a placard. The temperature was around 30 degrees at 9:15 a.m. We ate breakfast and headed towards Jamnagar. There was some traffic before the limits of Ahmedabad ended. On the way, We ate fafda at a hotel. Their were cotton fields dotting the highway. Since my father worked with cotton all his life, this struck a chord with me. This was the first time that I saw such vast areas of cotton. Small white bolls of cotton embellished the green stalks of cotton plants. My wife also observed grains being grown in the fields. My overall impression of the Gujarat countryside as we drove through it is one of the greenery of cotton and grains, combined with swathes of brown land. Our next stop was at a Jalaram Baba temple. The temple is new, clean and has idols of Rama, Krishna, one of the Shakti goddesses and also Jalaram Baba himself.
We checked into Hotel President and ate lunch. The air-conditioners available in all the hotels that we stayed in during the trip were essential during the afternoons. So, we had air-conditioning in the rooms and air-conditioning in our taxi. By the time we finished our Gujarat trip, the remnants of a cold when we caught the flight to Ahmedabad had changed to a cough. The air-conditioning worsened my cold, but it was required during the afternoon.
In the evening, we went to Lakhota lake. There is a temple where the "Ram Dhun" has been chanted for 51 years. The newspaper article at http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/46---still-going-devotees-chant-their-way-into-guinness-book-/729459/2 shows an old article in 2010 when the chanting had completed 46 years. Here is an example of the power of faith - and also the power of organisation. To continuously chant for 51 years requires the faith of the individual worshippers and some planning from the main priests to ensure that the continuity of the prayers is maintained. On one side of the Lakhota lake is the wall of the Lakhota palace which extends into the lake. There is a museum, which contains good photos of the batsman Ranjitsinhji. My wife and I saw several birds on the walls of the palace. There was one majestic bird that particularly caught the attention of my wife.
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| The bird in the centre was in that place for nearly 20 minutes. |
Jamnagar is the source for bandhini dresses in the shopping places of Ahmedabad and other cities in Gujarat. We ate paani-puri at a road side stall (nothing extraordinary) and then my wife shopped for dresses. It took us a couple of hours to finish. We came back to Hotel President and ate dinner at the restaurant "Seven Seas". The food was decent, though the Gujarati kadi we ordered was sweet. The restaurant has a nautical theme with even a ship telegraph kept on one side.
DAY 2 (DWARKA), 16-Nov-14:
We had a restful night's sleep. The next day, we took a photo next to the ship telegraph when we ate parathas for breakfast. Our driver had suggested that we leave at around 8, since Jamnagar was near the Reliance petrochemicals refinery and the factory traffic could delay us. I think we left at around 8:20 a.m. The Reliance factory complex area is huge and is followed by the Essar refinery also. We saw several windmills on the way. Gujarat and Tamil Nadu are the leaders in wind energy.
This was to be the routine for our Gujarat visit: Reach the place in the afternoon, around lunch time; visit the temple or attraction in late afternoon and evening ; eat dinner and sleep ; get up next morning, get ready, eat breakfast and leave for the next destination !
Our driver suggested that we visit Beyt Dwarka first since the temple closed at 12:30. We saw a lot of windmills on the way from Rajkot to Dwarka. By 11:30, we had passed the Tata Chemicals factory and were searching for a ferry that would take us to Beyt Dwarka. The ferry station is a disaster waiting to happen. There is no structured queue and a stampede during boarding looks probable. Somehow, my wife, my camera and I boarded a ferry and got decent standing space in a ferry that felt alarmingly overloaded. Sea gulls kept us company during the journey. Beyt Dwarka has a Dwarkadeesh temple that is old and looks historic.
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| India's teeming millions - and I was afraid that most of them were in my ferry :-) ! |
We completed the "darshan" of Lord Krishna and enquired about a temple that my ex-manager had informed me about. The temple was a few minutes away. We walked to it, but the doors were closed. My ex-manager has written of another temple which I completely forgot. By the time we reached the pier and boarded the ferry and reached Dwarka it was almost 1:30 p.m. We ate food that we had brought along with us and fruits that we purchased as we drove to the Nageshwar Jyothirlinga. The highlight of this temple is a nearly 50 feet tall statue of Shiva in the seated position. The temple is spacious.
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| Nageshwar Jyothirling temple is to the right of this statue |
From Nageshwar, we went to Gopi Talav. http://www.gujarattourism.com/destination/details/5/314 describes the legend of the Gopi Talav. There are several small temples here. In one of the temples, there is a floating stone, but we are not permitted to touch it. My rational brain says that this is probably an excuse so that the actual weight and material of the stone is not experienced, but this is also a matter of faith.
We visited the Rukmini temple before reaching Dwarka. My ex-manager has described the legend connected with the temple in his book, like he has done for the other temples also. http://www.gujarattourism.com/destination/details/6/307 describes the legend. What my ex-manager has also stated in his book is that water is offered as "prasad", according to the legend. The carving in the temple is a treat for the eyes.
By the time we reached our hotel Shree Darshan in Dwarka, it was nearly 3:30 p.m. We ate sandwiches and relaxed for a while. At around 4:45 p.m., we left for the main Dwarkadeesh temple. The temple was just 300m from our hotel.
We had to keep our mobile phones and camera outside. In all temples, there are separate queues for women and men, for security checking. The queue moved reasonably quickly. My prayers were made quickly as I left the sanctum sanctorum to search for my wife. She was already waiting for me.
My ex-manager had mentioned about the Panchananda thirth, off the Gomti Ghat. We walked down the steps to Gomti Ghat. The bank of the river Gomti is dotted with temples. There were many devotees bathing in the river. We took a boat to go to an island that stretched for a few hundred metres, parallel to the bank of the river. There is a Lakshmi Narayan temple here and also five wells with sweet water. The five wells are for the five Pandava brothers. There is also a sixth well, for Draupadi. My wife and I drank water from this well and indeed, I can confirm that the water was fresh water, like that from a river. The legend regarding the wells is described by a tourist in the link http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Asia/India/Dwarka-1098966/Things_To_Do-Dwarka-TG-C-1.html.
By now, it was evening. There was a big group of people from Kerala who queued for the return trip. We requested them to allow us, since there were at least 40 of them and the boat could accommodate only around 10 at a time. They obliged us. Small diyas of light floated on the water. It was a pretty sight. I can only imagine how beautiful the Ganga aarati must be, at Varanasi. I suppose it is better left imagined, because the (lack of) cleanliness in Varanasi is almost just as legendary !
The shopping at Jamnagar meant that our suitcase was filled to capacity already. My wife purchased a bag. We ate "dabeli", a "pav" (bread) filled with a mixture of groundnuts, onion and potato. After exploring the streets of Dwarka some more, we returned to Shree Darshan for dinner, eating a Kathiawadi roti made of bajra. After dinner, we shared a matka kulfi between us.
Finally, we were ready to hit the sack, after a satisfying day's tourism (and eating !).
DAY 3 (SOMNATH, VERAVAL), 17-Nov-14:
On 17-Nov-14, we got up at around 7 a.m. and went to see the temple from outside. My main purpose was to take a photo of the temple, at least from outside. We also went to the ISKCON temple, which my ex-manager had suggested to me. It is a clean temple.
After breakfast, we set off towards Somnath. We visited the Mool Dwarka temple. The legend behind the temple is described at http://www.ghumakkar.com/somnath-to-dwarka-by-road-and-lord-dwarkadhish-darshan/. The temple complex contains idols of several deities.
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| The room that Gandhiji was born is in the ground floor, below the one with the green windows |
The Sudama mandir is also present in Porbandar. The temple is like a tribute to the friendship between Lord Krishna and Sudama, his fellow student and friend.
My wife and I were pleasantly surprised by the variety of birds that we saw in our Gujarat trip. When we stopped for a tea break, we saw a group of birds (I don't know what they were) fly and make formations and break them. Just looking at them was relaxing, rather like watching clouds. We saw several unusual birds.
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| A little bird was active on the wall |
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| These birds coalesced and then scattered, forming patterns |
On the way, we also passed Chorvad, where Dhirubhai Ambani was born. Our driver pointed out a house that the Ambani family uses when they come to the village. We saw coconut trees dot the landscape through out this journey.
We reached Veraval and hotel Safari Resort, around 1.5 km from the Somnath temple at around 2 p.m. After unpacking, my wife suddenly screamed. A wasp had bit her, through the dress that she wore, on her leg. I doubted that a wasp could sting through a dress, but when I looked at her leg closely, it was red and swelling. My wife said that she experienced a stinging pain. I saw the wasp sit on a curtain and tried to squash it between the folds of the curtain, but it escaped. We called the hotel reception and changed rooms. The hotel bell-boys said that they put mud to cool the wound when this happened to them. They gave us some mud, but by this time, my wife was feeling better. The redness had reduced.
At 5 p.m., we left for the Somnath temple. There is a beautiful Gita Mandir at the end, where verses from the 18 chapters of the Bhagvad Geeta are inscribed on the pillars. The various avatars of Lord Vishnu are also painted. One big difference is that instead of the usual 10 avatars, there were 24 avatars including Narada, Dattatreya and Veda Vyasa shown in the paintings. The avatars are described in http://hindupad.com/24-avatars-of-vishnu-24-incarnations-of-lord-vishnu/, but this variation on the Dasha Avatar was new to me. There is a temple for Lord Balaram situated at a lower height. The legend is that Lord Balaram, deemed to be the incarnation of Lord Vishnu's snake Sesha Nag transformed into the snake form and entered into the "paatal" (nether-world). http://www.somnath.org/jay-somnath.aspx describes the legend.
Somnath also has a "matt" established by Shankaracharya. There is a Shivaling in a cave. Just opposite the "matt" is the Triveni sangam, a confluence of the Kapila, Hiranya and the mythical Saraswati rivers. Then we moved to the Somnath temple. If I have to summarise the Somnath temple in one word, it would be "grand". The temple itself is new, built after the Indian Independence. Details of Somnath are available at http://www.gujaratindia.com/about-gujarat/somnath.htm and http://www.somnath.org/. There is a giant TV showing the aarati for those unable to enter the temple.
The crowd was not too much when we entered the temple. We did a "Ganga Abhishek" pooja and booked tickets for the sound and light show at 7:45 p.m. Our driver had informed us that there is an old Parvati mandir also. We came out of the temple to see this temple, which is located opposite the Somnath temple. It was the Indore queen Ahilyabai Holkar who established this temple. We were fortunate to see this temple and the aarati being performed.
The coffee that we tasted at Brewsberry cafe opposite the temple tasted superb. Of course, this was due to our fatigue ! We re-entered the Somnath temple to view the aarati and then settled into the amphitheater to see the sound-and-light show. The sound and light show gives an idea of the legends associated with Somnath and its history. I recommend watching the show, so that one gets an idea of the history of Somnath The temple was destroyed 10 times by Muslim invaders and has been re-built 10 times. It is a testament to the faith of the kings, leaders and politicians who have re-built the temple, despite numerous attempts to destroy it. We ate dinner at Safari Resort itself before retiring for the night.
Dwarka and Somnath are unique places, since there are legends associated with three major Gods Krishna, Shiva and Ram in this place. There is a temple of Hanuman in Dwarka and in Beyt Dwarka, we saw signboards pointing to a gurudwara of a Sikh guru. So, Gujarat provides an example of a place where there are important pilgrimage centres for all religions.
DAY 4 (SASANGIR), 18-Nov-14:
We ate breakfast and set off towards Balka Thirth. http://www.somnath.org/Bhalkha_Tirth.aspx narrates the legend. There is an ancient tree, supposed to be the one where the hunter mistook Lord Krishna's feet for the mouth of a deer. My ex-manager has indicated Golak Dham as a "must visit" place in his book, but again, I completely forgot about this place since I had forgotten to take the book with me.
Just before we visited the temple, a motorcycle driver hit the rear of our Etios. The paint was damaged and our driver was upset about the incident. The motorcycle driver disappeared soon, as was to be expected.
We passed Sasangir and went to Devaliya. Devaliya is a place where one is guaranteed to see lions. They are in an enclosure spanning 412 hectares. We caught the last trip at 11:30 a.m. and did see few lions resting under trees.
We checked in to Lion's Paw Resort at around 12:30 p.m., a comfortable resort around 1.5 k.m. from the highway, located in the forest itself. Our driver said that he could hear the roars of the lion during the night in this place.
My wife and I saw a monitor lizard at the resort.
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| I was pleased when the monitor lizard lifted its neck at Lion's Paw |
I told our guide to describe the plants and whatever animals we could spot. The Sasangir sanctuary is 1882 sq. k.m. in area. The National Park is 258.7 sq. k.m., as stated in http://girlion.in/ForestVisitDetails.aspx. Our guide informed us that each lion marks around 40 sq. k.m. as his territory. There are 411 lions and lionesses in the sanctuary. There are a few pre-defined tracks that the jeep would be travelling. The lion is a nocturnal animal and we were starting our safari at 3:30 p.m. under the rays of a scorching afternoon sun. Hence our chances of actually sighting a lion were poor, to say the least. I had mentally reconciled myself to a forest safari with sights of deer and birds.
The safari began on a low key. We saw many teak trees with withered leaves that had almost become transparent. Our guide pointed out spotted deer and the Nilgiri sambar and tall "peepal" trees. We also saw a gum tree that he showed us. I slowly got into the "forest viewing mode" where I look at the ground and my eyes look for movement. The danger with this exercise is that the brain is easily misled ! Every fluttering leaf and branch appear to look like an exotic bird !! Still, I breathed in the fresh jungle air while our guide showed us wild boar and deer in the distance. The safari drive was refreshing, but not exciting until now.
At the watering holes in the forest, we saw many birds : egrets, cranes and the ubiquitous "seven sisters" which are warblers. If one warbler begins to tweet, all warblers follow suit and hence the name ! Apart from this, peacocks and peahens were also common. In one watering hole at a ravine, the trees made a canopy and the temperature was distinctly cooler. Our guide called this the natural air-conditioner ! He said that as a young man, he had frequently drunk the waters from the stream. When he shared this fact with other travellers, he said that they appeared shocked that he would do that. How times have changed ! Nowadays, we think that only mineral water or treated water is safe to drink and natural streams are considered unsafe !
My "forest viewing mode" helped us spot at least one animal ! I was sitting on the right side and I was responsible for watching on the right side of the jeep while my wife's responsibility was to see on the left side. When I glanced to the left, I saw a small animal run parallel to us and asked my wife to be more alert ! Our guide identified the animal as a mongoose. He said that spotting a mongoose was a good omen. I wished it were true.
Near one clearing, we waited for a herd of cattle (around 40) to pass us. The cattle were domesticated and belonged to a single herdsman. Our guide and driver spoke briefly to him. Accompanying the herd were several white cattle egrets. The egrets eat the ticks on the cattle. Thus, the cattle are rid of their ticks, while the egrets get their meals (or snacks !). The symbiotic relationship could well be termed "Beauty and the Beast" !
Shortly after this encounter, one jeep driver who passed us said that a lion tracker, who is a Forest Department official was driving in the road ahead. Perhaps there was a chance that we could see a lion ! The excitement mounted for my wife and me. Our driver took our jeep near another watering hole and we sat in silence. Soon, a couple of other jeeps joined us.
We could hear the lion tracker make a call, imitating an animal. I remember that except for this sound, I heard little else. Then, suddenly I looked back and towards the left - and saw a lioness majestically pose on the road behind all our jeeps ! My wife and I could not believe our eyes ! Even as I type these words, I remember our excitement and my heart beats a little faster at the thrill of the memory ! The lioness was disdainful of us as she slowly strolled across the road and into the forest !
Any camera more than 7 megapixels required extra charges to be paid. Since my wife had a MotoG 2nd Generation mobile, I had switched the camera off. By the time my wife got her mobile ready, the lioness had disappeared into the forest. Though both our guide and driver tracked the movement of the lioness into the forest also, we could not spot it once it went in !
Congratulating each other, we soon decided to turn back. I told my wife that we still had 50% of the journey left and asked her to continue to be vigilant. I need not have worried. Just a few minutes later, we saw a couple of other jeeps stopped and all their occupants standing up and looking to the left. Curious, we followed their gaze - and to our delight and extreme surprise, we saw two lions at a distance of around 100 feet or so ! We were astounded and tremendously excited. My wife was ready with her mobile and took photos of the lions. One was lying on its back, oblivious to the world. The other was licking its feet. I remembered how our pet dog would perform similar actions. My wife also recorded a video of the lion.
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| Spot two lions, one almost in the centre and the other to the left of the tree |
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| "I am the King of the Forest. Who dares disturb my rest?", this lion seems to say ! |
At 6 p.m., as we ended our safari, my wife and I were two thankful and satisfied travellers. Our guide showed us a passenger in another jeep who (he said) had come on a safari four times, for a glimpse of the lion. He said that our safari was the equivalent of at least ten safari trips, since we had spotted two lions and a lioness. It was an awesome feeling, though there was undoubtedly some exaggeration in what our guide said !
Back in our room, I told my wife that we should pray and thank god. God had decided to humour us and show us the lions and lioness, I felt. To a large extent, my faith in God has been strengthened by this incident ! Before the safari, my rational mind said that a sighting was unlikely, but instead we had seen two lions, apart from the lioness we saw first. How likely was that to happen ? Also, what about our guide ? Would he remember about the mongoose and narrate this story about how it was sighted and then followed by the appearance of the lioness and the lions ?! Are mongooses lucky animals ?! Again, superstition can be suggestive. My wife and I also saw cattle egrets, cattle, spotted deer and wild boar. Yet, because we also saw the mongoose and there is a superstition linked to it, we could associate the lion only with the mongoose ! Also, perhaps, the mongoose follows the lion (this is unlikely !). So my rational mind thinks !
DAY 5 (RAJKOT), 19-Nov-14:
On the morning of 19-Nov-14, my wife and I went for a walk. We checked with the hotel if it was safe and they said we could go out. We saw a few villagers on the way. We saw peahens and heard and saw various small birds. My wife saw the bones of an animal, possibly killed by a lion. The walk was refreshing.
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| The teak leaf is almost transparent after it dries. Our guide said that an insect eats the leaf. |
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| Buddhist carvings are visible. |
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| Girnar mountain as seen from Junaghad fort |
We ate lunch at Hotel Krishna where Sachin Tendulkar had also eaten. There are photos of Tendulkar in the restaurant. We ate undhiyo and a dish made of dhokla here. Next, we stopped at Virpur where there is a famous Jalaram temple, but it was closed. Our next stop was at Gondal, a small kingdom. The ticket price of Rs. 110 was expensive for what we saw. The Mysooru Palace is far grander. Still, the palace is worth a look. Seeing the books of the Gondal king in one of the rooms made me feel that I was intruding on private space. There is a collection of clocks and miniature cars. The king also has a collection of antique cars in another house, where he stays, but we did not visit this building due to lack of time. As it is, the collection of miniature cars shows the interest in automobiles that the king possessed. There are also different types of horse carriages and crockery. I had not heard of the area of Gondal earlier. Even in a small place like Gondal, there is a lot of history and culture - and wealth. This was an eye-opener : how much of history and culture India possesses !
We reached Europa Inn in Rajkot at around 4 p.m. It is located just a few minutes away from the market. Our driver had a low opinion of the Rajkot lifestyle. He did not like the fact that businesses shut down from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (or later). He said that people from Ahmedabad had to cater for this break when they visited Rajkot ! Sure enough, most shops are closed in the afternoon, probably due to the dry heat. In the evening, shops are open until 10 p.m.
My wife and I roamed around the Rajkot market area. She purchased a couple of articles.
DAY 6 (AHMEDABAD), 20-Nov-14:
Europa Inn does not have a restaurant. We ordered a breakfast of "poha" and bread toast as room service before leaving Rajkot at around 9:30 a.m. The distance from Rajkot to Ahmedabad is around 220 k.m. It is an evidence of the quality of the roads that our driver completed this distance in around 3 hours. To put this in comparison, the distance from Bengaluru to Hassan is around 185 k.m. and that takes roughly the same time.
We purchased sweets at Gwalia for family and friends before we checked into Treatotel. In the late afternoon, we visited the Adalaj step well (called "Vav" or "Wav" in Gujarati), just outside the city. The carving on the pillars and walls in this well are beautiful. My wife commented that the stone appears like cloth, the way the intricate patterns are carved on it.
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| The carving on Adalaj step well is amazing to see. |
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| The Adalaj step well is seen as a passage |
We saw the aarti being performed at around 7 p.m. We had purchased tickets to "Sat-Chit-Anand" which is termed as "India's first Vedic water show". While we waited for the show to begin, I saw a shooting star in the sky. The show began at around 7:35 p.m. Fountains of water create a facade for laser light. We learn of the story of young Nachiketa who meets Yama, the God of Death and asks him the meaning of life. Though the topic is philosophical, the combination of a live actor, laser light effects and fire and water effects make the show an engaging one. The grand finale using water and fire is spectacular. My wife feels that this was one of the big highlights of our Gujarat visit.
We ate dinner at Sankalp, a south Indian restaurant and followed it up with faluda, a cool milk based drink with black seeds (I don't know what seeds they are).
DAY 7 (AHMEDABAD and BANGALORE), 21-Nov-14:
We spent the majority of the day in Ahmedabad, which was a change from our usual routine so far !
I ate a small "thepla" and cutlets for breakfast. At 10:15 we checked out for the last time in our trip. Along with our luggage in the taxi, we went to the ISKCON Krishna temple, a peaceful place.
Our next stop was Sarkhej, where a mausoleum of a Muslim saint Ganj Baksh Kattu is present. There is also a mosque and a huge courtyard. I feel that the tourism authorities need to highlight both Sarkhej and the Andalaj step well better. The environment around Sarkhej is dirty. http://www.sarkhejroza.org/ has more information about Sarkhej.
We visited the Ahmedabad museum. Since World Heritage Week was in progress, there were no tickets to be purchased. We saw film posters from the 1950s and '60s including "Jaagte Raho", "Mughal-E-Azam" and many other pictures. we met a painter Mr. Gadhvi, who was putting up his paintings for exhibiting in the museum. The paintings of Krishna, Lakshmi and Saraswati that he had painted were beautiful to see. The ground floor of the museum contains a kite museum and also a train engine that are interesting to view. The first floor has the history of Ahmedabad and also the Indian indpendence struggle.
From the museum, we went to Kankaria Lake. This is a round lake, with multiple attractions for children. There is toy train, a zoo, a food court and various other attractions. My wife immediately commented that this place was like Cubbon Park in Bengaluru.
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| Kankaria lake has an island Amrapali in its centre. |
Next, we went along the Sabarmati Riverfront to the Sabarmati Ashram. There is a grand vision to make the river front a centre for cultural activities. As of now, there is a park that has been set up and spaces that may be used during exhibitions, I suppose.
Sabarmati Ashram showcases the best of Mahatma Gandhi. Acharya Vinobha Bhave's hut is a separate hut. The room that Gandhiji stayed in has been retained and a charka and few items are placed. Like in Porbandar, the main events in Gandhiji's life are listed in a board. The eleven vows to be practiced in Sabarmat Ashram are shown in Gandhiji's handwriting itself.
There are a few ideas of Gandhiji that I don't agree with but there are a lot of qualities and ideas of his that earn my admiration. His concept of "hate the sin and not the sinner" is probably the most powerful idea that all of us need to inculcate. The way in which he stuck to his principles is also exemplary, as seen in the Chouri-choura incident and many other incidents.
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| Gandhiji's room in Sabarmati Ashram |
"... I am trying to balance what is due to you against what appears to me to be necessary in the interest of the public; and I propose, in passing sentence, to follow the precedent of the case, in many respects similar to this case, that was decided some twelve years ago, the case of Mr. Bal Gangadhar Tilak, under the same section. The sentence that was passed upon him as it finally stood, was a sentence of simple imprisonment for six years. You will not consider it unreasonable, I think, that you should be classed with Mr. Tilak; and that is the sentence two years' simple imprisonment on each count of the charge, six years in all, which I feel it my duty to pass upon you. If the course of events in India should make it possible for Government to reduce the period and release you, nobody would be better pleased than I."
Gandhiji's reply shows the greatness of the man and I quote from http://www.mkgandhi.org/law_lawyers/25great_trial.htm :
"I would say one word. Since you have done me the honour of recalling the trial of the late Lokamanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, I just want to say that I consider it to be the proudest privilege and honour to be associated with his name. So far as the sentence itself is concerned, I certainly consider it is as light as any judge would inflict on me, and so far as the whole proceedings are concerned, I must say that I could not have expected greater courtesy."
His speech during the trial is also inspirational explaining why non-violence was required in that time.
I bought a book on the Upanishads written by C. Rajagopalachari at Sabarmati Ashram. We headed to Science City, our last stop before going to the airport.
In the 1980s, I visited Nehru Science Centre in Mumbai and remember the feeling of thrill as I walked through the sections. The Science City in Ahmedabad has many similar exhibits. In the Hall of Space, there is one floor devoted to satellites, the universe and communication. In the Hall of Science on the first floor, there are sections related to optics, mechanics and transformation of energy. For children, the Science City is a treasure trove. There is also an Imax 3D movie on space and a thrill ride.
What was disappointing to see was the casualness displayed by young and old alike. There were very few people who actually stopped and read about the principle. It looked like 90% of the people there were interested in pressing buttons to see what happens and then quickly move on to the next exhibit. While they did experience the magic of science, they are probably just as ignorant (or as knowledgeable) of why and how the magic happened as they were before they entered Science City. This is an unfortunate aspect of Science City, in my view. Overall, my wife and I rather liked Science City.
We drove to the airport and bade our driver goodbye. We were early for the Indigo flight at 8:40 and spent time drinking tea. The flight left on time. We collected our baggage by 11:20 p.m. By 12:15 a.m. on 22-Nov-14, we were back home.
CONCLUSION
What experiences do I take away from our Gujarat trip ? There are many but the Vedic water show at Akshardham and the sighting of the lioness and the lions in Gir are foremost. The unexpected beauty of the Mahabat Khan tomb in Junagadh and the carving at the Adalaj step well are memories that stay. The incident of my wife being stung by the wasp is also an experience that was unusual. The sound of the warblers in Lion's Paw resort and the smell of the coffee in Somnath are sensations that are pleasing to remember. The Gita Mandir and the grandeur of Somnath, the idol of Krishna in Balka Thirth and the twilight at Gomti Ghat are all visual memories that linger in my mind.
Above all, faith is what lies in my mind after our trip. Faith is defined at http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/faith as a strong belief or trust in something or someone. Against considerable odds, when my wife and I saw a lioness and two lions my faith in an unseen power has increased. My rational side says that it was probably just chance, but my more creative and fanciful side says that I should believe more in a greater power. I will end this blog on that note !
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ReplyDeleteNice blog buddy.
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ReplyDeleteKiran i really like your blogs on various topics including this Gujarat Visit, nice treatment to subjects and i am amazed at the way you have summarized the takeaways from Visual, Smells & experiences...Cheers pls continue blogging with amazing facts.
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DeleteThanks for the praise, Ravi. You may like reading my blog on a visit to Singapore available at http://fewidlethoughts.blogspot.in/2014/06/singapore-vacation.html.
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