Trip to Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

We finally set off in the month of May to the oldest city ever-Varanasi. Umm, Banaras? No, Kashi! What’s in a name anyways!

The scorching heat, which was a little over 42C, didn’t actually seem to dampen our spirit, although a lot of people had cautioned us against it.

Well, the moment arrived, and there we were! Heading towards Ganapati Guest House, where we would be spending our next three memorable days. A little about why we chose this guest house and not any other. Its right on the bank of the river, alongside all the Ghats. There’s a balcony with a view of the Ganges which gives the guest house a breathtaking ambience. It is just a couple of minutes away from the main temple Kashi Vishwanath Mandir, although a little away from the main road. This meant that we would get dropped at a spot that was a15-minute walk away from the place of stay. It was worth it all, because the uniqueness of Banaras is its streets. The Ghats, the steep stairs and of course the legend of our Ganga maiyya and Shivji deciding to stay here for good!!

  At probably seven in the evening, the moment we checked into the hotel and stepped into the balcony, I looked onto my right, only to see the famous Dhashwamedh Ghat with the Ganga Aarti ongoing, and a large fleet of boats on the river, with loads of yellow lamps-dreams floating. An inexplicable visual, one must watch it to feel it!

We quickly hit the road to pay our respects to Shivji before beginning our journey. It was amazing to see the 4 feet narrow roads that led to the temple. Scooters, Gau Mata, people, everything fit so beautifully well into the small streets!

Behold! My dream came true as I stepped into the Kashi Vishwanath temple, that I had been yearning to visit (and I have no reason why) for a long, long time now.

The next morning, we set off for the boat ride, again an experience of a view into the life on the Ghats. If one Ghat had life in abundance, there were two others- “Harishchandra Ghat” and “Manikarnika Ghat”-  that were buzzling with the silence beyond life. While there were some who had just gotten out of the river after a holy dip, there were some others, whose bodies were put on the funeral pyre. There were also 

some bodies that were waiting, for their turn, to receive Moksha in the holiest place on this planet. Once, we saw 16 pyres at a time! They say, this is one place where the cremation happens on all 365 days of a year.

Amidst the sunrise, people, the floating shops for memoirs, the swim of the kids, the intense prayers, and the hustle and bustle, there I was, witnessing it all, with no words to explain how I felt.

Foooooooooood! Kachori, kulhad chai and jalebi. That was in our mind, as we set off towards the main road...yumm…we were already thinking about our next food destination! :’)

After a leisurely freshening up, we set off to the main temple again, and many prayers later, we realized the heat was picking up, and were advised against heading anywhere until evening.So, we decided to hit the main road in the hot sun, to find good food. Not that Ganpati Guest house doesn’t provide food, we were just too ambitious. And yes, we did find a restaurant, but there was nothing banarasi about the food they served. On our way back to the guest house, I couldn’t stop ogling at the stores that had the banarasi sarees on display. At 40C, after a heavy-not so banarasi-meal, there went my foot on a hole-y road, and cracked me up with a bad ligament tear. I quickly wrapped my ankle up with a bandage and set off again! This hole-y incident somehow decided the course of our next two days and how!

When walking is the only choice you have as there are no vehicles (that fit into the 4ft narrow lanes and not hit the Gau Mata at the same time), I never even fancied a thought that I could push myself so much. We kept walking.

A good rest later, we moved towards the evening boat ride, followed by the world-famous Ganga Aarti- a ritual par excellence.  And then we headed to the Kashi Chaat Bhandar, a small shop at the main road, which offers lightning fast service in spite of the great rush they have to handle, and serves great food! Favorite in the menu? Has to be the tangy tamatar chaat! Don’t even try forgetting to order it.

We set off to Sarnath-where Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon, the next day, in a vehicle booked by the

guest house, and on our way, visited the Sankat Mochan, and the Durga temples. It’s amazing to see the beauty of Sarnath, the teachings of Buddha, and the museum, all of which were calm and peaceful- offering a sharp contrast to what happened in Varanasi. 

We went to an outlet nearby to check out some Banaras memoirs, and once we were done, we returned back to the hotel and relaxed.

Khaikepaanbanraswala every day ;) you are not supposed to chew the paan. Atleast that’s what the vendor advised us to do.  It just melts in your mouth and gives you a chill feeling!

Day three, we were all set to return, and lo! How could we miss out on the KalBhairav temple!! We rushed to his abode, prayed and then came back for a leisurely lunch at Ganpati Guest house, as we started packing for our trip back home. *sobs*. I know I am going back again. This time in a colder season.

Banaras is in the Ghats. You have to feel it, you have to live it. With friendly people around, who are always willing to help, the ancient city of Varanasi still retains its fervor. Isn’t it surprising to see a city that hasn’t let modernization change its core even a bit? That’s Varanasi for you in a nutshell. A beautiful experience that makes you stretch beyond your limitations.:’)

(Contributed by Gayatri Kuppa, photo/images rights with Gayatri & Nikhil Kuppa)

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Trip to Medak Fort(Methuku Durgam), Telangana

We decided to have a short trip to Pocharam Lake and Medak even though Hyderabad was sizzling with temperatures reaching 40+C. After some bird photography at Pocharam lake we headed to Medak district/town to visit the Medak fort. 

However our first stop was at Medak Church, which is close to a century old and also apparently is the largest Diocese in Asia. It was teeming with people and we decided to come back later to this place. 

Medak Church

From the parking lot of the Medak Church we noticed a white structure on a hill, and looking at Google Maps realised it was our next destination the Medak Fort. Well thanks to Google Maps we reached the foot of a small hillock and started our short climb and suddenly the road ended...well no Fort in sight.

However there were a nicely crafted flight of stairs(obviously not friendly for Sr Citizens and Physically challenged citizens. After the short climb we saw our white building , with a few table & chairs

Haritha Restaurant

It was the Haritha hotel and restaurant which has four rooms on the top and a sit-out. The view from this place is spectacular- whole of Medak city and the towering Medak Church.

View from Haritha

Hunger pangs was driving us nuts and ordered Onion Pakodas, aerated drinks and water. The sit-out is quite okay with fans and it provided the much needed respite from heat.

Onion Pakoda

The Pakodas were very tasty with a touch of curry leaf and Ajwain. This place has  restrooms so, please don't hesitate to take the keys from the Manager...monkeys are around to trouble hence they keep the restrooms locked.

After taking directions from the restaurant staff, we climbed our next flight of stairs and came across the following note about the Fort. Please read it ...

Fort Details

We didn't expect any guide as we were already told at the Haritha hotel, and with the above as the only reference point we explored around. The whole place is in derelict condition, however govt had made some concrete steps for ease of climbing.

Not much to see except a few gates(dwarams, elephants sculptures) and some abandoned areas. 

The fort was probably used as a watch post and hence not massive in structure. Such a pity that this place built by our Kakatiya rulers don't find any place of importance in our ecosystem

Paved later by the govt

Many parts of the Fort is also desolate, so if you want to explore please do so in groups, not that we came across and vandalism/trouble mongers. It is a nice place to take some photographs and after spending around 40 minutes here and bearing the heat we decided to call it a day.

desolate section

As we climbed down the steps my thoughts were "why didn't the Govt either the Telangana or Central govt (through ASI) maintain this place?".

Entrance to the Fort

The Mubarak Mahal was restored by the Telangana govt and is being used as the Haritha hotel, probably one way of preserving this place. This is an important part of our history & heritage and deserves some attention from all of us i.e. citizens and the govt.

Well if you have time do visit this place.

(Contributed by Sandip Mishra)

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Trip to Madikeri ( Mercara Fort), Coorg, Karnataka

Madikeri Fort, One of the entrances

The Madikeri Fort (Mercara Fort) was first built in the 17th century by Mudduraja and subsequently developed by Tipu Sultan, Doddavira Rajendra, The British and finally Linga Rajendra from the Wadiyar(Wodeyer or Odeyer) dynasty. The Fort wall runs all along the fort and there are many view point to track enemy and also shoot at them from many vantage point

The entry to place is free and one can visit it between 9:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Palace, currently housing the Deputy Commissioner's office

The fort has a palace which was built using European style of architecture and at the entrance there are two horses sculptures holding the balcony. We couldn't enter this building as it is now the office of the Deputy Commissioner's and am sure access is restricted. The complex also has the Ganapathy temple.

Two large elephant structures

In one corner there are two large elephant masonry structures. Not sure the origins of this or the purpose. These are majestic and eye catching.

St Marks' Church

Finally it also has the St Mark's Church which was built in 1834 and now open as a small museum maintained by ASI. There are quite a few artefacts in this museum mostly weapons, idols and one special section dedicated to Field Marshall K M Cariappa.

Overall a short trip and it gave some insights into the history of Kodagu.

(Contributed by Sandip Mishra)

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Trip to Mandu(Mandavgad), Madhya Pradesh...Central group of monuments

Jahaz Mahal

Our friends in MP Tourism had been urging us to visit Mandu since a long time, however the flight timings and a lack of conviction, delayed this for a long time. With Indigo Airlines starting a direct flight between Hyderabad and Indore(at a convenient timing), we decided to explore this place known for the love story of Prince Baz Bahadur and Rani Roopmati. Mandu probably gets its name from the Prakrit word Mandapa Durga(citation Wikipedia)was ruled by the Parmar of Malwa till about 13th Century and from 1305 onwards the Sultans of Malwa ruled this place.

We flew into Indore and after a short drive of approx 100 Kms checked into Malwa Resort of MP Tourism, which is one of the few resorts available here.

The day started with a trip to the central group of monuments which is encompassed within a 45 kms walled city and it has 12 darwazas(Gates) and the main gate is the Delhi Darwaza. We started our journey with

 1. Jahaz Mahal:  as the name suggests it is a boat shaped two storied palace(around 120 mts), built by Ghias-ud-din Khilji for his harem. The Mahal overlooks two artificial water tanks i.e. Kapur Talao(Camphor) and the Munj Talao. One can notice the magnificence of Afghan architecture and the palace is lined with beautiful balconies, pavilions and terraces.

view from Jahaz Mahal of the Kapur Talao

2. Hindola Mahal: Our next stop was Hindola Mahal and the architecture gives it the name of "Swinging Palace".  The place has beautifully moulded column and magnificent trellis work in sandstone.

Hindola Mahal

 Once inside one can see the numerous arches that dot this place and if you wait for the right timing you can capture a nice picture of sunrays through the arches.

Arches within Hindola Mahal

3. Champa Baoli: Close to Hindola Mahal are a series of structures and the notable one is Champa Baoli, which has a network of water channels to supply both hot and cold water.

Champa Baoli

After this we  moved out of this complex and went to explore other structures and the first one being:

1. Hoshang Shah's Tomb: It is the mausoleum of Hoshang Shah and it is is supposed to be the first marble edifice in India. Afghan architecture at its best with intricate marble lattice work, towers and courts. It seems to have provided inspiration for the building of the Taj Mahal. Once inside you will see a few tombs and interestingly for birdwatchers one can be lucky to see a family of spotted owlets.

Hoshang Shah Tomb

2. Jami Masjid: Our next stop was the massive Jami Masjid which seems to have been inspired by the great mosque at Damascus. Huge & tall arches, pillars, domes are the keystone of this structure.

Jami Masjid Mandu

Jami Masjid view from Victory Tower

3. Ashrafi Mahal: As the name suggest "Ashrafi is gold" hence "palace of gold coins" and it was built by Mahmud Shah Khilji, successor of Hohsang Shah, It was conceived as an academic institution for young boys. Today not much of it remains however in the north-eastern corner there is a seven storey tower constructed by Mahmud Khilji to commemorate his victory over Rana of Mewar, hence its also known as Victory Tower.

Tower of Victory

With this our first day of visiting the central group of monuments ended and the whole visit was enthralling.
In our next blog we will take you through our experience on the Rewa Kund group of monuments and other locations in Mandu.

(contributed by Sandip Mishra, photo copyrights with EnigmaticIndia team)

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Trip to Chambal Valley, Ater, Bhind, Madhya Pradesh

It was a cold wintry morning when we reached the Delhi airport. We started our drive to Chambal. It was an 4 to 5 hour drive. On the way, we were passing by a town called Firozabad. Firozabad was a very dirty town and also the city of bangles. There was a lot of traffic on the road so were driving very slowly. On every side of the road you could find a chudi seller (bangle seller). The whole city was littered and every inch had garbage. There was no Swachh Bharat in Firozabad. We crossed Firozabad and were heading towards Chambal. We were close to Chambal, we had to reach the resort which was a bit off the road. The Google Maps told us some other, inside a village. We took the road, but there was no road at all, it was like a maze. If we took the other, it would have been a lot better. At one point, it felt as if we were on the wrong road, but thankfully we came out on the good road and reached the resort.

Chambal Safari Lodge

We were pretty late for lunch. We reached the resort at 3.00 pm. The resort’s name was Chambal Safari Lodge. I was happy to see the lunch, which was waiting just for us. We were last ones to eat lunch. We took rest as we were very tired. The room was big and very nice. It was homely and comfortable but super cold. In the evening we went for a normal walk in the resort itself. We saw birds and Neelgais; there were wild and not domestic. The food was very tasty and the cuisine was continental and Indian. The next day we went for 2 safaris. 1. A safari to Ater fort on the camel for one hour.  2. River safari to see Gharials, crocodiles and birds.

Ater Fort Safari

The Ater Fort was built by Bhadauria King Badan Singh, Maha Singh and Bakhat Singh in the era of 1664-1668. The fort is very much inside the Chambal valley. The fort is actually in ruins. We went to the fort in the morning and had tea and coffee with biscoots.

In this safari, you have to the Chambal river by car, cross the river and go to the other side by boat, from there you can go on a camel or go walking to the fort. The experience was very nice. It was one person on one camel. You can come back by 12.30 or 1.00 in the afternoon. You cross the river again and on the other side where you parked your car you have a small camp, there you get your lunch which is packed , then you can go for the river safari after eating the lunch. This safari will take two hours. You might see a bird called the Indian Skimmer. After your safari you can return to the resort and have fun and relax and have some awesome food.
(Blog contributed by Shreya Mishra and first published in her blog "Fistful of Stars")

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India@69: Personal glimpses and stories in 69 words

We are happy to publish our first contributory blog post India@69 in 69 words on the occasion of Indian Independence Day.  We thank Mahua, Ankita, Shantanu, Pramod, Prof. Sihna, Shree and Aryani for being a part of this memorable event. While it’s almost impossible to narrate your experience or tell your story about enigmatic India in 69 words, some of our friends took up this challenge and here’s what they have to say.

Collage: Picture credit: Ankita Katuri and Pramod Dhal

Mahua Maharana’s trip down the memory lane while they sighted a tiger and her cubs:
"It was 1985; we had gone to Hazaribagh Forest.  It was off-season.   The wooden cottages, legacies of the colonial Raj, were charming with dim lanterns and huge bathtubs.  But the magic happened in the night. In an absolute silence heaven came down to us. We could touch the stars, walk through the Milky Way, bathe in the moonlight and saw a tiger mother passing with her three cubs. " Mahua Maharana, Bhubaneshwar

Ankita Katuri reminiscing about her trip to Pench:
"Last year, we went to the Pench National Park – a beautiful place to relax, unwind and become a part of nature where it still is, as it was meant to be. Although we weren’t lucky enough to spot many ‘exotic’ animals, it was heartening to see the freedom they had. Trip highlights: watching wild animals actually move freely without inhibitions and getting to learn the art of making pottery." Ankita Katuri, Hyderabad

Photo credit: Ankita Katuri

An account of how Pramod Dhal saved a duck in Chilika lake:
“It was a semi-chilled winter morning; I was heading towards a small island in Chilika. To my utter surprise, found six tufted ducks trapped, one was blinking its eyes, but others dead. Ah! So cute and lovely innocent creature struggling for life between NET & DEATH, I heard the ‘sound of a soul’, pleading for its life, rescued the one. And I was lost in its pursuit of freedom.” Pramod Dhal, Bhubaneshwar

Shantanu’s discovery of how enigmatic India is during his road trip to Sikkim:
"A road trip is where you get to meet the real enigmatic India. One such unforgettable trip was from Delhi to Sikkim. From the filth of some cities to the almost aseptic cleanliness, the latest cars to contraptions on wheels, expressways to dirt roads, landscape changing from the plains to the forests and then to the ice clad mountains, boy we have a really enigmatic India!" Shantanu Bhattacharyya, Delhi

Prof. Sinha brings in the significance of remembering our history:
"As the Independence Day approaches each year, there is a lot of writings that appear on the heroes of our struggle for freedom. All political speeches and messages are mere replete with tales of sacrifices of our leaders. But almost always the same names get all attentions while enormous other lesser known names remain push in to a long forgotten pages regularly. Is not it injustice to our legacy? "Prof. Ramesh Sinha, Gurgaon

Shree Chattopadhyay recollects her childhood memories of the Cellular Jail in Andaman:
"Every Independence day when I hear our Prime Minister speak at the Ref Fort, my mind wanders to the corner most cell of Veer Vinayak Dmodar Savarkar in Cellular Jail (Kala Pani); the remotest archipelago of India- the Andaman Island. I visited there as a child. That small space had seen the pain of our independence activists; heard the sound of the boisterous sea and felt the echo of freedom. I salute to all, who have gave us our identity- our motherland to us." Shree Chattopadhyay, Hyderabad

Aryani Earla relates her larger experience with enigmatic India:
"Planet Earth filled with several mysterious sights, unexplained origins, History, Theories and plenty of mystifying sightings, Mythic creatures and their worldly appearances. Places around the world are home to countless Statues and monuments honoring many who make a considerable impact. Carnivals with elements of local culture. Something unusual and slightly kooky- Natural adventures with Dolphins at Sea and Zip lining in forest was terrific. Enjoyed every inch of it." Aryani Earla

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