Tales of an Offbeat Adventurer. For certainty about uncertain roads, unknown destinations and diverse cultures. WORLD is a book and those who do not travel have read only one page.
Ray of light peeping out, all of a sudden from behind the dense leaves or drops of rainfall after a long hot spell. Perhaps one of the best experiences, which is delightful to everyone as a change from regular.
Now try to recall, when was the last time you felt elated on getting a surprise day off or just a half day off from your official duties? Most of us prefer to go home and relax or settle for an outing with family. But some out of mind boring people think of driving to some nearby locations. For
a long time, I had been hearing about ancient rock cut caves near to Dolvi, which had became a weekly visit affair for me. Subconscious mind was always craving to make a trip, however business routine always used to shackle my spirits/ my legs whenever I dared thinking about to explore this spot.
One
fine day, got a surprise when all the business formalities got finalized without much discussions and I realized that I have got a few hours for myself. Around 65 km. from Dolvi would have been slightly difficult on my feet or by public transport to return back by night, so requested a friend for his bike. He obliged and also informed me about the route. What a feeling it was gearing the bike🏍 after a long! My spirits, legs, hands and eyes; seemed everyone was also
craving for a break. That was it; the lone
ranger has started the drive to Karla Caves, the much cherished spot.
65 km. separated me from the Karla Caves, a complex of ancient rock-cut caves
located at Karli near Lonavala. It took me around 1.5 hours to reach the
spot. Not just a spot, it is a grand example of Indian architecture expertise,
for which even mighty mountains were just a canvas.
View from outside, for a moment turned me into Indiana Jones
and so was ignited the curiosity to explore the interiors and unwind some
ancient secrets –
There is no definite information on the
timelines of these caves, but believed to have carved around 2nd
century BC and thereafter 5th century AD. A grand hall is the first
one you come across on entering inside the caves. Large open space must have
been a gathering place. This is probably the biggest temple hall I have come across in such constructions.
While following the road
marks, I was snaking in the foothills of the Jajpur district in Eastern Ghats
and completely desolated areas and vacant roads were the onoly company. Finally
I reached at the spot, which was precisely located in a picturesque valley.
At
times when airlines inform you well in advance about your flight getting late, but you might have already started moving towards airport, what will you do
in such a situation?
You
have 2 options; interesting one is to continue to airport, enjoy food and drinks
at airport lounges, have a jolly good time and relax. And boring option will be to start
searching for any on the way attraction and wear out yourself. It happened to me when, I was already on
way to Bangalore from Vijaynagar. To decide, I opted for the boring option to
explore Lepakshi, a small village in Anantpur district of Andhra Pradesh which
was 15 km from the highway.
After accounting remaining travel time, I had precisely 2.5 hours to spend at Lepakshi. Lepakshi
as pronounced locally is the place where king of bird “Jatayu (जटायु)” left this mortal
world, in arms of lord Ram. There after Lord Ram requested heaven to accept
Jatayu by saying "Le-Pakshi" (take the bird) and that is how, we now know the place as
Lepakshi.
This
small village is house to one of the most amazing architectural wonder in India,
perhaps in the world, the Veerbhadra Temple with hanging pillar. I
knew that I was about to step into a wonderland, the moment I took the first
step inside the sacred premises.
Main entrance gate is rather small, but leads
to an empire of grand architectural extravaganza. Paragon of excellence in architecture, the present temple was built in 1583 by brothers Viranna and Virupanna, who used to serve Vijaynagar Empire. Temple is dedicated to Lord
Veerbhadra, the fearsome avatar of Lord Shiva, which was taken to kill Daksh
Prajapati (दक्ष प्रजापति ).
Main temple is surrounded by long walkways and meditation halls with exquisitely carved endless pillars and long lamp in front of temple.
Main
temple has other deities of lord Vishnu, Bhadrakali, Hanuman, Ramalinga, Naga Linga
and Ganesha. After worshipping it was the time to let loose of ourselves in
this beautifully carved temple.
Gods,
musicians, dancers, figurines of various forms are carved on every structure;
be it pillars, roof and outer walls of the temple.
And -
Roofs are decorated with
mural paintings.
In
the main temple premises the major attraction is the hanging pillar. Yes, the
pillar is attached from the top and is not touching the ground. If you are not
aware about this hanging pillar, in all probability you will miss out noticing.
You
will see people coming here with towels, sheets of cloth and passing it from
the space between pillar and ground. Check out -
This
pillar is a testimony to the engineering expertise of ancient India. During the British era, it is said a moronic British engineer tried to move this pillar in order to find the secret. But the whole structure started shaking and the scared engineer prayed and ran away for this life.
Temple
priest was a wonderful person who narrated the history of this temple in one of
the most fluently articulated English and an equally eloquent Hindi, when I
told about my place.
Priest
advised us to next go to Nagalinga. Nagalinga is the 3 coiled, 7 headed
Sheshnag (शेषनाग ,the divine snake of Lord Vishnu) shielding Naga Linga (Shiv Linga/
manifestation of Lord Shiva).
This
is the first time I came across such a structure, Sheshnag over Lord Shiva. Must
be some significant chapter from our heritage, but here it is a treat to the
eyes. This blogger forgot how many clicks were taken were, perhaps the most in
the entire blogging career.
Just
behind the Naga Linga is statue of Lord Ganesha, with snake tied to the belly.
Only two statues exist of this type, other one at Sasivekalu Ganesh at Hampi.
Click to read.
See
the structure closely the supporting pillars are not symmetric/ are different.
Perhaps left incomplete or some engineering principles not known to present
science.
Rock,
on the left of the Lord Ganesha depicts a warrior and an elephant praying to
Lord Shiva. Who this warrior is? Do not know, but I will find out and update
here.
After
praying to Lord Ganesha, adjacent Kalyan Mantap/ Latha Mantap was the next
spot, a fairy tale in the temple premises. At this moment recalled an old Hindi song- किस कवि की कल्पना किसने दिया आकार है, ये कौन चित्रकार है? The brothers must have been poets, to have created this masterpiece of poetry in stones. I was feeling like that any moment the statues will overcome the other casing and get live, such is the level of expertise in carving here.
Locals told that most of the design here inspire
design for local sarees and other clothing items. It
was then I started checking the structures more closely.Every
pillar/ structure is an institution in itself.
Soon we realized that these
pillars do not have a roof.
Why? Actually roof would have been there, but due to
lack of funding/ probably the king stopped funding the construction, abruptly.
It was being built to hold wedding ceremony of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.
Had this structure got completed, what a GRAND STRUCTURE it would have been?
Alas,
why this word exist.
After
this the outer part of the temple was left for exploring. As soon as we came out
of Kalyan Mantap, saw a huge foot step, believed to be of Goddess Seeta. While
kidnapping to Lanka Goddess Seeta, demon Ravana rested here for a while. The
water on this footmark never dries, you may dry off the water by using a cloth,
but it will appear again.
Nearby
of this holy footmark is the dancing Lord Hanuman. Too much was coming our way
much more than I could have ever dreamt off.
Main
Temple structure is surrounded by verandah, tall lamp, long walkway surrounded
by pillars, perhaps was meant to accommodate the visitors in Lord Shiva wedding
ceremony. Do not know, but definitely work as meditation chambers.
Walking
around in the verandah/ walk ways is relaxing as well as divine, and isolating
you from worries of routine life. I will be a stupid if I do not believe in the
existence of heaven in our temples.
More
than 2 hours have passed, when the driver called me up reminding of catching
the flight. I checked with airlines hoping some more delay but for the first
time got disappointed by the reply - no more delay. All of a sudden, I realized
that the temple floor was quite hot, however I never realized it while going around
the temple. Why? Because I have been in the company of Gods, heaven for last 2
hours?
So
with heavy heart came out from this wonderland and started moving towards the
vehicle, just few minutes for local market.
1.5
km ahead from Veerbhadra temple and on way to Bangalore is a huge monolith Nandi, site of Basavann temple, which we have skipped
while going. The size is enough to speak about engineering acumen which must
have gone to make this. This is another notable example of Vijaynagar style
architecture.
This is considered as biggest Nandi in the World. Finally
I was on way to Bangalore and thinking about this memorable day. While thanking
the Gods for this lovely break and feeling proud on our heritage.
In between the journey
of life, one has to squeeze moments for life.
I was travelling to
Tripura, which is a hilly state in northeast India and Agartala, the capital of
Tripura and is the second largest city in North-east India after Guwahati.
That’s all I knew about Agartala, when I landed one late evening in Agartala.
At the back of mind was the feeling that Tripura is a beautiful state so was
expecting some free time to go around the city as well.
As the lady luck got benevolent on this poor fellow, I got
half a day for myself and an extra 30 minutes as lunch went for a vacation.Got guided by my new
friends to visit Temple of 14 Gods, known as Chaturdasha Temple, around 8 km.
from Agartala. I hired an Auto quickly and reached the sacred “Temple of 14
Gods”, the deity temple
of royal family of Tripura and was built by King Krishna Manikya
Debbarma around the year 1760. All 14 presiding deities of this temple have
been continually worshipped by the royal family of Tripura since times
immemorial. Tradition of worshipping all of the Gods together has been a
practice and has been delegated to coming generations.
This temple captures
the soul of influence of nature on lifestyle of people of Tripura and no
surprise, Tripura is also known as the Country of Fourteen Gods and Goddesses.
Only Lord Shiva, Vishnu and Goddess Durga are worshipped all throughout the year,
while other 11 Gods are worshipped during weeklong Kharchi Puja festival,
around July. No worries, you can pray to the beautifully statues:
Peaceful ambience of a riverside settlement appeals
to everyone;
Why not? The river ghats have been the sole witness for civilization
transitions since times immemorial and have always celebrated the traditions
while continuing journey with changing times.As I always say, take life as
it comes and try to make the best of whatever comes your way. It was one of
those moments, when I got some free time for myself in Kanpur. So managed to reach Bithoor, a small town located 27 km away
from Kanpur, on the banks of River Ganga.
Though I was aware about the
name Bithoor and its location alongside river Ganga, however was totally unaware
of its ancient roots. What could have been more ancient, the
place which is considered as birth place of Lav-Kush, you got it right sons of
Lord Ram. Also Bithoor was the centre for Revolt of 1857 as Nana Sahib, then
Peshwa of Maratha Empire led the freedom struggle revolt from here.
So got to know that the small town of Bithoor has
both historical and religious importance. It is also believed that Lord Brahma
selected Bithoor as his abode and performed Ashwmedh Yajna at this place. Because
of which Bithoor came to be known as Brahmavart and the place where I was standing is known as
Brahmvart Ghat. There is a small temple, “Brahma Khoonti” dedicated to Lord
Brahma at the Brahmvart Ghat. It is so small that prayers are done from the
outside only. As per Brahmvart Puran, this point
is the centre point of the earth. Close your eyes to feel the divine vibes.
Pilgrims from far off places come here to pray at Brahmvart
Ghat and see the Valmiki Ashram. My country has been blessed with such a heritage, which makes us proud on our civilization.
Situated near to Vizag
(around 18 Km.) on a hill top, Simhachalam temple, known as "Simhachalam
Devasthanam" is believed to be as the oldest temples in the
world. The word Simhachalam means the hill of the lion and this temple is a
true portrait of rich heritage of Vizag.
Bhakt Prahlad needs no
introduction and probably is the most told story to every kid in our country.
This is the hill where Lord Vishnu had appeared to save Prahlada who was dropped from top of the hill, by the demon Hiranyakshipu into the sea. Later on after demon Hiranyakashipu was killed
by Lord Vishnu incarnated as Lord Narsimha, Prahlad had built the first temple
at this site. Lord Vishnu is worshipped as Lord VarahaNarasimha (वराह नरसिंह ) here.
The present structure of
temple was constructed by King Sri Krishna Devaraya. However a few scripts
found here dates to 9th century, Chola Empire and 13th
century AD as well.
Everyone says it is a symbol of universal love, charm and
understanding hospitality. In the year 1876, Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh had
painted the city of Jaipur in Terracotta-Pink to welcome, then visiting Prince
of Wales, Prince Albert to show him the Brand India hospitality. The tradition
of Indian hospitality is unmatched till date.
Thereafter a law was passed by the state of Jaipur in 1877,
requesting every new building to be painted in colour of Pink. That is how
Jaipur became Pink City and Jaipur
is still redefining the standards of royalty and hospitality.
Every step, every lane is worth giving a feel of being a
Maharaja to whomsoever visiting this Pink City. Along with other noteworthy tourist
attractions like forts, monuments and temples, Jaipur is also one of the preferred spots for destination weddings. If you are also planning to get married in this city
and are looking for wedding banquet halls in Jaipur, then WedMeGood would be
really helpful for you.
Jaipur is always full of visitors, be it any time of the year.
Amidst so many spots, in fact all of them popular with tourists, are there any Offbeat
spots in Jaipur? I was thinking the same while enjoying the Nahargarh Fort.
While moving around, I saw two monuments lying at the foothills of Nahargarh fort,
which were not at all crowded. Well, I was able to locate the rare offbeat
spots in Jaipur; Garh Ganesh Temple and Gatore ki Chhatriyan.
So without wasting any time, I reached the entry spot for these
spots. As all good things should begin with prayers to God, so Garh Ganesh temple
was the preferred choice to start. From here you just need to start climbing these stairs, however
the size of stairs, will test your stamina to the extent.
Where you will find the Gods, where is the heaven?
Simple answer, please
visit Hindu temples. And if you want to enjoy a walk with the Gods alongside,
please come to Brahma Sarovar (Pond) at Kurukshetra.
Legend says the Sarovar was created by none other than Lord Brahma. After
performing a huge Yagya (ritual) here, Lord Brahma went on to create the
universe from the sacred land of Kurukshetra. Cradle of civilization, Brahma Sarovar is breathtakingly picturesque
and the most visited site in Kurukshetra.
Nations need
armies to win, but explorers need only a Map to conquer the World.
Tokyo, the capital city
of Japan, is one of the world's most modern cities in terms of its infrastructure
and design. However it is also considered as world's most expensive city, but
for travellers like me thanks to its superb rail and subway networks, it is
also one of the easiest to get around. That’s all which is required to explore
this beautiful city. With one full day to explore
as much as I can, I started as early as I could have from my hotel. Just around
the corner from my hotel there was a small temple, so took the blessings of the
Gods to make most of this day. I started from Shinagawa
Station and got down at Tokyo station to walk my way towards Imperial Palace. The palace is still in
use by the Imperial family. During cherry blossom season the palace is one of
the most sought out spots in the city for photography. The Palace has been also
known as Edo Castle in the past, home to samurai warriors.
Palace is big monument
in the heart of the metropolis and consists of numerous parks, where everyone
can enjoy a walk or jog in the morning. Walking around the
palace in brisk rains has doubled up the joy. Soon from the nearest subway
station boarded a train to Yasukini Jinja Shrine, which is a Shinto
shrine in central Tokyo.
Shrine was built in 1869 to honour
brave soldiers who led their lives in order to build the foundation for a
peaceful Japan. In form of written records, details (spirits) of about 2.5
million people, who sacrificed their lives for Japan in the various conflicts,
are enshrined here. Details include name, birth place and date and place of
death of brave soldiers. Adjacent to main shrine stands a
memorial dedicated to Dr. Radha Binod Pal, who with utmost honesty tried to
defend justice of law during International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE) was
set up by the Allied powers to try Japanese leaders for “war crimes" and
was the only judge to have exonerated Japanese leaders.
Subsequently Dr. Pal was awarded the Order of the
Sacred Treasure First Class by the emperor of Japan, one the country’s highest
honours in 1966. Read more about RB PalMemorial. Alongside the shrine
there is a small war museum displaying equipments from World War – II. Likewise this Mitsubishi Fighter aircraft:
And this 1936 made, locomotive from Thai-Burma Railroad:
At a walking distance
from the Shrine is the “Indian Embassy”. Cannot share how I felt to celebrate
“Incredible India”, outside India.
When the Soul is
satiated and the mind is thirsty for more, there is no craving for anything
else. Neither I felt hungry nor had had any plans to eat that day, but my
friend Kento ensured we do not go hungry. He took me to an Indian restaurant.
Thanks, Kento for the wonderful moments.
With a subway map, another
subway station and we were all set for Meiji Jingu. Surrounded by 175 acre
forest, Meiji Jingu is a Shrine built to commemorate virtues of Emperor
Meiji in 1920.
Wall made of barrels of Sake and Wine is another notable feature of thei Shrine.
This is one of
the most beautiful alleys of Tokyo and must visit for first timers to
Japan. Read more about MeijiJingu.
Evening
was looming large by the time were making exit from Meiji Jingu, but I had to
catch Askakuza line for Sensoji Temple at Asakusa district. Got confused for a
while, seeing this beautiful subway train, if this train is for regular
commuting a showcase model? Vow.
The Sensoji Temple in Asakuza disgtrict is one of
the oldest temples in Tokyo, dedicated to Buddhist Goddess of compassion,
Kannon. Temple’s history goes back to the year 645, it was destroyed in 2nd world
war, but was rebuilt in the original appearance again.
The temple is noted for the enormous Thunder
Gate with hanging lamps at the entrance, 5 storied Pagoda and Nakamise-dōri Street
to buy souvenirs, snacks or even have your fortune told. In the temple premises
saw lot of incense sticks being burnt and people cupping their hands around the
smoke and applying it for healing. Rightly said, science comes so far and then
GOD comes along, power of faith should never be underestimated. Read more about Sensoji Temple. From the temple
premises, you can see a rocket ship like a tower. This is 634-meter-tall Tokyo
Skytree, country's tallest structure (and the world's tallest freestanding
tower). Opened in 2012, it is one of the most visited tourist attractions in
Tokyo for panoramic views of Tokyo from the restaurants.
As all good things have to end, the time and dark had
arrived to force me to go back to pack my stuff and leave to India next day. For
those who believe life is made of moments, I covered lot of them in a city
which is one of most modern and extremely rich in culture heritage.
Forgot to mention, night
outing on a Yakatabune boat for Japanese traditional meal while enjoying Tokyo
skyline floating around on Sumida River. Yakatabune is a must try experience.
Check out the setting inside the boat:
Now have to say, Sayonara
Japan with amazing memories. Sayonara was the first Japanese word which Indians
have learnt, thanks to famous song of the 1960’s, Sayonara Sayonara from the smash hit movie Love in Tokyo.
Keep travelling, keep on
accumulating experiences.
At first glance it was just like any other Business Planner when I received the packet. So, I quietly kept it inside my bag and went home. Honestly, I had no idea that this Business Planner is a Pandora’s Box waiting to be explored, sorry to be opened. Can’t help, being an offbeat explorer!
At night while taking this diary out of my bag, noticed the Wi-Fi symbol on the front cover and a small push button. Curious I, checked it closely to find a well-crafted Push-Button (actually Power/ ON-OFF button) into the outer covering.
Is it just any other diary, my thoughts went into a toss? At that moment I noticed that back side covering is quite thick, unlike regular such planners. What the hell it is? So, I turned over to the inside of the back covering to find this crafted arrangement of cables in well carved cavities. Now I was completely shocked and confused as what these cables are doing here.
