Road Trip to MP

Again the same Amarnath group, me, Prasad (hubby), Milind & Anupama (friends) planning to go to Indore by car since months. I like usual hit the Internet & google for all possible information on Indore & nearby destinations.  We realize that not only there are a lot of tourist attractions (being a historical place) but also lots to eat & also lots to shop (yippee!!).  101 things to do in Indore was an insightful reference on the web.  We decide that we will reserve the evening activities for scouring the places to eat which results in adding an extra day to our trip. Ultimately we finalize on the dates of our trip from 24-Feb to 2-Mar 2013. I get my leave sanctioned and at the last minute Milind & Anupama drop out due to personal reasons. We are in a dilemma, should we travel alone (Prasad does not want to drive alone long distances and my driving confidence levels are still low J) or cancel the trip totally and go to nearby destination. I already have my leave sanctioned and have to utilize it else it will get lapsed the following month. We finally decide on taking our driver along and go as scheduled.

We start our journey early in the morning at 7:00 am. Indore is 600 km from Mumbai. The AH47 highway is a pleasure to drive on, a 4 lane highway…smooth road…moderate traffic. We reach our destination by 4:30 pm in spite of taking breakfast, lunch & rest breaks. We are staying at Hotel Apna Palace located at Dhar Road Indore.This is the old city area where the roads are narrow and the traffic is undisciplined. Nearly 70% of the traffic comprises of two wheelers who refuse to apply brakes but just maneuver their vehicle through the available space.

The hotel is nice & comfortable as shown on its website. We relax and go to meet my sister-in-law who is visiting Indore for official work and was currently shopping at Jail Road. I have already decided I am not going to start shopping immediately. Temptation for shopping gives in and I end up purchasing a saree for myself (What happened to my self control..huh!!). Prasad gives me a smug “I knew it” look.

We decide to explore Sarafa-The Night Market (open after 8:00 p.m to 4:00 A.M) a paradise for food lovers. As we walk through the narrow streets leading to Sarafa, the place bustles in the night with plethora of food stalls offering the best chats of India. There are 8 flavoured / 10 flavoured / 14 flavoured pani puri stalls. Prasad has a huge smile on his face (he has a weakness for pani puri). We ultimately zero in on an 10 flavoured pani puri stall, never tasted pani puri’s in so many flavours.  We start with Garadu (fried root which is available mainly in winters), then have the dahi Wada and the Bhutte ka kees (grated corn with masalas) at a small joint called as Joshi Dahi Wada..this is yummy!! followed by sabudana khichdi. We are nearly full but still gorge on chole tikki at Vijay Chat House followed by a dessert of gajar halwa & gulab jamun. Gosh!! Did we eat that much??? and also a mitha paan for the road.

As per our plans we start the next day, Monday for Indore touring. We decide to start with Lalbaug Palace which stands on the outskirts of the town, towards the southwest. On reaching there we find that the place is closed being a Monday. We are disheartened, but decide to proceed to our next spot Rajwada which is located in the centre of the city and again we find it closed for public being a Monday. This is putting our plans on haywire. We decide to go to Ujjain instead of touring Indore. I am very upset, in spite of searching extensively on the internet for information on Indore, not one site has mentioned that most of the tourist attractions at Indore are closed on Mondays. We reach Ujjain in an hour.

Mahakaleshwar Temple

The city of Ujjain is one of the ancient cities of the country. It is considered to be one of the seven sacred places to attain Moksha. The city attracts a great deal of pilgrims, as it is the abode of one of the Jyotirlingas – the Mahakaleshwar Temple. We make it to the temple just before they close down for the afternoon. Ujjain again is a maze of narrow roads & street, and makes it difficult to find the tourist spot with no directions at all. Prasad catches hold of a parking attendant and checks with him if we can get someone to guide us on the roads.  “Chota baccha chalega road dikhane ke liya, koi nahi hai abhi” the park attendant tells Prasad. “Dodega” says Prasad. He calls out to a chirpy 12 year old boy and asks him to take us around. The boy is more than happy to take us around and talks endlessly keeping us entertained throughout the journey.

We visit SANDIPANI ASHRAM, MANGALNATH Temple, GADKALIKA, NAVAGRAHA MANDIR, HARSIDDHI TEMPLE, BADE GANESHJI KA MANDIR, GOPAL MANDIR and also BHARTRIHARI CAVES. All are temples and most are located on the banks of river Shipra.

We return back to Indore at 5:00 pm. Today we want to indulge in non-veg food. We decide to try out Hakeem near Sarwate Bus stand. After reaching there we find that it has been relocated. We then decide to go at Nafees located at Palasia. The food is good and we go home satisfied.

The next day that is Tuesday we begin our touring of Indore. We start with Lal Baug Palace. The palace was built by Maharaja Shivaji Rao Holkar during 1886-1921. It is a three story spectacular building with influences of British Architecture. From here we proceed to Rajwada Palace a seven storied structure, which serves as the living example of the grandeur of the Holkars. It is located in the centre of the city. The palace has a beautiful temple located just behind it. The palace and the temple were partially destroyed by fire in the 1984 riots. It was restored back in 2007 by H.H Ushadevi Holkar. We further proceed to visit Kaanch Mandir (temple which is entirely made up of glass and mirrors) primarily a Jain Temple, Gomatgiri – built by the Jain samaj, has a  21 feet statue of Lord Gomateshwar, a replica of the Bahubali statue of Shravanbelagola, also built here are 24 marble temples with shilars for each tirthankar.  Bijasen Tekri and Bada Ganpati (this temple houses perhaps the largest Ganesh idol in the world measuring 25 feet from crown to foot). In the evening we visited another foodie area called 'Chapan Dukan' literally meaning 56 shops located at Palasia. Here too you can get variety of tit-bits like bhutte ki kachori, samoses and other savory. I personally preferred Sarafa as it had more variety of food. We also purchased sweets & namkeens for family & friends from Gangor Sweets.

The following day we depart from Indore early in the morning to Mandu via Dhar about 99 kms from Indore. The road is really bad with lots of road construction happening on nearly 75% of the entire route.

We reach Dhar Fort around 11:30 am. The Dhar Fort was was built by Mohammad Tughlak in 1344 A.D. Kharbuja Mahal and Sheesh Mahal are some of the important buildings in this fort. This palace is called as Kharbuja Mahal because of its musk melon shape. During the Maratha struggle, Anandi Bai, the wife of Raghunath Rao took shelter here. She gave birth to Peshwa Bajirao II in this palace.

We reach Mandavgarh around 2:00 pm. Popularly known as Mandu, the town is located amidst the Vindhya Ranges, at an elevation of 2000 feet above the sea level. The 45 km parapets of walls that encircle Mandu are punctuated by 12 gateways. Most notable of these is Delhi Darwaza, the main entrance to the fortress city for which the approach is through a series of gateways. We have lunch at Malva Retreat, Mandu and also hire a registered guide to take us around.

We visit ROOPMATI'S PAVILION (From its hilltop perch, this graceful structure with its two pavilions was a retreat of the lovely queen, from where she could see Baz Bahadur's palace and the Narmada flowing through the Nimar plains far below), BAZ BAHADUR'S PALACE (Built by Baz Bahadur in the early 16th century, the palace's unique features are its spacious courtyards surrounded by halls and high terraces which afford a superb view of the surrounding countryside), REWA KUND, NILKANTH MAHAL (this palace was constructed by the Mughal governor, Shah Badgah Khan for Emperor Akbar's Hindu wife), JAHAZ MAHAL (This 120 mt long "ship palace" built between the two artificial lakes, Munj Talao and Kapur Talao is an elegant two storeyed palace. Probably it was built by Sultan Ghiyas-ud-din-Khilji for his large harem), HINDOLA MAHAL (An audience hall, also belonging to Ghiyas-ud-din's reign, it derives its name of "swinging palace" from its sloping sidewalls. Amidst these is an elaborately constructed well called Champa Baoli which is connected with underground vaulted rooms where arrangements for cold and hot water were made), JAMI MASJID (considered as Mandu's most majestic building as it is modeled on the great Omayyed Mosque in Damascus) and lastly HOSHANG SHAH'S TOMB (India's first marble edifice, it is one of the most refined examples of Afghan architecture). Phew!! that is too much of history.

We leave Mandu by 6:00 pm and proceed to Maheshwar which is around 63 kms. We reach Maheshwar at around 7:30 pm and stay at the Narmada Retreat which is located on the banks of River Narmada.

Maheshwar is significant for its many temples, bathing ghats and the exquisitely woven ‘maheswari sarees’. We check out of the hotel next day before we start the sightseeing.

Our first visit is to the Maheshwar temple, a historic temple town located in a fort complex situated at the banks of the beautiful Narmada River. The temple is wonderfully decorated with stone carvings; there are intricately worked doorways & overhanging balconies. One of the best temples I have visited so far.  It presents an unusual charm of architectural grandeur.  The queen’s fort, a lovely building of 18th century was the residence of Ahalya Bai Holkar. Once functioned as the administrative quarters of the queen, this splendid palace displays her seat, various chhatris and her personal temple with its all elegance.

And finally I get to go on my shopping spree of maheshwari sarees & dresses for me & my family. I know I have gone overboard with my shopping and Prasad has turned a blind eye on my shopping.

Omkareshwar

We proceed to Omkareshwar which is about 62 kms from Maheshwar.  It is basically an island, in the shape of Om, on the confluence of the rivers Narmada and Kaveri.  Omkareshwar has the Majestic Omkar Mandhata Temple at Omkareshwar, which is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of India and also an important destination for the Narmada Parikrama.

The moment we drive into this city we are chased endlessly by the priests. They chase you everywhere to offer you their priestly services. We go for the VIP darshan by paying extra since we want to proceed further to Shegoan from here before the sun sets in. Shegoan is nearly 230 kms from Omkareshwar, we have a lot of distance to travel. We reach Shegaon at night around 10:00 pm.

Shegaon is popular as a pilgrimage destination as it is believed that Shri Sant Gajanan lived here. The sansthan has well maintained accommodations for the devotees. There are different types of rooms available, depending on everyone’s budget & requirement. We stayed at Anand Vihar Bhakti Niwas which was no less than a luxurious resort minus the television. Excellent food is available at subsidized rates at their cafeterias.

The following day early in the morning we first go visiting the Shri Sant Gajanan Maharaj temple.

Excellent discipline is maintained at the temple by the sevaks and the place is continuously kept clean. We then go visiting Anand Sagar, a tourist attraction  spread over 350 acres of land. It is maintained by the Gajanan Maharaj Sansthan. It surrounds a big artificial lake. It has a meditation centre, an aquarium, temples, play grounds, lush green lawns and open theatre where fountain-show is conducted for entertainment.

We proceed back to Mumbai via Dhule at around 11:00 am which is around 560 kms. We reach home at around 10:00 pm exhausted & happy.

References:

http://www.indorecity.net        

http://www.mptourism.com    

http://www.indore360.com

Amarnath finally….

Come May and Prasad (my hubby) would say “Me & friends are going to Amarnath this year”. This has been happening for the past 3-4 years but some or the other hurdle would crop up and the trip would get cancelled. In 2011 Prasad had a medical procedure, which again did away with the plans for Amarnath then and for the immediate future. After eight months our doc gives him the green signal for treks as long as they are safe. May 2012 arrives and I hear him say “Me & Milind (his friend) are going to Amarnath this year”.  As the date for registration comes near he asks me if I am interested in joining them and I say “I am not sure”. I was not too keen on the Amarnath yatra right from beginning. I was not sure if I would be able to undertake the arduous journey. Anupama (Milind’s wife) calls me up one evening asking me “Why am I not joining them?” and I still say “I am not sure”. I sleep over the thought that night and finally the next day I tell Prasad to register my name also for the Amarnath yatra. We finalise the date of Amarnath journey… 17-July-2012 (Tuesday) via the Baltal route (14 Kms to Holy cave). Trying to avoid Monday since it would be too crowded. This is the first time we are leaving Parth (our son) alone at home for a longer duration and he is in seventh heaven.

I search extensively on the web for all possible information on Amarnath, the route, the weather, the things to carry and so on including a dry run also by climbing the Raigad. We speak with friends who have been to Amarnath. The preparations begin warm clothes, shoes, rainy wear, food & dry fruits, medicines and also extended morning walks. We are planning to fly to Kashmir on 15^thJuly. The D-day arrives.

The flight is full of Amarnath yatris. There are yatris who are travelling for the first time as well yatris who travel every year.  We are positively encouraged by hearing their journey tales. As we approach Srinagar everyone is shouting in unison “Har Har Mahadeo”. You will feel the rush and the synergy in the air. We meet Milind & Anupama at the Srinagar airport. They have arrived from an earlier flight.  We drive straight to Sonmarg and check into a hotel. The hotels are full of Amarnath yatris. We change our plans and decide to leave for Baltal early morning the next day itself. There is slight snow and chill at Sonmarg. We realize that our Nike’s & Adidas‘s footwear are not suitable for our trek to Amarnath. There are shops lined up in Sonmarg selling water proof shoes, jackets, warm clothes etc. All four of us end up buying shoes for the trip. We get to know that it has rained at Baltal the earlier day…. keeping our fingers crossed for a good weather. We plan to depart early morning next day at 3:00 am.

We are up and ready to leave the next day in the early morning at 2:30 am. All of us are wearing thermals, woolens & rainy wear. Hire a taxi to take us to the base camp Baltal. We reached Baltal at around 4:00 am. The place is swarming with pilgrims, tents, ponies, dandies, coolies & langars. Gosh!! it was amazing. We hire 2 coolies to carry our luggage and also purchase walking sticks (compulsory if you plan to go on foot). All the langars are offering variety of breakfast choices. We have our fill of the breakfast and start our journey to the Holy caves.

The ground was all slushy & muddy due to earlier rains. The entire route is pebbled, narrow and steep. The route has not only pilgrims travelling to the Holy cave but also pilgrims returning back. Pilgrims comprise of people on foot, ponies, dandies & coolies. The mountains & the valleys are breathtaking.

 We walk , rest, walk & walk. Snack on dry fruits, sniff camphor to keep our breathing regular at high altitudes. The weather was a boon to us….absolutely no rains….no snow…just chill in the air.

Baltal   2kms    Domail   5 kms   Barari Marg   4kms    Sangam  3kms  Holy Cave

The Baltal route leads to Domail which is about 2 Kms. We are still full of energy & enthusiasm. We have some snacks over here and proceed to Barari Marg. The pebbled path is inclined throughout. Our resting time intervals increase. We are resting more & more. We reach Barari Marg at around 3:00 pm. We have some snacks and proceed further.

Our legs have become heavy, the day is closing in and we have still 7 kms to go. Ultimately we decide to hire ponies in spite of me & Anupama being uncomfortable with the horses. Our coolies have gone way ahead…for them it is like a morning walk. We reach Sangam in another hour or so. The Sangam is the confluence point of Baltal & Pahalgam. Our coolies are waiting for us with our luggage. We deposit our luggage at one of the shops located at Sangam. The entire place is covered with snow. You will find beds in tents made of snow with insulation sheets put on top.

We again hire ponies to take us to the base of the holy shrine. There are steps which lead to the holy caves. The entire air is spiritual with pilgrims singing hymns and praising Bholenath.

We ultimately reach the final step and have darshan of the Shivlinga. A sight to behold. We take darshan and proceed our journey back to Baltal. It is already 5:30 pm. We hire the same ponies to take us back to the base camp. The descend starts....tired but with a sense of fulfillment with the darshan.

We reach base camp by 11:30 pm and then drive back to our hotel at Sonmarg. A wonderful experience carried in our hearts.

The next 2 days we relax in the houseboat at Nageen lake, Srinagar. Of course indulge ourselves in shopping and little bit of sightseeing and then back to Mumbai.