Ashta Vinayak Yatra - A Pilgrimage Beyond Compare!

Ashta Vinayak Glory

 
We recently undertook a pilgrimage to Ashta Vinayak. It was a 2-day, one night journey. Braving the wintry chill, we set off at 7 a.m. by bus. The first stop was at Morgaon, for darshan of the Lord Mayureshwar, as Lord Ganpati is known here. The idol has the Naga Raja’s hood on its head. It is believed that Lord Brahma had constructed this temple. Legend says that Lord Ganesh, as Mayureshwar (Moresh) or the peacock-rider, vanquished the asura Sindhu, after entreaties by all the Gods. The temple’s Mughal architecture is distinct. A Nandi sitting in front of the temple’s entrance is unique, as this is found only in front of Lord Shiva’s temples.
We had a plate of hot vegetable pohe and tea for breakfast and then set off for Siddhivinayak darshan at Siddhatek, near Daund. God Vishnu supposedly vanquished the asuras Madhu and Kaitabh after propitiating Ganesha here. This Ganapati has his trunk pointing towards the right, hence is known as Siddhivinayak. Devotees can complete the 5 kms. Pradakshina, only by circumambulating the hill.

When we had earlier visited this temple, we had crossed the swollen Bhima river in a row-boat. But now a bridge over the river has made it possible for the bus to directly reach near the temple and cut down the journey time.

Our co-passengers broke juicy, sour tamarinds from the trees and distributed them. After a delicious buffet lunch at a restaurant there, we proceeded further to Theur.
The Chintamani Ganapati of Theur is believed to relieve all the devotees from their worries. The wooden temple has a small stone fountain inside it. A huge paved courtyard, an enormous bell and a Shiva temple, are the other attractions here. It is believed that the Lord retrieved the precious Chintamani jewel from Guna, for Sage Kapila, here. In return, the Sage garlanded him with the jewel and named him as Chintamani Vinayak.

The last Ganapati darshan for that day was of the huge Ranjangaon Ganapati known as Maha Ganapati. This Ganapati had aided Lord Shiva in fighting the demon Tripurasura. This idol is believed to have 10 hands and 20 trunks. The sun’s rays fall directly on the idol, at a particular time of the day.

The awesome entrance arch of the Ranjangaon Temple

Security being strict, none of the pilgrims was allowed to carry anything inside the temple. Hence we visited the temple by turns.

Then we went to Lenyadri, watching the movie “Oh My God” enroute; again had a sumptuous buffet dinner and spent the night at the Lenyadri Ganapati Devasthan Trust’s lodgings. The room was very neat, with clean bed-sheets, pillows and blankets. The attached toilet - cum- bathroom was also spic and span.

Next morning at 5.30 a.m., we had tea and started climbing the steep 283 steps to the Lenyadri, the 3rd century, Buddhist-cave shrine of Girijatmaja Ganapati. The idol is carved on the stone wall of the cave and faces eastward, with its trunk turned to the left, with Lord Shiva and Hanuman on either side. Legend has it that Goddess Parvati created her son Ganapati by bringing a mud idol to life there. Lord Ganapati had supposedly spent his childhood days there.
                                                                                              

The steep climb to the cave-shrine at Lenyadri

We saw the glorious sunrise with a panoramic view of the surroundings from the temple’s precincts. We participated in the 7 a.m. aarti, clicked photos of the 6 stone pillars, with carvings of cows, elephants, etc. and started descending.

A huge horde of monkeys was making its presence felt there. One huge monkey leapt at me and vigorously tugged my carry-bag, denting it. As my husband shooed it off, it retreated reluctantly. A baby monkey clambered on to a man’s back and sat cutely on his head. That man didn’t seem to mind it! We warily descended the hill.
We had a breakfast of piping hot upma and tea at the same restaurant where we had had dinner, shopped for collectibles and resumed our pilgrimage to Ozhar.

The Vighnaharta/Vigneshwara Ganapati of Ozhar relieves one of all the obstacles in one’s life. Lord Ganesha killed a demon named Vighnasur, hence the name. The idol has gems for its eyes, on its forehead and in its navel. Brass statues of His divine consorts Riddhi and Siddhi flank the idol. The temple, with its gold dome, twin deepastambhs (stone pillars for holding oil lamps) and two life-sized, stone-carved, dwarapalas (guards); is awesome.

Behind the temple, was a huge lake. It appeared misty and tranquil. As there wasn’t any time for boating, we started for Mahad.

Mahad, is very far, about 200 kms. from Ozhar. It was a 4- hour journey to this place in Raigad district. En route, we saw fresh sugarcane crop being harvested and ferried for crushing by trucks, tractors and bullock-carts. The cleaner of our bus adeptly pulled some sugar-cane from the passing vehicles and gave them to some passengers (who had strong teeth!).

The magnificent entrance to the Ozar temple

We passed by horticulture farms. The farmers were busy in their fields as we feasted our eyes on the lush greenery all around. Nature was kind to this part of the state, it seemed, as abundant water was visible in the water-bodies there.

The serene lake behind the Ozar temple

The elongated idol of Varada Vinayak at Mahad is benign and this is the only Ganapati in this yatra that can be touched by the pilgrims. We can personally offer garlands and flowers here. This idol is swayambhu and had emerged from a pond behind the temple.

Then it was time for the last of the Ashta Vinayaks, the Ballaleshwar temple at Pali. This is the only Ashta Vinayak Ganapati named after an ardent devotee of the Lord. The idol in this temple is attired in traditional clothes, as he appeared to Ballal, in the form of a Brahmin. The prasad offered here is besan laddu, instead of the customary modak. The Dhundivinayak Ganapati must be visited before the Ballaleshwar Ganapati, as per tradition.

A refreshing glass of kokam sarbat was served to us instead of tea.Then we returned to Pune at 7.30 p.m.

We had already vowed to return for the pilgrimage at the earliest; as the pilgrimage had satiated our souls.

The copyright of this travelogue and photographs is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan. 

This travelogue has been published in the Sakal Times' Spice edition dated 28th June, 2015.

Happy Pongal and Sankranti

Dear readers,
                         Wish you all a Happy Pongal and Sankranti. May you all be blessed with abundant peace, prosperity, happiness and contentment.
                         
                                                                    Priya

Bewitching Udaipur

Stairway to Divine Bliss?

Majestic Abode of Lord Jagdish

     Our wander-lust takes us to several exotic places.  One such place was Udaipur, renowned as the Lake City and the City of Palaces. It was founded by Maharana Udai Singh in 1559 and is known as the ‘Venice of the East.’ Indeed, it abounds in the beauty of vast, natural lakes like Pichola, Fateh Sagar, Udai Sagar and Swaroop Sagar; and historical marvels.

      

    Firstly, we paid a visit to the Jagdish temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It was constructed by Maharana Jagat Singh 1^st in 1651 A.D. It’s a marvelous marble edifice with meticulous carvings on its exteriors and interiors. The temple can be accessed through a flight of around 25 steps and has huge marble elephants standing guard outside.  Smaller temples dedicated to Lords Shiva and Ganesh stand in the marble-tiled courtyard of the temple.  We participated in the morning aarti. 

    

Lost childhood!

    Interestingly, each male devotee can offer seva to the deity by fanning the idol with a bushy fan with a silver handle.  My husband also participated enthusiastically and reverently. 

      

   

   We were shocked to see a small girl, her face painted chalk-white, with a long side-plait and traditional attire, sitting motionless on the first step of the temple.  She sat there throughout the day like a statue and watched with forlorn, starving eyes, as sympathetic devotees dropped a coin into the plate in front of her.  She exemplified a childhood lost in the commerce of life. 
    A variety of puppets, to be used as wall decorations, and other artifacts were on display in the shops near the temple.

      Then we walked to the City Palace, better known as the Lake Palace, as it’s built beside a lake, built by Maharana Uday Singh, in 1559.  The sheer dimensions of that palace’s complex were breath-taking.  A sloping wide road leads to the main structure.  A vast parking lot with landscaped lawns draws attention, before we enter the rather narrow entrance to the palace.  The royal insignia of the erstwhile rulers of Udaipur is mounted over the entrance.  It shows a flaming sun, as the rulers claimed to be descendants of the Sun Gods. Since ‘Uday’ means rise, this emblem of sunrise was apt, I thought.

Regal Splendor - City Palace

The Entrance to a Slice of History!

 Several priceless antique weapons, ammunition, paintings, furniture, textiles etc. were displayed on the various floors of the palace.  The colorful inlay work, stained glass and carved arches were splendid.  The whole city could be seen, panoramically spread out, for miles around, from the topmost portions of the fort.  The landscaped garden jutting into the lake could be seen through the huge windows. 

      

Priceless Heritage!

Aesthetic Backdrop!

      We spotted a century-old, huge, hand-painted Lord Ganesh’s painting on the wall, as we exited the fort.  It had been recently restored to its former glory.  We clicked snaps in front of the compound walls painted with life-sized Rajasthani paintings of warriors on elephants and dolis. 

    Then we had lunch at a nearby restaurant and walked through narrow alleys lined with curio shops, to reach the Pichola lake where tourists had lined up for boating. A launch will take you to the Jagmandir Island Palace which has been converted into a 5-star hotel. The lake’s waters glistened in the afternoon sun.  Beside it was the City Palace Museum. Too tired to explore it, we skipped it and walked back to our guest house.  En route, I bought a unique post-card painted with a standing Lord Ganesh, in bright colors and gold ornamentation.

       

    I quizzed the proprietor of the store, a talented and dynamic lady who painted these exquisite paintings of various deities, on papers of various sizes and sold them to the eager foreign tourists.  She informed me that the ones painted on original, old, used post-cards sold like hot-cakes for their novelty.  She took around 2 to 10 hours, or even several days, to paint her art pieces depending on their size.  The paints were special dyes.  We appreciated her painstaking work and went our way. 

The Sculptor of the Divine Lord Ganesh

      We also chatted up a middle-aged Gujarati sculptor who was chiseling exquisite, smooth figurines of Lord Ganesh.  He sourced the expensive stones from quarry owners and made impeccable figures of the Lord in various postures.  I bought 2 small ones, one in black and the other in brown, for my collection. 

         

       The next day, we went by rickshaw to Fateh sagar lake, Maharana Pratap Smarak and a spacious museum devoted to paintings of Udaipur’s erstwhile rulers.  

      

The Serene Waters of the vast Fateh Sagar Lake

      The vast lake ringed by mountains, has an island containing a garden and Asia’s only Solar Observatory, the Udaipur Solar Observatory; which can be reached by a launch-boat. Recently, on 4th August, 2015, a Multi Application Solar Telescope (MAST), became operational there.The Smarak is located on a hillock which can be reached by battery-operated vehicles. We of course, trekked uphill, savoring the panoramic view and were awe-struck by the huge bronze statue of Maharana Pratap, astride his favorite, loyal horse, Chetak. This memorial commemorates the Battle of Haldighati.     

    

    In the late afternoon, we visited Saheliyon-ki-Badi, a small enchanting ‘cooling resort’ for the ladies of the royal entourage of the Princess of Udaipur; in the hot summers. Its USP is the central tank, a lotus pool, fed with water by a perennial underground water-source; that has marble pavilions and elephant-shaped fountains all around it. Even as one enters the central compound, it takes just a clap of one’s hands, to get the fountains sprinkling thin jets of water on the unsuspecting, delighted tourists.

      

  

Saheliyon ki Badi - The Unique Summer Resort!

    A small Science Museum nearby has rock specimens, scientific instruments, etc.

     

   Later, we visited the Bharatiya Lok Kala Mandal which houses a museum of puppets and folk arts. We enjoyed a puppet show there. The dancing puppets mesmerized the small audience, with various back-drops and scenarios. A puppet which resembled a female on one side and a male on the other; was expertly handled by the puppeteer who made it dance wildly, round and round. After the riveting show, the puppeteer popped out of the stage, literally dropping from above, with a single puppet and bowed to the audience. He demonstrated the real technique of maneuvering it and amazed us with his dexterity. Every one of us gave him a small token amount, in appreciation; and clicked snaps alongside him and his puppet.

    

You better behave, as I'm your Master!

     The next day, we went for a whirlwind sight-seeing trip. We saw the famed Haldighati, with its turmeric-yellow soil, the Maharana Pratap Museum with tableaus on the life and times of this Marwar ruler, (we bought rose attar, manufactured there in a quaint contraption), the Chetak Samadhi, dedicated to his loyal horse who sacrificed his life for him in the Battle of Haldighati, after saving his life; Nathadwara’s Lord Krishna’s temple, where the deity is adorned and worshipped throughout the day, at regular intervals as per the various stages of his life, like childhood, teenage, adulthood, etc. and the Eklingji Lord Shiva’s temple.

      

  

 Sukhadiya Circle Garden's Majestic Fountain

    The following day, we visited the garden at Sukhadiya Circle, which has a huge fountain, well-manicured lawns and huge trees. Paddle-boats are a highlight here.

   

   Though we longed to extend our stay in Udaipur, we had to fondly bid adieu to this bewitching city.

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The copyrights of this travelogue and photographs are with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan. 

This travelogue has been published in the Plus Eight Edition of Sakaal Times, dated 30th August, 2015.

The Journey Beyond

As my soul soars, higher and higher

I look down below, amused,

At all the mourners crying, wailing

Some genuine, some fake

Crying for pretense’s sake!

          My journey into the realm yonder

          Has only just begun!

          I think of my life, its ups and downs

          My near and dear ones

          My friends, my comrades;

          Still strapping bombs to their bodies

          Fired by, what I now rue,

          False, misled ideology

Tomorrow, their limbs will probably lie askew,

Ripped apart by fanaticism;

As mine lay, just hours ago!

          Was it worth it?  I ask myself,

          Being a pawn of zealots

          Who have nothing to lose, but a bomb?

Mine will not be a revered tomb

But only an unpleasant reminder

Of inhuman deeds, avoidable tragedies

Of a life wasted, chasing an illusion!

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The copyright of this poem is with Mrs. Priya  Ramesh Swaminathan.

Wish you all a Very Happy and Prosperous New Year!

Dear friends,
                       
                     As this year draws to a close, my heart beats in anticipation of all the good things that are sure to occur in the coming new year. The wheel of life rotates and does so with a certain rhythm and continuity. What goes up, must come down and vice versa. 

                    All the causes that I am crusading for, will certainly bear fruit, this coming year. All of us, who have been denied our rightful dues, by our ex-employer LIC, will get their arrears payments and other Statutory retirement benefits, with interest. This is what my heart says, and it is almost always right! One may call me a die-hard optimist, but I am proud to be one.
                      
                     Priya's Vision Academy will explore newer areas of expansion and reach for the skies. 

                     I wish all my readers a Very Happy, Peaceful, Prosperous and Contented New Year.
       
                                                                                                Priya

Ashta Vinayak Darshan

       We have just returned from a great 2-day pilgrimage to Ashta Vinayak. It was a very smooth and enjoyable trip, with amiable co-passengers, excellent arrangements and salubrious weather.
        We had darshan of the Lord Ganesh, very peacefully, as we escaped the tourist clamour of this vacation's weekend.
        Raring to go back soon!
        God bless all of us!

Wish you all a Merry Christmas!

Jodhpur - Poetry in Stone

     We visited Jodhpur for a short stay of a couple of days.  It is a remarkably clean and elegant city, with broad roads flanked by lush green trees and red sand-stone buildings.

     On the first day, we set off in an auto-rickshaw for sight-seeing.  The weather was slightly misty, cold and damp, but the lack of cacophony and beautiful scenery set up the perfect atmosphere for the bewitching sights that followed.

The aesthetic Shivaling

     We saw a marble temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and Lord Ganesh.  There were also shrines dedicated to various other Gods and Goddesses nearby.  All the life-sized statues were beautifully carved in marble.  The Shivaling was aesthetically decorated with abundant red roses and other flowers and their fragrance was delightfully over-powering.

     Then we made our way to Umaid Bhawan Palace, the majestic and breath-taking palace of the erstwhile ruler Maharaja Umaid Singh.  It is built of buff-colored sand-stone, locally called ‘chittar’.  It was constructed between 1929 and 1944.  It has 347 rooms and was the world’s largest private residence in 1944.  It was partly converted into a hotel in 1972. 

Majestic Umaid Bhawan Palace

    It houses a private museum of antique clocks, furniture, arms, Chinese vases etc.  There are detailed paintings of the Ramayana, by a Polish artist on the walls.  It was the first palace to use electricity, air-conditioning and elevators!
     The USP of the palace is the vast, well manicured green lawn beyond which there is a section dedicated to about 10 immaculately maintained shiny, vintage vehicles, displayed in clear, glass enclosures.

Rich legacy - Umaid Bhawan Palace

     A small cafeteria with chairs on a lawn provided our tired legs relief.  We had piping hot tea as we chatted with 2 young doctors from AIIMS, Delhi and a couple of British tourists.

     The runway of the Jodhpur airport was pointed out to us by our guide cum auto-driver.  It appeared to be right in front of our eyes.  The guide explained that the original estate of Umaid Bhawan had been partly converted into a residential housing complex.  The palatial mansions there obviously belonged to the elite.

     As it started drizzling and became foggy, we made our way to the Mehrangarh Fort, a colossal edifice that is the pride of Jodhpur, built by the Suryavanshi Rao Jodha in 1459 on a 150- meter high hill.   The city grew around the Fort. One has to pass through 7 ‘Victory Gates’ to reach this architectural marvel.

     It surprisingly has a lift that has been thoughtfully installed, to ferry tourists up the five floors of the palace. It’s a one-way lift.  One has to climb down the steep stairs, which can be tiring for some. 

The colossal Mehrangarh Fort

Intricately carved, latticed windows

     It has intricately latticed windows, carved panels and porches of Moti Mahal, Phool Mahal, Sheesh Mahal and Sileh Khana which transport us to the magnificent bygone era of gracious and opulent living.   Each floor showcases the splendor through its beautiful display of artifacts, furniture, palanquins, royal costumes, weapons, musical instruments, paintings etc.  The cannons on the Fort’s ramparts are treats to the eye. We had great fun clicking snaps in this well-maintained fort.  

Pristine Jaswant Thada

     Next, we stopped by at Jaswant Thada, the final resting place of Maharaja Jaswant Singh, constructed in 1899 A.D.  This cluster of royal cenotaphs is intricately carved in pristine white marble, surrounded by beautifully landscaped lawns, trees; and has a placid lake flowing alongside. Some rare portraits of the former rulers of Jodhpur are displayed here.

     I realized that those were the days when the departed souls could afford to have such huge spaces dedicated to them after their demise!  The love and respect accorded to them was reflected in the elegant, artistically designed, aesthetic tombs.  No such luck for us lowly mortals!

     The security guard there was a tall and lean man who asked us amiably about our native place, etc.  He informed us that he did double duty, hence worked round the clock in 2 different postings.  We were amazed at his resilience and also felt sorry that he had to do so, to make both ends meet. 

     Then we returned to our guest-house after lunch at a restaurant that also served lip-smacking ice-cream.  The rain was lashing the auto, by then.  We spent the evening, cozily watching ‘Night in London’ on T.V.  The weather certainly seemed to mimic London’s damp and frosty weather, right then!

    

Breath-taking, Mandore Garden

The next day we visited Mandore, which was the former capital of the rulers of Marwar and saw the Mandore Garden which is roughly a 40-minute drive from Jodhpur. En route, we were dismayed to see rampant mining of the beautiful, precious yellow sandstone for construction.

       The garden’s landscaping is magnificent; with tall trees, shrubs, fountains, surrounded by the hills and rocky outcrops and terraces.

     There are lots of intricately carved, awe-inspiring chhatris (cenotaphs) of the erstwhile rulers of Marwar, made from red sandstone, resembling temples, which have been numbered and designated as heritage structures; in this garden. The magnificent chhatri of Maharaja Ajit Singh was built in 1793.

Sandstone Chhatri - An ode to the departed souls of yore!

    The summer palace of the Queens of Jodhpur, the Zanana Mahal and the Ekthamba Mahal occupy one corner of the garden.  It has well-laid out fountains (now non-functional).  A small Govt. museum nearby has an impressive collection of antique statues and artifacts of that era.

    Nearby is the 'Hall of Heroes' that commemorates popular folk heroes of the region and contains 16 figures chiseled out of a single rock. Adjacent to it is a larger hall called "The temple of 33 crore Gods" which has colorful images of various Hindu Gods. We saw a newly-married Rajasthani couple performing a havan and other rituals there, accompanied by traditional instrumental music.

The quaint Ekthamba Mahal

    Wandering through the neat paths in that garden which was surprisingly devoid of noisy tourists, we felt very peaceful and relaxed.  I say “wandering” as each stretch of pathway unraveled a new wonder there; a cenotaph or a monument. 

     As my camera clicked non-stop, I overheard a local guy murmuring to his companion, ‘’This girl is clicking each and every flower and leaf of this place!”  Little did he realize that we big city-dwellers were starved of such vast and tranquil green lungs and just wanted to capture all our memories vividly to relive those precious moments, at leisure.

Architectural Marvel - The Zanana Mahal

     We were delighted to meet a couple who had been with us during our Jaipur City’s sight-seeing trip.  They were also enthusiastically clicking snaps of that place.

     We washed off our tiredness, with some snacks and tea in a cafeteria within the garden’s premises.  It is located atop a hillock and provides a good view of the garden below. 

     We bought a small marble statue of Lord Ganesh from one of the shops nearby, boarded a local bus and returned to our guest-house. 

     In the small bus, the seats ran throughout the sides of the bus and people could stand and occupy the entire vacant space in-between.  A lady in typical Rajasthani attire with lots of silver jewelry captured my attention.  She even saw me admiring her attire and remarked ‘Kya dekh rahi ho?’ amusedly.  How I wish I could have clicked her snap!  I didn’t dare to photograph her as I realized that she could be conservative and wouldn’t like me to click her picture. 

      Well, some things need to be captured in one’s mind’s eye and I did just that!  Even now when I close my eyes and try to visualize her, I can vividly see and describe her, right down to the last detail.  Wonder why I was wasting my energy clicking so many snaps then!  To enable others to enjoy my experience, I guess!

     We visited a unit that manufactured beautiful lamps and glass items in the evening.  We also visited a huge store selling textiles, bags, bed-sheets etc.  I bought a double bed-sheet at a very reasonable price from there.

     For dinner we had the authentic Rajasthani Thali with churma bati, phulkas, etc.

     Thus ended our short stay in Jodhpur, but hubby and I will surely visit it again for its ambience and spell-binding beauty.  Till then, we will make do with our endearing photos and pleasant memories. 

The copyright of this travelogue and photographs is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.

This travelogue was published in the Spice Edition of Sakal Times dated 4th January, 2015.