On Padwa we
visited this exquisitely carved and designed temple in the outskirts of Pune in
Narhe, Ambegaon Khurd. At first sight itself, the temple mesmerizes us with its
tranquil ambience, lush green surroundings, verdant hills all around and cool breeze.
We gave our footwear in bags to the volunteers who gave us tokens. When I
inquired for a wheelchair for my Dad who can't walk a lot, I was directed to a
place where I couldn't find any! We spotted an aged lady sitting on a
wheelchair and wondered if it belonged to the temple and whether only one was
available. Hence my father had to make do with sitting patiently on a stone
bench while the rest of us enjoyed the 'darshan'.
The 'Chhappan bhog', a
sumptuous and mind-boggling array of delicacies had been offered to all the
deities, saints and other revered figures in the temple.
There were two levels,
with magnificent halls displaying pristine marble statues of deities and
religious luminaries where intricately carved pillars, a huge vaulted dome with
a dazzling chandelier, cool marble flooring; well-decorated with ethnic
wall-hangings, draping and the like; floored us all with their breathtaking
detail.
The offerings ranged from traditional sweets to confectionery, desserts
like cakes, milkshakes, ice-cream and fruits. A lady informed us that it takes
a week to arrange all the offerings. Thus the absolute devotion of those who
selflessly manage such a mammoth display deserves respect and kudos.
A
volunteer urged the visitors to stop clicking snaps and have a darshan of the
deities, etc. Some bar-codes were displayed outside the temple which could be
scanned by the visitors for high-resolution snaps.
We walked down the 20 steps
to the spacious surroundings, clicked umpteen snaps and returned with the prasad
and a snap of the temple provided by the volunteer, to our Dad, who had busied
himself with playing with a baby of a visiting family there.
We bought some
snacks from make-shift stalls managed by ladies, took our footwear and made a
beeline to the canteen for our lunch. We missed having 'bhog' at the Annakoot
due to an oversight. There was free lunch just for that day!
The canteen has a
good variety of snacks, but sadly doesn't have a 'thali'. The pot ice-cream
sold in plastic containers was yummy.
The temple has a toilet facility but it
could be better maintained. There is ample parking space available. I observed
that there are no garbage bins on the premises of the vast temple. Some
visitors were surreptitiously and carelessly throwing the plastic wrapping in
which the prasad had been given, into the neatly pruned bushes.
Some more
comfortable seating could be provided for the visitors. Even the canteen should
provide more covered seating. Since it was a self-service facility, the tables
were littered with food dropped by the earlier visitors. There was no one
around to wipe the tables clean.
But overall the pleasing architecture and
tranquility of the temple and its surroundings made our day blessed! We will
surely return some time again to watch it in the evening when it is beautifully
illuminated by LED lights.
The copyright of this review is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.
P.S. An abridged version of this review has been published at www.tripadvisor.in.
