Older Than History: Varanasi

'Varanasi' - if someone said that word a week back – all that came to my mind was... an underdeveloped town of India, narrow lanes buzzing with crowd, river Ganga that's getting hurt by all the population explosion. Had someone asked for more detail – as why would it be so important a city… I would end up giving an answer along the lines that "in ancient times, this might be the best place for mankind to access river Ganga and thus, it became an important seat of civilization and blah blah…"

That was a week back… today...I stand in awe of this city

...to know a place where one feels as though time has stood still…. 

(despite the muck, the dirt, the crowd…which all remains) one can't ignore the fact that how this teenie weenie city can impact one's senses.

I landed here due to my friend's persistence. “Do you know it will be mega crowded?” “Do you know it's not so clean.” After I realized that my friend really wishes to explore the place…I just packed my bags and went along. Here is where the irony hits... first view of the city and I am floored. 

Call it my imagination… but even the air reeked of history! When they say Varanasi is older than history, I knew what it meant. It was like coming home to a place where time has stood still…not because it had to, but because it chose to...because that’s the way it should be. With every breath and every step in that city, I knew I was breathing in history. I could not believe that such a place exists and that in all these years, this timeless jewel that is just 1.5 hours away for me…I had never even thought of exploring!

So to all of you out there…who still haven’t been to this place – maybe these lines by Mark Twain might inspire you "Benaras is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together!"

What's in a name? Kashi, Banaras, Varanasi... This confusion was cleared by simple yet quite learned boatman whom we met in Varanasi. Kashi is the old name for the city, in today's time - Varanasi is how Hindus call the city while Muslim population prefers to call it Banaras. 

A city as old and as fascinating as this - has various studies on its history that date back to 3000 BC and more. Kashi is believed to be built by Lord Shiva. River Ganges which flows from tresses of lord Shiva finds its full mighty form here and has the power to wash away anyone's sins who bathes in it. Not only that, anyone who breathes his last in this holy city is considered to be free of life-death cycle, and becomes a part of Lord Shiva.  

Some tips on traveling to this land - from a person who knew nothing about it, but explored it on foot nonstop for two days.

- Stay near the Ghats: When we started to book, all the 4 & 5-star hotels were sold out! At one point I thought my friend and I might have to put up in those neat B&B dormitory set up which are plenty in Varanasi. It has to be luck - last moment found this heritage Haveli run by ITC on the Ghats. None of the places near the Ghat have a bar license, and almost all have "not so great" kitchen. However, all this pales when one has a good location. Else, any hotel away from the Ghats is similar to just another hotel, another city anywhere. Staying at the Ghats makes you stroll through the Ghats whenever you wish to - the reason why one is there!

- Evening Aarti: It's an orchestrated slow dance, with all the color, show, music, pause, and movement. We watched it while sitting in the boat. It's an experience like none other. A must do. The best aarti is of Dashashwamedh Ghat and Rajendra Prasad Ghat - which are adjacent to each other. Both the Ghats' aarti is more or less similar to one another. 

What is important is to soak in, blend in with the chants, the sweet sound of bells, the lights of diyas and the atmosphere which can only be disturbed - thanks to mosquitoes... rub an insect repellent generously on your arms and legs.

- Walk, Walk, Walk: Walking in the streets of Banaras on the weekend of RangBhari Ekadashi might seem brave (the day when Lord Shiva & Goddess Parvati consummate their marriage - locals celebrate this quite elaborately by prayers and celebrations throughout the city; also marks for them to start playing Holi, festival of colors). What seemed bravery was pure ignorance on our part and we soon learned the tradition after getting hit few times by colored balloons. Thanks to Holi, we also saw once a year event of music, dance being performed along with Holi colors on Manikarnika Ghat - the main cremation ghat. 

The colored balloons did not deter us from walking through the bylanes of Kashi Vishwanath Temple, and the maze of streets beside the ghats. Only then one comes across the various shops that are unique like we found the most amazing adult coloring books tucked in one of the shops there. While there was another shop that had the most wonderful spray batik paintings. On one of the ghats - there was this 'right out of the movie set' bylane that had grass, leaves, and marigold flowers as the roof, and the sadhus sleeping in line under it... straight out of a photographer's book!  There are so many lanes, who knows what you might find in one... so walk to see where it takes you. 

- Try Street Food: After every shop, there is a tiny paan shop.. try banarasi paan - which is light, and easy on the palette. Apart from that - tiny samosas, kachoris with aloo chana, gol gappas, and the tea ... have a distinctive flavor which is quite nice. 

- Shop Sarees / Silk: Beautiful artistry - almost anywhere, everywhere you turn your neck. The map for Varanasi lanes for me is a paan shop, then a sari shop, then a temple, and repeat. There are quite a few shops, but this wholesale dealer Abdul Matin at Pilikothi - walking distance from Ghats has quite a collection and claimed to supply most of the material for Bajirao Mastani movie! You can bargain here, but only a bit. Rest in any other shop anywhere in Varanasi, do not hesitate to slash it by 50% or more... you would be surprised on how quickly they might agree. 

- Click: It's a photographer's paradise. No matter from where you click, how you click, you are sure to capture some amazing shots. Shades of Ganges at different time of the day, of people around the ghats, of the aarti, of diyas, of lanes, of sadhus meditating... click away as much as you want and you won't regret. I clicked very few pics, as I thought isn't it captured enough... but having one's own album is something different. 

The writer Tahir Shah says in his book - Sorcerer's Apprentice “Enlightenment, and the death which comes before it, is the primary business of Varanasi.” 

I really do not know about enlightenment, about nirvana, about moksha, about salvation from sins - all this and more that this city is associated with. 

But I do know about enchantment - it left me enchanted and with a desire to know more about it. 

Lap of Nature: Neemrana "The Ramgarh Bungalows"

Finding a nice getaway near Delhi - that you can manage by taking only one day's leave is more difficult than it sounds. I was restless to get away after the hectic quarter of JFM, and with even more work associated with new financial year staring at me was making my senses dim. Zeroed in to Neemrana - Ramgarh Bungalows for a quick getaway from the noise, hustle bustle of city & work life. And needless to say - couldn't have chosen a better place!

Getting to Ramgarh: There are many options to get here, it is quite close to Delhi considering other options such as Shimla, Manali, Dharamshala. The nearest train station is Kathgodam - which has good connectivity through trains. There is a morning Shatabadi too from Delhi to this place. My friend and I took Ranikhet express which is overnight journey, and the train was spot on time. One can even take a flight till Pantnagar and from there it takes 3 hrs to reach Neemrana. We were picked by Neemrana staff and it took us 1.5 hours to reach our weekend home.

Lap of Nature: From the moment we sat in the car for our journey to Neemrana... we were in the lap of nature. On the way, crossed Bhimtal too!

Bhimtal at start of Sunrise

Sunrays streaming through trees on way to Ramgarh

We were taken aback by seeing our cottage that was right out of the English countryside novel!

Call it fate, but by the time we were trying to book, almost all the rooms that sounded good on the website (good combo of view and rate) were sold out - leaving us with the more expensive option of taking Ashok Vatika Blue Room. Turns out, that's the best place to stay in the property. If you headed to this place, book nothing other than this, that is if you want to experience the serenity. It's worth the price.


Ramgarh is also known as the "fruit bowl of Kumaon". The garden itself had a flowering Pear tree - as can be seen in the pic with the table.
Around the cottage, there were plum trees, quite a few apricot tress and a grand lush walnut tree.

My mornings and noon were spent under that walnut tree - sleeping - staring into the sky.

From Ashok Vatika to Neemrana reception (thats where all the staff is located, and also the jam factory) is just 500 metres but quite an uphill -on way back to your room.

On the first day, we went for a hike to the base of Ramgarh.
Ramgarh is sparsely populated as compared to its neighbouring towns such as Naintal, Bhimtal. It has two portions: Talla (bottom Ramgarh) - where the river flows, and Malla (top Ramgarh) where all the guesthouses, including Neemrana are situated.

The hike from the road less travelled that is, the kuccha road is approx 4 km only but steep. While coming back, its a good work out! Taking the side road has perks such as stunning views, and the whole adventurous feel to the activity.
While taking the car roadway - its about 10 km... that has a gradual slope and is less tiring, though more time consuming. (and regular hike)

At Talla, there isn't much to do. There is a gushing river, with few shops around where one can sit and have maggi and tea.

The place is quite laid back, away from commercialism, and an example of perfect rustic simple setting. It seems like an ideal place for writers... no wonder so many cottages around are named as "Writers Paradise", "Writers Bungalow", "Whispering Woods" .. all emphasizing the nature in its natural untamed form.

One hour from Ramgarh is Mukteshwar, that almost all the tourists to this place do visit. However, we gave the place a miss, as we were quite content to be in midst of the mountains and beauty of Ramgarh itself. Nainital too is just one hour away and makes for an interesting day trip.

Ramgarh in the start of April - was a land of flowers. Rather than the fruit bowl - I was surprised to see the flowers all across the place. There were daisies growing wildly on the roadsides, and the grass too was full of flowers and ladybirds. It was a pure treat to the eyes. Never before in India - have I seen Irises... and to see rows of them in the cottages around.. and then on my breakfast table! I kept on smelling the sweet Irises as much as I could..


 

The locals kept telling us about how beautiful it is in May and June - when the trees are laden with the fruits. While as I am more of a flowers person...think this was the best season for me to go!

The weather while we were there ranged between 18 degrees to 12 degrees. So a light sweater is recommended. The cottages have no fans in them - even in summers the temperature never exceeds 28 degrees, making it quite a perfect hill station.

Our days were full of leisure and with phone connectivity a bit low - couldn't have asked for more :P




The Blue Room has a baby room with a single bed in the adjoining room. That room is the place to be... by opening the windows - one feels as though one is lounging in the garden itself. Also, that's the place what one calls with a real sunrise view. The sunrise happens right in front and one can watch it while lying in one's bed... now that is a truly stunning view.

Sunrise

Sunset

The sunset is even more amazing ... something that the painters can truly paint. Even for the birdwatchers, the place can be paradise. 

While coming back, we even got to see the rains - that can be quite heavy in the mountains. There was a hailstorm that was next to sleet in its nature.  

Find your blue sky, ray of sunshine, patch of shade under a beautiful walnut tree at Ramgarh...

Weekend Getaway: Jaisalmer!

Who would ever think that Jaisalmer could be a weekend getaway from Delhi! this bizarre idea wasn't mine but of my friend... We had 3 days to go anywhere (Sat, Sun, Mon) and she came up with this idea as she had been to Jaisalmer before.
In my head Jaisalmer was the other end of Rajasthan....very far! which takes ages to reach...
A suggestion that was just perfect... as despite my umpteen visits to Dubai - I haven't had the pleasure of walking through sand dunes.

So off we went in April end - we realized taking a train from Old Delhi Station is the best way to reach Jaisalmer. The flight to the nearest airport is followed by at least 4 to 5 hr drive - which takes the same amount of time spent in reaching the destination.

We left on Friday noon (half day from office!). The train doesn't have any pantry - so please pack up food. Comesum people come and sell food thalis before the train starts - but better to carry home food if possible.
Old Delhi Station also boasts of a McDonald right inside the station. Apart from pantry, its a comfortable train and usually follows the time table - which can be a rarity in India. More or less 90% on time - so no worries there.

On the way, my friend told me that Jaisalmer is also known as "Golden City" as all the houses there have a yellow-golden tinge to them. We also discovered that the whole city is now a World Heritage Site.

On the way, early morning the train stops at Pokhran. Pokhran famous for its nuclear tests - was a name which we were simply excited on seeing. The train stops here for a while and one can get tea and snacks here.

We reached the place Saturday morning and people from Suryagarh Hotel were there to pick us. If you thinking Jaisalmer - think of no other hotel. Its a delightful hotel - that's just 20 minute drive from the station.
http://www.suryagarh.com/

It was a delight to arrive at the hotel - built in shape of a fort, very pretty, fabulous architecture and tastefully done rooms. With just 2 nights there - I would have been happy to just lounge around the pretty hotel.

After few hours of resting and post lunch, we headed to the "Sam Dunes". The locals call Sam as Sum as in Hindi. Sam Desert is a part of Thar Desert and is the area where we see the dunes.

We did not book the Desert Safari with the hotel or any other company. We wanted to go there and explore the place ourselves. In hindsight it was a very good decision as a typical safari is marked by - camel ride, ethnic dinner and dance show with time constraints. We decided to explore the desert ourselves at leisure.

The hotel cab dropped us from where the safaris start. The place had a lot of camels and camel carts.
They charged us only 100 each for one camel and one camel cart till the sunset point. Before we could be happy we realized we have been made a fool - as sunset stop is just fifty steps away!!!
Well - once there we made a deal with the cart guy - that he shows us around the desert, all the points that make a safari at only 700 INR odd. We used the cart as the dumping site for our bags and ran after the cart exploring the sand dunes on foot. It was a pleasure and a good workout climbing the dunes and hopping from on to another.

Sunset over the dunes is majestic

If you see any artists roaming around volunteering to play for you while you sit in desert. Please stop them to play for you, esp if you see some one carrying double flutes. Its an art that is dying. The double flute or as its called "Algoja", "Alghoza" has a strong loud sound and is a sheer delight to listen to! After a little search I found that this instrument was also quite prevalent in Punjab, though this is the first time I came across it. and its loud sound was perfect for desert setting.

A clip sharing our experience on desert:

The artist playing for us told us that only a handful of people are left who can play this instrument as it takes 10 to 11 years of practice to master it and one has to start early in age. I do not know how correct or false this info is - but in case you like the sound and want to hear it more.. check Rajasthani Algoza

The next day started early with exploring the hotel. They have pet peacocks and birds which they leave in their gardens in morn. It was fun to view them with my friends daughter.

After breakfast, we started the day early to avoid the day heat - as the mercury was soaring up to 43 to 45 degrees during noon in end April there.
We started with the lake - which till a few years back the sole source of water for whole city. Its a quick visit - however, outside the lake we found another fantastic artist.

Sorry for the inverted image in Video:

He played it so well! I even bought a CD from him of his own work recorded in a studio. Wow, an artist selling his own work outside a lake... what talent we have in India. Again he had the same sad story - very few people left with this art. The instrument used is Ravanhatta, a very ancient musical instrument - considered to be used by the great Ravana to please Lord Shiva.

Thereafter we went to see Jaisalmer Fort - don't take any autos, just walk till the fort from the parking, its a very small place. The main temple inside is quite pretty. Apart from the fort, we saw Patwon Ki Haveli - a quick round there was good, after this we headed to Lodurva, the old capital. It has a beautiful Jain temple which I found quite exotic.

It's a new construction, as in has been recently rebuilt using bright yellow sandstone.

We were able to finish our trip through the city by noon, and in the evening we enjoyed a wonderful cultural evening organised by the hotel people. I wish I had the pics and the video of it to share with you all. It was a classical program and which the hotel does almost every evening. However, this became extra special as guests from Palace on Wheels were being hosted by the hotel. So, a lot of dance and fun marked the evening.

The next day it was time to bid adieu to the lovely place and head back to Delhi. One trip I remember as truly short & sweet.  

WeekEND