Daman

Being on the border town one could easily see the transformation - bars mounting up in numbers as soon as one enters the Union Territory tugged in a corner of the state of Gujarat.

Townside waking up

The search for an economical and financially feasible lodging took nearly an hour. Early morning left for the famed beaches of Daman, which turned out to be a shocker Devka beach - dirty, black sands and a few dogs. But Luck seemed to favor us at the beach at the other end of the town. Not a single soul was there, just the four of us and a small shop nearby.

Lighter Moments!!!

T'was fun to play football on the beach, and a binge of beer to pass on. An intriguing sight to see was the tide. Within half an hour , the waters had crept all the way across half a kilometer stretch and it was clearly visible for us- the way the tide crept in. A camel lay on the barren sands , least bothered of the heat. The best moment of the journey was infact the camel ride me and DK had- this was atleast worth the money we spent!!!

The Graveyard....neatly laid

An auto ride back to the main town and this time went to the famed Portuguese Forts on the seaside. The small graveyard inside the fort seemed unusually attractive.

Back at the station, Vapi

One can see the Portuguese ruins, lamp post, the buildings, houses portraying the art and styles of a forgotten era. all around.

Lucknow :: Oudh - The Land of the Nawabs

Lucknow
20th March - 25th March

Have heard often that Holi is celebrated in the North of the country with a fervor which couldnt be imagined in the south. And so when Payyans invited me to his home, I quickly obliged!

Shot from the train while passing through Madhya Pradesh

The Perfect Shade...

It takes a full day by train to reach Lucknow from Mumbai .The lands were dry and there was a marked difference from what one would see while traveling down south along the Konkan coast. Lucknow seemed to be far smaller than what I had imagined , but even then it showed how any typical city would be in the North. Small lanes, Cows and Bulls marring the roads, purdah clad women moving around, dome shaped markets from the olden times, mosques and a few temples here and there.......

Holi ...

Previous night, I could see most of the street junctions laid with the 'Hollika' - wood and logs which would be lit by the residents nearby which is the way the locals usher in the festival.

Holika burning at midnight

Mob fury...

Venture outside the house and you are done!!! Outside every house , beside every road the kids stand with the swishers and spring surprise on passers by. And you get marauded by your friends right in front of your houses. People can be seen dancing around on the streets and many a times heavily drunk.

A pose with a few of the junglee kind!

Old Lucknow - New Lucknow

Imambara at Dusk.

Roomi gate;further beyond is old Lucknow

The city seems to be divided though not officially into the old and the new. Old lucknow starts where the Imambaras stand - a sign that religion has still cast its shadows there. A tall white gateway from the Nawabi times tells one that hes entering Old Lucknow. All around you can see age old buildings , some in shambles, small mosques and distinct dresses of a particular community.

An unfinished Karbala

Bhool Bhulaiya, the chotta imambara, bada imabara ,roomi gate and clock tower are reminders of the Nawabi era. The buildings of the East India regime on the other side of the city and the elegant junctions designed by the new government are few other things that catches ones attention.

View from Imambara;Mosque,Roomi gate and the River Gomti

Bhool Bhulaiya

Shukla Chaat house and the Tundai kebabs...

A few of the delicacies which anyone is supposed to have tried at least once. There is a distinct influence of the Nawabi culture and especially in the old city you can hear the clear but a bit different version of Hindi spoken by the locals there. There were not many temples around and definitely not any famous ones. Why and how temples never existed in the past in this area.....well.

Atop Bada Imambara

1857...

Went to the Lucknow residency alone, where one of the main revolts took place. People say the towers are still bearing the marks of the war. Never could have guessed what I was to see over there. The ticket charge is only 5/- and that was to blame. Moved around with a camera in hand, alone and got shooed away from all directions by couples enjoying a quite time together. But this is monument here..hundreds got killed......Who cares !!!

"Here lies Henry Lawrence..."

Memorial of the British alongside the ruins...

Thought of asking someone to click a snap of myself near the graveyard. Found a couple chatting beside a grave of some sorry British officer, the guy thought I was asking if they required a photo shoot and kindly said Not required. It was time for me to leave the place!

The Tonga ride...

Had two more hours left of my stay in the city as we were leaving on the 24rth. After the residency visit, took a tonga and told him to take me to the Moti mahal. But he never knew which one to take me to. Finally ended up seeing a small building in a big garden , very different from the moti mahal picture I saw on the net. Desperate, but left with no time, asked him to take me around the city's numerous narrow streets. Went from Hazratganj to Sangam chouraha, Parivartan chowk, Jankinagar and finally Aliganj.

First time and you never get the control

The Lucknow Railway Station

The tonga driver seemed to be tired; told him to sit back and relax while I drove the tonga. Unlike the other driver yesterday, he willingly allowed me for sometime, until the craze for taking a snap while driving made me look back and narrowly missed falling onto the side drains. Tensed and scared he took over ;reached the house just in time to pack up....Bidding adieu to the Land of Oudh.....

Nasik

Dadar to Nasik - 4 hrs by train...
Reached @ 1730 ...
A place where one can visit numerous ancient temples each with its own story and a place in history. Less polluted than its distant cousin Mumbai, it seemed like any other tier two city...laidback and peaceful.

"Pizza who? Delhi? Soni...Wat?"
"Run Swappy,Run..."@ Archies

Godavari .... Gautami

Home to Godavari, considered the holiest of rivers in the South. The river winds across the cityscape.Someshwar was one place where we could finally get into the river.

Gautami near Someshwar

Godavari , a bit dried up

Kaala Ram - Gora Ram...

Next day, morning me and Payyans left off for Ramghat. Went to few of the temples there; among them Sita caves, Kaala Ram,Gora Ram, Nilakanteshwar and Naroshankar Mandir which had a huge bell at the entrance.

Nilakanteshwar Temple

RamGhat...

A dip in the Godavari at Ramkund and you would cleanse yourself of all your sins.

RamGhat...

Cleansed of all Sins!!!

There was a market along the sides of the river and the area was bustling with devotees taking a dip , priests answering queries and children moving around selling wares to the tourists. This area was said to have been built by the Peshwas in the 18th century. Many small temples dated to that period.

Market along the Ghat

Someshwar...

Next day we left for Someshwar; where you have the dieties of Hanuman and Shiva;Spend some time in the river. The Hanuman and Shiva temples lie just on the banks of the river.

In front of the main temple

Ov'r the rocks

 

Shirdi...

From Someshwar , onto Shirdi. The only thing I dreaded throughout was the car ride; The roads were well maintained. Way back from Shirdi , we stopped by a mineral museum. Fossils, stagnites, Calcite,Pyrolite to Ruby...... They also had a selling outlet, but couldn't afford to buy anything;

Ferrite, Mineral Museum

Triambakeshwar...

Temple in the BackGround

"No Entrance Except Hindu" greets one at the Entrance

There was certainly something peculiar to the temple. The three small lingas can be viewed through a mirror and for those who wonder what they saw, there is another replica kept outside. Couldn't go over to the source of the Godavari somewhere nearby on the Hill. It was very hot and in the afternoon sun, the rock cut floors were almost boiling over! Another dreaded car ride and we were back.

Trudging Barefoot along the Banks

Pandu Leni Caves and the Majestic Buddha...

Bodhisatvas and the Buddha

Seeking Blessings

The Pandu Leni caves atop a hill resembled the Kanheri caves. Numerous small caves which had both Hindu and Buddhist sculptures; did not have time to venture up the hill. You can have a full view of the city from here. Below the caves, one can see the stupa with a huge golden Buddha. Ended the day with a visit to the Sula Wineyard;the barrels kept there reminded of Asterix the Gaul stories.

Pandu Leni Caves dating back to 1st century BC

Huge rush at the railway station on the way back to Mumbai...

Kanheri Caves on a hot, hot day !!!

The Kanheri Caves

Sanjay Gandhi(Borivali) National Park - Reminded me of Bannerghatta Park in Bangalore, the sad experience I had; still decided to try this one out. Was tough to convince Ritin and get him moving. Off we went, Dk,Ritin, Swappy and me. An hours ride in the crammed local from Vidya Vihar to Borivali. A rickshaw took us to the park. Didnt find anything worthwhile in the park. A boat ride , a sad musuem and on top of it an ill fated safari!!!

Sad plight of the beasts.

Walking in the direction of the caves

The Lion/Tiger safari ride turned out to be worse than Bannerghatta, with Swappy and Ritin feeling the pinch as they realized that the trip had ended as soon as it had begun. Tiger safari, we see this white tiger sleeping in its cage inside the enclosure. Lions, we did see two male lions , feeble and waiting for their time to leave the world, lying across a small road ...slumbering. Coudnt help laughing on seeing the shock on everyones faces after the safari ended.

Dry vegetation

Deer for company along the way

A Loner spreading her charm in the dry jungle

We now headed for the Kanheri Caves, supposedly about 8 kms from the park. It was 1200 noon by now. Steaming hot, arid and dry all over. We never bought the mineral water as they were being sold by the locals at double the prices. Just had a few pieces of chikki; Should have bought something to eat. Everyone thought the caves would be just a kilometre from the park. Walked on.....

Dried River Bed

With Payyans resting in the river bed

Still walking....With no end in sight, Ritin starts to throw a volley of complaints and questions the whole idea of this trip. All the river beds were completely dry. Reached a Jain temple and another small station of the toy train. Another ten minutes and silence once again.

Doubtful stares

Payyans learing a few tricks

Occasionaly, a vehicle moved by. Could see a group of deer amidst the dried up bushes. So dry the whole place was! Walked on till we came upon a settlement; one hut had warli painting on the walls.

Settlement

Warli art all over the walls!!!

There was no water to drink;Tried not to think about it and kept moving. It was like a treasure that we found two old women on the roadside, with cucumbers laid out and earthern pots awaiting us! They were selling a glass of water for a rupee each.

Blessing in Disguise...Ladies selling water

Script on the rocks

Relieved, we moved on and came across another set of empty houses. Rested on the cemented beds at the next river bed. Ritin was refusing to go further, Swapnil was ready to move ahead while Dk was neutral on this. Someone had told Dk that there was another 4 km to walk and we had to be back by 1830. Somehow managed to get everyone moving. By 1540 we could see the hill and the caves in it from below.

Me and Payyans amongst the dry grass

The caves can be seen from here

Tourists were all over the place, though the numbers were less. Majestic caves, we kept trudging uphill since there were so many of them all over. Ritin wanted to go back by Bus and the last bus was at 1700. So we had to finish everything in an hours time.

Water reservoir at the top; there were many like these..

Exhausted...

We reached the hill top and could see the huge apartments in the city from here. Time constraint and so coudnt move further. Will be back once again when there would be more time to peacefully explore the whole area. There was lot of area to cover but no time. Aargh!!!

Wonderful sculptures, many partially destroyed

There were two such sculptures on either sides of the main viharas

The vihara was similar to the one in Karla Caves. The buddha statues were of different sizes, and in once such vihara there were two huge sculptures. Many were destroyed but a few sculptures still intact. These are said to be very ancient back from 1st century BC to 9th century AD.

Few more sculptures

Atop the hill..Missed the chance to venture further uphill

Further uphill were smaller caves , which looked like resting places. Could also see that many of these resting places had area holding water. Am sure the men then had planned a proper water system, there was all proof for it. By 1700, we were at the foot of the hill and were awaiting the bus....

Waiting for the bus; Me, Swapnil, Ritin, Dharmendra

For more information:
http://asi.nic.in/asi_monu_tktd_maha_kanhericaves.asp