2nd Dec 2015 - Mumbai to Kolhapur

Our rice cooker was out early in the morning, the rice was made mixed with curds, packed and we ready to go. In a few minutes we were down having our breakfast, Made sure that all we had to pack was packed and nothing left behind in the room.

By about 9 AM we were in the car with the luggage loaded and were off, the first stop was to tank up on diesel and check the air and once this was done at a nearby fuel station we were off, heading towards the Eastern expressway, which would take us to Thane and then onto the Mumbai Pune expressway.

The roads as expected were good and fortunately there were no unruly drivers on the road, pleasant driving with good scenery to the left and right and wide roads where one can do good speeds. But watch out, there are some curves that are unexpected and if one is not an experienced driver going very fast on the Mumbai Pune expressway one must be slow and careful. There were signages pointing out that tyre bursts cause fatal accidents, this was because, many years ago soon after the road was thrown open youngsters wanting to experience the thrill of speed would drive at very high speeds on the highway and experience tyre bursts. Many drivers do not read enough about the machines they drive and about safety, many do not even check the tyre pressure regularly, not understanding that it is only the tyre that is in contact with the road. Cars cannot be driven at high speeds when fitted with tyres which are not rated for high speed, More on this at the end of this post.

The experience of a hot cup of tea at a road side eatery can be matched only by a stop at a roadside tea shop for a cup of hot tea. A few hours on the road and we came across a small bye, where we stopped, bought some peanuts, fresh coconut water, tea and we were off, though the idea was to have some misal pav this was not be found here.

Thanks to smart phones, internet and search engines one is never too far from the information that is desired. What we were looking for now is Joshi;s Wadapav which came well recommended and we were told that it was only a few Kms away, yes and we did find the outlet. However, the misalpav was not exactly great but the wadapav was good. What took my time was a small shop selling some products that were unique, a gas stove top grill, milk guard - a porcelain plate with grooves cut which we were ensured would stop milk for boiling over if placed at the bottom of the vessel in which the milk was being boiled, a small plastic gadget which can be used to crush and cut chillies, garlic, ginger etc. Purchases made we were back again on the road.

Further down the road we stopped for our packed lunch of curd rice and pickles and just a little forward was a pump in which we filled up our tank. The pump on the highway was clean and well attended and I was surprised that they were accepting credit cards and the transaction was put through with a handheld card reader (transaction acquiring device).

It was raining in patches never heavy but a drizzle here and a few Kms away another drizzle and then a short duration light rain. We reached Kolhapur with little excitement.

We rested for a short while in the Hotel and were ready to go after a cup of tea. the destination? The Mahalakshmi temple which the city was famous for. Kolhapur was a surprise, well developed and large. Hotels with restaurants that one would expect to see in a large city. Just shows that we do not know enough of the country we live in.

The temple was another surprise waiting for us, one has to enter the temple through gates such as one would enter a fort, then walk through paved surface one comes to the entrance, leave the footwear in counters designated for this and you are in.

No jostling, no one pushing you to buy from them, no large crowds that evening, we were surprised, first was the lack of a crowd and second the very well behaved vendors. We walked through had our darshan said our prayers and were out in a short while.

The statue of the goddess Mahalakshmi is made of gemstone and is considered to be between 5000 and 6000 years old. Weighing about 40 Kgs the precious stones on the deity point out its age.

This temple is worth a visit and if possible during sunlight, the architecture is unique and captivating.

A blog providing information on the temple - 

http://indianmandirs.blogspot.in/2013/10/kolhapur-mahalakshmi-eyes-of-sati-devi.html

Outside the temple are stores selling, what else, Kolhapure chappals and who would go away without buying one, most of these shops here are run by Malayalees.

Here is a table from Wikipedia and I would strongly urge everyone who drives a car to read through more on tyre safety and tyre markings

Speed rating

The speed symbol is made up of a single letter or an A with one number. It indicates the maximum speed at which the tire can carry a load corresponding to its Load Index.

Speed rating^[12]

Code	mph	km/h		Code	mph	km/h
A1	3	5		L	75	120
A2	6	10		M	81	130
A3	9	15		N	87	140
A4	12	20		P	94	150
A5	16	25		Q	100	160
A6	19	30		R	106	170
A7	22	35		S	112	180
A8	25	40		T	118	190
B	31	50		U	124	200
C	37	60		H	130	210
D	40	65		V	149	240
E	43	70		Z	over 149	over 240
F	50	80		W	168	270
G	56	90		(W)	over 168	over 270
J	62	100		Y	186	300
K	68	110		(Y)	over 186	over 300

Read the complete article here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tire_code

21st November - Varanasi

We were up at 5 AM and got ready as Dibesh had said that he will come to fetch us at 5:30, the plan was to go to the Ghats again for the morning Ganga Aarthi and then on a boat ride to witness the sunrise while we go along the banks of the Ganges viewing the many ghats along the river. Then we are to get off at the Manikarnika Ghat (cremation ghat) and walk to the Kasi Viswanathar temple.

There is so much to see and experience in this ancient city and it would appropriate to spare a few days here to ensure a complete experience.

The boat ride over we started walking up the Manikarnika ghats and were told that photography is not allowed in the cremation ghats, so we put our cameras away and got onto the narrow lanes that make Varanasi. The many narrow lanes and the crowd and the very hig securoty levels at the temple made it a harrowing and claustrophobic experience. A cup of tea for each of us served in Kullads helped just before we walked into the temple. The temple sanctun sanctorum is a small basin of about 6 feet diameter in which is a lingam, to which the millions who visit the temple pray. We poured the mug of milk that we had purchased for this purpose said our prayers and moved and this before we were pushed away by force to make way for others.

After breakfast at the Hotel we took an auto and went off in search of Aghoris, however we did not find any but did visit the Keenaram Babus ashram for Aghoris, after the Ashram we went to another Ashramkashi Mumkshu Bhavan Sabha at Assi, the elderly from various parts of India come here and wait till they die. The elders are taken care of well till their time comes.

Our next stop was the Harishchandra Ghats, another cremation ghats where we saw a couple of bodies being cremated, the amount of firewood that is used in the ghats is amazing. Most people use the traditional method of cremation rather than the electric crematorium.

Ganga Mahotsav and Dev Deepavali commence tomorrow in varanasi and to join in on the celebrations here over 200000 people I am told have come into Varanasi. No hotel rooms are available and the rush is great, this also means that the ghats will have large numbers of people. The highlight of the festival is on the last day, when more than a million clay lamps are floated down the river at dusk amidst chanting of Vedic hymns as part of Dev Deepavali.

Clay pots eing sold at Harishchandra ghats for the last rites to be carried out before cremation

Shuvkumar Chouhan our Auto driver

A common sign in Varanasi

An ashram in Varanasi to which the elderly from many parts of India and wait here to die.

Tea in Kullad just outside the Kasi Viswanathar temple

Lane in Varanasi

20th November 2015 - Bodh Gaya to Varanasi

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Fresh fruits at our Hotel at Bodh Gaya - Only the small apples are really fruits the rest are wax :)

Horse drawn carriages outside the Maha Bodhi temple.

Near the road side market, Why these horses sport such colours? I don't know.

The old anf inform make the Maha Bodhi temple.

There were vendors on the road selling Buddhist handicrafts and others selling the regular stuff one sees in a temple market. Only a handful of vendors had anything of quality or interesting to offer. With nothing much to keep us here we started the next step of our journey.

Stalls sell a multitude of things at the roads leading to Maha Bodhi temple.

There were quite a few beggars at the entrance and almost all of them were physically disabled, some with arms and legs crooked, giving the impression that the limb was broken and not allowed to mend or allowed to mend in a crooked fashion so as to attract attention and bring in more alms. The world can be cruel.

Mutilated bodies are common at the entrance to the Maha Bodhi temple. Was the mutilation managed by someone who wanted to make money out of these people?

The Maha Bodhi temple is sacred to Buddhists it is here in Bodh Gaya that he attained enlightenment and under a Bodhi tree which exists or trees from its cuttings exist even today. The temple here has been built to mark the enlightenment of Buddha and is visited by Buddhists from around the world. There were so many people from the Orient that it was difficult for us to assign nationalities.

The temple complex is not very large. Pilgrims seemed to have been sleeping within the temple complex as we could see sleeping bags, mosquito nets, pillows, beds on the lawns. There was a conference going on and maybe these people had come here to attend the conference nd were allowed to sleep here. There was a Nepalese woman doing the Parikrama of the temple in their traditional way, she would prostrate, then get up and walk for three paces and then prostrate again, this continued till she went around the temple. If one does not intend to go inside the temple then footwear can be worn around the temple complex. No restrictions on photography but no mobiles, MP3 players, obviously disturbance by noise is not acceptable. There is a fee for cameras though the entrance is free.

At the entrance to the temple

Maha Bodhi temple

Pilgrims, with a wooden plank on which they prostrate stand and then prostrate again and again.

Pilgrims from all over the Budhist world.

Stand, prostrate and then stand again, lift your hand in prayer above your head, take three steps and repaet all over again to make circumambulations around the temple in penance.

Varanasi was not a long distance away but the traffic and the impatient and careless two wheelrs, drivers and pedestrians ensured that we drove slow. The condition of the roads too contributed to the slow pace we were forced to keep.

Luckily we were prepared for food as we had cooked some rice and the curds we had purchased the previous night at Bodh Gaya put together made some delightful curd rice which could be had on the highway.

There were a lot of people in the Varanasi because of the Karthika month and the upcoming Nethra Deepavalli on the 22nd.

Just out of Varansi this guy was riding this motorcycle with two women behind him. He was sitting on the petrol tank of the motor cycle.

Cows eating plastic is a common sight in Varanasi, another way to kill a cow.

Protection from the heavy pollution in Varanasi.

Vehicles move so close to each other it is a wonder that there are not so many accidents.

Once we checked into our Hotel we swiftly got in touch with our contacts here and made arrangements for the next day. walked out of the Hotel took 2 Autorickshaws and went to the Dasashwamedha Ghats for the Ganga Aarthi. We were able to witness the closing part of the Aarthi and then walked around the crowded roads, did some window shopping and took in the various sights that were presented to us. Shops selling Chillums, various Hindu religious materials, Sadhus walking around, pilgrims from all over the Country and visitors from around the world curious and hanging around to understand what was happening before them. Vehicles are not allowed on the road leading to the Ghat so we had to walk about 500 metres to the ghat, BUT we were surprised to see two wheelers on that road beinf driven quite fast considering the large number of people on the road. The lights, colours, shops, eateries was engaging. We returned to the Hotel qute early as we had fixed to leave very early the  next morning on a boat ride to see the sunrise from the Ganges and to visit the Kasi Viswanathar temple.

The road going towards Dasaswamedha Ghats, crowded and polluted.

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The road leading to Dasaswamedha ghats - no vehicles allowed only pedestrians

`Ganga Aarthi

Devotees

This Sadhu got upset that I took his picture without giving him money, was obviously popular with the crowd as many people came over to him to get his blessings, was it because of his makeover?

Umbrellas at the ghat

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