A Day's Trip To Agra

With Love, From Agra

For someone living in Delhi, there are ample options to choose from, when it comes to pick a destination for weekend escape.

I prefer the hills and the serenity more, but a friend who came to visit was more keen on exploring Agra. I’ve been to Agra before, with parents and cousins, and this was my third visit to the city. Surprisingly, it was as good as the first time, and richness of the city didn’t fail to amaze me, all over again.

How To Reach: If you have a car, then you can drive down the Yamuna Expressway, and it’ll take around 3 to 4 hours, depending on the traffic, and the halts.

We rather chose the best option – the 6 am Shatabdi, from NDLS. It takes 2 hours in the train and you’ll reach Agra by 8am.

Brush up your bargaining skills, because the autowallahs have already the planned to rob you! The distance from the Agra Cantt to Taj Mahal is around 6Kms, and its for 50 bucks, so don’t pay more!

We were in the mood to splurge, so we decided to have breakfast at The Taj, which was a grand spread, and we hogged to our hearts content.

Then we headed towards Taj Mahal – the epitome of Love!

Try reaching there as early as possible, because the more late you get, the more crowded it’ll be. Do take a guide, YES! That’s a must, because otherwise you’ll miss all the fun stories – these guides have a different way to narrate the Mughal tales! (Bargain with the guide, it’s just Rs 200 that we paid for a 3hours tour!)

We’ve all read about the Mughal grandeur and architecture, and much more about Taj Mahal, but unless you see it, you’ll not realise how thoughtfully it was done – like there’s so much of science behind its construction – starting from earthquake resistance to 3D effects!

From Taj Mahal, we headed towards the Agra Fort, which took another  2 hours to explore. Most of it has been closed for the tourists now, and the pollution would not let you have a clear view of the Taj Mahal from the Fort.

For lunch, we went to a café called Sheroes, which is run by the acid-attack victims – and I would suggest everyone to pay a visit there, not just for the food, but for the ambience. It’s a ‘Pay as you Wish’ café serving quality food. You can also join them for cooking, and of course have a chat with them, they too have wonderful stories to tell you.

If you are keen on shopping then you can explore the local market, but they have exorbitant prices, for they mostly aim to sell those to foreigners.

If you plan to stay for a night, then definitely take a cab and head towards Fatehpur Sikri. Because we had to return back that day itself, we took a bus at 4pm, and we reached Delhi by 7.30 pm.

Yes, Agra can be well explored in a day, and it won’t pinch your pocket too!

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'Ayodhya' the ancient city from Ramayan

By Shubhashish Chaudhri

AYODHYA- the land of temples and peace
Well being in the final year of college has brought about a lot many changes and various plans have been made but to execute those plans is another thing. A sudden plan made alongwith friends meant that finally i am going to get a chance to go out to places which are there on my so-called BUCKET LIST. On a chilling cold morning of January to get up at 5:30 am in the morning is in itself a big mission impossible but we are all like that only. For classes which happen at 10am we cant get up but just tell us that we are travelling somewhere i will get up in the middle of the night.

How to reach-
Ayodhya is not a very big place so it can be done only within 12 hours max including travelling(and yes i am not lying). You can either go by bus which takes some 2 and half hours. Ayodhya is just a 130 odd kms from lucknow. Oops i forgot this is not just meant for people from lucknow. Anyways since we were some 6 friends we booked a cab and off we went.
Ayodhya is on the right bank of the river Sarayu, 8;km from Faizabad. This town is closely associated with Rama, seventh incarnation of Vishnu. According to the Ramayana, the city is 9,000 years old and was founded by Manu, the first man in the Vedas, and law-giver of the Hindus.
Since it is mainly the place where you have temples(12) in number to be precise, there is only so much that you can do but still. It would be better if you have someone with you who has either been to ayodhya or knows about the place and temples. A guide wont b of much help. We had one such person with us.

Kanak mandir
Kanak Bhawanin Ayodhya is the palace of Sri Sita and Rama. It was a welcome gift to Sita from her mother-in-law Kaikeyi. Kanak Bhawan still exists in Ayodhya.

Hanuman Garhi, a massive four-sided fort with circular bastions at each corner and a temple of Hanuman inside, is the most popular shrine in Ayodhya. Situated in the center of town, it is approachable by a flight of 76 steps. Its legend is that Hanuman lived here in a cave and guarded the Janambhoomi, or Ramkot. The main temple contains the statue of Maa Anjani with Bal Hanuman seated on her lap. The faithful believe wishes are granted with a visit to the shrine

Ram Janmabhoomi (literally, "Rama's birthplace") is the name given to the site that many Hindus believe to be the birthplace of Rama, the 7th avatar of the Hindu deity Vishnu.
The Ramayana states that the location of Rama's birthplace is on the banks of the Sarayu river in the city of Ayodhya. A section of Hindus claim that the exact site of Rama's birthplace is where the Babri Masjid once stood in the present-day Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.

Janaki Mahal established by Late Sri Mohan Lalji, run by Trust, beautiful Mandir of Janki Mata & Lord Ram. Many social activities, food for poor people, charitable medical facility for poor people managed by Sri Vishwanath Murarka.

Sarayu
Ayodhya, capital of King Rama is mentioned on the banks of Sarayu river. Sarayu river is mentioned in great details in Ramayana. Ayodhya still exists on the banks of river Sarayu in Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is a tributary of the Ganges which meets two other rivers at the confluence (sangam) in Uttar Pradesh.

All in all, it will still be a nice experience one which everyone should have once in their life and lastly not to forget the place is famous for its besan laddoos and pedas.


About Shubhashish Chaudhri

An avid food lover, loves reading like anything and a big MOVIE and English tv shows FREAK and going to new places even though i haven’t been to a lot of places but I intend on travelling through the entire country during my life. 

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The 'Golden City of Rajasthan' - Jaisalmer (Part 3)

By Parth Yadav

...continued from Part 2

But first things first, one thing was left in Jaisalmer before we could ‘hit the road’ and that was the very famous JAIN TEMPLES. Not for religion, not for praying for marks or asking for a girlfriend, but just for travel’s sake do pay a visit to these Temples! It will be worth it. Within the Jaisalmer Fort walls is a maze-like, interconnecting treasure trove of seven beautiful yellow sandstone Jain temples, dating from the 15th and 16th centuries. These temples are built in the Dilwara style that is famous all over the world for its architecture. The style got its name from the famous 'Dilwara Temples' situated on Mount Abu, a famous Hill station in Rajasthan. The Jain temples are dedicated to Rikhabdevji and Shambhavdev Ji, the famous Jain hermits known as ‘Tirthankars’. Like other structures in Jaisalmer, these temples are craved of yellow sandstones. The beautifully carved decorations on the wall will give you divine peace. One couldn’t ask for a better start to the day! Authors Advice: Opening and closing timings of these Temples have a habit of changing, so do check with the caretakers. Shoes and all leather items must be removed before entering the temples.

Post this we had our breakfast at one of the numerous restaurants within the Jaisalmer Fort Complex. And then went straight to one of the ‘Rent A Bike’ Shops! Yes!! It was finally time for some adventure. Authors Advice: There are plenty of ‘Rent A Bike’ shops in Jaisalmer, which provides you Activas, Bajaj Discovers, Avengers and Royal Enfield on rent. The rent varies from vehicle to vehicle. And all they need for security is a minimum token amount and yes, a valid photo Identity Card. All this is returned once you handover the keys of the bike back to the owner. The petrol is on you! And hence, it is highly advisable to get your tank full before you start. There are ‘NO’ petrol pumps on the way. Only some ‘Kirana Shops’ which sell petrol at almost twice the actual rate! Also, booze in the Desert is again, pretty expensive, so it’s advisable to buy from Jaisalmer itself, before you leave.

So, yes! Handing over my voter ID card to the shop owner and taking the keys of an Avenger, we kickstarted our way to the real desert! Basically, one should reach Sam around sunset i.e. around 4:00- 5:00 PM. So, even if you start from Jaisalmer by 2:30-3:00 PM, it would suffice. But we had other plans! We wanted to cover the nearby areas as well before reaching Sam, specifically ‘Kuldhara’. What is Kuldhara? Wait! Patience yields the sweetest fruits! :P

Hence, we started off from Jaisalmer at around 11:30-12:00 PM. Our first halt was the BADA BAGH or the ROYAL CENOTAPHS. Bada Bagh is a garden complex about 6 kms north of Jaisalmer on way to Ramgarh, and halfway between Jaisalmer and Lodhruva. Authors Advice: Although the authorities have placed adequate milestones/ boards at a number of places and in fact at every turn keeping in mind all the tourist hotspots en-route to Sam yet, do carry a small map of Jaisalmer or activate the GPS on your phone before hitting the road. The Bada Bagh has basically three different things to watch, a garden, a tank and a dam. Other interesting monuments in the vicinity are the Cenotaphs. These cenotaphs also known as ‘Chattris’ and were constructed by the various Bhatti rulers. One cenotaph has been erected for each ruler. The oldest among them is the cenotaphs of Maharawal Jait Singh who reigned from 1470-1506. This tradition was discontinued when in 1947, one of the prince died of a mysterious disease! The place is basically isolated yet the garden offers a stunning view. If you visit the place during sunrise and sun set, you are guaranteed of beautiful moments, which you cannot avoid clicking.

Moving on, was the destination I was most eagerly waiting for! The KULDHARA VILLAGE!! So, basically, I am one person who, from a very early age has been hell interested in ‘apparently’ supernatural stuff. The word ‘haunted’, where on one hand gives people goosebumps, on the other, in my case, it gives me an adrenaline rush to go and the check the place out. And that’s what we exactly did. Kuldhara is almost 18 kms from Jaisalmer. While going towards Sam, you have to take a right turn from the main road and a few kilometers on that right turn, you’ll find the entrance to Kuldhara. Once you pass through the entrance gate, you automatically get a very eerie feeling. A perfect place to be inhabited lies all vacant. No sign of any human anywhere! A small patchy road leads you inside the village. And suddenly, you find yourself standing right in centre of the village in front of a temple! Yes, a temple! With a lit ‘diya’ kept inside the temple! If this wasn’t enough, out of nowhere an old man came from behind and said ‘Khamma Ghani’ or “Hello’! We actually and literally froze for a couple of seconds. Until one of us regained our senses, and replied with a ‘Ghani Khamma’. That’s how you revert to a ‘Hello’ in Rajasthan. Our guide in Jaisalmer taught us this. Anyways, it turns out, he was indeed a human, a live human, with blood and flesh and was the caretaker of the temple. He welcomed us and then on being asked told us the story behind Kuldhara, a happy and prosperous village turning into a deserted and supposedly haunted hamlet! So, it turns out that once there was a Prime Minister of a kingdom who was not just powerful but an evil man as well. He forced all the villagers to coerce the village head to allow him to marry the village head’s daughter. Though, the villagers were against it and tried to protect the Lady, yet all their attempts went in vain in front of the powerful minister. Hence, they decided to leave the village under the cover of the night, thus safeguarding not only the village head’s daughter but for that matter even their own daughters from the evil eyes of the Minister. But the story doesn’t end here! Before leaving the village, the villagers cursed their own village and said that no man shall ever be able to inhabit this place ever again. And so it happened! As mentioned before, a perfectly prosperous village with perfectly good houses now lies barren and crumpling with time. Apparently, some people who didn’t believe in this story and tried to stay in the village were chased away by some or the other paranormal activity. Frankly speaking, there is something in the air of Kuldhara, which somehow forces you to believe this story.

Anyways, it was almost 3:30 PM and we were yet another 25-30 kms away from Sam, we bid farewell to the old man, and were back on the road. Another, 45 minutes on the main road and we reached our final destination… the mighty SAM SAND DUNES!! In short and I couldn’t be more precise in saying this, we were basically in the centre of the “Great Indian Thar Desert”! These dunes are 42-45 kms away from Jaisalmer and a nice sealed road maintained by Indian Armed Forces leads you to the place. Authors Advice: Driving a bike on this road is in itself a roller coaster ride. There are periodical crests and troughs which makes it almost impossible to see what’s coming from the opposite side of the road. So beware! And if this wasn’t enough, like in UP or Delhi you find dogs and cows loitering on the road, in Rajasthan, you get to find camels!

Anyhow, there is no point coming to the Thar Desert if you don't go for the Desert Safari. That is why Sam Sand Dunes are becoming the major attraction in Jaisalmer. This is the closest place from where you can lose yourself in the Great Thar Desert.  A rare desert area which lies just on the edge of Jaisalmer Desert National Park and is also rated as top 10 must see tourist destinations in Rajasthan by Lonely Planet & Tripadvisor, Sam Sand Dunes are simply amazing.

About Parth:

Currently pursuing his bachelors from National Law University, Lucknow is a bibliophile and an avid fiction lover. Travelling is not just his hobby but his passion. He likes to explore the unexplored and does things which aren't mainstream. Mountains, "supposedly" haunted destinations and bike trips are what attracts him the most. A certified trekker by the Youth Hostel Association of India, he dreams to cover the Himalayas on his bike someday!

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