The land of the royal tales...Chittorgarh

It is not the honour that you take with you but the heritage you leave behind. - Branch Rickey

Right after missing our bus from Bundi for Chittorgarh, we boarded the one going to Kota. Waited for a couple of hours in Kota and finally got a bus for Chittor. We reached around 11 p.m. and took an auto rickshaw to the nearest hotel. We booked the same auto rickshaw driver for our full day Chittorgarh trip. We fixed the ride for a pickup from hotel to Chittor fort and back, sightseeing in the fort with guided tour (he was also our guide) and evening pickup and drop from hotel for the light and sound show at the fort. We paid him Rs. 1000 for the whole day.

The fort is one of the largest forts in Asia. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The region and the fort of Chittor also called Mewar was ruled by Mewar dynasty in the 7th century. Later the fort was ruled by Parmar dynasty from 9th till the 13th century when Alauddin Khilji attacked the fort. The fort was then ruled by Rana Kumbha in the 15th century. Later it was attacked by Mughals. The fort's history boasts of the valour and sacrifices made by the great rulers (and their wives) of Chittor to save and serve their folks. The fort has seen numerous battles and was attacked several times. Now what remains is nothing but ruins. The famous personalities who have lived in this fort include Mauryan king Chitrangad (who is said to have built the fort and was called Chitrakut), Bappa Rawal, Ratan Singh, Rani Padmini, Rana Sanga, Raja Bhoj, Rani Mirabai, Rana Kumbha, Uday Singh (Udaipur was named after him and the legendary folklore of Panna Dai who replaced her son with Udai Singh to save his life and instead got her son got killed) and many more.

The famous sites of the fort include- seven gates of the fort (very strategically built called 'Pols'), Hill view of the city of Chittor, Kumbha Palace (built by Rana Kumbha and is the main palace, ticket Rs. 10; also the place where Mirabai lived, Rani Padmini committed Jouhar, Panna Dai replaced Udai Singh), Vijay Stambh (errected by Rana Kunbha after his victory over Mahmud Khilji, ticket Rs. 40 for the entire premise), Gaumukh (built near the Vijay Stambh in the same premise, main source of water and is a spring), Shiva Temple (inside the Vijay Stambh premise), Mirabai temple (inside the Vijay Stambh premise) , Kali temple, Jain temple- Kirti Stambh, Fateh Prakash Palace (museum, ticket Rs. 10), Padmini's Palace, Shiva Temple (three states/expressions of lord Shiva can be seen in the deity) and other small sites.

         

         

         

         

         

         

         

         

         

         

         

         

         

There is a light and sound show conducted at 7.oo p.m. (ticket Rs. 50). It is not the best light and sound show so far that I have seen but it was quite ok. They take you through the journey of the fort from its inception in the Mauryan period till as recent as the 18th century.

         

         

This is one of the best forts to be visited in India for its magnificence, history, architecture, legends, valour, battles, and its mysterious and mystic tales.

Boond boond mein... Bundi

"A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving"- Lao Tzu

The plan was there. We wanted to spend those 4 days in Rajasthan. Where? How? We thought we will reach Jaipur tag along a friend and decide. The two of us left Agra in the afternoon (by train) and reached Jaipur in the late evening, met a friend, had dinner and decided to leave for Bundi the next morning. We had our backpacks, cellphones, water and some cash and boarded an RSTC bus for Bundi. The rustic ride gave us glimpse of the 'real Rajasthan' world. Our bus was full of bandhani-turban clad, ear-pierced uncles and multi-coloured ghagra/saree draped aunties flaunting their sunglasses and tattooed arms. Well, we weren't dressed appropriately to be in that bus! 

         

         

We reached Bundi after a five-hour long bus journey (220 km) and immediately took a rickshaw to this heritage hotel we had googled and were disappointed to have found it full. Moved further in the main market  towards the fort (Taragarh fort) and found Bundi Inn- A Heritage Hotel! Much smaller than the previous one but very cozy. (Rs. 1600 per night for the three of us- they said it was peak time but tourists were very few). Bundi is a fairly small town and is known for its strategically located water bodies- lakes and baoris, palaces and havelis (now converted into heritage hotels) and the warmth of the locals. It was already late for visiting the fort and palace, so, we headed straight for the lakes- first Nawal Sagar Lake- artificially made, not far from Taragarh fort and main town area, absolutely beautiful with a temple built right in the middle of the lake, partially submerged in water, of deity Varun- god of water. Then we moved towards Jait Sagar Lake which is right next to the summer palace of the royal family- Sukh Mahal (was closed as we reached post 5). Much bigger than the previous lake and carries quite a stunning view due to its magnificence and location. Both the lakes were dirty, with water weeds, algae, etc., though we were informed that the lakes are much cleaner than before. But the view was stunning undoubtedly. We came back to our hotel and called it a day.

         

         

         

         

I woke up early to catch the sunrise. It was worth losing each minute of sleep. The fort was a delight to look at from the hotel and the absolute silence was then broken by birds' chirps. After breakfast we checked out and left our bags in the hotel itself. We started our hike to Taragarh Fort and Palace (ticket price- Rs. 25 for Indians, Rs. 100 for foreigners, Rs. 100 for video camera, Rs. 25 for still camera; the price is same for Taragarh Fort as well but we weren't allowed to enter being an all girls group and absence of CCTVs in the fort side). The fort cum palace is still owned by the royal family. Please carry water and something to snack along. There is no cafe or any arrangement for toilets and beverages or food in the fort/palace. The entrance has a huge gate like the Buland Darwaza of Fatehpur Sikri in Agra, which they say was gifted to the king by the Mughals. Climbing up, we entered the palace and this open garden area has the view of the entire town- major houses painted in blue, some in white and some in yellow. The view indeed is quite stunning. Garden then makes way towards the 'chitrashala'- painting gallery (ASI site, most of the paintings have lord Krishna tales, get a guide to understand deeper). The palace has various areas- the diwan-e-aam, khaas, rooms for the royals, entertainment areas and much more. The whole palace takes about a couple of hours to visit all the areas.

         

         

         

         

         

         

         

         

After coming out of the palace, we then headed for 'Raniji ki Baori'- a stepwell (ASI site). The entrance is narrow but beautiful with intricately carved pillars (elephants) housing the entry gates. It is a three storeyed stepwell. The second storey leads towards a small bridge over the baori/well and the ground floor (or the underground floor) is the well. Spend sometime here on the steps. Entry ticket is for Rs. 50.

We then went back to our hotel, took our stuff, had lunch in Ben10 cafe- very fresh and tasty and took a bus to Kota (we missed our last bus to Chittorgarh).

         

         

Special mentions: Food in most places is freshly prepared and hence the delivery is very slow. Food is also a little expensive as compared to other small towns. Hotel stay is comfortable. Locals are very welcoming and warm. There is a combined ticket for the Baori, chaurasi pillars (we couldn't visit due to time shortage) and Sukh Mahal for Rs. 75. Town is small and has connectivity issue. Note the bus or train timings to avoid missing the last transport service of the day. Kota is the nearest big city, airport and train station.

The town is under-explored and has fewer tourists. Though it needs a lot of improvement in terms of connectivity and renovations but it still must be on your visit list for its magnificent forts, lakes and tales.

A Garhwali Himalayan Weekend- Dhanaulti

'Seeing is believing.' It indeed is!

Less than 25km away from Mussoorie and 35km from Dehradun lies this beautiful hill station amidst the Himalayan range of Garhwal, a small town called- Dhanaulti. As you ride upward, cutting through foothills, gazing at the alpines- oaks and lofty deodars, you enter this quaint heaven. Unbelievably beautiful and serene!

We left from Dehradun around 7 in the morning in our car and headed towards Dhanaulti, halting on the way, sipping on some tea and feasting on, of course 'maggi.' Since, we had just one day with us we chose to go for a small trek of approx. 2km uphill to Surkanda temple which is at 10,000 ft. We parked our car in the place called Kaddukhal, in the village of Uniyal (8 km from Dhanaulti), from where we started hiking. It really was quite breathtaking, literally! In winters we were told that this place is completely covered in snow. The view is stunning atop temple. Since, we visited in July, as expected it started to rain and before climbing up one of us foresaw and bought polythene covers (barsaati/raincoats), which helped quite a lot. It was also a little cold after the rain shower. After stepping down we moved towards Dhanaulti, had some food, spent some time at a nice viewpoint cafe (can't remember the name) and headed towards Mussoorie.

Not forgetting to mention- a sumptuous pizza place in Mussoorie- Little Llama Cafe. We stayed in Mussoorie that night (Hotel Himalayan Club- comfy and affordable rooms) and visited Landour (the place where Ruskin Bond lives!) in the morning and had breakfast (Rokeby Manor- do visit for its stunning wooden old english/gothic interiors). Then, we receded towards Dehradun.

From Vine to Wine- 3 Nasik Vineyards and Wineries

"Don't listen to what they SAY.. Go SEE!"

My sister and I left home around 5.30 in the morning to meet our co-travellers and Travel Trikon team with whom we had booked our day trip. As we were just a group of five, we were comfortably seated in an Innova. We left from Dadar around 6 and picked the others up on the way. As we were leaving the city and the concrete jungle, the horizon was becoming more and more visible. From dark to twilight to dusk and to sunrise all in a span of 30 minutes! To think that this happens everyday is a story of another time maybe.

We stopped for breakfast somewhere around Asangaon which was part of our day trip package and then headed towards Nasik.

Our first stop- Sula Vineyards.

Gorgeous lush vines spread over acres of farm. Nothing short of wow! Since it was my first ever vineyard visit I was quite overwhelmed. We waited for about half an hour and then made our way towards the wine making tour which started at 11.30 (their first tour of the day). We were then thrown with interesting facts and information about wine making, quality control, barrels, storage, varieties of wines they produce, etc. They make white, red, rosé, sparkling and dessert wines.

Then came the last and the best part of the tour- wine tasting which included two reds, two whites, a dessert wine and a sparkling wine. I love Sangiovese but here sparkling did the magic in the tasting session. We also learned about the five steps of wine tasting- See, Swirl, Smell, Sip and Spit (but we Swallowed).

We spent about a couple of hours in the vineyard and while we were moving out, the hustle bustle had started. So a quick suggestion- please try to reach before 11 on a weekend. You can also enjoy your lunch at their  beautiful, scenic restaurant. They also have a shop (apart form wines they also have grape oil and other souvenirs).

Entry fee: Rs. 100 (Cover charges since July 2018)

Wine tour: Rs. 150

Wine tour and tasting: Rs. 400 (6 wines for tasting)

Moving on- Soma Vineyard

We did not do the tasting here and unfortunately as it is November, no stomping as well :( . Stomping starts post January (please note this) when the grapes are ready. The view though is quite good. Their restaurant overlooks the lake nearby. The place is very quiet and serene.

Last Stop- York Vineyard

Another gorgeous place. Their restaurant is very well located with lake view. We had lunch here and savoured on some red wine. We left around 3.30 to reach Mumbai on time being a super long extended Diwali weekend.

A Sunday well spent.

Stargazing- Underneath the Stars

“Astronomy compels the soul to look upward, and leads us from this world to another.” — Plato

Away from the hustle bustle, lies this picturesque village, at the base of Ajoba hills with solar powered electricity and clean toilets- Dehne. 

The three of us had booked this trip online with a travel group. We met our co-stargazers at a pre decided location- Asangaon Station and started our journey. We were accompanied by a very knowledgeable astronomer (hobbyist), a photographer and an organiser from the travel group. Food was also part of the deal- evening snacks- bhajiyas with tea, dinner- traditional vegetarian maharashtrian food at a local house, breakfast- poha with tea.

-Nearest Station- Asangaon (Local train station on the central suburbs of Mumbai) (45 km from Dehne)

-Things to Carry- warm shawl, water and snacks for midnight munching (tents, blankets and pillows were provided as it gets nippy!)

Day 1

We reached just before sunset which was a delight to watch through the green fields with bhajiyas and tea.

         

Started with learning to fix tents of all sizes- small, medium and big. As it dawned, the session started with initially low visibility of the stars and planets (obviously). Moon was in a crescent and looked stunning in the telescope. So did Saturn with its rings! Around 9ish we headed for dinner.

Post dinner session had beautiful story telling by our astronomer from Indian and Greek mythologies. Some stories connected the dots or rather the stars and formed the constellations! This went on until around 2 am with rising and setting of various stars and some planets.

         

Star trails with north star at the centre

         

Star trails with north star

         

Star trails

Some of us caught up on some sleep while others chose to lay beneath the bed of stars.

         

         

         

         

Day 2

We woke up just before the sunrise and witnessed another beautiful sight of Sun rising just behind the Ajoba hills.

         

         

Had breakfast and around 8 we were homeward bound.