The journey from Muraura to Mumbai had remained confined to driving, resting at night and more driving. For the return journey, though, we wanted to explore the magnificent Madhya Pradesh. We researched on the internet, spent countless hours on google, read umpteen tourist brochures and charted a tentative route. Rishi Shukla derisively laughed and consigned it to the dustbin in a jiffy! He then charted an entirely new route in a couple of minutes!!
Day 1 (22nd March)
Route
Mumbai – Thane – Bihwandi – Nashik – Dhule – Indore – Ujjain
Left Ketaki’s flat in Andheri at 04:00 and were able to get out of Mumbai in double quick time. Jenny had packed some sandwiches, chips & cookies, which we ate while driving. As the morning sun rose from behind the hills before Nashik we had happily covered almost 150 Kms. We crossed a somnolent Nashik and thereafter stopped for a cup of tea, and for buying grapes and raisins being sold in copious quantities along the road.
After Dhule the road became 2 laned and the road conditions remained barely satisfactory. As the day progressed the sun became scorching and for miles upon miles we just saw a sun tortured, desolate landscape while we crossed some small towns and hamlets. The monotony was occasionally broken by hills and some very steep ghats. Indeed, one particular ghat was so steep that trucks laden with various merchandise were barely crawling – their engines groaning. Infact, one monstrous multi axle trailer laden with heavy machinery had to repeatedly stop. And there were policemen to regulate the movement in the ghat! But despite the steep slopes there were temples in the hills. Throughout our journey we had been noticing temples atop hills & hillocks. It is not easy after all to accommodate 33 crore deities of the Hindu pantheon in the plains itself. If you come across a hill, can a temple be far away!!
We were constantly on the look out for a good dhaba to have lunch but that was not to be and the dhaba we finally stopped at gave us insipid, salt less dal and chicken!!! When Jenny pointed it out, they even had the temerity to justify it by saying that they put less salt on purpose!! May be the owner, the cook or both were patients of High Blood Pressure. Anyway, we were almost convinced that lunch in dhabas was going to be a uniform disaster throughout our journey.
Nugget of wisdom : Carry chips, cookies, murkku, chocolates etc. to munch on during a long drive. You will be able to manage the pangs of hunger reasonably well.
After an uneventful journey we crossed Indore and proceeded towards Ujjain. Our GPS (yes we had bought one at Mumbai) played a trick on us and took us to Ujjain through a village route which probably had been a road once upon a time. Right now it was a Herculean effort to make out where the fields ended and the road began and the gigantic craters taxed the car and the driver both. So much for the advancement of science and technology!!!
We finally reached Ujjain after switching off the GPS and asking for directions in the time tested manner. After the mandatory one hour search for the place of stay, we finally were in the the Police Officers’ Mess at around 18:30 hrs after a drive of about 630 Kms.
Situated on the banks of River Kshipra, Ujjain is a huge centre of pilgrimage for the Hindus and is dotted with temples. It is also one of the four places in the country which has a “Kumbh Mela” (the other three being Allahabad, Haridwar and Nashik). For detailed information on why Kumbh is organised only at these four places and as to why it is called “Kumbh” seek a prior appointment with Rituraj (charges may apply).
Ujjain has 84 different temples of Shiva himself, the most famous being the “Maha Kaal” temple to signify that He is Eternal and timeless. Maha Kaal or Maha Kaaleshwar is also a “Jyotirlinga”. Temples of Shiva are dotted all over the country but the twelve most powerful ones are called “Jyotirlinga”.
If we hurried we could see the evening “Shringar” of Maha Kaal, we were told. So we hurried. Unlike most other temples the Maha Kaal temple is extremely clean, well kept and neat and the crowd of devotees was well behaved and orderly. Soon we were in the Sanctum Sanctorum and were paying our obeisance to Maha Kaal. The idol had been beautifully decorated and fully covered with “Bhang”. “Bhang” is one of the products of the plant Cannabis Indica and has remained associated with Shiva since time immemorial.
Sceptical about Rituraj’s likely behaviour in a temple, Jenny was amazed to see him observing and performing the rituals like a true believer. This being only the second time in her 28 year old married life that she was seeing her husband enter a temple, the amazement was pretty justified. When she later quizzed Rituraj, his reply was, “I just felt like it”. Probably “Maha Kaaleshwar” had silently motivated him or had made the agnostic in him dormant for the time being!!
Ujjain also has a temple dedicated to the Goddess Kali in one of her avatars called the “Harsidhi Temple” (Har=Shiva; Sidhi=to fulfil the wish of). Two gigantic “Deep Stambhs” (Deep=Lamp; Stambh=Tower) catch your eye the moment you step inside the precincts. These are supposed to have been constructed by King Vikramaditya whose seat of power was Ujjain, by the way. The towers were dazzling in the light of the oil lamps. We were told that lighting of the lamps is the prerogative of a particular family only and they climb up the oil smeared pillars without the aid of any ladder or other external aid. That none of them have ever met with an accident is either a tribute to their dexterity or the blessings of the Goddess (choose whichever suits your fancy). Today being ”Ashtami” the beautifully decorated temple was thronging with devotees. We (yes, Rituraj once again rose to the occasion, so to say) performed a quick puja, rued the fact that we did not have the camera to take pics of the ”Deep Stambhs”, dutifully collected the “Prasad” and left.
Back in the Officers’ Mess we had a simple but extremely tasty dinner and retired for the night. It had been a long day indeed.
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