Bangla borgi-r Maratha bijoy - sadhu! Great going - charaeibeti!
The crown jewel of my own ventures in Sahayadri has been a wonderful trek to the summit of Sinhagad exactly a decade ago - the awe-inspiring secenes are indelible. Haven't been to Pratapgad though... lucky you.
Yes, the fort legends are indeed "de la grande mephistopheles". Although I am not sure how good a warrior is w/o an arm and a foot (i.e. if it matters greatly which arm/foot one loses) and cannot judge Sivaji's "prowess of thinking" at that, but surely the famous 'ghorpad' saga of Tanaji's pet monitor lizard Yeshwanti carrying a rope tied around its shoulder up the steepest wall (Ghorpad Wall) of the unreachable Sinhagad is absolutely fabulous stuff.
Another reason why Sinhagad moved me so was Satyendranath Datta's (?) dramatic (Bangla) poem 'Singhagad' that I read as a child: it ends with Sivaji's informing his mother, “We won the fort, but lost the lion”.
Keep travelling...
P.S. Not Pratapgad fort/Sinhagad fort, just Pratap-gad/Sinha-gad.
Next Time With Shivaji getting released this friday..this is a post right on time. And a great post indeed. I liked those stories: took me back at those Sadashiv-Shivaji stories at 4th part of Sharadindu Omnibas. The pics were also great...next time I'll be with you.
Duronto o jompesh, De-da! A phoron for spicier tadka:
Forts and forests especially come alive with tales and legends - why not stitch (perhaps set the beginning in) "stories of the glorious past, the battles between Rana Humvir and Allauddin Khilji, the secret tunnels under the Shiv-ling, the sacrifices of the queens" seamlessly into your narrative - weave in-and-out of the reality and the 'nisarga' to maximize 'wonder' quotient...
A condiment for topping: an olive cap and a pair of binoculars would make 16-kala purno.
I envy your good fortunes...
I went to Hardwar (Gateway to Shiva) as a kid and was transfixed - even as a kid - by the deep religiosity that engulfs one, especially if one grows up in a secular township. In wonderful contrast, the townships in and around Hardwar (a district) - such as Kankhal ("Daksha-yajna") or Jwalapur (fab giant white radishes) - seemed fascinatingly ancient. The sarovar at Sapt Rshi ashram (or, the ashram at Sapt Sarovar) and the amazing diyas at Hari-ki-pairi (Vishnu's footprint) are unforgettable. The sites of Daksha Mahadev and Kapila (who went down to Bengal) were stuff my childhood legends were made of. My immense gratitude for rekindling some fabulous memories while working, at the moment, in a cold modern lab. Keep travel-blogging, pathik, yours is an excellent start. With Hari-hara's joint blessings that you go on, 'pratyavayo na vidyate'...
virgin beauty Spellbound! Liked all the pics,specially forest panorama,fort,jhumri bawri.description is very good.I have no such word to describe the beauty of Ranathambore.You did so great!
Wish...... had i been there!
Thanks prad.
awesome The pic of the sunset at Hrishikesh.....................awesome
Narration is also really very nice.Where did you lost in thoughts,Prad?
The holy start of the year.........cool.
The narration is good..rather great...but some some glitches as a critic r visible to me...its upto you if you want to overlook it...well a critic will always remain a critic...lol...
1. The pictures are good but the images of Hotel Jhumar Bawri, forest panorama from fort are not giving the feel of the place you are discribing, maybe the brightness or some focus point needs to be more visible or prominent.
2. If you had used your d80_ranthambore_safari2_054 image for the leopard...it would have been fabulous treat to watch.
3. In the text you make the person reading it part of the experience, especially when you mention 'us' but when you mention a number that is 5 of you have gone for the trip....those people needs a mention as well...to give it a personal touch...
rest i find it great...
Critique Hi Prad,
I will try to write my candid comments here, though telling you in person will be much more easier. The piece covered the whole of journey, without giving too much emphasis on any one part, which was good. It was enjoyable.
But knowing you, I expected some of the deep thoughts of your personality to be reflecting in day to day events of this trip, what I mean is it looked like a group's travellogue more than your individual travellogue.
I might be wrong, and we can discuss this any of the time we keep on meeting.
Keep writing, I get a motivation to start soon too.
Good for you! Congrats again on your PhD! Seems like this was a great way to celebrate . Pictures were awsome! I loved the peacock and parrots. Btw, you have put on some weight - actually thats good. :D
We will be waiting for more action on this bog.
Cheers!
SB
I like visiting places which are not in any travel list ... not the big cities, rather small little-known places which are off the radar of tourist guides. I am currently living in Delhi, India which gives me ample opportunity to discover the majestic Himalayan region, as well as the deserts of the Rajasthan. Hope my wanderlust spirit will take me around and I will be able to take all on a tour of the incredible places I hope to cover.... full info
Pyne
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Bangla borgi-r Maratha bijoy - sadhu!
Great going - charaeibeti! The crown jewel of my own ventures in Sahayadri has been a wonderful trek to the summit of Sinhagad exactly a decade ago - the awe-inspiring secenes are indelible. Haven't been to Pratapgad though... lucky you. Yes, the fort legends are indeed "de la grande mephistopheles". Although I am not sure how good a warrior is w/o an arm and a foot (i.e. if it matters greatly which arm/foot one loses) and cannot judge Sivaji's "prowess of thinking" at that, but surely the famous 'ghorpad' saga of Tanaji's pet monitor lizard Yeshwanti carrying a rope tied around its shoulder up the steepest wall (Ghorpad Wall) of the unreachable Sinhagad is absolutely fabulous stuff. Another reason why Sinhagad moved me so was Satyendranath Datta's (?) dramatic (Bangla) poem 'Singhagad' that I read as a child: it ends with Sivaji's informing his mother, “We won the fort, but lost the lion”. Keep travelling... P.S. Not Pratapgad fort/Sinhagad fort, just Pratap-gad/Sinha-gad.