OLD COUPLES KASHI YATRA VIA KHAJURAHO (11)

---

OLD COUPLES KASHI YATRA VIA KHAJURAHO (11).

16th October, 2007 - Wednesday.

By 6 am we were ready and loaded our saman in the car by which time Shri G. Manohar came. We departed at 6-15 am along with G.Manohar who accompanied us upto the outskirts of Gaya. We slowly started our return journey. By 9 am we reached Barhi, a junction place for proceeding to Calcutta and to Hazaribagh. Actually we should have proceeded towards Calcutta to have the darshan of Dakshineswara Matha Kalika Devi. But it did not happen. We had our breakfast in Barhi and proceeded towards Hazari Bagh and Ranchi. Throughout our road journey in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jarkhand, Chattisgarh, and Orissa, we found the people are very co-operative and we never experienced any difficulty with them. The people of Bihar are not different from the people in other States; though a different picture is projected by many a people. We have not come across any rowdyism or cheating at the hands of the people, traders, purohits, etc. Wherever we stopped our car seeking directions to the place of our destination, people were very patient and gave correct information sought for by us. In fact at some places, they advised us as to our place of stay, nearest route to the destination, precautions to be taken, if any, etc.

We had our lunch at a place after Ranchi and by 4-30 pm we reached Jamshedpur which is also known as Tata Nagar. First we thought of having night halt at this place but as there is still a travelling time of one and half hour, we decided to proceed to the next town, Ghatsila, and stay there. This is the biggest mistake we have committed in our Yatra! Or, an opportunity, we unknowingly seized, to have an excellent experience of the Pilgrimage. After crossing the outskirts, the road is full of pot holes and is not at all a motorable road. Mind you! This is a National High Way. We could cover only 10 kms in one and of half hours. It is already dark. We stopped at a roadside shop and enquired about the road condition. The shopwallah informed us that the condition of the road is the same for a further distance of about 30 kms. What to do? To go back it takes another one and half hour. If there is any puncture to the tyre there are none to come to our rescue; and it is impossible to replace the same in the pitch darkness. Proceeding further is as risky as going back to Jamshedpur. Another 100 yards further, I noticed a 24 hour-open IOC petrol bunk - Sri Gopal Service Station, N.H.33, BHELAI PAHARI, Jamshedpur. I immediately proceeded to the Petrol Bunk and I mentally decided to spend the night in the Petrol Bunk. But, I had to consult my colleagues regarding staying in the Petrol Bunk. I suggested to them that they proceed to Jamshedpur in an auto, if any vehicle is coming in the way, and come back tomorrow morning and I will stay in the Petrol Bunk in the Car. My wife immediately stated that she will stay in the car along with me. My friend couple also stated that whatever decision is taken that all should stay at one place - either staying in the car in the Petrol Bunk or going back to Jamshedpur.

I met the Manager of the Petrol Bunk in his cabin and explained to him our position and requested him to allow us to stay in the Petrol Bunk for the night. It so happened that the Manager Shri Ravi Chandrasekhara Rao, is a telugu person from Srikakulam District and in fact is the brother’s son of famous cine artiste Shri Ravi Kondala Rao. The Manager is very cooperatiave and stated that he had no objection for our stay in the Petrol Bunk and in fact offered the Generator Room for us to stay. After half an hour, the Proprietor of the Petrol Bunk, an Oriyan, arrived and on hearing about us from the Manager, He said that all arrangements for our comfortable stay should be made in the Petrol Bunk. It is also seen that he is constructing a Sri Kodanda Rama Temple adjacent to the Petrol Bunk. An old Sadhu Couple are staying in the semi constructed temple premises and performing archana and puja to the icons placed in a tinshed with four rooms. In one of the rooms, the icons are placed and the other three rooms are used for the residence of the sadhu-couple. The Proprietor requested the Sadhu couple to vacate one room and give it to us for our stay and he sent bed sheets, pillows, a table fan, etc., for us. With the bed-sheets and other material available with us, we stayed for the night in the room in the temple premises.

17th October, 2007 - Thursday.

We got up early by 5 am and after finishing our daily rituals, we started our onward journey by 6 am, profusely thanking the Sadhu-Couple for the help rendered by them; and offering our prayears to Sri Sita Lakshmana sametha Sri Kodanda Rama who provided us shelter in his Alayam. We travelled via Ghatsila (where we had our breakfast), Baharagora (in Jarkhand State), Bari Pada, Baleswar, Bhadrak (in Orissa State) and reached Bhuvaneswar bye pass road by 5 pm. We had our lunch in a wayside Hotel in Bhadrak. We decided to stay in Bhuvaneswar for the night. The Hotel name is Hotel Urmee, 424, Rasulgarh Square, Bhubaneshwar. Witnessing LIVE TELECAST OF a one day cricket match in the TV, we took rest for the day.

18th OCTOBER, 2007 - FRIDAY.

We continued our onward return journey starting from the Hotel by 6-15 am. We proceeded via Chandpur, Chilka Lake, Rambha, Ganjam, Berhampur, Udayagiri, (all in Orissa State), and Itchapuram (in Andhra Pradesh). We had our lunch in Itchapuram in a way side Hotel on the Bye pass road. Travelling via Srikakulam, Tagarapuvalasa and reahed Visakhapatnam by 4 pm. We stopped for a brief time for a tea break and proceeded further towards Rajahmundry via Anakapalle and Tuni. We reached Rajahmundry by 7 pm and stayed for the night in Hotel Vyshnavi, Opp: Kotipalli Bus Stand, T.Nagar, Rajahmundry (Phone No.2429840), a reasonably good Lodging Place in Rajahmundry.

19th OCTOBER, 2007 - SATURDAY.

As planned previous night, we early morning proceeded to Pushkar Ghat of River Godavari to have a holy bath. It is said that Ganga and Godavari are sisters. So, we brought Ganga Jal in a small bottle and offered the same to Godavari. It looked as if the Sister Godavari is thrilled and inviting her Sister Ganga and embraced her. After taking sankalpasahitha holy bath in Godavari, we returned to our Hotel, had breakfast and proceeded towards Hyderabad via Kovvur, Devaraplli, Koyyalagudem, Jangareddygudem, Ashwaraopet, Kallur, Tallada, Khammam, Kusumanchi, Suryapet, Nakrekal, Narketpalli, and Choutuppal. We stopped for a brief time in Khammam for lunch. We reached Hyderabad at 7-15 pm. With this the OLD COUPLES’ PILGRIMAGE TO KASHI VIA KHAJURAHO WAS SUCCESSFULLY CONCLUDED WITH GOD’S GRACE AND BEST WISHES FROM FRIENDS AND REALIVES. After a week, we had performed Abhishekam to Lord Shiva in our house and invited friends and relatives to witness the Puja and for lunch and distributed Ganga Jal brought from Allahabad and a small but beautiful Shivalinga icon embedded with coloured stones, and shared our Yatra experiences with them.

TOUR DETAILS

Period of Tour : From 18-09-2007 to 19-10-2007 -- 32 days.

No.of KMs covered : 4,965 KMs.

Punya Kshetras covered:

1. SAONER : Anjaneya Swamy temple under a pipal tree.
2. PACHMARHI : Hill Station, Pandava Caves.
3. BHEDAGHAT : Chousath Yogini Temple, River Narmada flowing
Between Marble Rocks and place of Shiva
Saligramams.
4. JABALPUR : Hanging Rock.
5. KHAJURAHO : Unspoiled temples with beautiful erotic silpas and
a Jain Mandir.
6. CHITRAKOOT : Atri Ashramam, Gupta Godavari, Rama’s exile
During Aranya Vasam, Spatika shila.
7. ALLAHABAD : Triveni Sangamam, Bharadwaj Ashramam, Ashta
Dasa Sakthi Peeth, Place of Kumbh Mela.
8. VINDHYACHAL : Vindhyavasini Temple, Ashtabhuj Matha Temple,
Kalika Temple.
9. SITAMARHI : Valmiki Asramam, Place where Sri Sita Matha
Entered crust of the earth through her journey
To Vaikuntham, Place where Lava and Kusa
Spent their childhood.
10. VARANASI : Lord Visweswara Temple, Ganga Ghats, Sankata
Vimochana temple, Matha Annapurneswari
And Visalakshi Sakthi Peeth temples, Sri Durga
Temple, Kasi Vidya Peeth, Kashi Fort, etc.
11. SARNATH : Famous Buddha Stupa and Buddha Temples &
Lord Shiva Temple.
12. NAIMISARANYAM : Chakra Tirth, Vyas Gaddi, Manu Taposthal,
Lalitha Sakthi Peeth, Balaji Mandir, Dadheechi
Kund (10 KM on the way), etc.
13. AYODHYA : Rama Janma Sthal, Sita ki Rasoi Temple, Sarayu
River, Hanuman Mandir, etc.
14. KUSHINAGAR : Buddha Nirvana Sthal and other Buddha Temples
15. GAYA : Vishnu Pada Temple, Maha Vata Vriksh, Phal-
Guni River, Bodh Gaya, Pipal Tree under which
Buddha got enlightenment and other temple,
Mangala Gouri Sakthi Peeth, etc.

VEHICLE USED IN THE TOUR : MARUTHI WAGONR

YATRIS : 1. Raghavarao (62) & Girija Vardhani (57),
(Old Couples) Vijay Kumar (61) & Rajya Lakshmi (53).



INSPIRATION FOR THE PILGRIMAGE BY ROAD :

By nature I am interested in undertaking adventurous tours. I have many a times travelled on a Bajaj Cub Scooter along with my wife to Srisailam. Further, during my visit to Himalayas in 1990, I have seen many a pilgrims from Punjab (mostly Sardarjis) visiting Himalayas on Bajaj Chetak Scooter - along with their familes (three persons - wife and a child). I felt by travelling during day time in our own vehicle gives us a chance to witness the nature more closely than travelling in a Train and during nights. All this inspired me to take my Kashi Yatra in a Car in my own driving.

Most important, I happened to read a travelogue (KASHI YATRA CHARITRA) written by one Pilgrim to Kashi by name Shri Yenugula Veeraswamayya. This is the first Travellogue Book writeen by a Telugu Man in India. He had undertaken the Kasi Yatra from THE THEN CHENNAPATNAM (Madras) to Kasi in the Year 1830. He had undertaken the entire journey along with several of his family members and friends (fifteen people) along with servants to carry the luggage - mostly women - on foot and using horses, bullock-carts, etc., for carrying the luggage and cooking material. He stayed mostly in temple premises in the villages/towns on the way and cooking food for themselves and staying in tents carried along with them. At that time he was working as Chief Intrepretor in the Supreme Court - then located in Madras. He retired from service in 1835 at the age of 55. He had travelled from Kanyakumari to Kashmir twice during his life time. He was a contemporary to Shri Sir C.P.Brown, the then Collector of Krishna District. The journey took One Year, Three Months and Ffteen Days - starting from 18th May, 1830 to 3rd September, 1831. The Route followed by him from Madras is as under :

Madras -- Tirupathi - Cuddapah - Srisailam - Hyderabad - Nirmal -
Nagpur - Jabalpur - Reema - Mirjapur - Prayaga (Allahabad) - KASHI -

KASHI - Patna - Gaya - Patna - Mangheer - Rajmahal - Krishnagar -
Calcutta - Cuttak - Puri - Bhuvaneswar - Chilka Lake - Ganjam -
Chatrapuram - Berhampur - Itchapuram - Srikakulam - Vijayanagaram -
Simhachalam - Pithapuram - Raja nagaram - Rajamahendravaram -
Machilipatnam - Bapatla - Vetapalem - China Ganjam - Nellore -
Ponneri - Tiruvellore - Chennapatnam.

He had given a full description of various villages/towns in between, where he stayed, the persons he met, the religious cores performed, the History of the Punya Kshetram, the state of affairs prevailing at that time, etc. In between he had given the history of various places, rivers, temples, etc., quoting extensively from Puranas and History. He had collected Ganga Jal in 50 vessels (about 200 litres of water) at Prayag before sangamam of Yamuna and mythical Saraswati and brought to Madras and distributed to his friends and relatives. This Book was first published in 1868 and later in 1869, 1941 and in 1991. Reading of this Book is a must for every pilgrim.

WISHING TO MEET YOU ALL IN ANOTHER YATRA TRAVELLOGUE.

OM TAT SAT OM TAT SAT OM TAT SAT


RAGHAVARAO U.V.G.V. DUGGIRALA,

HYDERABAD, Dt.20th MARCH, 2010.

---