Travellogue

 Travellogue 

By Dr Tripti Milind Galgali. 

Anaesthesiologist, Hubli, Karnataka. 

Husband and myself recently went for Lucknow- Ayodhya- Prayagraj- Varanasi- Sarnath trip with Veena World. 

Our tour leaders were Mr Gaurav and Mr Shantanu. 

Reached Lucknow at 10pm.The Hotel Regnant, Lucknow was courteous. The chef at 11pm prepared hot Rotis,Paneer sabji and authentic Awadhi Biryani.....with Shikanji as welcome drink.....

Mildly spiced, great flavors......our tour Kickstarted with satisfying gastronomic delights.....

Sightseeing in Lucknow after meeting a close friend there....who treated with Moti Mahal chaats, Lassi with Rabadi ,Falooda with Rabadi, Soya chaaps, Kebabs with Layered Roti.....

Inspite of slight drizzling, Lucknow charmed us with Imam Baaras, Havelis,Chikankari embroidery, Shayaris by local Guide.....Aada aur nazakat......

We then left to Ayodhya.

Reaching the Ramjanmabhoomi.....the atmosphere transferred us to spiritualism. 

Ramlalla temple surged great devotion in all of us.Dashrath mahal where Lord Ramji was born....Kanaka Mahal gifted by Mara Kaikeyi to Lord Ramaji on his wedding with Devi Sita....

Sita ki Rasoi....Hanuman garhi.....

The transformation of Ayodhya into a beautiful city of pilgrimage especially at night is mesmerizing. The evening Aarti of Sharayu River at the Ghat was devotional....

The Ghee ke Samose with Imli chutney at the Ghat accompanied by Adrak wali Chai served in Earthen Kulhars was memorable. 

Further we headed to Prayagraj to see the Triveni Sangam. Unfortunately, due to flooding of Ganga River the demarcation of Muddy Yamuna and clear Ganga with Saraswati undercurrents could not be appreciated. 

But we could witness Pind Daan,and other rituals performed at the Ghats with a boat ride till the Triveni Sangam. 

Finally,we reached to the Pilgrim city of Varanasi. 

Ganga River had flooded and entered into the city....

So first 2 days was spent on Temple Darshan and exploring the Varanasi city. 

Varanasi is full of Ghaats, Narrow Bylanes, small shops....

Food and Spiritualism combined together. 

Kashi Vishwanath and Kala Bhairav Darshan at 4am in morning ...Long queues and huge surge of mankind.....

A herculean task for our Tour Managers to get all of us together in the maddening crowd negotiating the maze like narrow bylanes of the Temple surrounding....

We all got opportunity to soak in the divinity of Lord Kashi Vishwanath.

Finally, the River Ganga receded a bit.Morning Ganga Aarti could be witnessed by the group.

Although there was sludge, stench and water stagnated all over.....once the Ritual of Ganga Aarti started at 5.15am....the entire half hour took us to another level of mesmerizing devotion.....oblivious to our unhygienic surroundings.......

The afternoon took us to Buddhist Spiritualism visiting the archeological monuments of Thousands of years BC...into the Gupta Dynasty, Maurya Dyanasty....the invasion of Khiljis....the visit of Huan Tseng, Chinese scholars....

Stupas and Bodhi satvas.....

Highlight was the Ashoka pillar and emblem with the 3 Lion heads and the Ashoka Chakra excavated and kept in the Sarnath Museum.

We also saw Korean monks praying by chants in the Premises of the Stupa built in centuries...by Ashoka,Gupta,And many dynasties together. 

I will not go into details of history here.

Finally, the evenings were spent in savoring the varieties of chaats, sweets,and Paan....Varanasi is famous for.....and every lady's delight- Shopping.Banarasi sarees,stoles,shawls, purses, kurtas, dresses......

A week well spent .

I thank Veena World for excellent planning and arrangements. 

The efforts put in by Tour Managers Mr Gaurav and Mr Shantanu was remarkable and worked applauding especially with the Temple visits.....

We were totally 21 members in the group.Unknown.

Strangers becoming close is highlight of this tour.Helping and Supporting each other...is key to a successful tour.

Hoping to be a part of many more such tours with Veena World in future.