Many curious eyebrows were raised when I decided to holiday in Bihar, of all places. I am sure it would not have been my choice either if it was not a place of historical and archeological importance. Fortunately I have my friend living in Patna, erstwhile Pataliputra. I have traveled very less in the north so my joy knew no bounds and I really looked forward to experiencing the bitter cold in December (a luxury for a Chennaite like me!)
And so I, my sister, dad and mom started off on a long train journey with the weather just perfect for a holiday. My friend arrived just a bit late to receive us giving us the opportunity to bask in the winter sun. But we were only too glad to bundle up inside a car and get into the comfort of a home very soon. The aroma of fresh tea filled the air, which we were to learn later was the effort of his cook, Abu - a naïve young Bihari boy of 18 whose world seemed to revolve almost entirely around the kitchen. During our 10 day stay, he made sure that we were more than well fed, albeit his customary menu consisting of dal, chawal, alu and papad. He had become an entertainer of sorts with his funny replies, and his typical response ‘hum alu cheel rahe hain’ when questioned about what he was doing, whatever time of the day be it.
The next day dawned bright and sunny and it was nice of my friend to take off from office. With a chauffeur-driven office car at our disposal and goodies packed for us to eat, we headed to Rajgir, famous for its hot water springs. Though the place was laid out very conveniently for the visitors, it was too crowded for our liking. We then planned to take the winch to the peace pagoda on top of the hill but lost all enthusiasm seeing the queue. Finally we ditched the idea and drove to Nalanda.
I have read about Nalanda University in history books but was not prepared for what I saw. The area it covered, the structure, the technical aspects, the tone of the rocks, the warmth of the
surface, the ruinous state in which it now stood - resulted in a surge of emotions in me. We just stood there not saying a word and somehow the concept of a holiday seemed to change. Given an opportunity, I could just sit there the whole day gazing at the colossal structure. I was even beginning to envy the flower vendors! Closing my eyes, I conjured up images of scholars walking all around me carrying manuscripts. I know I sound crazy but how great to be able to be transported to that time zone for some time (although I would be such a misfit)………….sigh! So much for wishful thinking. Forced back to reality, we headed back to Patna.
The next day, we traveled to Gaya. After visiting the renowned Vishnupad temple, we walked down to the ghats where the Falguni river flowed. The water barely reached up to the ankles, nevertheless it was cool walking on the water feeling the soft sand under the feet. With nothing more to do there, we proceeded to Boudh Gaya. This is the place where Lord Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment seated under the Bodhi tree. It was my first visit to a Buddhist temple and I felt mesmerized gazing at the imposing idol of the Buddha inside. The silence maintained inside the sanctum was amazing. The temple had Buddhist relics and prayer flags all around, and holy script written in Bhutanese. It was interesting to see the architecture of the gopurams. Satisfied spiritually, we headed back home for a piping hot dinner before we wound up for the night.
We pretty much stuck to the city the next day allowing my friend to visit office for a few hours! Lunch was followed by a cozy afternoon nap. Soon after tea, we were raring to go. We touched upon Golghar first - a huge dome-shaped granary. A spiral staircase ran along the dome reaching the top. For the first time I felt uncomfortable amidst crowds, Patna is not a place to be roaming around even in broad daylight. People make you feel as though you are an alien from outer space by staring unabashedly. I was relieved to get out from there and we went to a Gurudwara. First timers again, we were told that this Gurudwara was special. The tenth and last Guru of the Sikhs was born here in Patna Sahib. One of the volunteers took us around explaining the history of the place. After the prayers, all devotees were given a hot sweet dish, the taste of which still lingers in my memory. As Abu had gone to his native, we had dinner at a South Indian restaurant and retired early for the night.
We had one last place in our agenda to be seen - Vaishali. We started late afternoon the next day on a nice long drive with lush greenery following on both sides. At one point, we deviated onto a mud track and drove on reaching Vaishali, in the middle on nowhere. It was past 5 PM already and the weather was cold. There was steady breeze and the mist hung heavily in the air. But what struck me immediately was the serene atmosphere, so much so that a calmness seemed to envelop me. The white structure of the peace pagoda stood majestically against the perfect backdrop of the darkening sky. We took our own sweet time going around the pagoda and the experience was blissful. As darkness fell, we left the place.
Our holiday was coming close to an end but not before spending two days in Jamshedpur. I have a friend, Sainik who stays there with his wife and I also persuaded Arun into joining us. Jamshedpur is named after Jamshedji Tata, the business icon who was instrumental in setting up Tata Steel industry here. It is interesting to note that half the population of this town will have atleast one family member working in Tata. A visit to Dimna lake followed by a visit to the botanical garden summed up our sightseeing. It was an emotional and memorable moment for my dad when we stopped by Madrasi Sammelani for South Indian delicacies, a place that my dad used to frequent during his work tenure with TTK in 1969!
As all good things come to an end, so did our holiday. We never realized how the days had flown past so swiftly and it was now time for us to take the evening train back to Chennai.
And so I, my sister, dad and mom started off on a long train journey with the weather just perfect for a holiday. My friend arrived just a bit late to receive us giving us the opportunity to bask in the winter sun. But we were only too glad to bundle up inside a car and get into the comfort of a home very soon. The aroma of fresh tea filled the air, which we were to learn later was the effort of his cook, Abu - a naïve young Bihari boy of 18 whose world seemed to revolve almost entirely around the kitchen. During our 10 day stay, he made sure that we were more than well fed, albeit his customary menu consisting of dal, chawal, alu and papad. He had become an entertainer of sorts with his funny replies, and his typical response ‘hum alu cheel rahe hain’ when questioned about what he was doing, whatever time of the day be it.
The next day dawned bright and sunny and it was nice of my friend to take off from office. With a chauffeur-driven office car at our disposal and goodies packed for us to eat, we headed to Rajgir, famous for its hot water springs. Though the place was laid out very conveniently for the visitors, it was too crowded for our liking. We then planned to take the winch to the peace pagoda on top of the hill but lost all enthusiasm seeing the queue. Finally we ditched the idea and drove to Nalanda.
I have read about Nalanda University in history books but was not prepared for what I saw. The area it covered, the structure, the technical aspects, the tone of the rocks, the warmth of the
surface, the ruinous state in which it now stood - resulted in a surge of emotions in me. We just stood there not saying a word and somehow the concept of a holiday seemed to change. Given an opportunity, I could just sit there the whole day gazing at the colossal structure. I was even beginning to envy the flower vendors! Closing my eyes, I conjured up images of scholars walking all around me carrying manuscripts. I know I sound crazy but how great to be able to be transported to that time zone for some time (although I would be such a misfit)………….sigh! So much for wishful thinking. Forced back to reality, we headed back to Patna.The next day, we traveled to Gaya. After visiting the renowned Vishnupad temple, we walked down to the ghats where the Falguni river flowed. The water barely reached up to the ankles, nevertheless it was cool walking on the water feeling the soft sand under the feet. With nothing more to do there, we proceeded to Boudh Gaya. This is the place where Lord Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment seated under the Bodhi tree. It was my first visit to a Buddhist temple and I felt mesmerized gazing at the imposing idol of the Buddha inside. The silence maintained inside the sanctum was amazing. The temple had Buddhist relics and prayer flags all around, and holy script written in Bhutanese. It was interesting to see the architecture of the gopurams. Satisfied spiritually, we headed back home for a piping hot dinner before we wound up for the night.
We pretty much stuck to the city the next day allowing my friend to visit office for a few hours! Lunch was followed by a cozy afternoon nap. Soon after tea, we were raring to go. We touched upon Golghar first - a huge dome-shaped granary. A spiral staircase ran along the dome reaching the top. For the first time I felt uncomfortable amidst crowds, Patna is not a place to be roaming around even in broad daylight. People make you feel as though you are an alien from outer space by staring unabashedly. I was relieved to get out from there and we went to a Gurudwara. First timers again, we were told that this Gurudwara was special. The tenth and last Guru of the Sikhs was born here in Patna Sahib. One of the volunteers took us around explaining the history of the place. After the prayers, all devotees were given a hot sweet dish, the taste of which still lingers in my memory. As Abu had gone to his native, we had dinner at a South Indian restaurant and retired early for the night.
We had one last place in our agenda to be seen - Vaishali. We started late afternoon the next day on a nice long drive with lush greenery following on both sides. At one point, we deviated onto a mud track and drove on reaching Vaishali, in the middle on nowhere. It was past 5 PM already and the weather was cold. There was steady breeze and the mist hung heavily in the air. But what struck me immediately was the serene atmosphere, so much so that a calmness seemed to envelop me. The white structure of the peace pagoda stood majestically against the perfect backdrop of the darkening sky. We took our own sweet time going around the pagoda and the experience was blissful. As darkness fell, we left the place.
Our holiday was coming close to an end but not before spending two days in Jamshedpur. I have a friend, Sainik who stays there with his wife and I also persuaded Arun into joining us. Jamshedpur is named after Jamshedji Tata, the business icon who was instrumental in setting up Tata Steel industry here. It is interesting to note that half the population of this town will have atleast one family member working in Tata. A visit to Dimna lake followed by a visit to the botanical garden summed up our sightseeing. It was an emotional and memorable moment for my dad when we stopped by Madrasi Sammelani for South Indian delicacies, a place that my dad used to frequent during his work tenure with TTK in 1969!
As all good things come to an end, so did our holiday. We never realized how the days had flown past so swiftly and it was now time for us to take the evening train back to Chennai.
