Blissful trip to Somnath and Kutch ( Part 2)

Welcome to Part 2 series ,Part 1 was about nurturing ourselves with spiritual diet, this leg of travel is about sojourning Saurashtra and Kutch.

This travelogue is published in Tripoto,com as "Blissful trip to Duuwarika, Somnathji and Kutch (Part 2)"

Day 4 

Early morning performed Abhishek at Somanthji temple ,thrilled to view Ganga abhishek getting done electronically without entering the sanctum.

Jai Somnath, May God SOMNATHJI bless you all to fullfill your goal and desires !!

After Abhishek, we tasted South Indian Food prepared on request at Maheshwari Bhavan.Special ginger tea complemented the taste .The next spot in our itinerary was Lion safari at Devalia Safari Park . On the way to Gir,a peep into  Sinh Sadan  for Safari Tickets did not give the efforts. Our driver narrated his experience of seeing lions point blank when he was sleeping inside his car, lions preying upon cattle during night. He was ready to arrange Safari at Gir park, but there was no guarantee that we would spot lions. We dropped the idea of seeing the lions and moved on to Junagarh.

ENTRANCE TO SIMHA SADAN AT SASAN GIR

Please do book the Safari Permit online on the following link :

http://girlion.in/ForestVisitDetails.aspx

At Devalia Safari Park too, we were disappointed, safari was closed at 11.00a.m and scheduled to open at 3.00p.m. We moved on.., from jungle road to cultivated land of mango groves, green- white coriander fields and then to hilly landscape. As one approaches Junagadh ,one can spot the Girnar hill.

Junagarh

The prime attraction of Junagarh is the Girnar mountain ,panaromic view is visible  at entry to this historical place.Standing tall at 3672 ft, this mountain is older than Himalayas.It is a scared pilgrimage center to Hindus and Jains, lakhs of devotees visit during the Girnir Parikrama.

 Reached our point of shelter- Hotel Somnath and kept luggage. Savoured Kathiawadi Thali at Patel’s restaurant, the food is wholesome and reasonably priced, more servers than the customers. Thali's at Gujarat do not come with sharing privilege,unlimited servings of Papad,roti,rice,dal, chaas etc can be enjoyed ,needless to say.

Kathiawadi thali with 3 types of rotis, seasonal sabji, dessert

Sakkarbaug zoological park

Sakkarbaug zoological park is opposite to this restaurant. One can find almost all animals found in mainland India with detailed description printed on boards. There is a museum, an aquarium , snakes enclosure and safari in mini bus.We spotted white tiger, leopard, lion,black bucks, birds .What we missed in Gir, we found them here albeit in enclosures.

Uperkot fort is an attraction for spotting old cannons ,Adhi kadi Vav (stepped well),Navgan Kuha and Buddhist caves. Archaeological survey of India board mentions that caves are dated back to 2nd century A.D. The fort built by Chandragupta Maurya in such a manner that there is only one entrance and exit. Like all other forts this one has a moat and in olden times the settlement was within the fort and they had granaries for storage for food grains to tide over siege. There are two cannons Neelam and Manek tope kept side by side facing the city. There is a Buddhist cave complex in the vicinity of fort. We go down 2 floors below,surprised to find sunlight reaches the 3 rd tier below .These  caves bear testimony to the Ashokan rule as are the nearby edicts. Local guides can be engaged to get historical information although there are boards, but some hidden among bushes ,the fort is littered and side walks are interrupted by vegetation.Rain water harvesting, water storage structures ,step wells called vav can be seen here.These step wells served as water sources for the residents,Adi chadi vav is not ornate unlike other step wells of Gujrath but resembles canyon.

Evening visited the base of Girnar hill,making use of telescope viewing facility near Raghunath dwar ,we could spot Temple of Neminath, Amba matha and Dattatreya temple nestled at different heights in the hill. This spot is called the Devbhumi of Gujarat. 10,000 steps to the summit can be reached by walk or dholis. Visited the Damodar temple nearby the base of the hill.Enjoyed the panaromic view,retired to room ,did not miss the opportunity to taste the delicious thali at Geeta Lodge.

Day 5

Early morning left to Bhuj . On the way stopped at Jetpur – textile town in Rajkot district (70 km from Rajkot) for purchasing Bandhini sarees, visited Textile dying and block printing workshop.After passing through Morbi, Surajbari bridge , Bhachau where factory outlets of Ajanta, Orpat, Atop International,JK Machine tools are located,when the parched landscape is in sight it is Bhuj, we entered Bhuj at 4.00 p.m.Our accomodation was booked at Hotel Mangalam.

Evening driver drove around the city showing important spots.

Swaminarayan temple

This new temple built according to Swaminarayan Sampradaya stands bathed in pure white marble and gold and is a delight to behold. The intricate carvings inspired by episodes of Ramayana and Mahabharata and the architecture never cease to amaze you .The environment of the temple, is neat and clean ,kept us engrossed devouring the beauty of this place.

Night savored Mysore Masala dosa at Sankalp South Indian food joint.

Day 6

Early morning after a wonderful breakfast of mutter Poha and Methi parota at hotel, left to Kutch. Western side of Kutch is dotted with 3 prominent pilgrimage centres Ashapura Mata na Madh, Narayan Sarovar and Koteshwar .

Mata na Madh is a highly revered temple of Asha pura Mata, after darshan , we did shopping for bags and jewellery at the local stalls.

Koteshwar Mahadev Temple (152 km from Bhuj)is at the dead end of the land mass beyond which is the vast salt marsh and the sea. The temple dedicated to Lord Shiva is situated at the edge of the vast water body of Kori Creek hence, constructed on a high platform and bounded by stone boundary to protect damage from constant water splashing. It was told that the lights in Karachi, Pakistan are visible from here in clear nights.

Narayan Sarovar temple (5 km from Koteshwar)houses innumerable deities but the main shrine is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Mythology says that the holy water of River Saraswati, all the way, reached to fill the lake, thus sacred. The water didn’t look clean, people were taking a dip in the sarovar. You can spot the board reading 'Tropic of cancer while passing through Bhuj - Narayan Sarovar - Koteswar route and dont forget to taste Dabeli of Kutch.

Camels sunbathing near Kutch

Finally we were driving to the much awaited Kutch, it was the time of Rann Utsav . PM Modiji had visited the Utsav previous day. The stalls were put up , it was afternoon , only few visitors .We had lunch, walked around the stalls selling colorful handicrafts, dresses, bags, foot wear, shawls. After taking permission from BSF check post we were allowed to walk into the White desert. On both sides you can see a white expanse of sand with pockets of crystallized salt. Although the place did not live up to the hype created by Amitabh Bachanji’s Advt “Kutch nahi dekha to Kuch nahi dekha” Kutch is a memory to cherish forever. The Great Rann of Kutch can be understood as having 4 major types-brownish at the entrance, spongy soft further down, stark white later and crack- land in the interiors. We had seen the 3 types, the salt plains and that infinite blanket of white earth.

Rajkot

After long driving of 5 hours reached Rajkot at 9,00p.m, approached Hotel Babha kingstone,room was available.After a tiring journey we were in need of a good night's sleep.Early morning after a delicious breakfast at the hotel left to roam around Rajkot.

Pradyumna Park is well maintained and clean zoological park with a good collection of white tigers, lions,Cheetah,black bucks,deers in their natural habitat. We availed the Battery operated vehicle to move around . We were told that the tigers ,lions are fed with 8kg of buffalo meat daily inviting them to enclosure separately every morning.

With Mukesh Bhai -our cardriver hired from Deepak Travels, Rajkot

Undiyu prepared from fresh vegetables in a gravy of coconut and peanuts 

Aji dam with its lush green garden and dam is a good place to view birds at close quarters, our last spot turned to be a peaceful one before catching flight to Mangaluru

Visited Deepak travels, paid their bill and had roti with Undhiyo for lunch. Boarded evening flight at 3.30 P.M ,reached Mangaluru at 7.30 P.m.Its trip with colorful memories of kites, flying dwaj of Mandir, birds, blue sea, creek , green fields,white/pink temple and white desert.

Around Thrissur with family

About tourism in Kerala

Nestled between the pristine waters of Arabian sea on west, cordoned by Western ghats on east,Kerala has one of the most scenic flora and fauna ,water bodies and beaches. True to its origin as per mythological stories and the present branding slogan  Gods own country, Kerala is blessed with rich culture ,places of worship and diverse forms of performing arts. Onam the internationally renowned state festival is a celebration of its rich traditions. The state attracts international tourists to a larger extent, it  earned a total revenue of Rs 33383.68 crores during 2017, in which the share of foreign exchange was Rs 8392 crores. If the district wise tourist arrivals are taken, Ernakulam followed by Thrissur district clocked the first and second positions respectively in attracting domestic segment.

Our annual tour to Kerala happens effortlessly, thanks to its proximity and train connectivity from Kasargod (the nearby railway station) to any major town along the Kerala coast line.I’m nostalgic narrating our  holidays undertaken in the month of October 2017 to the cultural capital of Kerala,  Thrissur. This tour was a complete package of fun, trekking, temple visit and watching elephants. A recap of our Itinerary for 3 days -Day 1:Anakutta, Guruvayurappan temple,          Day 2: Thrissur, Day 3:  Athirapally falls               Day 4: Journey back home

 Day 1

Guruvayaur temple 

Early morning (19/10/2017)we left Sullia, parked our car at Kasargod railway station, boarded Parasuram Express at 5.40 AM to Kuttipuram then took bus, reached Guruvayur at about 1.00p.m .Straight away headed to Temple to have Darshan of Lord Guruvayurappan. The sitting queue system for Darshan is fabulous here because one keeps hopping from one bench to another bench. It did not take much time for us to reach and pray at the sanctum. Happy after blissful darshan, we had lunch and a short nap. Off we set to Anakotta (called elephant fort) the shelter and sanctuary for the elephants. It’s a rare opportunity to watch (tamed ?) elephants doing their activities like eating palm leaves, bathing from a distance. Although there are sign boards which caution about some elephant’s unexpected behaviour, many tuskers are chained. Dilip was disappointed that photography is prohibited here. Elephants are taken care well , they get their food and medical attention.

Shri Guruvayurappan temple queue 

Mural paintings around the temple

Evening we hired a rickshaw and visited some of the temples Partasarathy temple, Mammiyor temple. The main diety at Mammiyor temple is Lord Shiva in the form of Lord Uma Maheshwar, there is another sanctum dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The pilgrimage to Guruvayurappan temple is complete only after a  visit to this temple . The mythology puts up that Lord Shiva voluntarily moved from Lake Rudrateertha  ,the place where Guru and Vayu consecrated the idol of Kid Krishna (presently Guruvayur temple) to  Mammiyur spot . In the Guruvayurpura mahatmyan purana  penned by Sri Narada ,it is  mentioned that King  Janamejaya was cured of leprosy by taking refuge under the feet of Guruvayuruppa.

Day 2  Thrissur 

Early morning we went to the temple side to have a look at the  mural paintings, depicting episopdes from the Puranas. After one circumlocution around temple, left Guruvayur in a bus to Thrissur. We checked into Ammus Regency , the hotel  is in close proximity to Bus stand. With the reference from travel desk , a taxi was booked to cover Thrissur and Athirapally falls. 

Thampuran Palace

Built in Kerala and Dutch style architecture ,is a 2 storeyed building with Kerala style Nallukettu. This palace dates back to the time of Rama Varma Shakthan Tampuram,the ruler of Thrissur. The palace converted into museum since 2005 consists of various unique bronze and granite sculptures, coins, inscription plates, utensils used by the royals and currency used in the Kochi dynasty. Various antiques belonging to the stone age are also on display. Well maintained butterfly garden and heritage garden inside the premises is a home to various species of flora and fauna. 

Tampuram palace,Thrissur

butterfly garden

Heritage garden

Thrissur zoo 

Enjoyed watching the birds, animals and rare species of trees inside the zoo.

Athirapally  waterfall

It took an hour and half  drive from Thrissur to reach this waterfall. The angelic waterfall pictured in the initial   frames of Bahubali movie where drowning Rajamata Shivagami leaves her just born grandson is the Athirapally  waterfall located  near Chalakudy of Thrissur district.  It’s an thrilling experience to trek through the forest to view  the bottom of the  falls  dropping from a 24 metre height granite rocks .This point is crowded with tourists who are not willing to return, indulge in dancing and photographic mood from the nearest point ,blocking the full view. When we visited in November there was heavy flow of water, hence spared from seeing bathing tourists. Even the top of the falls where Chalakudy river flows just before the falls offers an amazing view.

Chalakkudy river before flowing into falls 

Vadakkunathan  Temple 

Is an ancient temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. Situated at the centre point of Thrissur at a higher level, the temple has an enclosed 9 acres premises with teak wood forests fortified  by  granite wall.  It is said that this is the first temple built by Lord Parasurama. There is an inner complex with 5 shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva, Devi Parvathi, Ganapathi, Shankaranarayana, Shri Rama .All the shrines except Shri Rama’s have circular structures. There is a prescribed procedure of offering prayer to various shrines as put up in the board at the entrance. We simply followed the local pilgrims , wondering the magnanimity of the temple  The shivalinga  is fully covered in solidified ghee and hence we will not able to see the vi-graha but only a mount of ghee. The daily abhishek is of 1.8 kg of pure ghee.One can feel the solemn atmosphere associated with age and centuries of devotion – a Characteristic feature of South Indian Temples. The vastness of the temple premises makes a visitor 

feel that  the entire city life revolves around this temple.

Entrance to Vadkkunathan Temple

21/10/17 Back home

Morning breakfast was Charata puttu, Kadala curry and idlies.For the journey back home, we took the Ernad Express that departed from Thrissur at 9:20 a.m. Dilip was hooked to gadget while myself and Pradeep were enjoying the view outside. The 2 day tour was so exciting with lots of adventure, sight seeing and temple visits.

Blissful trip to Duuwarika and Somnath

Without any guesses,the possible destination to be covered  during this January vacations was Dwarka and Somnath ,as these were the last dhams pending in our Chardham yatra .So we decided to make Rajkot as our base ,and beginning from Dwarka would cover Porbander, Somnath, Bhuj and White Rann. Extended the journey  till Kutch as it was the time of Rann Utsav. For those who love sea, sun, birds, sand , temples and heritage this is an amazing trip,and indeed it turned to be a cozy, easy,private trip.

The trip started by Boarding 11.50 a.m flight from Mangalore to Rajkot with a change over at Mumbai .The first sight that drew my attention as we touched Rajkot runway were the  scattered colorful kites on the turf , hinting that Rajkot citizens had a vibrant kite flying festival.
Our accommodation was booked at Hotel SS Inn above Sankalp Restaurant located at Race course road. We were allotted a studio room ,Race course garden view  from the window was awesome.      It was a chilly and pleasant evening for any Coastal kannadiga. When we enquired for sight seeing arrangements available at Hotel desk,the Hotel Manager turned to be an introvert ,did not respond to our enquiries. We roamed around the city in an auto catching some sights and sounds.

Sri Swaminarayana Mandir,Rajkot

The temple built in pink stone is decked in intricate stone detailing on arches and columns .No concrete or cement has been used in construction.Central shrine has idol of Lord Swami Narayan , other shrines are Harikrishna Maharaj and Lord Krishna & Radha.

Swami Narayan Mandir Rajkot

Jain temple
Temple architecture is outstanding.

Love temple

Culmination of religious arts inside Love Temple

Love temple is a Syro-Malabar cathedral dedicated to Sacred heart of Jesus.It blends the architectural features of other religions but looks like a temple. There is a mosaic of Jesus seated in a meditation pose above a lotus like an Indian holy man.

Night had crispy Masala dosa at Sankalp restaurant. Quite contented to taste south Indian quality dosa accompanied with 3 chutnies and perfect sambhar in Gujrath. There were wide variety of dosas, idlies,bisibele bat  and other authentic South Indian tiffin items,the waiters were explaining about composition of bisibele bat to guests (I was in all smiles)

We had booked a taxi from Deepak Travels -Rajkot to traverse this figure 8 tracing circuit starting from Rajkot- Bet Dwarka, Somnath, Junagadh, Rajkot, Bhuj, Koteshwar, White Rann and back to Rajkot . The total travelling cost suggested was around Rs 20,000 for the 6 days itinerary, apart from the hotel accommodation .

Early morning , driver MukeshBhai picked us in  Tata A/C Manza  ,briefed us about day’s programme,he spoke fluently in hindi .

Rajkot to Jamnagar  (100 kms)

First  spot in this series turned to be Aradhana Dham after Jamnagar. This is a Jain temple dedicated to Shree Halartheerth , there are galleries depicting Hindu mythology and a garden in the premises.Spent some 30 minutes inside the temple.

Nageshwar Jyotirling

Nageshwar Temple is located on the route between Gomati Dwarka and the Bet Dwarka,the powerful Jyotirlinga symbolizes protection from all poisons.The massive statue of Lord Shiva in meditation posture  could be  spotted from long distance as we approach Nageshwar. We performed abhishek to the lingam, ladies are permitted to enter sanctum ,pooja thali items need to be purchased  at the temple .The silver shivalingam is  Nageshwar accompanied by  Devi Nageshwari faces south.

Kneeling before  85 ft Statue of Lord Shiva seated in Meditation position

at the temple entrance. From Nageshwar left to Dwaraka. The road all through the drive is dotted with wind mills (pavanchakki).

WIND MILLS -SOURCE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCE

Bet – Dwarka is an island surrounded by sea from all sides. Boat service is available between Okha and Bet-Dwarka, it’s a 15 minute journey but one has to wait till the boat is full, there is no ticket counter, gents are not allowed to sit on the floor of the boat.Feeding the sea gulls can be good time pass. The temple opens at 5.00 p.m due to  construction work of temples going on.One has to deposit camera ,mobiles and luggage at the counter. This temple is considered as residence of Lord Krishna, Sudhama came from Porbandhar to meet his friend here.One can buy prasadam,there is a free meal service for pilgrims.It was almost 6.00p.m when we reached our taxi, so after an hour long drive reached Dwarka .

Jetty ride from Okha to Bet Dwarka

Archway to Lord Krishna temple at Bet Dwarka 

Jamnagar to Dwarkadish temple (100 kms)
Straight away headed to the Dwarkadish temple to witness evening arthi. Liked this aspect of devotees greeting the Lord as their soulful friend by raising both hands. Drum beats and keerthans made the environment divine and serene. There were many Tamilians in the crowd. Women and men are allowed in separate queues, luggage,mobiles & camera are not permitted.

We retired in our room at Hotel Bhansi, this hotel is near to temple has parking facility. Even though I voluntarily wrote my reviews about the hotel, I continue to get calls from other travel sites regarding our stay even after a week .

Dwarka-Porbandar-Somnath (250 kms)

Dwarkadish Temple 

Next morning had another glimpse of Lord, dip in Gomti river.There are shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva, Balram and Devki in the premises of Dwarkadish temple. Purchased Balgopal and souvenirs from the Adi Shankarcharya Mutt at the temple. After breakfast of Dhokla and Parota left to Rukmini Temple.

Rukmini Matha Temple
Our driver told that us that without visiting Rukmini Temple Chardham circuit is not complete. This temple is said to be some 2500 years old. This is a carved temple, decorated with Sculptures of Gods. The priest gave a commentary on the significance and the history of the place, we donated towards Jaldhan as Dwarka is completely dependent on Potable Water from outside.

Enroute Porbandar visited Harsiddi Mata Mandir, spotted Dhirubhai Ambani’s Ancestral home .

Porbandar turned to be a dusty town due to the ongoing cable laying excavation work throughout the town . Visited the house where our father of Nation Mahatma Gandhi was born in the city of Porbandar. The house is situated in a small road. Though it is renovated at the exterior, the basic house with 22 rooms and 2 storeys is maintained, Photographs of Gandhiji are housed in a museum, library are worth visiting. Purchased a T Shirt from souvenir shop .Also visited Bharath Mandir ,Akash Bhavan (could have been skipped )and Sri Sudama Mandir dedicated to humble friend of Lord Krishna.

Bharath Matha Mandir at Porbandhar

Mahatma Gandhiji's birth place at Porbandar

Mahatma's house ..visitors entry gate

A peekaboo moment inside Gandhiji's house

Dhirubhai Ambani's ancestral home

Sudhama Temple

At Somnath we had booked Maheshwari Bhavan, after dumping the luggage left for Sri Golaknath Dham near Triveni Ghat, Pandu Gufa and Surya Temple.

Lord Krishna breathed his last at Gujarat’s Prabhas Patan. Golok Dham was the place from where Krishna embarked onto his journey to the Nijdham .The footprints of Krishna are present at the place from where he left for the Baikunth Dham. Following in Krishna’s footsteps his elder brother Balram also made his journey to Nijdham via same route.

Golakdham- Bhagwan Shree Krishna took his divine journey to Neejadham

Footprints of Bhagwan ShriKrishna 

Temple of Lord Somnathji

Somnathji temple is a beautiful, cleanest and hi-tech temple complex,  Standing tall on the ocean shore , the temple is an example of recent Indian craftsmanship in Chalukya style built at the site of the old temple which was ransacked by the Moghuls. Security check up is tight at this temple, bags are not permitted inside the campus. Arthi can be viewed from outside on the big LED screens , abhishek can be performed electronically without entering the sanctum. Shehnai music during Arthi for some 30 minutes left us mesmerized .Next part of the post will cover journey from Somnath to Bhuj and back to Rajkot.