Sometime, the travels happen quick in succession and then there will be months before another one materialises. From the end of June to Mid July , I travelled to two entirely different regions, yet, with one underlying bond!
Imagine travelling to places like Ujjain and Maheshwar in Madhya Pradesh (MP) and back to characteristically a Tamil land.along Kaveri with paddy fields, coconut groves and temples as the hub of all socio - cultural activities!
Back in February itself, the idea of a trip to MP slipped into the thoughts of our travel planner. Yes, that is an easy guess! I was hooked then and there!
summer rains, thunder showers or the occasional downpour caused by cyclonic depressions - all passed us by, the people and land of Tamil Nadu while we we were looking at all the fast moving black clouds with deep longing!
As monsoon was advancing northwards into MP from Maharashtra, we flew into the sunset over Indore. It is in southern edge of Malwa plateau and been an important political and commercial centre and the seat of Holkar ruler.It has temples,palace and other buildings of historical interest.
Hey! if you are a foodie, the street food of Indore would pull you straight to Sarafa Bazaar.Then, it was just a transit camp for us!!
Hey! if you are a foodie, the street food of Indore would pull you straight to Sarafa Bazaar.Then, it was just a transit camp for us!!
When you plan to make your trip to the central plateau region, don't miss out on Poha Jalebi, Mawa Baati, Butte ki Kees or the typical Indori namkeen. My God! as I visualise the entire street coming alive by night (it is a midnight bazaar, you know!), mmm.... the delicious tangy and spicy aroma just wafting close to me.
(Psst... Don't forget to share that experience with me!!)
I am going off the intended path! Night halt at Indore was followed by our first leg of our journey by road to Omkareshwar and then to Maheshwar.
From the moment we boarded the bus at Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar airport at Indore,the bus with the most helpful and efficient driver with his assistant were responsible for the comfortable journey by road in the winding roads going up and down the plateau.
The journey to Omkareshwar started beautifully with the befitting salutation To River Narmada. Dr. Chithra Madhavan, gave a narration of the different stories associated with Narmada along with other evidences from travel accounts of people from other lands - like the second century Greek geographer, Ptolemy's description of Narmada. He referred to it as " Namade' or 'Namadas'.
When Chithra chanted the Narmadastakam, it created the right ambiance to pause and think of this land being blessed with such rivers. Looking out of the window, I could feel and smell the monsoon clouds gently moving over the area. Ah... What a way to begin the journey!
"सबिन्दुसिन्धुसुस्खलत्तरङ्गभङ्गरञ्जितं
द्विषत्सु पापजातजातकारिवारिसंयुतम् ।
कृतान्तदूतकालभूतभीतिहारिवर्मदे
त्वदीयपादपङ्कजं नमामि देवि नर्मदे ॥१॥"
द्विषत्सु पापजातजातकारिवारिसंयुतम् ।
कृतान्तदूतकालभूतभीतिहारिवर्मदे
त्वदीयपादपङ्कजं नमामि देवि नर्मदे ॥१॥"
Meaning:1.1: (Salutations to Devi Narmada) Your River-body illumined with Sacred drops of Water, flows with mischievous playfulness, bending with Waves,1.2: Your Sacred Water has the divine power to transform those who are prone to hatred, the hatred born of Sins,1.3: You put an end to the fear of the messenger of Death by giving Your protective Armour (of Refuge),1.4: O Devi Narmada, I Bow down to Your Lotus Feet, Please give me Your Refuge.
The 'chandas'/prosody or the pattern of rhythm and sound of the verse is so captivating like the flow of the river that we repeated the verses after her. It felt so good on the tongue to roll,twist and pronounce the words. The river was previously called Nerbudda. She is also known as Rewa as mentioned in the Puranas. She is called thus because of the leaping motion through the rocky bed (being swift and agile).As one story goes, she is born out of the perspiration from Shiva;s body due to his intense meditation. The pebbles rolling on the river bed are collected and worshipped as Banalingas'. These naturally formed smooth stones with some unique markings on them are considered auspicious.
Walking on the roads leading to the Shiva temples, I found shops lined on both sides with the huge spread of these stones for sale. (Though we were told the story of Narmada on the very first session, it took sometime for me to realise the connection!!)
We passed through some really laid back villages where time seems to stand still. Looking outside at the passing villages, the colourfully clad women, the peoples' innocent and open curiosity made the morning bus trip all the more fascinating.
Omkareshwar is an island formed by Narmada. Crossing the river and going across the bridge over the river was such an exhilarating experience. Think of us all coming from such a water - starved land and used to dried up river beds to look at a broad expanse of water flowing!!
The monsoon winds were a welcome add-on value. All over India, literature and art go into overdrive celebrating the magical monsoon, not without reason. Entire land - from the smallest creepy insects to huge elephants, from the short shoots of grass to the tall and broad trees, birds and human beings would be awaiting the moment when the dark clouds move in with the slight cool and wet wind and let go of the first drops of water. Yes, we all know the excitement and the relief when the first drops hit the parched earth.
How would I not cheerful! The vast open lands that we crossed with the hint of forest at a distance, ploughed fields ready for the new season or lined with young saplings - Oh! I feel inadequate to express the beauty of all things around or my sense of gratitude , feeling blessed to be amidst all these! Then, wouldn't that be your feeling too, living in India?
The darshan of Omkareshwar, one of the the 12 Jyotirlingas was brief and fleeting as would be the case in all the pilgrim centres of the country. We should have a certain frame of mind to look at the crowd, the long hours of standing and jostling by all kinds of people around.
We had to find which parts of the building were from around 11th or 12th century and which were modern. The older pillars, of course captivated us with the embellishments.
The ambience of the place, however, cast a spell on me with the name of Shiva resonating everywhere.
There is a cave below the temple along the river Narmada known to be where Shankaracharya met his Guru, Govindapada.
I could imagine the chanting of the beautiful verses of 'Nirvanashtakam composed by Adi Shankara in front of guru Govindapada as a response to his question," Who are you?" (It is believed by many that the verses were composed by Shankara on that occasion.)
" मनोबुद्ध्यहंकार चित्तानि नाहं न च श्रोत्रजिह्वे न च घ्राणनेत्रे । न च व्योम भूमिर्न तेजो न वायुः चिदानन्दरूपः शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम् ।। "
It can be translated to mean as follows:
"Neither am I mind, nor intelligence,
Nor ego, nor thought,
Nor am I ears or the tongue or the nose or the eyes,
Nor am I earth or sky or air or the light,
But I am Shiva the all pervading happiness"
What an incisive and astute analysis of Advaita philosophy!
The above pictures show us going down into the cave where Govindapada met Shankara and the statues of guru and Shankara coming to meet him when Narmada gave way for him.
While walking out on the bridge, we gave in to temptation and bought spiced cucumber pieces and sweet and tart Jamun fruits. Mmm...wasn't that delicious! I enjoyed it more when many of us could share and enjoy that simple fun.
Then there is Mamleshwar (Amreshwar) temple, right opposite Omkareshwar temple on the south bank of river Narmada. Mamleshwar is considered the original Jyotirlinga and both Omkareshwar and Mamleshwar are considered to be two halves of one Jyotirlinga. This 10th century temple is known for intricate carvings.
We had our lunch on a highway restaurant and moved to our second base - Maheshwar. As was the pattern, we got our brief introduction to the history of Maheshwar (The one aspect all of us knew very well is about the Maheshwari weave and the exquisite light weight sarees. Is it a surprise when majority of us are women?).
By the time we reached the city and our resort - a beautiful place on the banks of Narmada called Narmada Retreat - it was early evening.
Yes! it is count down to Operation Maheshwar! The exciting part of the evening began! We squeezed into 2,3 autos and straight went to the textiles shops to
indulge in a shopping spree!
Maheshwar had remained a major centre for hand loom weaving since 5th century and later under Holkars, enjoyed a royal patronage. Legend says that Rani Ahilya Bai appointed special team of craftsmen from Surat and Malwa region to weave a nine yards saree to gift to a royal guest. since then, the saree became a great success among the royal and aristocratic women. Now the weave has become popular not only within the nation but in the international market as well for its subtle hint of elegance combined with glossy finish and light weight. I know, out there, there are sighs of pleasure and expectation! Hey! some of you may be in possession of a saree or two.
Enjoy the colours here and be sure to get them and feel the softness of the weave soon!
When you visit the fort, you will see the intricate designs on the walls as panels and do they look familiar? You are right! The motifs and designs on the textiles are a reflection of the beauty on stones.
The steps in the above picture can be seen on the unique 'pallus' as five stripes (three coloured and white, alternating running along its width.
Gearing up for a shopping expedition? The experience is enhanced when we see the intricate design on the walls of the Fort, palace walls and temples. The next day, we roamed around the fort, listened to the story of the determined, brave and compassionate ruler - Devi Ahilya Bai and experienced her humble yet an all pervading presence in her palace.
Moving through the lands blossoming under the monsoon rain has a magic of its own! You too, get ready to soak in the experience!
The 'chandas'/prosody or the pattern of rhythm and sound of the verse is so captivating like the flow of the river that we repeated the verses after her. It felt so good on the tongue to roll,twist and pronounce the words. The river was previously called Nerbudda. She is also known as Rewa as mentioned in the Puranas. She is called thus because of the leaping motion through the rocky bed (being swift and agile).As one story goes, she is born out of the perspiration from Shiva;s body due to his intense meditation. The pebbles rolling on the river bed are collected and worshipped as Banalingas'. These naturally formed smooth stones with some unique markings on them are considered auspicious.
Walking on the roads leading to the Shiva temples, I found shops lined on both sides with the huge spread of these stones for sale. (Though we were told the story of Narmada on the very first session, it took sometime for me to realise the connection!!)
We passed through some really laid back villages where time seems to stand still. Looking outside at the passing villages, the colourfully clad women, the peoples' innocent and open curiosity made the morning bus trip all the more fascinating.
Omkareshwar is an island formed by Narmada. Crossing the river and going across the bridge over the river was such an exhilarating experience. Think of us all coming from such a water - starved land and used to dried up river beds to look at a broad expanse of water flowing!!
The monsoon winds were a welcome add-on value. All over India, literature and art go into overdrive celebrating the magical monsoon, not without reason. Entire land - from the smallest creepy insects to huge elephants, from the short shoots of grass to the tall and broad trees, birds and human beings would be awaiting the moment when the dark clouds move in with the slight cool and wet wind and let go of the first drops of water. Yes, we all know the excitement and the relief when the first drops hit the parched earth. How would I not cheerful! The vast open lands that we crossed with the hint of forest at a distance, ploughed fields ready for the new season or lined with young saplings - Oh! I feel inadequate to express the beauty of all things around or my sense of gratitude , feeling blessed to be amidst all these! Then, wouldn't that be your feeling too, living in India?
The darshan of Omkareshwar, one of the the 12 Jyotirlingas was brief and fleeting as would be the case in all the pilgrim centres of the country. We should have a certain frame of mind to look at the crowd, the long hours of standing and jostling by all kinds of people around.
We had to find which parts of the building were from around 11th or 12th century and which were modern. The older pillars, of course captivated us with the embellishments.
The ambience of the place, however, cast a spell on me with the name of Shiva resonating everywhere.
There is a cave below the temple along the river Narmada known to be where Shankaracharya met his Guru, Govindapada.
I could imagine the chanting of the beautiful verses of 'Nirvanashtakam composed by Adi Shankara in front of guru Govindapada as a response to his question," Who are you?" (It is believed by many that the verses were composed by Shankara on that occasion.)
" मनोबुद्ध्यहंकार चित्तानि नाहं न च श्रोत्रजिह्वे न च घ्राणनेत्रे । न च व्योम भूमिर्न तेजो न वायुः चिदानन्दरूपः शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम् ।। "
It can be translated to mean as follows:
"Neither am I mind, nor intelligence,
Nor ego, nor thought,
Nor am I ears or the tongue or the nose or the eyes,
Nor am I earth or sky or air or the light,
But I am Shiva the all pervading happiness"
What an incisive and astute analysis of Advaita philosophy!
The above pictures show us going down into the cave where Govindapada met Shankara and the statues of guru and Shankara coming to meet him when Narmada gave way for him.
While walking out on the bridge, we gave in to temptation and bought spiced cucumber pieces and sweet and tart Jamun fruits. Mmm...wasn't that delicious! I enjoyed it more when many of us could share and enjoy that simple fun.
We had our lunch on a highway restaurant and moved to our second base - Maheshwar. As was the pattern, we got our brief introduction to the history of Maheshwar (The one aspect all of us knew very well is about the Maheshwari weave and the exquisite light weight sarees. Is it a surprise when majority of us are women?).
By the time we reached the city and our resort - a beautiful place on the banks of Narmada called Narmada Retreat - it was early evening.
Yes! it is count down to Operation Maheshwar! The exciting part of the evening began! We squeezed into 2,3 autos and straight went to the textiles shops to
indulge in a shopping spree!
Maheshwar had remained a major centre for hand loom weaving since 5th century and later under Holkars, enjoyed a royal patronage. Legend says that Rani Ahilya Bai appointed special team of craftsmen from Surat and Malwa region to weave a nine yards saree to gift to a royal guest. since then, the saree became a great success among the royal and aristocratic women. Now the weave has become popular not only within the nation but in the international market as well for its subtle hint of elegance combined with glossy finish and light weight. I know, out there, there are sighs of pleasure and expectation! Hey! some of you may be in possession of a saree or two.
When you visit the fort, you will see the intricate designs on the walls as panels and do they look familiar? You are right! The motifs and designs on the textiles are a reflection of the beauty on stones.
The steps in the above picture can be seen on the unique 'pallus' as five stripes (three coloured and white, alternating running along its width.
Gearing up for a shopping expedition? The experience is enhanced when we see the intricate design on the walls of the Fort, palace walls and temples. The next day, we roamed around the fort, listened to the story of the determined, brave and compassionate ruler - Devi Ahilya Bai and experienced her humble yet an all pervading presence in her palace.
Moving through the lands blossoming under the monsoon rain has a magic of its own! You too, get ready to soak in the experience!
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