Day 3 - Mahakaleshwar & Chappan Dukan

Our day trip to Omkareshwar and Maheshwar was quite exploratory and consuming at the same time. We reached the hotel in the late evening and since we had taken a late lunch , I planned to skip the dinner and immediately hit the bed for an early slumber . The Jr. Cutlet however had some dose of energy left ( I have no idea from where does she derive it from) . She wanted to have some mumma - daughter fun talks and I didn’t realize as to when I fell deep asleep during the conversation.

The next day as promised to the Jr. Cutlet , I let her sleep for a little more time in the morning. Today was going to be a relatively relaxed day since I had planned Ujjain . The distance between two towns is just 54 kms and according to Gorakhnathji, the roads were pretty smooth , hence it would be a quick drive. The one and only most popular and sacred destination in Ujjain is Mahakaleshwar temple. It wasn't listed in my initial itenary, however my Dad insisted that I visit it since it would an experience in itself and how right he was. While I wasn't sure if the Jr. Cutlet would be up for another temple visit, considering the chaos and crowd all popular shrines in India have. But she continues to surprise me each time and all ready she was for yet another experience.

My dad has completed his post graduation in Mathematics from the Ujjain University and a visit to the Mahakaleshwar was one of his weekly Monday routine. Therefore this day trip was for him. Mahakaleshwar is considered to be one of the 12 Jyotirlingas, shrines that are said to be the most sacred abodes of Lord Shiva. The idol of Mahakaleshwar is known to be dakshinamukhi, which means that it is facing the south. This is a unique feature, upheld by the tantric shivnetra tradition to be found only in Mahakaleshwar among the 12 Jyotirlingas. It is situated on the banks of holy river Shipra. The temple complex was destroyed by Sultan Shams-ud-din during his raid of Ujjain in the 12th century. The Maratha Empire regime rebuilt it in the early 18th century.

One of the main attractions in Mahakaleshwar other than the temple is the brand new 900 meter long corridor built by both the central and state governments . The objective was to redevelop the holy shrine and make it a global tourist destination. And I have to admit they have done a wonderful job. You will see atleast 200 statues , murals and stambhs together that display stories and myths about Shiva in scriptures. My personal favorite is that of Samudra Manthan . It is almost impossible to capture the entire complex in a camera lens. One needs to visit it for a first hand experience. We went there during day time, but according to few locals there, it looks the best during night time with the colorful fountains and the light display. 

We had a very quick and contented darshan of the Jyotirlinga. The Jr. Cutlet looked happy too. Once we finished Mahakaleshwar , we went to the Ujjain University ( he post graduated from there in 1960's) to give my dad a surprise. I gave him a quick virtual tour of his Alma Mater and his joy of revisiting it , is something that I cannot explain. Thus we left back from Ujjain on our way back to Indore to explore a yet another gastronomical journey called the Chappan Dukan. Accordong to the Jr. Cutlet, its time Mumbai gets one such place where people can experience various kinds of street foods , music without any vehicular disturbance. Johnny Hot dog, Sam's momos, Kachori chaat from Vijay , Garadu chaat , Coconut crush and so much more is what Chappan Dukan offers. I also packed some yummy Namkeen from Agarwals to take back home.

Indore and its surrounding areas offer not only a mix of great history , culture and food but also the most hospitable locals that I have ever met. The city is absolutely safe at any time of the day and night . Both of us would easily explore Sarafa Bazaar and Chappan Dukan during late nights without any hesitation. The entire trip made me realize that creating memories through these small experiences , getting to learn from every new person you meet is something I plan to do hereon. Therefore when Travel is good for you Soul, Experiences are necessary for your growth. Finally I wish finish my blog series here with yet another thought " Investment in Travel is Investment in Yourself". 

Day 2 - Omkareshwar & Maheshwar

After a late night wrap up at the Sarafa Night Market yesterday, I thought that the Jr. Cutlet will be less interested in waking up early and getting ready quickly for a full day trip to the Omkareshwar and Maheshwar. However she proved me completely wrong. She woke up without any snoozing and there we were all ready in an hour’s time.

Omkareshwar is about 70 kms from Indore with poor quality of roads , Maheshwar is about 65 kms from Onkareshwar and finally Indore is about 90 kms from Maheshwar on the way back. I had done this research prior , hence was aware that we needed to have an early start in the morning. I had promised the Jr. Cutlet a late sleepy morning the next day, but looks like she wasn’t complaining at all. 

After quite a bumpy ride , we reached Omkareshwar in one piece. Omkareshwar was on my bucket list for a long time and I’m glad that I could tick that off . Its one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of the Lord Shiva built in 1820. It is surrounded by hills and adorned by river Narmada. The island is in the shape of Om. On completion of the most sacred pilgrimage Narmada Parikrama that consists of covering about 4000 kms on foot , the pilgrims have to come to Onkareshwar to offer the holy water to the Jyotirlinga. Inexperienced to the typical crowded and noisy environment of popular temples , the Jr. Cutlet looked a little flustered and uncomfortable. Finally once we finished our darshan to my heart’s content , we headed for Maheshwar.

Maheshwar is a beautiful small place situated on the banks of river Narmada. It has special mentions in the epics Ramayan and Mahabharat. However , I was more interested in visiting the rich culture and history that was created by Devi Ahilyabai Holkar in the 18th century. She was indeed a noble queen of the Holkar dynasty. After the death of her husband in a battle, when she was ready to go Sati, her father in law Malhar Rao Holkar forbade her from doing it and instead encouraged her to take hold the reigns of the empire and the rest is history. She rebuilt and resurrected some of very significant Hindu pilgrimages across India that had been demolished by Aurangzeb. She was considered to one of the most just rulers of her time . I spoke to some of the locals in Maheshwar and they worship her in these times too. 

The fort and her residence is full of interesting stories, however what we loved the most was those few moments we spent in solitude on banks of river Narmada. Its magnitude and solace is something that I cannot express and couldn’t capture it in the photos. After a quick meal , we visited the handlooms of Maheshwari sarees. Kudos to the skilled workers for their talent and patience. One saree takes about 2-3 days to be made. We shopped for few sarees and headed back to Indore.

While I narrate this experience to you today, I am reminded of my conversations with the skilled workers . They get paid peanuts for doing such a skilled job and some of them have been doing for almost 35 years. Yet they mentioned that they were content and counted their blessings to be living next to Narmada. That leaves me with the thought that “  True contentment is not having everything, but in being satisfied with everything you have .”  Time for yet another day of travel and fun.

Day 1 - Enthu Cutlets on Indore Trail

 Day 1 - Indore ki galliyon main

Life had been a complete grind for most of us at home. Waking up everyday day to the same routine and sleeping off to the same pattern makes you realise that you need to break this regime, get out of the clutter and get into a new groove even if its for a short duration. 

With this purpose in mind, we decided to give the Jr. Cutlet and myself a brand new short holiday. Keeping in mind the challenges at home and her busy college and other schedules, we had to choose a destination that could be covered in 4 days yet be fun filled and enriching. We researched a lot of places within India until one fine day my friend Sonali mentioned about her wonderful short trip to Indore with her friends .

After a lot of research, reading and discussions with Sonali , Indore IT WAS. Initially it looked liked an off beat place that wasn’t so much a commercial tourist spot, yet we decided to go and swim against the tide. We reached Indore in the early morning and after a quick hotel check in , we had planned day 1, for local Indore sightseeing. The enthusiasm of the Jr. Cutlet was at the peak by now. Our car driver cum local guide Gorakhnathji looked like an enthu cutlet himself and he gave hands down info about every place. We did our Shree Ganesh with Khajrana Ganesh temple , that has been built in 1735 by Her Highness Devi Ahilyabai Holkar herself. She found the murti hidden near a well to be protected from the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb and went on to build a small temple that got developed into a huge premise and shrine in Indore.

Gorakhnathji recommended us to visit the Indore Zoo. I could see the child in Jr. Cutlet insisting on it and I reluctantly agreed. Watching caged wildlife is not my type however , yet again I couldn’t deny looking at her enthusiasm . Spread across 51 acres , this place is a sprawling one with approximately 60 species like White Tiger, Bengal tigers, Black buck. We saw few endangered species too. After a long walk of almost 3-4 kms we were getting hungry and tired too. A quick meal of Daal Bafle ( its a must) and we were ready to roll. We later visited the Lalbagh palace, the official residence of the Holkar Maharajas in the 18th and 19th century, Annapurna temple and finally the lovely Pitreahwar Parbat. 

With the feet crying in pain , we decided to retire for sometime at the hotel before hitting the yummy Sarafa night bazaar. Thronged with people , with aromas of different food items , vendors calling people to their stalls exercising their vocal chords and the yummiest dahi bade, chole tikki, butte ka kees, jalebi rabri is what Sarafa Night Market all about. 

Fatigued yet content is what we are today. And as I retire for a good night slumber, I will leave you with this thought . “ If you are looking for a breakthrough , try breaking your routine  .”