When our family visited Delhi for my nephew's wedding little did I realize that my thoughts about mother nature would change forever.
We had a couple of days to visit places around Delhi. Instead of the usual tour of the city we preferred to go to Rishikesh and Hardwar which was some distance away.
Nothing could prepare us for the sights and sounds as we approached Rishikesh. The Ganga gurgling and gushing down with such force, seeing so much pristine water, the hills far away, tall trees and so much green cover on the highway of which I was in awe of.
Hardwar's many temples, our taking a dip in the flowing Ganges, the fast approaching mighty Himalayas as our bus raced, the rudraksh trees, wild and exotic flowers on the wayside, collecting rounded pebbles of varied sizes, shapes and colors on the shores of the Ganges were all such unforgettable memories. They appear so fresh and recent even today even though it is about 9 years since our visit.
Alas we could see neither the morning nor the evening Aarti which is a must-see in these places. I have watched the Ganga Aarti at 6am and 6pm on some TV channel and felt so connected to the divine.
I din't feel like returning back home and wanted to very much stay back there itself and be in close proximity to mother nature. I mentioned to my husband that if I was ever found missing, the place to look for me would be somewhere in Rishikesh or Hardwar. Such was my love for that place. I found a strange peace and quiet in these places.
Manasarover I have not had the chance to visit yet. But in my mind's eye, I have been there. I have gone around the divine lake and have drunk in the beauty of the Mount Meru bathed as if in molten gold at sunrise.
What if I can't physically travel to such places, my mind can and does travel often enough to these places.
Today is Valentine's Day and I dedicate today's blog for my love of these holy places.
Mahalakshmi.
Showing posts with label Hardwar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hardwar. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Thursday, January 6, 2011
The Taj Mahal
Among some of my desires is to see the Taj Mahal, visit the Manasarovar and Brindavan. Revisit Hardwar and Rishikesh. Go around Jaipur to soak in the colors and beauty of the city of ancient palaces.
Had the opportunity to attend my nephew's wedding at Faridabad 5 years back.
Since there was a whole day for us to see places, our family planned to travel down to Agra to see the Taj Mahal and on our way back to see the Brindavan before joining in the baaraat, late the same day.
It was Friday and our Scorpio speeded towards Agra which was just a few hours away from Faridabad. We reached Agra and I was waiting to feast my eyes on the marble inlay work which have enamel motifs and floral designs. These are shown on TV documentaries sometimes but they would be 2 seconds shot and not enough to soak in the artwork.
Alas, it was closed as it was Friday. I was very disappointed. But a guide told us to take a rickshaw through the narrow lanes to reach the rear portion. We were taken to the banks of the river Yamuna behind the monument.
We could see the imposing Taj from an angle though separated by its imposing compound wall. I had to be content with this sparse view. I promised to come back another time on another trip and spend a whole day drinking in the beauty of the architecture and artwork of this beautiful monument.
On our way back we had enough time in going around the famed Agra Fort. We saw sturdy centuries' old grape bushes, fish ponds and the royal entertainment inner courtyards, the big durbar hall with hundreds of pillars which was an engineering cum architectural marvel, etc.
It was getting late for the evening function so we had to skip Brindavan but we stopped the car to buy some Agre ka peda and some pethaa on the highway near the place.
After the wedding, we proceeded to Delhi to stay at my sister-in-law's house for a couple of days. She recommended that we don't miss Hardwar and Rishikesh. So we booked for a single day to cover both places.
I was overwhelmed at the sight of huge mountains on the way up and the gush of the holy Ganges flowing down at great speeds to somewhere southwards.
It was a humbling moment to stand like a puny dwarf before the mighty mother nature.
God willing want to go visiting the Taj, the Brindavan, but when is the big question with so much happening in our lives at the moment.
Mahalakshmi.
Had the opportunity to attend my nephew's wedding at Faridabad 5 years back.
Since there was a whole day for us to see places, our family planned to travel down to Agra to see the Taj Mahal and on our way back to see the Brindavan before joining in the baaraat, late the same day.
It was Friday and our Scorpio speeded towards Agra which was just a few hours away from Faridabad. We reached Agra and I was waiting to feast my eyes on the marble inlay work which have enamel motifs and floral designs. These are shown on TV documentaries sometimes but they would be 2 seconds shot and not enough to soak in the artwork.
Alas, it was closed as it was Friday. I was very disappointed. But a guide told us to take a rickshaw through the narrow lanes to reach the rear portion. We were taken to the banks of the river Yamuna behind the monument.
We could see the imposing Taj from an angle though separated by its imposing compound wall. I had to be content with this sparse view. I promised to come back another time on another trip and spend a whole day drinking in the beauty of the architecture and artwork of this beautiful monument.
On our way back we had enough time in going around the famed Agra Fort. We saw sturdy centuries' old grape bushes, fish ponds and the royal entertainment inner courtyards, the big durbar hall with hundreds of pillars which was an engineering cum architectural marvel, etc.
It was getting late for the evening function so we had to skip Brindavan but we stopped the car to buy some Agre ka peda and some pethaa on the highway near the place.
After the wedding, we proceeded to Delhi to stay at my sister-in-law's house for a couple of days. She recommended that we don't miss Hardwar and Rishikesh. So we booked for a single day to cover both places.
I was overwhelmed at the sight of huge mountains on the way up and the gush of the holy Ganges flowing down at great speeds to somewhere southwards.
It was a humbling moment to stand like a puny dwarf before the mighty mother nature.
God willing want to go visiting the Taj, the Brindavan, but when is the big question with so much happening in our lives at the moment.
Mahalakshmi.
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