Divine Abode Of God

We were attending a conference on Advances in Robotics, and both of us were least interested. Hence, we decided to tick off another item on our to visit list. One of the most popular tourist destinations in Delhi and an epitome of ancient culture and traditions, Akshardham Temple situated on the banks of River Yamuna is a sacred site for the Hindus. Both of us had heard of the grandeur of the temple, but had seen it only from a distance, never visited inside.

Just like most of the places we visited, we arrived there just a few minutes before the ticket window for various shows within the temple closed. There was huge queue, as expected. We had to submit our phones and various other items at the entrance. Photography was not possible as phones were not allowed inside the temple premises. We decided that I would stand in the queue to submit our mobile phones, while she would go join the queue to buy us tickets. Since mobile phones would not be with us, it would not possible for us to contact each other once separated. Hence we decided on a meeting point. Even though both of us were sceptical of going different directions in a totally new place, it was the only way we could collect the tickets on time. Without watching the shows, the visit would have been incomplete.

After about half an hour of waiting in the queue, and security checks, when I entered I found her easily. She was still standing at the ticket counter. On collecting the tickets, we proceeded to watch the shows. There were 4 shows in total. The first named, Sahajanand Darshan (Hall of Values) displayed incidents from Swaminarayan’s life by the use of robots and other visual aids. It stressed on the importance of harmony and non violence which Swaminarayan, the main deity of Akshardham stood for. The second show was Nilkanth Darshan. It was a cinematic show, which showed us  other various phases of Swaminarayan’s life. The third was Sanskruti Vihar. It was a boat ride in an artificial canal through Indian history. It depicted life in ancient India. From the traditions to occupations, education to religion everything was covered. The contributions of many great men of the past was emphasised. All the three shows took about 2 hours to complete. The final show was the most awaited. We had heard a lot about it.

The Musical Fountain. It as raining when we reached the large step well where the show happens. Since we had no phones, there was nothing to worry about. We watched the amazing Water Show completely drenched in rain. It went on for about half an hour. It was a completely different Musical Fountain SHow than any other I had seen. It was shown in the form of a story using characters of India’s past and mythology. Combined with the light and sound effects, it was an enthralling experience. We didn’t mind the rain much. Finally we went to the main temple where the deity of Swaminarayan was seated.

It was well almost 10, and we were worried we wouldn’t find a Metro. So we hurried, ran on the streets until we reached the Metro Station. Panting, as we reached the station, we were relieved to see that the Metro was still functional. We were under the wrong impression that Metro in Delhi is functional only until a little later than 10. We were wrong.

Soaking wet, as we entered the Metro, we were glad to see it wasn’t crowded. Found a seat easily. We hadn’t had our dinner. But we were glad to have caught the train. It would have become very difficult if we were late.

Sudden Trip To The Capital Of Royal Land

(Blog 5 from the series of blogs Delhi Darshan)

The Royal Land? If you’re an Indian, you have probably guessed the place I am talking about. You’re right, the sudden plan was to visit Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. It was not on my to-visit list. The idea of visiting places outside Delhi never crossed my mind. This idea was implanted into my head by my Mom.

It was a Friday night. I had just finished talking to Mom over the phone. I sat excitedly in front of my laptop booking a seat in a bus to Jaipur for the next morning. Yay! A solo trip to Jaipur. The plan was to witness an important religious function that was happening in Jaipur and come back the very same day. After the seat was reserved, I called my project partner to ask her not to expect me at the lab the next day. She got very excited when she heard I am going to Jaipur.

“Are you going alone or with your relatives?”, she asked.

“I am going alone.”

“Can I come along with you?”

“I am going there for a religious function. If you’re fine with that you can surely come with me.”

“Yeah.  I like visiting temples. Also I’ve always wanted to visit Rajasthan.”

“Just so that you know. I am going to a Jain Temple. And it will be very crowded there for this function holds great importance in our religion. People from far and wide have come to witness it.”

“Yeah. It’s ok with me.”

This is how the conversation went. Next thing, I booked a seat for her on the same bus. And next morning, we were at the bus stop eagerly waiting for the bus. I explained to her what the function was all about and why was it significant.

“There’s an ancient Jain Temple in Sanganer, Jaipur. In the midst of underground portion of the temple, there is located an ancient small temple. The sacred temple has seven underground floors which are kept closed due to old religious beliefs and visitors are not allowed to see them. It is said that only a Digambar saint can enter in it and bring out the idols of this underground temple for a limited period, which is declared and decided previously. The idols thus brought out for viewing, must be placed back within a pre decided time. This time the idols were brought out after a gap of 18 years. Since this is a rare opportunity, devotees come to worship these idols from not only across the country but also across the world. I had been to the temple twice before. Once, I was very young when the idols were brought out before 18 years, and second, a few years later.”

She heard the story with great interest and seemed excited to visit the ancient temple. It was a 6 hour ride from Delhi to Jaipur. We arrived at Jaipur at around 4:30 pm. We had about 8 hours until our return journey. Surely, we wouldn’t need so much time at the temple. Also the temple was open throughout the day while the function lasted. We decided to visit Jaipur City Palace. On checking online, we found that the closing time was 5pm. We had to hurry. We were famished, but food was secondary in that moment. Reaching the palace on time was our primary concern. We caught a rickshaw to reach the palace. We had little time left. We didn’t want to miss the opportunity. We decided we would see the palace in a hurry without wasting much time on photos.

Jaipur City Palace was magnificent. Showcasing the lavish lifestyle of the Rajputs, their bravery, their culture. Parts of the palace are still the royal residence, while some parts are now made into museums. Admiring the various structures and clicking pictures, we managed to cover the entire palace in 20 minutes. We were amazed at our skills of visiting a palace that huge so soon.

Now was the time for some Rajasthani delicacies. We had Rajasthani Thali. I liked it. She didn’t. Probably because she was not used to their food. I had eaten Rajasthani food many times. Next stop, Sanganer Digambar Jain Temple. We decided to take the Metro. In Sanganer, the area of a few blocks close to the temple was prohibited for vehicular entry. The entire area was decorated. Though, it was very crowded and the queue went up to a few kilometres at times, the arrangements made for the ease of devotees were impressive. Tents were put up, to save the devotees from the scorching heat of desert dominated Rajasthan. Drinking water was being served after every few hundred metres.

There was a separate queue for ladies and gents. The both of us got separated. We had agreed to meet at a pre decided place after we were done viewing the idols. After about an hour in the queue, I was close to the place where idols were placed for public viewing. But, it was time for the idols to be shifted from the tent to inside the temple premises. After sunset, the idols were to be shifted inside the temple. So, by the time I reached closer to the dais, the idols were taken away into the temple. I couldn’t view them. It was announced that now idols will be available for viewing after an hour inside temple premises. I went back to the place where we decided to meet and told her this. She convinced me to rejoin the queue and wait for another hour, so that I could view the idols properly. She understood the significance and she didn’t want me to miss the opportunity. She assured we had enough time for me to rejoin the queue and come back in time for our return journey to Delhi. I also was not satisfied to have come this far and not be able to view the idols properly. I had only viewed them from far before they were taken inside the temple.

I joined the queue. After about an hour and a half I made it inside the temple, viewed the idols and made it back well in time. All this while, she was outside, window shopping at the market. It was about 11 at night, when we got back to the bus stand. Had our dinner, and waited for our bus. It was an hour late. Waiting at the bus top, we decided to pass our time by playing some word games. The time flew and the bus finally came at 1 am and we reached Delhi early next morning.

Within less than 24 hours, we crossed travelled through three states (Delhi – Haryana – Rajasthan) to reach Jaipur, visited the City Palace, witnessed an important religious event, came back to Delhi. It was the shortest and the most sudden planned trip ever.

Date of visit : June 24, 2017.

Not Just A Market, Not Just A Garden.

(Blog 4 from the series of blogs Delhi Darshan)

Having heard so much about the shopping fever of Delhi, and having seen this market in various Bollywood movies, we decided to visit a popular market run by Delhi Tourism Department named Dilli Haat. Dilli is the Indian version of Delhi, and Haat means a rural or village market. It is located at 3 locations across Delhi. We went to the one situated closest to IIT Delhi.

Dilli Haat is designed with an ambience of a traditional rural haat (market). Craftsmen, chefs, traders, artisans from all corners of the country have set up their stalls here, providing a wide variety of cuisine, craft and cultural activities. There were stalls of traditional clothes, footwear, handicraft items, food items, decorative pieces, etc.

The architecture resembled that of the rural areas. The place was lively like every market, but there also a sense of calm amidst the market hustle bustle. Colourful drapes above the pathways added to the colourful items that stalls sold, made the place seem even more lively.

From what little knowledge I had of Dilli Haat, I assumed there would be so many cultural programs going on. My imagination was fueled by an older memory of another similar place in Jaipur. It was only after going there, I realised that cultural programs are organised only on certain occasions and it’s not an everyday event. Although my expectations were ruined, it was an market with a difference. It was not just a market. It was a showpiece of Indian tradition.

A few days later, when we were bored of work one evening, we decided to visit another place on our list. The Garden of Five Senses. It is not just another garden, it is designed to serve as a treat to your senses. There are various architectural features within the park. They add to the already present green beauty. A pond of water lilies and Khas Bagh are some of the various other features of the garden.

Having visited during the peak summer season, I couldn’t really see many flowers. But I have heard that the garden turns into a paradise during the spring season when nature blooms with all its beauty.

Dilli Haat :

Date of visit : 15 June 2017

Closest Metro Station : INA

Garden of Five Senses:

Date of Visit : 16 June 2017

Closest Metro Station : Saket