Day 1 (Dec 23, 2010): Pune to Mumbai

Fine sands of white, clear saline waters of deep blue, varying abundance… nah! Not again. With extensive riding in the west coast over the last couple of years I was definitely not in mood for yet another trip to the seas! ‘I want to go to Rajasthan’ said Anu – my wife who by now was equally bitten by the travel bug. I too wanted to explore the princely state, so it took me no time to agree upon.

Plans were set. We were to explore the surroundings of Jodhpur and Jaisalmer and finally end at Jaipur where we were to celebrate the New Year’s Eve. Initially some friends were to join in and we decided to take the train to Jodhpur, then a road trip to Jaisalmer and eventually fly back from Jaipur. But later when they dropped out, I wasn’t very keen on the original plans. Excitement seemed to have been missing. To make this trip truly memorable Anu and I finally set out on my bike to experience the vibrant colors of Rangilo Rajasthan!

Day 1 (Dec 23, 2010): Pune to Mumbai

Bags packed the previous day, anxiety was to its peak and unfortunately I was in office today! Since 8 am I have been waiting leave. I had a few calls from Anu expressing similar excitement, making me even more anxious! Finally the clock struck 4:30 pm and I left a little early. When I reached home Anu was ready. However it was not before 6:30 that we could grab a bite and depart.

We were riding on the Mumbai-Pune road. I have been riding on it for years now, but the tyre change the bike just a day before had made it seem like a new experience. Enjoying the ride, it took us around an hour to reach Lonavala, where we halted for a quick snack. It was a refreshing half an hour break before we hit the highway again. It was pitch dark already. The weather was a little foggy. There was chill in the air. The road was good but there wasn’t a single soul. It thus seemed a little scary until we joined the express highway. There were loads of vehicles plying here and the roads well lit. But then, this relief was short-lived. No sooner did we take the Khopoli exit than we witnessed a similar situation again. But then it helped us go nonstop and reach Sankool’s (a friend) place in Goregaon (Mumbai) by 11 pm. Here we met Akshay (another friend from Mumbai) who had come over specially to wish us luck for the journey. We all went for a drive in his car, chitchatted for a while and went off to bed around 2 am.

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Day 2 (Dec 24, 2010): Mumbai to Vapi

As expected we had woken up late. So the earlier plan of leaving at 6 am failed. Destination for the day was Vapi where Dhaval (another friend) stayed and to be put up at his place. It was around 180 km. The day was going to be easy and we could afford to get a little late.

It was 9:30 am by the time we left. In no time we had hit the Ahmedabad highway. The traffic had started picking up. But we had space enough to keep moving. Half an hour later we reached Dahisar, where there was a long traffic jam and we were stuck. The bad start had got a little worse here. It took us around 45 min to get out of the jam. Sigh, what a relief once we got out! We thought it was wise to take a quick break and relax a bit before we moved ahead and we did.

The highway - NH8

We were out of the city limits now. After crossing the Vasai creek, the highway had gotten broader and almost empty. We were now enjoying the ride. The landscapes were changing rapidly. Greenery at places was so abundant that it hurt the eyes, while many a places were barren. We crossed a few rivers and creeks on bridges that varied in size. Most of the road was well done and the ride was smooth. Loads of trucks we found here, which blocked our way several times. So the speed we had caught up went down to something like 20 kmph. We then overtook and gathered momentum to be blocked by yet another and the game continued. It got a little irritating at times, but then we enjoyed the ride negotiating these trucks and overtaking them. With the feeling of being superior to them we reached Dhaval’s place at Vapi around 2 pm. 

Traffic on the highway - a different view!

We freshened up and spent quite a while chitchatting. I was meeting Dhaval after years. He never knew we were to come biking and when he happened to know, he said “Duniya mein pagal logon ki kami nahi hai” (The world is full of weirdos like you). 

Around 5 pm we set out for Daman. We went over to the jetty at Nani Daman. It was a beautiful evening. We had reached just before the sunset. We climbed up the fort walls to see the sun go down. The jetty, loads of ships and the vast sea everything seemed to be so scenic. Lost in the attractiveness, we helped ourselves with some street food and then headed to Janzibar for dinner.

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Day 3 (Dec 25, 2010): Vapi to Ahmedabad

Today was going to be a long day and we were sure we had to leave by 6:30 am. We were awake and ready. All set to go, as we stepped out it was dark and extremely foggy. So we waited for half an hour before we could hit the highway. The air was chilly and weather foggy. I particularly like to ride this time of the day when the mist settles down on you leaving that palpate feeling. The air is so fresh that the tiredness just doesn’t dare to set in and you can keep riding on and on! It was exactly the same feeling that I had now. Flyovers were being constructed at many locations enroute, thus forcing us to slow down and take a diversion. But then it was good to slow down at times, especially to enjoy the weather if nothing else.

Taking a couple of breaks we kept enjoying the ride. It had been a pretty smooth ride. And after we crossed Surat it had gotten even better, smoother and faster! We were cruising at a speed not less than 100 kmph. It was fun to ride at the speed of wind! But it turned out to be short lived. As we approached Baruch we found ourselves stuck in an almost 5 km long jam. Though we tried to cut through finding the smallest of the gaps we could we reached a point where we were stranded. There was a huge lorry ahead of us which carried a huge load that seemed to be spilling out from everywhere. It had occupied the space of almost two trucks. All our attempts to find some space to overtake this turned futile. And ahead of this there was plenty of space to escape the crowd. We were even more disheartened.

The long traffic jam

There was nothing we could do. It was a perfect time for break. The helmet came off my head and the slowly the camera out of my pouch. I then did some experiments with the camera taking some photos and having fun. The half an hour waiting time seemed to have vanished in a couple of minutes and we managed to cut through the traffic. A few km later we crossed the bridge over Narmada. The place was extremely scenic but the bridge was narrow with two way traffic on the same. This was the cause of traffic and I did not want to add to the wait time of others by stopping here to click photos. 

Some experiements with the camera

We reached Baroda around lunch time. It city was 12 km off the highway.  We were to meet Anu’s cousin here for lunch and hence we diverted. After the smooth ride this 12 km ride seemed like a punishment. It took us around 45 min to reach because of bad traffic and more importantly the “no road sense” people. And I always thought people in Pune didn’t have any. It is said that if you can drive / ride in Pune you could do so anywhere in the world. However, I would like to differ and suggest all the people who say so to visit Baroda once to have their opinion changed.

Digvijay – Anu’s cousin was recently married and settled in Baroda. We somehow had missed his wedding. We had been longing to meet him but the plans never materialized. So we had planned a quick visit to him in this trip. He was excited to see us and so was his wife. A long chitchat session was followed by a scrumptious lunch. Their hospitality was an experience to remember.

We had had a long break. We were refreshed. We had to cover a long distance. We had planned to go upto Mehasana to be put up for the night. So we left around 3 pm. Again it was not earlier than 45 min before we could hit the highway.

Bikes were not allowed on the 6 lane NH8 (being an express highway) so we stuck to the old road that connected Baroda to Ahmadabad. It was equally good but the trucks blocked our way many a times. It took us around an hour and 15 min to cover the 105 km distance and we were in Ahmadabad at 6 pm. The journey had been quite tiring so we stayed back in Ahmadabad itself for the night.

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Day 4 (Dec 26, 2010): Ahmadabad – Mount Abu – Udaipur

We finally were able to stick to our 6 am schedule today. We were put up at a hotel close to the highway and hence it took us no time to hit NH8 once again. It was dark yet. We were riding carefully, behind the trucks or other big vehicles. Destination today was Mt. Abu, but there wasn’t any milestone indicating the distance or the direction to Udaipur. We asked a taxi driver who said we need to continue till Himmatnagar from where a diversion would lead us to Mt. Abu. We enjoyed the highway ride to Himmatnagar which lasted for an hour or so.

The road got smaller as we took a diversion and left NH8. The road wasn’t as smooth too, thus reducing our speed drastically. But then it compensated that with the beautiful sights various places had of offer. There were lakes with clear water reflecting the surroundings, temples neatly carved in marble, plenty of lush fields and mountains in the backdrop. At times these mountains got closer while many a times they beckoned us from far off.

Enjoying the sites and with some photography on the way, it took us no time to reach Ambaji – a sacred place where Goddess Amba is worshipped. It also happens to be one of the important Shaktipeethas. We had ridden 180 km and it was time for a break. So we headed towards the temple, parked our bike near a shop and quickly got inside the temple to seek blessings of Ambaji. The marble carved temple that looked striking from a distance, now looked even more beautiful. There was a mob of people who like us were here for the darshan. It thus took us around 45 min to seek the blessings before we got going again. (For more details and photos on Ambaji click here)

Just as we left Ambaji

Abu Road was mere 20 km from Ambaji and we reached in no time. The mountains of the Aravalli range allured us with all their charm.  We couldn’t wait to be atop to enjoy the cold. We had heard the temperature at Mt. Abu had dropped to -3°C a couple of days back. As we started going uphill on the long winding road, we could feel the difference. I had gotten colder. It was about to be noon and though the sun had showed up, it’s attempts to heat up this place seemed to be in vain. There were mountains all around covered with variety of greens to add up.

It had been a great 25 km ride up the ghats to reach Mt. Abu. We headed straight to Nakki lake, the centre of attraction. We had heard of it being frozen due to the temperature drop, but to our surprise it wasn’t so. Boating continued as usual and temperature didn’t really seem to be that low. With tourists galore, Mt. Abu was definitely not our kind of place. We grabbed our lunch and visited a few sites around. They were beautiful but many of them flooded by the tourists. Hence we winded up the site-seeing quickly and got back to Abu Road to head towards Udaipur, though earlier we had planned to stay back here itself. (Photos and info on Mt. Abu click here)

Temple on NH14

We had a burly mindset when we got down the hills. But no sooner we hit the highway (NH14) than we began to feel better. It was a smooth road and helped us cruise over 100 kmph. We were enjoying the ride reached Pindwara in no time from where we diverted on NH76 which connected Pindwara with Allahabad. Things couldn’t have been better than this. The lovely highway helped us cover 120 km and reach Udaipur in an hour and 20 min flat. (Photos and info click here)

Romance by the lakes – Udaipur

As we entered Udaipur, we asked for directions to the Fatehsagar Lake and quickly got there. It was about to be sundown. The sun spread its golden rays on the clear waters of the lake. It was beautiful. We sat besides the lake on the wall cherishing the wonderful ride we just had as we saw the sun go down. There was quietude and the only sound I remember hearing is that of the water lashing against the walls. It was the most romantic evening.

It was getting dark and we suddenly realized that we are yet to look for a hotel to be put up for the night. We were exploring the options in the book I was carrying and had a strong feeling that we should be staying in one on the havelis. But we were in no mood to splurge. As we were on the hotel hunt, we found most of the good ones were booked. With lost hope we happened to finally enter Hotel Gangaur Palace. To our surprise there was a room available. The better part was the room rent the owner quoted – INR 800. It was pilfer for a great room like that.

We quickly freshened up, relaxed a while and went over to the roof top restaurant. It offered great food but more importantly splendid view of the city. The hotel was right next to the Gangaur Ghat at lake Pichola – which was the centre of attraction of the lake city. Thus from it’s rooftop restaurant we could get a view of the illuminated JagMandir and JagNiwas (The lake palace) that stood amidst the waters. There were several other well illuminated monuments, hotels and other landmarks that added to the glory. Basking in this blessed state with the impressive view that surrounded us we had our most memorable dinner. We now felt we were in "Rajasthan". (More photos on Udaipur click here)

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Day 5 (Dec 27, 2010): Udaipur to Jodhpur

It was going to be a little easy today. We wanted to explore a little of Udaipur else it would have been an injustice to the place. Awake before sunup, we walked up to the Gangaur Ghat to feel the morning bliss. It was chilly. There were clouds in the skies that seemed to have descended so low that one would have been able to feel their touch by stretching out a little. There were misty vapors on the water which left a titillating feeling as we touched them. It felt like being in heaven.

Nearby was the Jagdishwar Temple wonderfully carved out of stone. A flight of steps led us to the entrance guarded by elephants on either side. It is actually a group of five temples with main deity being Lord Vishnu, who is worshipped in the main temple. The other four shrines are smaller. Dedicated to Lord Shiva. Sun God, Goddess Shakti and Ganesha these are placed in the four corners of the main temple. We were awestruck with the architectural excellence and the quietude the place had to offer. (For more information and photos click here)

Blessed by the lord of the universe – Lord Vishnu, we then grabbed our breakfast and had a quick ride in the city. Unfortunately, the city palace, museums and other places of interest were to open only at 10 am. So we only saw them from outside and with a promise to come back again we bid adieu to the romantic lake city of Udaipur.

Back on NH8 as we crossed the city limits, there were mountains standing tall to bequeath us a warm welcome. They formed a beautiful landscape with a long winding road traversing the mountain. Fortifications were seen at a distance and we happened to eventually pass through one of the doorways as it got near. There was a temple near this door too.

The doorway in Bhairo Ghata

The crisscrossing ended a little after the temple. The landscape was beautiful. A little later the road snaked around clear waters of a beautiful lake called Bagela. The surrounding trees showed up in the water making it a sight to behold. A tiny island like thing stood in the center housing a tent making us jealous of whoever staying there. 

A road branched off the main highway and to further snake around the lake and take us to a sleepy hamlet of Nagda. We followed the road to visit the Saas Bahu (corruption of Sahastrabahu) temple here. Though in ruins and completely neglected, the temple is a piece of art one must visit. (More information and photos click here)

The visit to the temple was pretty quick and equally quick was the ride to Eklingji - another temple which is an architectural marvel. Built in marble and festooned with intricate carvings the temple complex houses 108 shrines dedicated to various gods. The main temple is that of Eklingji or Lord Shiva. A quick homage we made to the Lord here before we moved ahead.

A roadside lake enroute Devigarh

Our next destination – Devigarh was in the wee town of Delwara around 10 km away from Eklingji. The old fort has been now converted into a heritage property. As we reached the gate we were told that there is a INR 1000 entry fee per head to see the fort. We thought it wasn’t really worth it and hence saw the fort of whatever we could see from outside.

The next destination was Nathdwara – temple of Lord Krishna worshipped as Shrinathji. It is a popular temple amongst the Hindus who flock here everyday. To no surprise there was a huge crowd when we reached here. The darshan would have taken around 3 hours. Anu was in no mood for that long queue. So we negotiated for a backdoor entry and got done in half an hour or so. We came out to see loads of thandai shops and I couldn’t resist grabbing one… and then another! The thandai here is a must have and in case you plan to stay back, try the one with bhang!

Our souls and stomachs satiated, it was time to hit the road again. We found ourselves on NH8 once again. The region around Nathdwara is known for its marble and hence loads of industries have flourished around. And we could see this on the highways too. Truckload of life-sized chunks of marble was seen being transported. They were huge enough so scare us. What if one of it just falls off! The thought was petrifying enough for to make us ride with extreme care.

We finally reached Jodhpur around 7:30 pm after over 6 hrs ride to cover 140 km - dead tired and perturbed. Finding a hotel here was another task. Finally an hour later and a minor fall we had settled down in a cozy hotel room having our dinner. I was looking for what was to be done tomorrow. Initially the plan was to hit Jaisalmer and from there proceed towards Jaipur via Bikaner. Jaisalmer happened to be 280 km from Jodhpur and Jaipur another 670 km from Jaisalmer. It was quite a lot and would be an injustice to Jodhpur and so also to the others that we would have visited. So we thought it was wise to drop Jaisalmer and continue to Jaipur from Jodhpur itself.  

Around 40 km later we branched off to head towards Jodhpur. It was a single lane road. Initial few km was a good stretch, however it worsened eventually. There were huge pot holes making the road almost non-existent, and lowering our speed to 20 kmph. It was really irksome, but then we were left with no choice. The ride continued at this low speed until we reached Pali around 80 km from the diversion. At Pali we hit NH14 which made us feel at ease, but not for long. We couldn’t speed more that 60 kmph here because of the traffic and bad road at places. We then branched off yet again to ride on NH65. It was good, but only until we reached the toll booth. Post that it turned out to be equally bad if not worse.

The road (pathway) to Jodhpur that made us ride at 20 kmph

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Day 6 (Dec 28, 2010): Jodhpur

We had woken up a little late to catch up with a well deserved rest. It had been raining all night, making the weather quite nippy. At 10 am it had stopped and we thought it was the right time to set off for a city tour. We had traveled hardly a km and halted at the ATM to withdraw cash. By the time we had come out it had started pouring again. We then just crossed over to a local eatery and savored on the local goodies, while hoping the showers would stop soon. Half an hour later it did and we headed to the Umaid Bhawan Palace.

Breakfast at the local eatery

The mighty brick-colored building of the Umaid Bhawan was striking enough to catch our attention from quite a distance. We were riding in its direction and it seemed to be even more mesmerizing as we got near. Said to be one of the world’s largest private residences, it was constructed by Maharaja Umaid Singh with a whooping 347 rooms. It houses a small museum where we paid a visit. The paintings and the artifacts on display were worth a watch and so was the grandeur. The place is said to have been divided into 3 parts – museum, a heritage hotel run by the Taj group and the residence of the heirs of the royal family. We intended to have lunch at the Umaid Bhawan Palace Hotel, but unfortunately they said they were booked and could accommodate us only after 3 pm. So we unwillingly happened to drop the plan.

We were pretty hungry and intended to have lunch at a decent place and the hunt got us to Ajit Bhawan – a heritage hotel. The place was nice and quiet. The swimming pool was lovely. Being here was a great experience and we wished if we could have planned to be put up here. However since we hadn’t we relished on traditional Rajasthani cuisine to fulfill a part of our desire. Post this we paid a quick visit to the Kaylana lake and then got back to the hotel for a quick nap.

Kaylana Lake

Fiveish we were on our way to Mandore – a wee hamlet nestled outskirts of Jodhpur for a visit to the fort and the temples. As we entered we were greeted by many a langur who seemed to have been the guardians to the place.  A little ahead we saw a cenotaph and then a temple – neatly carved out of rock and decked with intricate work.  It was a masterpiece. As we were lost in admiring its beauty, we came across another and eventually many more of such temples. The very sight of so many of them had left us flabbergasted. They were neatly hewn out of rocks, ornamented with varied designs and neatly placed one after the other. None of them had a deity to be worshipped and hence lay neglected. We spend quite a while admiring the beauty here. (For more information and photos click here)   

Our next destination was Mehrangad. We had booked ourselves a table at the Mehran terrace which opened post 7 pm. So we had planned to reach there around 6 so that we could see the fort, have dinner and then come back. But as we reached there, we were informed that entry to the fort has been stopped and we can’t visit it in the evening. L We took permission to hang around and see whatever we could in the dark until we wait for Mehran terrace to open up.

Mehran Terrace is small restaurant that gets set up on the verandah of the lower fortification in the evenings. It offers great views of the city below while you dine. As we entered the fort, unfortunately it started to pour again. It was just the two of just apart from the hotel staff, who had the restaurant set up done in the lower covered portion due to the rains. Anu was restless. She was worried about getting back, while I kept my calm and enjoyed the rains. I felt rather fortunate it rained. All my beloved ones were with me – nature, my bike, the showers and needless to mention Anu – my wife. It was a perfect evening drenched in the love of all those I adored. To top it all, there was good food served the traditional way. Must say – the place was the most romantic place to dine in Jodhpur. It made me fall in love with Rajasthan yet again!

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Day 7 (Dec 29, 2010): Jodhpur to Nagaur

Being late we had not been able to see Mehrangarh fort yesterday. The Mehran Terrace had left us with a craving to see the rest. So today morning the Mehrangarh story continued. We reached the fort right before the opening time and were amongst the first ones to get in. We took the lift to the topmost floor to get into the place from where the royal journey began. The fort was converted into a museum with numerous galleries housing a variety of royal assets used by the kings then. We went to every gallery to peep into, but more that the artifacts on display it was the architecture that was striking and grabbed our attention. We spent a lot of time gazing curiously at the designer windows, doors and the rest. Lost in the marvels of architecture, time flew by and we suddenly realized it was high time we left.

A km from the fort, was Jaswant Thada – a cenotaph built in commemoration of Maharaja Jaswant Singh II. The striking monument yet another exhibit of fine art engraved in marble and a must visit on your tour to Jodhpur.

It took us around 11 am to get going. Nagaur was the direction we were heading in. The roads were good and the weather pleasant. Most of the patches were foggy even at this hour leaving us in the company of beautiful landscapes around. It was an hour and a half joyride to reach Khimsar – a quiet little town that boasted of an old fort. Obviously we had to rush in.

To no astonishment, the fort had been converted into a heritage property. Fort Khimsar was neatly done and run by the Welcom group. It was lunch time so we decided to walk in for a meal to get to see the fort. There was a full cover of INR 700 per person. We walked up to the restaurant that overlooked the city. It offered splendid views of the other monuments within the fort too. So we placed the order and while it was ready to be served we spent a little while trying our hand at photography.

The food that arrived had a great aroma and equally great taste. The Murg Khimsar and Khasta paratha definitely deserve a mention along with Lemon and Mint Soup. We had had a full 4-course meal and I must admit it was the meal of the trip. The icing on the cake was the poolside coffee shop that brewed me piping hot, fresh, rich and creamy coffee that titillated my taste buds. A lovely place to be if you want to be all by yourself and needless to mention good food!

Still savoring the taste, we got back to our original business – the ride. The road was smooth and it took us an hour to reach the bustling town of Nagaur. We got off the highway to enter the town and the mighty fort walls of Ahichhatragarh left us awestruck. We rode over a km in the city and the fort wall still followed. It seemed to be never ending!

We quickly checked into a hotel and in no time got back to see the fort. It was as huge inside as it seemed from outside. Inside the fort were a lot of monuments including the palaces, courtyards, and the royal dwelling places of the king and his queens. Every monument was an architectural masterpiece. More attractive was the water management system which our guide explained beautifully. It took us around 3 hours to see the fort closely. (For more info and photos click here)

The memory in the camera card was full and I was stuck. I thought I would buy a new one, but then there wasn’t any place where I could get it. Luckily I was carrying another card. I approached a local photo studio where a friendly guy helped me transfer the photos to another. We then peacefully got back to the hotel.

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Day 8 (Dec 30, 2010): Nagaur to Ajmer

The day started rather early. Around 6:30 am we were already on our way. A lovely morning mist surrounded us. The landscape with white background seemed extremely beautiful. The trees were popping out to establish their presence. The road was smooth and almost empty.  It had been a great start of the day!

The hazy environs added to the magic of the ride

After an hour’s ride we diverted from the highway to enter the bustling town of Merta city. Not only was there too much of commotion, but also a series of bad roads (or rather no roads). It had rained last night and the muddy – so called roads of Merta had become slushy. Slowly and steadily we somehow rode through.

Known as Medantak in the olden days, Merta was the capital of King Nagabhatt. It was later ruled by Rao Dudha and eventually by Rao Maldev who built a fort called Malkot here. Merta also happens to be the birthplace of Meerabai – the popular devotee to Lord Krishna, who is said to have lived in the Meera Mahal.  The town hosts a beautiful temple of Chatubhujnath (Lord Krishna) and Meerabai. A memorial has been recently erected here in honor of the great saint. We had a quick tour of all these places riding on those messy roads. (Click on the links to know more about these places)   

On the highway enroute Pushkar

On the highway enroute Pushkar

It was still misty. As we hit the highway again we felt a little at ease. Enjoying the ambience we reached Pushkar in an hour. We headed straight to the ghats.  The whitewashed ghats were mesmerizing, the fog adding to the magic. We performed a small puja followed by the darshan of Lord Brahma – the creator of the universe. Pushkar boasts of the only temple of Brahma in the world.  The temple closes at 1:30 pm and we were lucky to get the last darshan. Drenched in the shower of blessings, we headed towards Pushkar palace for lunch, and then a leisurely stroll at the Gangaur ghat.

It was only an 11-km ride from Pushkar to Ajmer and we reached in a jiffy. We checked into a hotel and set out to explore the city. First on the list was Anasagar Lake – a beautifully crafted man-made lake little outskirts of the town. It was a popular place amongst the people of Ajmer who mobbed here during sundown. The garden offered few relaxed moments while the romance of watching the sun go down by the clear water of the lake is worth an experience! However, we did not wait until then and pushed off for Taragarh fort.

The walls of Taragarh Fort were remarkable and caught our attention from a distance. A long curvy road crisscrossed along the steep slopes and took us there in no time. The weather was chilly and cold winds blew here. However the strong fort walls bequeath us a warm welcome. We had a quick look at the ramparts and reached the mosque to pay homage. The dargah is dedicated to Miran Sahib a brave warrior and saint who sacrificed his life defending Taragarh in an enemy invasion. Aurangzeb during his visit is said to have 3 large vessels which are seen outside the main shrine even today. These are used to cook daily meals for the needy.

We traced back our footsteps to enter the city. We were heading towards the principal shrine of the town – the Ajmer Sharif. Making our way through small gullies and huge mob of people on the road, we somehow made it up to the entrance of the holy mosque. It was almost dark when we reached and the illuminated doorway was seen in full glory. With enormous faith we entered the mausoleum to seek blessings of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti. The place was crowded but we managed ourselves a good darshan leaving us contented.

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Day 9 (Dec 31, 2010): Ajmer to Jaipur

After long we were riding on the NH8 yet again. We were on our final destination – Jaipur. We had left around 7 am with the intent to have our breakfast at Krishnagarh. It was around 25 km lovely ride amidst the fog and took us took us no time to reach. We diverted right and asked for directions to the Krishnagarh fort. The locals guided us and we were riding on the way when fortifications atop a hillock caught our attention. We thought that was Krishnagarh and kept going in that direction. A concrete road on its steep slopes took us right up to the fort entrance which had a sign board “Bal Hanuman Mandir”. We entered it. It was a small square area with 4 lofty bastions guarding a small shrine of infant Hanuman – the monkey god. The temple is also called the Charburuja Bal Hanuman Mandir because of the bastion setup. We bowed before the neatly decorated image of the lord, had a quick survey of the bastions and the views from there and got down. I had unknowingly added another fort in my huge list – Hanumangarh. Getting here had turned out to be a bonus!

The sleepy town of Krishnagarh

From the hillock we had spotted Krishnagarh at a distance. We were now riding it its direction. The road ran along the banks of a placid lake. The morning sun had scattered its rays on the clear waters making it glitter. The beauty here was eye-hurting. The main fort of Krishnagarh is under restoration and the old caretaker did not let us get in. We thought we would check out the Phoolmahal palace (a heritage hotel) and have our breakfast. However, we were denied entry here too as the hotel did not entertain the walk-in guest. They cooked only for the resident guests. A little disappointed we saw whatever we could and got back to the highway where we treated ourselves with a delectable bunch of varied parathas.

We had gotten back on the 6 lane highway and were quite enjoying the ride. Mother Nature thought of having some more fun to be added to this. A few km later, the landscape suddenly changed and so did the weather. It was extremely chilly. Smog blocked visibility after 10 feet. The vehicles seemed to have slowed down and so did we. We tried following a truck to keep away from mishaps. We could not speed up here. It was quite scary. But on the other hand it was exciting too! Surviving the mixed feelings and of course the weather we finally reached Jaipur around lunch time.         

The foggy NH8 - the photo does not give the feel though!

We had booked the hotel in advance and hence we didn’t have the hassles of looking for one.  We checked into the Hotel Golden, freshened up and looked up the newspapers for the avenues to celebrate the New Year’s Eve. Options galore, we finalized on Sikka Lounge and went over to the place to collect the passes. Then was the time for Anu’s most awaited event – shopping. We hit Johri Bazar, where we shopped till we dropped. We had spent around 4 hours here. Later we spent the evening with dance, loud music and a warm welcome to the beginning of the new decade.

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Day 10 (Jan 1, 2011): Jaipur to Bhangad & back

We had heard a lot of stories about Bhangarh – supposedly the most haunted place in India. It is said that a saint’s curse had caused the destruction here and people talk of having ghostly experiences.  The entry is supposedly banned between sunset and sunrise. The curiosity was at its peak since we had heard about the place and we had an urge to visit Bhangarh.

We were heading in the direction of Alwar on NH11A. Smooth road helped us speed up and we covered the distance up to Talamod in no time. From here we took a turn to Pratapgarh. Surprisingly the small road was well done and smooth. We continued to ride smoothly, until after 18 km when we reached a small village. The road from here was uneven and got us intimate with the rural Rajasthan. There was plenty of mustard yellow spread around. The tall mountains beckoned us from far. Sun seemed to have been playing hide and seek. It showed up once a while, while it was foggy most of the times. The road shortened at many a places, taking us through wee settlements. At times it ran besides placid lakes while it entered a the fort walls at times. The villagers stood chit-chatting in the middle of the road causing us to halt suddenly. Flowing water got on the road at a point creating a pool, we had to cross carefully. With ups and downs, good and bad roads we finally made it to Bhangarh.

Bhangarh was a long lost world and a newly excavated site. The place was full of langur who were lovingly fed by the locals. Fort walls housed the old market, ornate temples, palaces and other structures that were the mute witness of the golden era gone by.  These structures left us awestruck. It seemed to be like being in a time machine which had taken us centuries in the past, into the royal kingdom of the Maharajas of Rajasthan. These mute structures suddenly seemed to have been gifted with the power of speech. I could hear them talk to me about the glorious past, the lost grandeur and many a stories about the kings. Probably everyone who visits here has a similar experience. Probably this is what people may want to call being haunted!

The pool of water on the road.

Our return journey, we began with mixed thoughts about the wonderful place we just visited. Enroute we crossed over the pool of water on the road again and stopped over to visit Ajabgarh and Pratapgarh. A local eatery at Pratapgarh served burger, of course a very desi version of it. They were amazingly tasty and we got back with after a heart-full of snacking on them.

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Day 11 (Jan 2, 2011): Jaipur to Mumbai and back to Pune

Our flight to Delhi was scheduled at 7:30 am and we had arrived at the airport quite in time. However as we were to enter, we were told that the flight time was changed quite some time back and the revised schedule was 1330 hours. Oh no! That wasn’t done! We enquired at the Air India authorities and they gave us the standard “Your phone wasn’t reachable” answer as the reason for not informing us. We had no option but to wait till then. Fortunately our situation wasn’t as bad as another family who had booked a flight to Delhi and to their surprise the flight did not exist. At least our flight was late and it would take us back. But for them, they had no choice but to drive up to Delhi. Wondering what they would have done after getting out of the airport, we whiled away our time. We also took a hearty meal break by sneaking out. Finally at 1:30 pm we were on board and took off.

We reached Mumbai where Sankool and Akshay were waiting to receive us. We went to Sahara Star hotel nearby and spend a while discussing about the adventures we had before we took a cab to return to our home sweet home in Pune.

We rode a total of 2200 km. The ride to the princely state was truly incredible leaving us with memories to cherish for the lifetime!

© Amit Chilka

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Bhangarh

The cenotaph near the fort entrance

The ruined town of Bhangarh lies in the Alwar district at the edge of the Sariska Tiger Reserve and is famous for its excavations. The place is beautiful – surrounded by tall mountains on 3 sides. The ruins help you get a glimpse of the grandeur of the bygone era. It is said to be a haunted place and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has put up a signboard by the main gate stating "Entering the borders of Bhangarh before sunrise and after sunset is strictly prohibited." The reason for this may be that there can be wild animals and it could be unsafe because there is no artificial lighting.

The doorway of the fort is guarded by the monkey god – Lord Hanuman. You enter and walk through the ruins of old settlements and various markets. The central avenue is dotted by banyan trees and temples of various gods. The most remarkable of these are the temples of Gopinath, Shiva (Someshwar), Mangla Devi and Keshava Rai. There are loads of langur found here who are lovingly fed by the locals. Further ahead a walkway leads to the palace which was said to be the main dwelling places of the kings. Other more or less preserved buildings are shops, several havelis and a mosque. The palace was protected by two inner fortifications across the valley.

Bhangarh was established in 1573  during the rule of Raja Bhagwant Das as the residence of his second son Madho Singh. The next ruler of Bhangarh was his son Chhatr Singh. Bhangarh slowly declined after Chhatr Singh's death in 1630.

Legends record that Bhangarh was cursed by the Guru Balu Nath, causing the towns evacuation. Other myth was that a wicked magician was in love with the princess Ratnavati of Bhangarh, who was never allowed to see her. He tried to hypnotize the princess by the scented oil. The plan failed as the pricess had seen him doing so and she threw away the oil. It touched a stone which rolled towards the magician killing him. While dying he cursed the palace with death of all who dwelt here and in the next battle the same happened.