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Our Delhi Trip - Part 4

DAY 11: Monday, 05 Oct 2009 - DELHI Paalika Bazaar

After lunch at Srikanth's place, V-A-N and Jayashri and children left at 2-30PM for shopping at Paalika bazaar; they were joined by Vibha on the way. I stayed alone in the house, sleeping. They were back by 7-45PM, with a couple of handbags / travel bags.

Dinner at Ravi's place; Bama and Raghavan picked us up in their Alto car and A-N followed in cycle rickshaw. Steaming hot Paratha and Baingan burtha by Radha. Incidentally, Jayashri had also prepared baingan burtha for lunch! The big brinjal is plentily available in Delhi and they call our கொத்ஸூ as burtha !! Srikanth came at 10PM to pick us up.

DAY 12: Tuesday, 06 Oct 2009 - DELHI Sight Seeing


After breakfast at Srikanth's place we left house at 9 AM. We hired a car on 8 hr-80 km basis. First stop was Qutb Minar. An imposing structure. Neatly maintained.


Qutb Minar

Next we went to the Lotus Temple and sat for 15 minutes in dhyanam.


Lotus Temple, New Delhi

From there to Dolls' Museum on Bahadur Sha Zafar Marg. An interesting collection of dolls from all over the world and all. Then we proceeded to India Gate. We saw Red fort, Parliament House, Rashtrapati Bhavan etc from the car itself. We returned home by 6PM. With this we have completed most of our planned visits. Just the trip to Sri Vaishno Devi temple is pending.


India Gate


India Gate

DAY 13: Wednesday, 07 Oct 2009 - DELHI
Packing done; Ashok not well; severe cold and feverish. We left Srikanth's place at 6-15 in the evening in a call taxi for New Delhi railway station. Our train, Rajdhani Express left at 8-45PM from PF 16. 3 AC coach. Ashok and Neeraja ate Idli brought from house; we two had irctc dinner with soup and icecream. Slept by 10PM

DAY 14: Thursday, 08 Oct 2009 - SHRI MATA VAISHNO DEVI  Mandir.
The train reached Jammu by 6 AM. IRCTC rep met us and took us in a van to a place called KATRA, 35 km away. They had booked our rooms in a star hotel, Country Inn and Suites.

Country Inns & Suites, Katra
We took rest for a while and hot bath and breakfast later, we were taken in the van to BANGANGA from where the climbing starts. IRCTC had arranged for an escort for us to the Mandir and back.

Mythology: The revelation of the Mother Goddess in the Holy Cave is in a natural rock form which is one at the base but has three heads at the top. These three heads in a natural rock form are known as the Holy Pindies and are worshipped as the revelation of the Mother Goddess. The main Darshans remain to be of the three heads called the Holy Pindies. The uniqueness of the Holy Pindies is that although they emanate from one single rock form, each one is distinctly different from the other two in colour and texture. Maha Kali, Maha Lakshmi, and Maha Saraswati are the three Holy Pindies.

Bhawan : The Holy Bhawan houses the Sanctum Sanctorum – the Holy cave which is the ultimate destination of the yatries. Inside the Holy Cave the Goddess has revealed herself in the form of Holy Pindies manifesting Mata in her three forms Maha Kali, Maha Lakshmi and Mata Saraswati

The Trikuta mountain range rises to 6200 feet (from MSL); SanjiChhat is located here. Then it dips to 5200 feet where the Bhawan is located. The road is paved, well-lit, and has numerous resting places, toilets, eateries etc. We started our climb at 1030 AM. The mountain road winds for 13 km, and is tortuous; uphill climbing is arduous particularly for elders. This I found out within a km of climbing! I decided to ride a horse for the remaining steep climb. A place called Adhkuwari is at a height of 4800 feet and 6 km from Katra.


Vijaya and I sat on two horses and there started a more-arduous, more-torturesome  trip. As inexperienced horse-riders, we had a real tough time. At place, we thought we would fall off the pony ! Every bone of us was rattling, every joint aching. Somehow, we rode for over 4 hours and reached the termination at 3 PM.

Ashok-Neeraja walked all the way and joined us by 5 PM. Then all four us walked the final 1 to 1.5 km and reached the abode of Sri Mata. Six, seven years earlier one had to crawl through a small cave to reach the Mandir, but now, one can just walk into it. Well-lit, modern marble floored passage takes us to the Goddess.


Bhawan


Holy Pindies

There was not much crowd, so we had a long,  satisfied darshan of Mataji. It was wonderful and all our pains, aches vanished in the divine presence. Then our down trip started. Neeraja - Ashok went to another temple nearby (1.5 km climb) but we started our down trip at 6 PM. Climbing down is as arduous as climbing up, if not more! We walked for over 4 1/2 hours to reach the ground level. The final two kms were the most difficult and I had to sit/rest frequently. Vijaya was a little better.

The car was waiting for us and we reached the hotel by 11-15 PM and hit the bed straightaway. And slept instantaneously !! Ashok and Neeraja arrived by 2 AM only.

DAY 15: Friday, 9 Oct 2009 - Katra, Jammu
We got up by 8 AM at the Country Inn and Suites, Katra. Had a pain-relieving hot shower, and then breakfast. Took rest, slept for 2 hours in the hotel, and then lunch at 2 PM. Vacated the room by 3-30 and drove in a car to Jammu, 35 km away. IRCTC had arranged for another escort for us. On the way to railway station, we stopped at two small temples and had darshan of Goddesses. Finally at JAMMU station at 6-45 PM. The Rajdhani express started at 7-45 PM for New Delhi. 3 AC coach. After the customary soup - dinner of pulka roti, Paneer subzi, dhal, rice - icecream we slept off. Ashok is unwell again !


DAY 16: Saturday, 10 Oct 2009 - Delhi, flight back.
Reached New Delhi by 4-30AM and took a call taxi - we were indeed lucky to get one at that hour - and were home (Srikanth) by 5-15. Took rest.

Bama, Raghavan, Sridhar came in the morning to see us. Later by 12 noon, Ravi, Radha, Ranjani, Chitra, Abhilash, Sandhya, Vasu, Raji, Sujani, Usha, Gopal, Vibha, Veena arrived in batches to see and bid farewell to us. God bless them all.

We left Srikanth's house by 3 PM in Srikanth's car for the airport. Our flight to Chennai - Jet Airways - left on the dot at 4-55 and reached Chennai by 7-40. Arvind and Aditi had come to receive us. Aditi was very happy to see us after 16 days; so were we. The Bangalore flight was delayed for over 2 hours and Neeraja and Ashok reached house by 11-30 only!

Thus, our trip to Delhi was completed without any problems or hiccups. Everything went smoothly as per Ashok-Neeraja's meticulous plans. We thank the Almighty / Sri Mata for all this.

rajappa
14 Oct 2009
20:00

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