My First North India Travelogue – Temple Marathon – Final Part

Our North India Travel Journey continues:

Day 4: 21 March 2019

Had our breakfast and checked out from the hotel. Our hotel booking was till the next day, but since Holi was already over, we dint have anything much to do, thus decided to visit TajMahal(This was a wise decision, since Taj is closed on Fridays) on our way back. The hotel staffs were kind enough to cancel the booking without deducting any charges.

Our next stop of the journey was Agra (87kms from Vrindavan). On the way we booked The Taj Vilas Hotel, and checked in around 12pm. Me, my hubby and Mummy (MIL) had our lunch in the hotel, and went to the room to rest for sometime, we checked the timings for TajMahal, and around 3.30pm we left to see the charismatic TajMahal. Car parking is almost 2kms away from the main gate, and hence we need to take a buggy service which is available for free from the parking area. We reached there and had to get tickets, tickets costed rupees 50.00 only till the Mousalem (the garden) and rupees 250.00 to get an entry on top, and inside the Taj. If you buy the rupees 250.00 ticket, then you’ll get a water bottle and some socks kind of thing to wear on the shoes, because the marble cannot be dirtied. We hired a guide there, which was kinda worth it, he explained quite well, he told us the story of Taj and also the Black Taj which was in the making,

Taj Mahal

but Shah Jahan went bankrupt.  TajMahal is Spectacular, each marble has a carving, precious stones on them, stones which were imported etc. Its built so thoughtfully, that the 4 pillars are leaning towards the outer side to avoid any damages to the main monument incase there is an earthquake. Well done. Everything went on well, till I got a nauseous attack and just couldn’t control but puke. This continued till we reached the hotel. The actual terror started now, when it was not only me who was the victim of food poisoning. Hubby and Mummy fell unwell as well. It was a miserable night to spend in this trip. We dint have any medications and it was quite hard to find a pharmacy around, it was late by then. We almost thought I would get hospitalized because diarrhea started along and left me with zero energy. It was more terrifying for me to see even Hubby going through the same. That night had to pass somehow. Papa managed to find a tablet from somewhere, and gradually mine got better and was able to grab some sleep.

Day 5: 22 March 2019

Woke up in a very bad state, waiting to check out from the hotel. We had a very light breakfast and left to Vindyachal, Mirzapur (561 kms from Agra). We got into Agra Lucknow Highway, which was an incomparable road to take. Maintained outstandingly well with International Standards. On the way we stopped at Food Plaza for tea and Maggi. Back to the road, 4 lane roads, vehicles passing by in high speeds, no obstructions, farms parallel to the road, huge trees, small villages, cattlesetc, to watch them all was like a therapy. Nature at its best. We took the PrayagrajOverbridge to reach Vindhyachal. Eyed through Goibibo and found Hotel GenXMirzapur for the stay. Spacious rooms and bathrooms, one of the best ones we stayed at in this trip. Reached there around 8pm after the 9 hours long journey. Ordered food to the room and went off to bed.

Shri Govind Dev ji mandir

Day 6: 23 March 2019

MaaVindhyavasini Temple

Got ready, planned to have breakfast after the temple visit. It was just 5kms away from the hotel. Narrow pathways, many shops where you can buy Chunri, flowers, and other things to offer to Gods.There we found a man who was ready to take us to get a VIP darshan, because the place was way too crowded and it dint look possible for us to get in there without his help. Got done with Aarti and other rituals, we brought some Prasad and looked for places to have breakfast. We found a place for breakfast and some hot jalebis, had a matka chai after that and got back to the car. Around 5-6 kms away was AshtbhujiMandir (Cave Temple), we need to take steps to walk down the hill, and the temple is located there. It’s a small cave like structure, where the deity’s are kept inside, we need to almost kneel down and get in the cave, pray, bend and walk outside. I’m quite claustrophobic, but somehow managed to get in and get out. We further walked down to SitaKund (pond). It’s a long way down from the cave temple. Tiring when its sunny. Still we stepped forward as we dint want to leave anything unseen after coming this long. SitaKund is situated on a small hillock close to VidyaKund and Mani Parvat in Munger in Vindhyachal. Its origin dates back to the period of Ramayana, when Ram, Sita and Laksman were returning after their victory in Lanka. Sita felt thirsty and since there was no water nearby, Lakshman shot an arrow into the earth, and a stream of water gushed out of the spot.

There’s a way to the main road from sitakund and there was no need for us to climb back the steps to the main entrance. We called our driver and instructed him to pick us up from there. After almost 15-20 mins we started getting restless, driver hasn’t come yet, phones were not reachable, no network range, no other ways of transport, barefoot, we thought of climbing back the steps, although we were enjoying the calmness and nature. Papa decided to walk down to the main road, luckily he got a ride from one of the biker who was passing by. He called us from the main entrance when he couldn’t find our driver there, sometime later it was his turn to go insearch. And finally they got in contact with the driver and could locate him and came to pick me, Mummy and Maaji. Apparently there are 2 back gates from sitakund, one is little more farther from the current location we were in. So, the driver was waiting for us there. It was almost 12pm and we had to check out from the hotel. We quickly wrapped up and got set for the journey way back home (330kms from Mirzapur to Patna).

Sita kundh

Stopped at a dhaba in Grand Trunk Road for lunch, sun was setting, we had a synopsis of Varanasi while on the way, chose not to take too many breaks during the journey, just had a quick stop at Sasaram to have tea, sitting in a charpai, we were almost close to reach home. The road where we stopped for tea was so deserted, without street lights and people walking long distance in that pitch dark path. Too many trucks and vehicles on the way. It looked like some Crime Patrol scene, Scary! , and finally we reached our Abode.

What an extraordinary Holi celebration. A perfect North India Travel first trip. Loved every bit of it. Without Plan A, Plan B, just get set and go!

Notes:

1. Do visit Nidhivan if possible, it’s got a very unique history to it.
2. Make sure to carry powerbanks / chargers, since you’ll be very dependent on them during the journey.
3. Wear slippers during the journey, you never know which washroom you’re going to enter. Better use washrooms in petrol pumps.
4. Carry medicines/ electrolyte/ ORS incase of emergency.
5. Be careful about your belongings.
6. Check all the spare items needed for the car.
7. Keep emergency / family members contact numbers handy.
8. Don’t miss a chance to visit Mathura/ Vrindavan during Holi. A must visit place in your bucket list.

Part 1: My First North India Travelogue – Temple Marathon – part 1

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Yours Truly,

Queen Bee!!

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