Karnala- Panvel

Vishal Dhure, Amit Bhalerao, ArunabhaDey and myself (Ravindra Mishra) all school friends had met last Sunday 18th Jan 09 and decided to go out together. Karnala sanctuary was the place finally decided upon. On 24th January 09 we decided to meet at 6.00 a.m. to start the journey.
On 24th Jan 09, vishal met me at my building at 6.18 a.m. and amit came in his Honda near the SBH ATM. We picked up Arun at the gokuldham gate and started the journey at 6.22 a.m. Arun was carrying a bag with 2 bottles of water and biscuits, whereas we 3 were empty handed. Amit took the western Express highway and after taking the Jogeshwari-vikroli link road reached the eastern express highway. The morning was quite pleasant and we were listening to the music of latest Slumdog Millionaire which created a ripple in the world. From the eastern express Amit took the turn towards the vashi. We all were feeling hungry since we had not taken any breakfast. Vishal gave the idea of eating at Macdonald which was near Panvel. At vashi amit filled up the petrol for INR 900.00 since that was enough for our journey. We all reached McDonald at 7.02 a.m. and as usual the place was buzzing with travelers who were on their way either to Alibaug or resorts on the outskirts of Mumbai. Vishal and I decided to be in the queue whereas Arun and Amit decided to catch a table. The queue was slightly long, with people gazing and discussing what to eat. I decided to take 1 salad sandwich without mayonnaise and cheese. Vishal went for 1 paneer wrap & 1 salad sandwich to be shared with me. We took 2 chicken Mexican wrap for Amit and Arun. This totaled to our budget INR 253.00.After finishing off quickly we took tea from the outside tea stall as that tea is much more better than the one served in McDonald. We felt slightly better and left for Karnala at 8.00 a.m. from McDonald. At 8.12 a.m. we reached Shri Panchmukhi Hanuman Temple which is quite famous and from there one has to take the route of Pen and Mahad and then left and straight. The route condition was quite good and we were enjoying the morning ride. Amit was driving roughly at around 80-85 km/ltr. By 8.25 a.m. we reached Karnala which was on the left side and one can easily make out. Amit parked his car near the entry point. There is a ticket for INR 20.00/ adult and INR 10.00/child and INR 50.00 for parking. By 8.29 we started our trek and on the entry gate itself there is a map of Karnala which shows the route to be followed. Since it’s also a bird sanctuary there are lot of people who come to visit. After walking for roughly 200.00 meters we came across a small gate from where we took left. There are sign boards too which directs the route and hence there was nothing to worry of missing the route. The morning experience was amazing and can’t be expressed in words. Vishal and Amit were initially struggling; however they too were enjoying the freshness. The climb is bit difficult in the start, however achievable. On the way we came across bunch of students totaling 200 who had come on a camping along with their teachers. Since they were large in number we decided to surpass them. However after making that attempt we couldn’t as Amit asked to wait since he was experiencing faster heart beat and breathlessness. We decided to halt and let the children proceed. The morning freshness and the birds chirping were so amazing that we all were delighted. These are the things which one misses in Mumbai. We kept on climbing and finally were almost just 800 meters away from the fort. In between trek is quite easy since it becomes flat. However the last stretch was again challenging and takes a toll on the body. Finally we reached the base of the fort where the students were resting. There is a small temple of Devi. We had to proceed further so were onto our final climb. The climb was challenging and dangerous since a slip can lead one directly to the bottom of the valley. It’s not advisable for children/senior citizen and for weak heart. It’s full of twist and turn and the winds breeze is so strong that one feels like loosing his grip. Finally at 10.01 am. We were at the top of the mountain inside the fort. The view from the top was amazing as one can see all over huge mountain ranges and good breeze. There was a place where we all sat and had some refreshments. There was a water storage tanks which was build long time to store water. We explored the fort from the other side and walked across on the other side. Inside the fort there is huge rock kind of structure standing tall. Someone has already put a red flag on the top. After resting for sometime we decided to proceed down and left at 10.55 a.m. Getting down was thought to be easy that so was not the case and finally without any halt we reached the base at 11.40 a.m. by this time we were exhausted and were feeling hungry and thirsty. As such there the base there was no restaurant and so we proceeded towards Pen and roughly at around 1.5 k.m. we came across Hotel-Karnala. The place was decent and clean and we ordered 3 plates if idli, 4 bottles of mineral water,4 glasses of buttermilk, 1 vada-pav and 2 fresh lime soda. Total hit of INR 190.00. After resting we decided to explore to Alibaug, and so we left the hotel at 12.26 p.m. and reached the kharpada toll at 12.33 p.m. After paying the toll (Inr 10.00) at 12.49 p.m. we had reached Pen. On reaching we decided to go back since all were exhausted and not in the mood to proceed further. Karnala to Mumbai is roughly 60.00k.m. And from Panvel the distance is 12.00 k.m. Arun guided to take the Uran toll route since this route escapes the panvel city. After driving straight at around 1.26 p.m. we reached a point where we took right towards vashi. The straight route went to JNPT. Finally at 4.35 p.m. we reached gokuldham and thus our journey came to an end.

Key-takeaways: Carry sufficient water, carry food, cap. Start early morning.

More Photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30002962@N05/

bhimashankar-Jyotirling (Karjat)

I, Nitin Gupta and Ashish Negi decided to trek to Bhimashankar. We planned for the first local from Dadar to karjat which leaves Dadar station at 5.37 a.m. on 10th Jan 09 i caught the 4.40 a.m. train from Goregaon station and asked Nitin to meet me at Andheri station. Ashish told he would directly meet at Dadar station since he was at Sion and had not slept for the whole night since he was with his friends. We reached Dadar station on time and Ashish too joined us, however was too tired as I could make out from his eyes and face. We were able to find place inside and asked Ashish to take rest so as to conserve his energy for the trek. The morning was quite chilly and cold. At 7.45 a.m. we reached Karjat station which was the last stop for the train. I decided to start from Karjat west side, since in my last trek (along with my father in Feb 2008) the locals had asked us to catch the auto from West. We moved towards matheran end of the station and got outside the station. There was hardly any shop which was open and we moved inside the town and came to the main market where there were shops which had opened up. There were shops of all kinds, grocery, stationery, sweets, jewelers etc. We took our quota of 6 liters of water. We decided to have a breakfast and one of the locals told us to visit Mayur hotel-which was quite famous. The restaurant was roughly around 7-10 minutes from the station. The hotel was neat and clean and the menu card rate suggested it to be too costly for a place like Karjat. Infact it was at par with Mumbai prices. We ordered 1 misal, 1 vada-pav, 1 medu vada, 1 idli for Ashish and Nitin and I had 1 poha and then we had tea. The total damage was INR 76.00. We started negotiating for auto which started from INR 350.00 and finally we managed to close at INR 275.00.Thus we started at 8.56 a.m. from karjat and started towards Bhimashankar (one of the 12 jyotirlings). The journey towards the point was amazing since we could only see mountains, green fields, and trees everywhere. Nitin and Ashish took a nap on the way, however I couldn’t sleep since I didn’t wanted to miss the nature’s creation and the happiness. The road to the point was in pretty good shape without any issues. It goes through important villages and finally it reaches the Khandas village where I could see the majestic Bhimashankar mountain range in front of me. By this time ashish and nitin has woken up and was feeling fresh. The auto driver was stopping near the village itself. However as per my previous experience I remembered that from this village the trek start point was at least 6-7 k.m. away. I asked him to proceed on and leave us near the start point. Finally we reached the place which was quite, lonely with no one around except us. The point was called Ganpati Ghat, and there was one guide who told to take us via other route which was relatively safe, easy and short. I however sticked to my plan of taking the tougher route via the jungles. Immediately on getting down of the auto we started taking pictures and we spotted one green snake beside among the bushes and we took a nap of it. Finally at 10.05 a.m. we started our march towards Bhimashankar. There is no definite path or route as such, however routes have got formed on account of trekkers and villagers. Roughly after trekking for 20-25 minutes we reached a place where there was a statue of Devi and is a common resting ground. We all 3 were quite energetic and we climbed on, clearing hurdles after hurdles. Finally we reached a flat land where there was a majestic mountain standing in front of us. We took lot of snaps from all angles. Moving further there was this great, majestic mountain standing in front of us to be conquered. It was amazingly huge and challenging. We kept on walking and the surroundings were full of trees of all size, varieties, and forms. We decided to halt at one place which was the place from where the trek was going to be difficult (as per my previous experience). The lunch as usual was full of fruits, dry-fruits and I had my special laddu. Surprisingly at this place we found a local villager who had a stove, and was selling tea. We refreshed ourselves with tea and started our march. This final leg was the most difficult since it started taking toll on our energy levels and sings of fatigue, tiredness could be seen on all of us. In the interim we came across one more group of 3-4 boys who had started the trek at 9.30 a.m. I could easily made out that we were pretty fast and were well on time. They were ahead of us, but we took over them and before the final leg of the climb was to begin, I told ashish and nitin to rest. The other team didn’t have idea and surpassed us and moved further. I knew there was nothing to worry, since the final leg would take a toll on them. After resting for 10-15 minutes we started our march and soon I found the group resting ahead of us and was really tired. We overtook them and finally the moment came, when our amazing journey came to an end and we reached the top at 1.58 p.m. thus it took us 4.00 hours to reach the top. On reaching the top we moved towards the temple which was roughly around 10.00 minutes and by this we could see lot of tourists. The entrance inside the temple is through steps and is surrounded by shops on both the sides. At 2.15 p.m. we reached the temple and took the darshan. There is one more place which can be visited which was called old bhimashankar. We however were feeling hungry and decided to move towards the bus stand since there were hotels around that. Near the bus stand ,infact there is a point where we found majestic view of the mountain range. We took the ST bus (3.32 P.M.) and as told by the locals decided to get down at Manchar. This place was around 65.00 k.m. from Bhimashankar. The bus could have taken us to Pune , however we avoided since the bus stops at all the place and takes 4 to 4.30 hours to reach Pune. At around 5.10 p.m. we reached manchar bus stand. It was a small town however the bus stand was crowded. Outside the bus stand we found SUMO which was going to Mumbai and we decided to take it. The fare per head was INR 150.00 and it took the same route as to pune, however it didn’t enter pune. From Chakan it took the bypass route. At 9.35 p.m. we reached Ghatkopar the last stop for us. Thus our journey came to an end. However the memories will remain with all 3 of us throughout our life.

Key takeaways: Start early, take cap,sufficient water, food.carry medicines.

For photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30002962@N05/

Omkareshwar-Jyotirling

The next visit as per our plan was Omkareshwar a place close to Indore and one of the 12 jyotirling. We ( Ravindra Mishra/Parul Mishra/Sushila Mishra/Chotelal Mishra/Daksh Mishra) were supposed to catch the 10.00 a.m. intercity to Indore; however the train was late by almost an hour. The other trains one can catch is 7.00 a.m. fast passenger, 7.30 a.m. avatinka and after that the next train is at around 1.30 p.m. One can also opt to go to Indore by bus since the distance between Ujjain to Indore via train is 80.00 k.m. and via road would be around 110.00 k.m. Our train left Ujjain at 11.10 a.m., and by 1.05 p.m. we reached Indore. On reaching Indore one has to proceed to the Indore west side which is basically called the choti –line, and proceed to the bus stand which is almost 5.00 minutes from the station. You can either walk down or catch an auto which would take INR 20.00. After getting out of the station start moving towards the right or you may ask locals for the bus stand and after crossing under the bridge one would find the bus stand. The bus stand is quite crowded and the mp government has given licenses to private bus operators to run the buses. We were surrounded by bus conductors asking us where we would like to go. One needs to confirm with the bus driver/conductor for the last stop , since lot of them actually would drop you at MOTAKKA a place which is at a distance of around 11-12 k.m. from Omkareshwar. So one has to again change the bus from Motakka. Its however not so difficult to find another bus from motakka, however if one has luggage then it would be painful. We were able to find a bus to directly omkareshwar which is roughly around 134.00 k.m. and our bus left Indore at 1.55 p.m. the buses are 2*2 buses and without A/c and is usually crowded. The route to omkareshwar is slight tyring, however the roads are good. On the way you would find mountains on both the sides. There motakka, you would find omkareshwar road station which is basically on the khandwa route and there are local passenger trains plying on this route. I would however advice not to go by train since it stops at all small stations on the way and might take 5-6 hrs from Indore station. From motakka to omkareshwar the bus takes INR 15.00 / person and the bus fare from Indore to Omkareshwar is INR 50.00/ person. At 4.25 p.m. we reached Omkareshwar. The bus stand is quite small; however the place was full of tourists who were on their way to the main temple. As soon as we stepped out of the bus we were surrounded by local pundits who offered to take us to hotels/dharmshalas, since there is a commission fixed with the hotels. These pundits would not leave you so easily and infact they also would want to fix with you the rudra-abhisekh which might charge around INR 200.00-500.00. The place has lots of dharmshalas and Math’s , however the place to stay is SHRI GAJANAN MAHARAJ SANSTHAN OF SHENGAON (MAHARASHTRA) which is worth a stay. The sansthan has plenty of rooms of 2/4 beds combination and charges a nominal INR 50.00 per bed. The toilet is outside the room; however every room has its own toilet and is on the same floor. The rooms are neat and within the compound there is a big marble temple of Shri gajanan. The sansthan has lunch/dinner facility and charges INR 25.00/ thali, which contains 2 vegetables, dal,rice,kadi and unlimited chapatti /rice/dal/vegetable. The food is simple but worth eating.
Omkareshwar has 2 main temples to be visited one on the either side of the river. The temple which is on the side of the sansthan is mamleshwar and is around 10.00 mns from the gajanan sansthan. The temple has the shivling and it really look quite old and one gets an all-together different experience. One has to offer milk/flowers which are sold by the vendors which are out-side the temple. By the time we had reached it was 6.45 p.m. and we completed the darshan and proceeded to Omkareshwar which was on the other side on the river. There are 2 ways of reaching the temple, either through the boat or through a bridge which is called the JHOOLA PUL. There is other way of reaching which is also through a bridge however one has to then go through the bus stand route and is slightly longer. The boat stops ferrying people by 7.00 p.m. and charges INR 10.00/ person. By the time we had reached it was 7.10 p.m., and they offered us to take on the other side for INR 100.00 total for 4 persons, however would not wait to take us back.
We decided to visit the temple next day morning and through JHOOLA PUL, since reaching the boat was slightly difficult for my mother as one has to climb down steps and she has problems with her legs. Next day morning (1st Jan 09) after taking bath at around 5.30 a.m. we left the hotel at 6.10 a.m. and it was really a great experience reaching the temple through the JHOOLA PUL, the morning atmosphere was stupendous and one could see the sun rising and the boats which were ferrying people. Once you reach the temple which is a tall white structure, one would be surrounded by pundits for rudra-abhisekh and one can negotiate with the pundits for INR 100-150.00 for 4 persons. He would assist you with JAL arpan, flower offerings. we found the shiv-ling and it was an unforgettable moment as one can feel the strength after visiting the shiv-ling. Above this temple there is 3 more storey’s which has to be visited. The journey above is bit tough for elderly persons since its has small entering and steps to be climbed, but is something which has found a permanent place in my mind. There is SIDDHANATH and GUPTESHWAR at the top.
While returning back we took the other bridge route which takes you through the market, where one can buy shivlings, statues, and photos. Just below the bridge there is way which leads to a path on the top of a small hill which has a SHIV statue measuring 80.00 feet. The path to the statue would take 1.30 hours, as there are steep climbs. Alternatively as soon as one goes below the bridge to the other side, there is a path on the right side which is basically a short cut to the statue and takes 20.00 minutes for the climb. We could not visit the place since we had reach khandwa station as we had to catch a train for Mumbai at 12.25 p.m. the market leading to the bus stand has lot of eateries, and small shops and one can find SBI ATM near the bus stand. There are facilities of handdrawn carts for carrying luggage, old persons and they normally charge around INR 50.00. The boat service in the morning starts at around 5.30 a.m. We caught the direct bus to khandwa at 9.25 a.m. we were lucky to find direct bus to khandwa, otherwise one has to go to motakka, since you may find more options from there. The distance between omkareshwar to khandwa is around 78 k.m. and we reached the khandwa station by 12.17 p.m. the journey to khandwas was pretty bad experience since there was crowd in the bus and we managed to reach the station at the last moment with just 8.00 minutes left for the train to leave as scheduled. However to our surprise the train was late by 6.00 hours and finally we left khandwa station at 6.25 p.m. and reached kurla terminus at 4.15 a.m.( 2nd Jan 09) by 2534A which which a special train .thus our journey came to an end.

Keytake-aways: reach omkareshwar by afternoon, start early from omkareshwar for khandwa with alteast 4.00 hours gap.

Ujjain- Mahakaleshwar ( Jyotirling)

Of the 12 jyotrilings in India, there are 2 in Madhya Pradesh, at Ujjain and Omkareshwar. I decided to visit both of them along with my parents. The date fixed was 30/12/08 till 01/01/09. I booked 4 tickets ( Ravindra Mishra/Parul Mishra/Sushila /Chotelal Mishra) in Avantika on 29th Dec 08. Daksh was also very excited although he was just 1 year and 11 months old. After finishing my office work, I left office early on 29th at 5.30 p.m. and by 6.02 p.m. was at home. After taking bath, since everyone else was ready, I immediately changed and we left at 6.15 p.m. The departure time of Avantika was 7.40 p.m. from Borivali. By 7.00 p.m. we were at Borivali station, well in time as there was no major traffic on the WE highway. We boarded the train and since it was an over- night journey, we had carried enough clothes since it was quite cold at night. The next day morning (30th Dec 08) by 7. 25 a.m. we reached Ujjain station. There were number of tourists alighting at this station. As we stepped on the station, I felt the freshness in the air, along with the cold breeze, which was quite enjoyable. The station was clean as I had thought and was not surrounded by coolies who actually harass passengers. After washing our face with the tap water on the station which was quite cold, I asked one of the station vendors of the way to MAHAKALESHWAR. Sine I had already done the booking of YATRI NIWAS—M.P. Tourism promoted hotel, we had to first check-in to the hotel. The vendor told us that the mahakaleshwar was to the west of Ujjain station, roughly around 2.00 k.m., whereas Yatri Niwas was on the east of Ujjain station and was around 05.00 k.m. As we stepped out of the station on the east side, there is an auto-rickshaw stand, after negotiation he agreed to carry us to Yatri Niwas for INR 50.00. The rickshaws in Ujjain carry 4 persons, and I seated myself next to the auto- driver. On the way to Yatri niwas, I could see most of the shops were closed, since it was just 7.40 a.m., however I could see small places selling TEA, POHA which were already opened and were surrounded by locals drinking tea. In 15-20 minutes we arrived at Yatri Niwas which was at Nana-Kheda bus stand, and on the way was GAIL guest house. I could find SBI ATM nearby Yatri niwas. The property was decent one away from the centre of the city and had a garden for children’s, a restaurant for dinner, lunch. We had to wait at the reception since the rooms had to be cleaned up as was taken up for some marriage functions earlier. We had to wait for almost 30.00 mns and finally by 9.05 a.m. we could check-in to the hotel. Our room was on the 1st Floor, bearing number 202 and 203. The room was ok with a front room having a TV (with cable connection), bedroom, a balcony and a bathroom with geyser facility. There is electricity cut from 7.00 a.m. to 10.00 a.m. on a daily basis as informed by the receptionist. In front of Yatri niwas there is a tea vendor and walking for another 1-2 mns one can find roadside shops selling pohas, samsoas, tea etc. We booked a TOYOTA QUALIS for INR 600.00 to visit all the religious places in and around Ujjain. Alternatively on can bargain with the auto-drivers for INR 300.00-350.00 for all the places. Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (MPTDC) also arranges for DARSHAN to 15 religious places for INR 60.00 / person by bus. The timings are as under:
Shipra Residency (MPTDC-property) close to Ujjain station on the east side:
7.15 A.M. --- From Shipra
7.30 -7.45 A.M. ---From Ujjain Station
8.00 -8.30 A.M. ---From Mahakal Mandir
2.00 P.M. --- From Shipra
2.15 P.M. ---From Ujjain Station
3.00 P.M. ---From Mahakal Mandir
The government of MP also runs bus services for Ujjain darshan for INR 37.00 and the timings are as:
Devas Gate bus stand:
8.00 a.m. / 2.00 p.m. and 7.00 p.m.
Mahakal Booking:
8.30 a.m. / 2.30 p.m. and 7.15 p.m.
Next day (30st Dec 08) we started at 10.30 a.m. and our first stop was Mahakaleshwar temple (jyotriling) and it took us 2-2.30 hours to complete the darshan. There one can find pujari asking for rudra-abhisekh from INR 500.00 to 15000.00.In addition to the main temple there are other 10-15 temples within the same premise which can be visited. There one can buy prasads for INR 25.00/ packet and 25.00/ packet for ladoo packet. Outside the temple one can find small vendors selling shivlings, bangles, sindoors and photos of gods. The next stop was Bada Ganpati which was having big idol of lord Ganesha and was very close to Mahakaleshwar. The next place was Harsiddhi temple and was quite exhilarating and the next visit was Chipra River. The river was having water and one can take bath over here, and as such there is no temple over here. On the way there was a Chardham temple which was closed by the time we had reached and the temple is closed after 12.00 p.m. The next stop was Bhurtari caves which was away from the city. The place was quite calm, quiet and worth a visit since it has caves basically caves 1and 2 and this was the place where it is said Raja Bhurtari used to pray and meditate. Kindly avoid taking elderly person since the way inside the caves is somewhat difficult and narrow. One can find vendors selling butter-milk for INR 5.00 and is worth drinking. The next stop was GADH-KALIKA and after this we proceeded to Kal- Bhairav, a unique experience since people offer alcohol to God and it’s believed that Kal Bhairav actually drinks the alcohol offered. I myself saw the priest offering the alcohol and Kal Bhairav was drinking the alcohol. Outside the temple one can find vendors selling Brinjal which can be offered to Monkeys for INR 5.00. The next stop was Sidhwath mandir and after this was Mangalnath temple and finally we arrived at Sandipni Ashram. Thus we completed all the places and finally we reached the city at around 5.10 p.m. We were asked to take the lunch at PAVITR BHOJNALAY, and the thali cost was INR 30.00 which consists of 2 vegetables, 1 dal, kadi, chapattis and rice. The food was simple and good without too much oil. Papad is charged and is not offered free. Just near this bhojnalay one can reach the CHATRI CHOUK, one of the main markets of Ujjain and has shops of utensils, novelty, saree shops, and hardware stores. One can find all the desired items in this market along with an ATM of Bank of India. On the other side of this is SAHI MASJID and just behind this is Shri Dwarkidesh Gopal Mandir. On the way towards Char dham is jawahar marg which has shops on both sides of gold ornaments and just beside is patri bazaar selling utensils. On this road one can find SBI/Axis ATM, however one has to take an auto since it is far off and the final stop of CHAR DHAM was worth the visit. This temple has 7-8 jhankis and one would love visiting the place. We then took an auto and reached the hotel by 9.00 p.m. One can take dinner at yatri niwas and the rate is nominal with vegetables costing INR 50.00 and total food cost would be around INR 200.00 for 2 vegetable, 6 chappati, and rice.
We could not visit the shani temple which was outside the city limit and an auto would take INR 80.00 for round trip to shani temple from yatri niwas. The distance would be around 3-4 k.m. There is also an ISKCON temple on the road ahead of yatri niwas and could be visited if time permits.
Thus came the journey of Mahakaleshwar to an end, however would remain in my mind for ever for the peace one gets over here. We left yatri hotel next day (31st Dec 08) at 9.00 a.m. morning and arrived at the Ujjain station to catch the intercity to reach Indore for our next journey to Omkareshwar. The station on the west side has Canara and Dena ATM.
Few hotel names one can try:
· Hotel Chandragupta---0734-2557012
· Hotel Shrinath---0734-2526376
· Vikram Lodging—In front of Ujjain station
· Adarsh Gupta Lodging—In front of Ujjain station
· Hotel Kalpvruksh---0734-2563054

Key-Take aways: Start the darshan at around 9-9.30 a.m., look for stay around mahakaleshwar and one may go without earlier booking since it’s easy to find accommodation for INR 400-500/ day.