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Lord Parshuram threw the axe
And the sea gave way to a strip of land
and thus formed the green Kaleidoscopic – God’s own country Kerala. Geographically Kerala is separated from rest of India by the massive Western Ghats and enjoys an extensive coastal line formed by the Arabian Sea. The rugged, steep, wild and forested Western Ghats sheltered Kerala from mainland invaders and the long coastal line provided it maritime contact with the outside world. This land of noble and generous “King Mahabali” is generous in its offering for the tourists too. It has palmed fringed beaches, tranquil hill stations, emerald green backwaters, expressive dance arts, rejuvenating Ayurvedic treatments, moist evergreen forests and abundant varieties of Flora and Fauna.

In Kerala, the colors we noticed in abundance were Green, Green, Green and occasional Blue. It is a keralite tradition not to build houses taller than the surrounding trees and hence wherever one lives the abundant greenery always surrounds him and even the pristine blue sky is visible only in glimpses.

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Akbar is often remembered as a liberal ruler who expanded Mughal Empire to the vast region but his lust for women is lesser known. The royal complex of Fatehpur Sikri was witness to his typical Mughal attitude towards women. The number of women in his harem increased with every victorious expedition. The defeated kings and nobles were forced to gift their most beautiful daughters, who together with their maidservants were installed in Royal Zenana. Akbar collected and amassed women like an antique collector. At its height of splendor the royal harem at Fatehpur had around 5000 women, guarded by an army of eunuchs and no man was allowed inside. Akbar counted Hindu, Muslim and even Christians among his wives. These women were brought from all corners of his kingdom and even from far away places like Russia, Afghanistan, Turkey, Iran and Tibet. There is even mention of a Portuguese woman gifted to him.

I read a book “Goli” by Acharya Chatursen. This novel details the life inside Zenana Dyodi of Rajput kings; situation in Mughal harem should be similar. King’s arrival to the harem was often a reason for celebrations and usage of drugs and liquor was very common among its inmates.

Some of the women in Harem were very powerful and rich too. It is believed that during Jahangir’s rule, Nurjahan managed empire from Harem. Jahangir was mostly too drunk to manage the daily affairs. As a result of money and power at some women’s disposal, jealousies in the harem was also rife. The work of maintaining law and order among all of Akbar’s wives, minor wives, their kaneez and baandis, paramours, musicians, dancers & whatnot was major preoccupation. It was noted by Abul Fazal that the government of the kingdom was an amusement compared with such a task. I don’t think anybody would disagree.
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In 16^th Century, childless and desperate for a heir, The Great Mughal Emperor Akbar undertook a pilgrimage on foot to the shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti in Ajmer. On the way he visited Sheikh Salim Chisti – a great Sufi Saint of that time. Sheikh Salim correctly prophesied that he would have three sons. Soon after, when Maharani Jodhabai was pregnant, she was sent to Sikri and gave birth to Akbar’s first son in saint’s cave. The grateful king named his first son, Salim(who later became Emperor Jahangir), after the Sufi saint and moved his capital to Sheikh’s village of Sikri to give Mughal grandeur to this spiritual abode. He created a city, away from crowd and congestion of Agra, that perfectly reflected his imperial power and artistic interests. This magnificent fortified city, built between 1565-1585, was the capital of Mughal Empire for around 15 yrs during Akbar’s reign.

Sikri was the first planned city of the Mughals. Akbar chose to construct this capital on the natural feature of the terrain. Terraces on receding level were used for three main complexes: The mosque complex at the highest level – comprising of Jami Masjid, Tomb of Sheikh Salim Chisti and Buland Darwajah. Royal complex on the lower level comprising of Raniwas, Mahal-I-ilaahi, Shahi Bazaar, Meena Bazaar, Baithak and gardens. And the public complex at the lowest level comprised of Panch Mahal, Khawabghah, Shahi kutub khana, Ibaadat khana, deewaan-i-aam.

The city did not last long as the capital; it was abandoned around 1600, according to some, the meager water supply that proved incapable of sustaining the population was the cause for it and according to others it was because Akbar shifted to Punjab owing to political reasons. Now deserted it is perfectly preserved, a masterpiece in sandstone, glowing in subtly changing shades of pink and red as day progresses & light fades.

7th Nov. 2007 - We decided to drive to Fatehpur Sikri. The route we took was Delhi-Faridabad-Palwal-Mathura-Bharatpur-Fatehpur Sikri. We started at 8:30 am and with a small lunch break reached Fatehpur Sikri at around 2:30 pm.

I am always fascinated by sight of a temple on a hilltop or distant ruins sometimes standing in perfect solitude. They make me wonder about the stories behind those constructions – who, why and how constructed them and left them to be forgotten. For me Fatehpur was a real treasure with so many stories of by gone era enveloped in its red stone. When we reached Fatehpur the silhouette of the fortified ghost city was looking very impressive.

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6^th April 2007 - A three-day weekend was coming - perfect opportunity to give fresh air to our lungs. We thought of visiting Jim Corbett National Park and felt that with kid it would be best if we could get a booking in Dhikala. I faxed and, almost daily, called and tracked my request at forest office in RamNagar. My fax was treated with the General algorithm (and not the VIP one) – Fax received -> throw it in the dustbin. This information came very late. We could not get reservation to Kathgodam that is nearest railhead for Naukuchiyatal and were forced to travel to RamNagar.

From RamNagar we wanted to travel to Nainital in State Roadways bus. But in the morning the only option was a private local bus. The state bus transport services of Uttaranchal are in very poor condition. I am not writing that it was non-existent because I believe in GOD. I have not seen GOD still I believe in it – Ditto for Uttaranchal bus transport services.

We reached Nainital in around 3-4 hours. Last time when we visited “Nainital” we did a Lake tour from Nainital & felt that the Lakes of “Sattal” and “Naukuchiyatal” were better than the Lake “Naini”. The plan was not to waste time in Nainital and so we immediately hired a cab and in around 45 mins we were at KMVN guesthouse in Naukuchiyatal.

The KMVN/TDC hotels have best locations, but rooms with taps leaking, plaster coming off the walls and in general give a damp and decrepit look. Inside room it was clear that they were still searching for the spider-man to get all mess done by him cleaned :) The cost of the room was very reasonable Rs 350 on ground floor and Rs 550 on first floor. In front of the room there was a beautiful small garden and after that there was Naukuchiyatal. As soon as we opened the door, the Lake was visible, as if it was our private Lake. Even with the shortcomings mentioned above, its location and price made it a value for money. We relaxed for a while in the small garden. A few kids were swimming in the Lake, jumping from a small platform and throwing & chasing a tire tube in the water. This fascinated Rachit.

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