01 Jan

ब्रज भूमि भ्रमण : बरसाना-नंदगाँव में होली का हुड़दंग

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मथुरा-वृंदावन के मंदिरों के दर्शन के पश्चात सोमवार 11 मार्च, 2014 को बरसाना की यात्रा का कार्यक्रम बनाया. बरसाना की विश्वप्रसिद्ध लट्ठमार होली के दर्शन की उत्सुकता के कारण आज सुबह सभी लोग जल्दी-जल्दी उठकर तैयार होने लगे. मथुरा-वृंदावन-गोवर्धन आदि स्थानों की यात्रा का सौभाग्य तो कई बार मिला परन्तु बरसाना-नंदगाँव के स्थलों के भ्रमण का ये हमारा प्रथम अवसर था.
प्रातःकालीन दैनिक कार्यों के निवृत्ति और नाश्ते के पश्चात् बुआ जी-फूफा जी से विदा लेकर चलने कि तैयारी की. बरसाना तक पहुँचने के लिए गाडी और ड्राईवर की व्यवस्था के फूफा जी ने करवा दी थी. होली के रंग में रंगने के लिए राधारानी के जन्मस्थल बरसाना की और चल दिए.

बरसाना के होली महोत्सव में श्रीकृष्ण के स्थान नंदगाँव के निवासी बरसाना की गोपियों के साथ होली खेलने तथा राधारानी जी के मंदिर पर ध्वजारोहण के उद्देश्य से बरसाना में आते हैं. बरसाना में गोपियों द्वारा उनका स्वागत रंग-गुलाल के साथ-साथ लट्ठों (डंडों) द्वारा किया जाता है. नंदगाँव के निवासी भी स्वागत के इस तरीके से भली-भाँती परिचित होते हैं और वे रंग-गुलाल के साथ-साथ अपने बचाव के लिए बड़ी-सी मजबूत ढाल लेकर आते हैं. होली के इस अनोखे स्वरुप के कारण ही बरसाना की होली को लट्ठमार होली के नाम से पूरे विश्व में जाना जाता है. इसके अगले दिन बरसाना की गोपियाँ नंदगाँव में होली के लिए जाती हैं और नंदगाँव के निवासी रंग, अबीर, गुलाल से उनको तरह-तरह के रंगों में रंग देते हैं.मथुरा से लगभग 45 किलोमीटर दूर बरसाना जाते हुए रास्ते में गोवर्धन पर कुछ देर रूककर गिरिराज जी परिक्रमा मार्ग पर दंडवत और दानघाटी गिरिराज जी मंदिर को प्रणाम करके बरसाना की ओर चल दिए.

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ब्रज भूमि भ्रमण : मथुरा-वृंदावन के कुछ दर्शनीय स्थल

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निधिवन में विचरने के पश्चात् अभी भी मंदिरों के द्वार खुलने में पर्याप्त समय था. वृंदावन में आकर वृंदावनी लस्सी का मजा अगर नहीं लिया तो वृंदावन का भ्रमण अधूरा ही है. भूख भी लगी हुए थी तो कुछ खाने-पीने के साथ वृंदावनी लस्सी का मज़ा उठाने का यही सही समय था. बाकि बचे समय को श्री यमुना जी का तट पर व्यतीत करने का विचार कर पग यमुना तट की ओर चल पड़े. श्री यमुनाजी भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण की अनेक लीलाओं की साक्षी है. श्री यमुनाजी के तट पर बैठकर भगवन की चीर-हरण, कालिया-दमन आदि अनेक लीलाओं के दृश्य आँखों के सामने तैरने लगते हैं. श्री यमुना जी कि रेत में बच्चे क्रीड़ा करते हुए गीले रेत में सराबोर होकर आनंद के खजाने को खोदने लगे. और धीरे-धीरे समय मंदिरों के द्वार खुलने का हो गया.
सबसे पहले वृंदावन के प्राचीन श्री बांके बिहारी जी मंदिर के दर्शन के लिए मंदिर द्वार पर द्वार खुलने की प्रतीक्षा करने लगे. बांके बिहारी मंदिर भारत के प्राचीन और प्रसिद्ध मंदिरों में से एक है। बांके बिहारी कृष्ण का ही एक रूप है जो इसमें प्रदर्शित किया गया है। इसका निर्माण सन 1864 में स्वामी हरिदास ने करवाया था. वृंदावन में आने वाला प्रत्येक दर्शनार्थी इस मंदिर में श्री बांके बिहारी जी के दर्शन अवश्य करके अपने यात्रा को सफल करने का प्रयत्न करता है.

अन्य प्रसिद्ध मंदिरों में कृष्ण बलराम मंदिर (इस्कॉन टेम्पल) जो कि अंग्रेजों का मंदिर नाम से भी प्रसिद्द है. ISCON के संस्थापक स्वामी प्रभुपाद जी के आदेशानुसार इस मंदिर का निर्माण सन 1975 में करवाया गया. विश्वभर के प्रसिद्द इस्कॉन मंदिरों में से एक वृंदावन का ये एक अतिप्रसिद्ध मंदिर है. वर्षभर इस मंदिर में पूरे विश्व के कृष्ण-भक्तों का यहाँ आना-जाना लगा रहता है. मंदिर में प्रवेश करते ही स्वामी प्रभुपाद जी के महामंत्र (हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे. हरे राम हरे राम राम राम हरे हरे) का मानसिक जाप स्वतः ही प्रारम्भ हो जाता है. मंदिर में सतत चलने वाला महामंत्र का संकीर्तन आगंतुकों को मंत्रमुग्ध कर दर्शन के साथ नर्तन करने को विवश कर देता है.

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A Goan Monsoon

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We were driving down to Goa one more time, our fifth holiday in Goa since December 2001. I had booked in Club Mahindra’s Varca Beach resort almost two months ahead. We got the booking easily because it is the end of blue season (slack season) at this time in Goa. Only die-hard Goa lovers go at this time because of the monsoon rains.

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Santiniketan-Trip to Tagore’s Abode

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As I saw little children studying beneath the trees I kept comparing it with the classes held in our city schools with air-conditioners and state-of-the-art technology. How claustrophobic the city children must be feeling, I wondered. For once, I imagined myself to be a child, sitting with those little kids beneath the shadowy mango trees reading Tagore’s verses or perhaps solving sums even. We also visited the various schools inside the campus like ‘Patha Bhavan, China Bhavan, Hindi Bhavan’ where various subjects are taught in foreign languages as well. With alumni list including Nobel laureate Amartya Sen and Satyajit Ray, nothing more is required to be said about this world class university. On our way back to hotel we took a glimpse of the prayer house.

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Santiniketan-Roadway and Lodging Review

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The place was named Amrakunj as Tagore had planted by himself 108 mango trees in this garden. As I saw little children studying beneath the trees I kept comparing it with the classes held in our city schools with air-conditioners and state-of-the-art technology. How claustrophobic the city children must be feeling, I wondered. For once, I imagined myself to be a child, sitting with those little kids beneath the shadowy mango trees reading Tagore’s verses or perhaps solving sums even. We also visited the various schools inside the campus like ‘Patha Bhavan, China Bhavan, Hindi Bhavan’ where various subjects are taught in foreign languages as well. With alumni list including Nobel laureate Amartya Sen and Satyajit Ray, nothing more is required to be said about this world class university. On our way back to hotel we took a glimpse of the prayer house.

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Hogenakkal Falls – Water falls through Graphite Rocks.

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There was a 3 days off as 26th Jan 2009 was on Monday and I thought of utilizing this time to going out to Chikmagalur, kuuke subramanyam however due to unavailability of reservations in resorts and last minutes commitments I along with my friend and his family, have opted for one day trip to Hogenakkal Falls on Sunday the 25th so that we can relax on 26th.

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Home of Asiatic Lions..Gir forest – A tryst with the King

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Suddenly we saw jeeps carrying lot of excited tourists coming from the opposite direction and some of them showed us the victory sign.They said they have spotted few lioness and cubs enroute..For us the excitement started building for the second time and we moved ahead with bated breath.We had moved another kilometer or so and what we saw next, melted our hearts!!A lion cub was sitting few inches away from our jeep,it seemed as if he wanted to pose for us..he was joined by another cub and soon the two of them started playing together.In distance their mothers, two lionesses,sat watching.The guide went on..”Spotting of cubs is an extremely rare affair as their mothers are fiercely protective and don’t allow them to venture outside of deep forest area,so you people are really lucky”.We tried to soak in the happy moment and thanked our luck again and again for the wonderful lion sightings we had that day,which made our visit to the sanctuary worth it.

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The Southern Sojourn – Rameswaram

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It takes around an hour to take bath in all the 22 wells. The modus operandi is simple. There is a person standing by the side of the well ready to pour water on you with a small bucket. Some of the pilgrims make a small donation at each of the wells. We preferred to have holy water sprinkled over us and move to the next well.Despite the fact that thousands of pilgrims are visiting the temple every day and having a bath at these theerthams, it is believed that the tanks around the temple have a perennial source of water.

Having finished the ritual of purifying ourselves at the holy wells, we once again passed through the magnificent corridors, passed by the Nandi and reached the exit gate. I do not know if my sins were washed away, but one thing is certain that the experience of visiting the temple will remain etched in my memory all through my life.

It was around 6.30 in the evening. Still in a trance, I reached the hotel room, ordered a steaming hot cup of tea and thereafter met Rajah, the cabbie whom we had hired for taking us to Kaniyakumari, the southernmost tip of the country, where Swami Vivekanana meditated before proceeding for America and which is the confluence of two great seas – Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea and the great Indian Ocean, about which I would write in my forthcoming post.

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Getting lost in Sambhar Lake

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On the way back, we drove the entire distance over lake only. Trying to absorb more of that dry-dusty frame. We also learned that ‘Jodha Akbar’ was shot here and apparently they created the entire war set here. Another movie, this time of junior Bacchan was shot in the main town. We dropped the Sambhar Salts gentleman back after thanking him for all his help and started back.

As we were driving back, I was thinking that how long the lake would remain like that. Probably 50 years down the line, this story would look like a legend. May be the area would get habituated, the land would be reclaimed to build SEZs and factories or may be the new Jaipur Airport. Who can imagine a 230 sq KM dry lake which is open for driving. You tell that to your grandkid and he would laugh it off. Go and look at it before it vanishes.

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Biking across Thailand – Bridge over the river kwai

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After our brief encounter with wild cats concluded, we headed to River Kwai bridge. River Kwai bridge was constructed under Japanese command during world war 2, to enable Japanese troops to cross across Thailand to Burma and eventually India. Thousands of PoW (Prisoners of wars) were deployed for construction work, without adequate food, rest or medical care. This resulted in deaths in thousands and being alive for one more day was a luxury at that time. Our generation isn’t really exposed to such life and death hardships and all we complain about is traffic, high fuel prices and slow internet. But life back then was very different. A visit to the museum and war memorial will remind us of harsh realities of life in the times of war. River Kwai bridge stands as a testimony to the fact that thousands had to die to satisfy greed of few emperors. The movie by its name, which was pictured in Srilanka has made this bridge immortal.

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