Travel and the change in our personalities - part 4

Team Apex continues to explore India via Gaya and Pune. Our previous trip was covered in part 3.

GAYA

Our journey started for the city which is mentioned in Ramayana as well as in Mahabharata. Yes, we are talking about Gaya – the city which holds an ancient historical and mythological significance.

The city is surrounded by hills by three sides and falgu river flows on the fourth side. So, the climate is seasonable in Gaya – in winter, it is too cold and in summer, it is too hot.

This Phlagu river never gets flooded as it is considered that MATA SITA has cursed this river. Lord Rama had performed PIND DAAN for his father. That's why Gaya is famous for Pind Daan - it is the way by which the dead attain Moksha. It is believed that no work can be successfully performed without the blessing of ancestors and performing Pind Daan brings the blessings of the forefathers. 

The Visnupad temple - located along the falgu river, is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Once upon a time, there was a demon named Gayasura. He sought that whoever sees him should attain Moksha. To prevent immoral people from attaining Moksha Lord Vishnu asked Gayasura to go beneath the earth and did so by placing his right foot on asura's head. After pushing Gayasura below the surface of the earth, Lord Vishnu's footprint remained on the surface that we see even today.

Then, we went to Mangla Gauri temple which is mentioned in  Padma Purana, Vayu Purana, and Agni Purana. This temple constitutes an Upa-Shakti Pitha — where it is believed that a part of the body of Maa Shakti fell according to mythology. Here Maa Shakti is worshiped in the form of a breast - a symbol of nourishment. It is believed that whoever comes to Maa Durga with his wishes and prayers, returns successfully with all of prayers and wishes come true.

Being an IIT Aspirant, How can I forget about Patwatoli - A locality which is used to known for weavers is now known for the highest number of students studying in IITs. Even now, The main occupation of this locality is based on the handloom.

Since Gaya was a part of Magadha kingdom. so, the regional language of Gaya is Magadhi and Hindi. Magadha played an important role in the development of Buddhism and Jainism. There are many temples of Jains in Gaya. About 11 km from Gaya, you can find Bodhgaya.

Bodhgaya got his name from Bodhi tree - the tree beneath which  Gautam Buddha - founder of Buddhism, got enlightenment. Bodhgaya is the holiest place for Buddhists. so, Bodhgaya gets a lot of benefits from the tourism sector.

Having a great history, this city is also blessed with an International airport, Railways, central university, IIM, many universities, and colleges. A city which is famous not only for Hinduism and Buddhism but also, for Muslims and Jains. You can feel the spiritual harmony and it is a perfect example of a secular city.

PUNE

We entered Pune via Vimannagar, close to the airport. Vimannagar is in the eastern corridor of Pune, around half a kilometer from the military area. I was born and brought up in Pune, which is considered to be the cultural capital of Maharashtra. Its rich culture, heritage and favorable climate makes it one of the leading cities of India. The city is known for its manufacturing and automobile industries as well as for research institutes of Information Technology (IT). It is steadily turning into one of the largest Educational Hubs of India.

We planned a one day trip to explore Pune. We started early in the morning, with Shreemant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapati. It is the epitome of pride and honor to the city of Pune, as it is considered to be the richest deity in Pune. The temple is visited by thousands of dignitaries every year. Devotees of the temple include celebrities as well as Chief Minister of Maharashtra who visit during the annual ten-day Ganeshotsav festival.

We then went to Shaniwar wada which is about 500m away. Shaniwar wada is a palace fort and was built as the residence for Peshwas. It is known to be one of the most haunted places in Maharashtra. Shaniwar Wada was originally the seven storied capital building of the Peshwas of the Maratha Empire. It was supposed to be made entirely of stone but after the completion of the base floor, the people of Satara (the national capital) complained to the Shahu (King) saying that a stone monument can be sanctioned and built only by the Shahu (King) himself and not the Peshwas. Following this, an official letter was written to the Peshwas stating that the remaining building had to be made of brick and not stone. The Wada was then completed and upon being attacked by the British Artillery 90 years later, all the top six stories collapsed leaving only the stone base, which was immune to the British artillery. Hence only the stone base of the Shaniwar Wada remains and can be seen even today in the older parts of Pune.

Next place on the list was Sarasbaug, about 3 km from Shaniwar wada. There are regular buses and rickshaws within that route. It is spread across 25 acres having a huge garden which has captivating fountains, lush manicured lawns and a serene, historical temple dedicated to the God of Wisdom- Lord Ganesha.  The Ganesh temple is known as “Talyatla Ganpati” which means Ganpati in the lake. It is so because the place where the park now stands was once occupied by a small lake. The garden is really pleasant to walk around. We felt a nice breath of fresh air in an occupied city. Outside Saras Baug is a lane full of eateries and food stalls. After exploring the garden, we headed out to have some snacks. We have ordered pav bhaaji and  bhel. Both of them were spicy and delicious.

After this we went to Aga Khan Palace. This palace was built in 1892 by Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah Agakhan III. Historically, the palace holds great significance. The Agakhan Palace is a national monument of India’s freedom movement. Following the launch of Quit India movement in 1942, Gandhiji along with his wife Kasturba Gandhi and secretary Mahadev Desai were locked in the Palace from 9 August 1942 to 6 May 1944. Unfortunately, Kasturba Gandhi and Mahadev Desai died during their captivity in the Aga Khan Palace and had their Samadhis performed over here as well. There are many public functions celebrated at the Aga Khan Palace organised by the Gandhi Memorial Society. Some of these include Martyr's Day which is celebrated on 30th January, Maha Shivratri, Kasturba Gandhi's Death anniversary which is celebrated as Mother's Day, Independence Day which is celebrated on 15th August, Republic Day on the 26th January and Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary on 2nd October every year.  

After having some rest, we finally went to one of the hottest, lavish and known area of Pune that is Koregaon Park. Koregaon Park generally known as KP is very good attraction for teenagers or young generation. Its a good place to hangout. From famous German bakery (which was bombed on 13 February 2010 by terrorist killing nine) to street food, Pub hopping to pocket friendly Osho sandal shopping, KP has something for every visitor. Crowd is pretty good here and it tends to get crowded on weekends. With places like Penthouze, Mi-A-Mi, The High Spirits Cafe, Area 51, Hard Rock Cafe, etc., one can  never run out of choices here having almost 8% of European crowd. In KP Osho Ashram is near and can be visited during visiting hours. It’s a very quiet place with lots of greenery around and hence there is a aura of freshness here. It is dedicated to yoga and meditation, it promises its visitors with rejuvenating experiences, soothing for their mind and soul. Various kinds of training programs on spiritual living and stress free lifestyle are conducted here at regular intervals.

At the end of our journey we had our dinner at Chang’s restaurant. Its a casual dining restaurant that serves delicious food of Chinese cuisine at affordable rates. 

And so, our journey ends at Pune. We experienced villages and cities, mouth watering food and sceneries. But most importantly, we experienced a change within. During our journey, we became parts of the cities we were in. Apex was part of the hustle-bustle in Mumbai, and the calm in Dehradun. After all, journeys bring out our personalities and make us introspect as well. Team Apex ends this journey on a positive note with a lot to take back.