Serenedipity -- A Sojourn in Rajasthan

Serendipity
KALAKHO – ABHANERI – BHANDAREJ – DHAUSA – BHANGARH - MADHOGARH


The famous vocabulary book by Nurnberg and Rosenblum defines ‘Serendipity’ as ‘lucky discovery’ – ‘lucky’, ‘chance’, ‘unexpected’ … It also says that the word is lovely. Agreed, especially after this serendipitous travel in the center of Rajasthan.

The month of December is marked with a host of long weekends in the year 2006. Shame that I spend most of those in the city. After a while, the feeling gets too overbearing and the call of the wild raise above the din of the metropolis. The Christmas weekend finally does it. I pack a small bag, throw it in the trunk and move out of the city.

We have bought this book called Weekend Gateways, by Outlook, and a friend has gifted me a small traditional compass for the Christmas. Armed with these two new possessions and a desire to put them to immediate use, we drive in the moist foggy morning of 23rd December by about 9am into the unknown.

Day 1 – December 23, 2006

The highway to Jaipur, NH-8, is pretty busy for the weekend, and we decide to get off the main road so as to avoid the traffic as well as the nasty toll. Just 100m before the toll gate, we take a left towards Bhiwadi, then a right at the green RIICO signage, and the road leads us to the backside of the Bhiwadi industrial area. The road is marked with some really bad patches, and some really scenic settings. Some Mughal Era Monuments, mustard fields and hillocks. Overall this adds some 15km to the journey, a lot of pleasure and a saving of some 60-odd rupees of toll.

We drive towards Dharuhera. Some 2km before this inner road hits the Dharuhera crossing on the NH-8, there is a left turn towards Alwar. We take the turn and move towards Alwar. Very good road, … open and without much trouble. Just before Alwar, a left turn towards Rajgarh (landmark: A hospital, name of the road is Alwar By-Pass). So by-pass Alwar and move towards Rajgarh. Good road in most places, except some sporadic ugly patches. Funny to see that the outskirts of Alwar have heaps of garbage piled on both sides of the road.

Road starts getting rough as we near Rajgarh. Entrance to Rajgarh is marked with a very interesting Haveli like structure on both sides of the road. Shame we could not spend much time in that area.

From Rajgarh we move towards Bandikui. This part of road is under construction in most places, so the going gets tough in many places. We see tractors and trucks loaded to 3 times their capacity and wonder at the people’s and machines’ amazing tenacity.

Bandikui is elusive. There is no sign of Bandikui for a long time – about 30-35km. All you see is boards for Baswa. So you keep wondering whether you are on the right track. Then you reach Baswa and you think that it is Bandikui, which it is not. You keep thinking that you have reached the town, but it keeps slipping away. We go through some really crowded and highly colorful marketplaces, cross the train tracks multiple times and finally reach Bandikui.

From Bandikui about 10-12km ahead, the road opens to Sikandara on NH-11 (which is the national highway joining Jaipur and Agra). The bookish route to reach here is to take NH-8 till Jaipur and then turn left on the NH-11 (towards Agra) to reach Sikandara. Of course that is a shorter and faster route, but it is rather ordinary and without much character. The inner road we try is long, sometimes hard, but quite interesting.

Just 3km before Sikandara and 5km after Bandikui, there is a small white statue, about a meter high, of a local political leader erected right in the middle of the road. You turn left from here for Abhaneri. Abhaneri is about 17km from this place.

As a footnote, it must be added that at this time we have no idea about Abhaneri. We are looking for a place called “Kalakho’, which is mentioned in the book. We travel as the map in the book says. The map says go to Sikandara, take left towards the Agra side, go to a place called ‘Mahua’ and then again left inside to reach Kalakho. All wrong. Firstly there is nothing in Kalakho. Secondly, even if you want to reach Kalakho for donkey’s sake, you reach it after turning RIGHT instead of left from Sikandara. There is a place called Mahua on NH-11, but it is almost 40km away from Sikandara.

Thanks to the map, we go halfway towards it, then realize that this cannot be it, so stop on the way, correct the course, have lunch in the meanwhile and return to Sikandara, only to turn back towards Bandikui and eventually getting on the way to Abhaneri. This misadventure wastes a precious 50-60km and 2 hours for us. But that’s a different story.


Stop 1: Abhaneri – Chand Baoli and Harshada Mata Temple

Abhaneri is the first part of the ‘Serendipity Package’. We reach the sleepy village of Abhaneri in about time, with enough sunlight remaining for outdoor. The route to Abhaneri goes through mustard fields, is curvy and nice. The entry to the village has a temple on the right. We part in front of the temple and climb.

The temple is peculiar, with large boulders and stones piled one above the other to create the structure. We are told later that the temple was built by king Chand, then later demolished by Mehmood Gazni, and much later discovered and restored partially by the Maharjah of Jaipur. That explains the pile-on structure.

Harshada Mata Temple at Abhaneri

It is called Harshada Mata Temple - a magnificent temple of Goddess Durga. The expanse of the temple is vast and tells a tale of the bygone era, when the temple was complete and intact in its full splendor. All around the temple, in the nearby area marked with a fence newly built by the archeological society of India, are arranged the remains of the great structure – stones from the pillars, Ghummats, Kamaanis and carvings.

A stroll around the temple. Since we are the only visitors in the village, not only on that day, but perhaps for many days, our arrival has generated significant interest in the local hoi polloi. Little boys and girls are walking around us, checking us out, saying ‘hello’ and ‘please’ and smiling.

By the time, we are back towards the main entrance, we see a middle-aged person waiting for us. We are skeptical about this, and believe him to be one of the usual guides that are normally found at such places, ready to throw a motley of facts and fiction at the foreign tourists to make a quick buck. Thankfully, we quickly find out that his name is Ram Kumar Yadav, and he is deputed by the archeological society as a caretaker of the place. So we avoid some embarrassment.

He tells us that the department has taken to improve the surroundings of the place, so that it becomes more tourist-friendly. Very soon there will be a solid stonewall around the temple too to protect it from vandalism – the work is already going on. Ram Kumar also gives tidbits on the history of the place – beginning with the fact that Abhaneri was actually called Abhay Nagari and was the seat of power for King Chand in 18th century.

Right in front of the temple, is a structure closed with cement walls. This is the Chand Baoli (pronounced ‘Baa-wa-dee’). Before we enter the walls, we have no idea what lies behind it. We have no idea that we are going to see a national monument as impressive as perhaps the Hawa Mahal or the Char Minar.

The enclosure hosts a deep and huge well (Kund or Baoli). The well has stonewalls built by the King Chand. There are 13 landings and a mind-boggling 3500 steps to get down to the water. The shear drop of the place gives one vertigo.

Abhaneri -- I found this before Tarsem Singh did!

The department has put steel railings around the Kund. All good idols and carvings from the temple are nowadays kept inside this same enclosure, behind an iron net and under lock and key – and numbered.

The sculptures are precious and most have miraculously survived the test of time as well as that of Mahmood Gazni. See the familiar Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh, Shiv-Parvati, Radha-Krishna done with great detail, a very beautiful Durga, and some less common Ardh-naari-nateshwar, Harihar (Shiva and Vishnu both), Yakshas, Kuber and other gods. Especially noted is a meter-long engraving of Mahishasur-mardan, very beautifully done. Three-eyed Shiva. Pity you can’t take photos of the sculptures.

The Baoli is built in one way on three sides and the other way on the fourth. You enter from the West side. The first three sides (North, East and South) have the stone steps of 13 landings. This fourth side however has a cement structure, some rooms etc. The first 3 walls were built by Chand. This was not a well that time, but a dam-like structure to store water from a river. Then one day much later the river flooded, drowned the city of Abhay Nagari and the dam got covered underground. The Nagari was forgotten, literally under the sands of time.

The sheer depth of the well is mind-numbing

Legend has it that much later the Maharaj of Jaipur saw a vision in his dream when a Sadhu told him to dig in that place. The King’s men excavated the dam in one night – thus the local folklore that the Chand Baoli was built in one night. The Jaipur King then realized that he needs to close the fourth wall, since the river had by then changed its course. The King thus built the later wall, added a waterwheel to draw water from the depth of the Kund thus formed and also added bathrooms for himself and his queens. All this structure can be seen today – complete with the queen’s bathroom having a grill and window as a differentiator. You can also see the structure where the waterwheel was mounted. This side of the Baoli is mostly cemented and has carvings done during the Jaipur’s regime. Especially noted is a carving of Vishnu, with Lakshmi pressing his feet, a lotus from his navel, and Brahma with 4 heads on the lotus – the complete picture.

We are mighty impressed by the whole story. We also go down a couple of landings to get a closer look. However it is getting dark now and we have to hit the highway before it gets too late. So we bid adieu to Ram Kumar and his dog (whose pastime is to roll in the saffron paint used for the gods in Chand Baoli) and move towards Sikandara, of course with the local gang of kids trailing us for a while.
Back on NH-11 at Sikandara, we now turn right and start towards Jaipur. We still have not found Kalakho, and the dark is setting. So we hurry and ask people. We discover that Kalakho is about 30km from Sikandara. It is a timid little collection of hutments with nothing spectacular around it. The only place it has is a newly built hotel called Umaid Palace – a modern structure built like the earlier Havelis. We check it out, and find that we are the only guests in the whole place. Meanwhile we are also told about a Haweli that is now converted to Palace – a place called Bhandarej near Dhausa. So we move towards Dhausa, with a view that in case Bhadarej does not work out, we will go to the town of Dhausa and surely get some place to stay rather than staying away from civilization.

Stop 2: Bhandarej

Some 8km before Dhausa, we take a left and move towards Bhandarej. It is a little town of blacksmiths and metal workers, with the Haveli called Bhadravati Palace overlooking it from a hillock. The approach to Bhadravati is steep and extremely narrow through the village, after which there is the porch. The Haveli is really old, and is frequented by foreign tourists in groups. Here too, this night, we are the only guests. The caretaker and manager show us around – the glass paintings, the fancy old-time hand-propelled fan and the wall hangings.

But it is quite dark now, and we are worried about the problem of stay and food. So we cut the hospitality short and drive down to NH-11 back and enter Dhausa. Dhausa looks like a fairly large industrial town. Lots of hospitals, nursing homes and clinics. Wonder if this is a ‘hospital town’, just like Bandikui has only band-wallas. Anyway, we find a hotel called Madhuban, with rooms that are manageable and food that is edible. It also has some occupancy other than us, and it is in the middle of a domesticated town, like us.

Day 2 – December 24, 2006

The next day is fresh and sunny. Start off from Dhausa towards Bhangarh. Back on NH-11, go towards Jaipur, this is almost like Dhausa by-pass. At the first crossing about 5 km away, take a right towards ‘Gola Ka Baans’.

Stop 3: Bhangarh Dam

On the way to Bhangarh is a beautiful dam. We park at the base and climb the wall of the dam. Cool blue water on the other side. Birds. Monkeys too. Shades and trees.

Back on the road towards Gola Ka Baans. Cross Sainthel. Then comes Gola Ka Baans, 25km from the main road. This place is famous for marble sculptures. All houses seem like converted to marble shops. Gola Ka Baans has one word for it -- filthy. I have traveled much in the rural India, but none of the villages were found filthy. Unfortunately there is no by-pass for this sad little village.

We cross the village, and just after that there is a left with a board for ‘Bhangarh’. The straight road would go to Ajabgarh. We turn left. Narrow road. Bumpy. Ends at the fort, about 3 km away. We start seeing the fort and the walls. Outside the walls there are broken structures. The city looks dead even from afar. We park at the walls and walk in.

Stop 4: Bhangarh

The city of Bhangarh was the seat of power for Rani Rupmati. Legend has it that a Sadhu cursed her and the city of Bhangarh got finished in one night. As we walk through what was marketplace then, the place looks eerie even at noon on a sunny day. Even the air is still. All walls and structures stand only 4 to5 feet from ground. There are steps inside the houses that can be seen. It’s like someone cut a knife through the city.

We cross the marketplace, the city and reach the fort’s walls. After the wall, there are two temples. These two and one temple in the city – these are the only 3 structures whose top is intact. Everything else is half – even the Rani’s palace.

Rani Roopmati's palace - or what is left of it

Only one temple in the city is ‘active’ – in that there is puja performed everyday. Strangely, it has a square and white marble Shivlingum – instead of the usual round and black one. There are gardens around the temples and one small pond of water.

We move towards the fort. It is a bit of a climb, about two landings. The fort is very small, with a backdrop of a hill. The entire city is surrounded by hills on three sides and only one side is open from where we approached.

There is not much in the fort, apart from Rupmati’s bath chamber, which is also standing only 4 to 5 feet from the ground. The only structure that is intact inside the fort is - again – a small shrine. None of the temples, apart from the Shiva temple mentioned above, have an idol, neither is there any puja performed. They are only structures.

The eerie ruins of Bhangarh

The Ghost city of Bhangarh catches your imagination very quickly. How much of the folklore is true and how much is fiction, we do not know. But it is one amazing discovery. We move out from Bhangarh, cross the unpleasant Gola Ka Baans once again, trace the route back to NH-11 and then move towards Jaipur. It is about 2pm and we have one more stop in mind – Madhogarh.

Stop 5: Madhogarh

Back on NH-11, move about 25km from Dhausa to reach Bassi Chak. Turn left, 3km reach the highly populated Bassi. Take left from there to Tunga. Bad road. Very narrow and the shoulders are very bumpy. Busy road too, with lots of tractors and jeeps.

Just 2-3 km before Tunga, we turn left to Madhogarh. We go through the village. The last kilometer is really bad road. So we stop and start walking towards the fort. We see a jeep stop for us, and thus we meet Thakur Shiv Pratap Singh, the heir of the palace.

We get a ride in his open-top jeep to the fort. Great fort. Nicely restored as a hotel. Some 6-7 rooms. All good. We are shown around. On one side you can see the battlefield of Tunga, on the other the town area of Bassi. I show Thakur Sahab his mention in the Outlook book and he is as expected, very happy to see it. We have an amazing yet simple lunch at the haveli, and then move out to the national highway by late afternoon.

Stop 6: Entry to Jaipur from NH-11

By this time, I am quite content about all the lucky discoveries, and think that the trip is over, where I am in for yet another and the final surprise of the trip. This is the entry to Jaipur from NH-11.

Now this one is an absolute must-see. It has a long wounding route, on both sides of which are great structures built by the Kings of Jaipur. Most of these are havelis, some are houses, some shops, some gardens and the like. Absolutely magnificent. I have been to Jaipur a zillion times, but I had no idea of this amazing place before.

We cross this, and at the first crossing at Jaipur take the right to Delhi. So we by-pass Jaipur and move towards Delhi on the familiar NH-8. As usual, the last leg of the trip is the most tiring. It is dark and cold by now. We reach Gurgaon by 10pm, with an uneventful ride interspaced with some chai stops and one long pit stop at the familiar Nirulas near Manesar. Ah, captivity, civilization and cheese pizza!

We are glad to be home at one level, and yet … Yet at another level, the mindscape is still filled with images from the Ghost City of Bhangarh and the unbelievable Baoli of Abhaneri, the Harshada Mata Temple and the warm hospitality of the royalty in Madhogarh!