It was mid of 2016, my earned leaves in the company were getting lapsed due to the year-end rituals. So, I thought to go on a trip outside of Karnataka to utilize those leaves effectively. There was a thought flowing in my mind to visit Central India places like Shirdi, Nashik, Trimbakeshwar, Bibi ka Maqbara etc. I had a desire to do a solo trip on my wish list. So, I decided to let this trip me my first solo trip (Earlier blog was 2nd solo trip link given at end) After committing myself to go for the solo trip I did some research on places to visit, stay and other stuff and booked my train journey for both onwards and return. I made a few handy notes of the necessary things. Once I have done with the research, I applied for leave and called my mom to inform about things which I had planned and I told her that I am going alone for this trip, she was shell-shocked and then she asked me that "Are you serious?" , “Hudagata adbeda!” I told no and somehow I convinced and assured her that I would be safe and secure. Even though I was away from home for around 10 years, my mom still thinks that I am a small child and have that fear to send me out, yeah that's the mother's affection:). After that, I packed all the necessary things with extra caution.
My journey started on June 20th from Mysore to Shirdi. During my train journey, I met a big family who were heading towards Shirdi from Mandya and they were also shocked when they got to know that I was travelling alone. The family asked where do I come from, what I do for living etc. and they told me to join with them. Luckily, one gorgeous girl in their family gave me company *blushes* throughout the journey. And they made me so comfortable to a whom they met a few moments ago. Yes, Humanity exists:). Once we reached Shirdi they offered me to stay with them. We had a very delicious dinner and a good rest that night. Next day, early morning we visited the very famous Shirdi temple. The temple was calm, blissful and very well maintained. It was not so much of rush compared to other elite temples. We had good darshana of Shirdi baba and we headed to Shanisingnapur which is very famous for shani devaru (god) and we returned back to Shirdi. That concludes Day 1.
Next day morning we travelled to visit world famous UNESCO heritage site Ellora caves which are in Aurangabad. It was around 3hrs journey from Shirdi. The caves in the Ellora are magnificent and those sculptures are a visual treat to eyes. The caves feature Buddhist, Hindu and Jain monuments. One special mention is the Kailasa temple. The temple is built from top to bottom from a single rock and it is the largest monolithic rock-cut temple in the world. The place was incredible and worth to visit. After lunch, we visited Bibi ka Maqbara also known as Mini Taj Mahal. It was built by Aurangzeb son Azam Shah in the memory of his Mother. The monument replicates the Taj. The place has well-maintained gardens and a good place to hang out. In the evening the family left from there heading to Pune to catch the train to their home town. It was a great stay with them and they treated a stranger as their family member. It was a good moment to cherish forever. From there I came to Nashik that night.
Following early morning, I took a bus to visit Trimbakeshwar, which is one of the 12 auspicious jyotirlingas in India. The temple was calm, serene and no rush probably due to offseason. I tasted a very famous spicy Misal pav. From Nashik, I took a bus to Mangi- tungi. Mangi- tungi is considered as one of the sacred places for Jains. The hilltop has a monolithic structure of Bhagawan Adinatha, (1st Tirthankara of Jainism) which is of 108ft, tallest Jain statue. I stayed in a shared room where I met two more visitors who had come all along from Pondicherry and Kanyakumari. They were filmmakers and we had a good conversation on films, religion etc. Next morning, I climbed around 3000 steps to reach the hilltop. It was a tiring ascent but once I reached the top the view was breath-taking. After completing the pooja and ritual I took a bus to Manmad where I supposed to catch the return train to Bangalore. I reached the Bangalore subsequent night safely.
This trip was so memorable because it was my first solo journey and it requires lots of guts to decide each and everything during the trip. I travelled to many new places and finally, I met several new people who are kind and generous to me. Indeed, a Special trip to treasure.
Thank you.
Blog 1 link:
