Maheshwar, MP, India

Maheshwar 

Maheshwar is a true jewel of MP Tourism and of the incredible India. It is located on the banks of Narmada and is only one and half hours’ drive from Indore. Best time to travel to Maheshwar is in winter. In summer the stones of the forts and Temples make it difficult to move around.

Maheshwar is famous for the Saintly, Philosopher female ruler Ahilyabai, the magnificent fort, Ahilyabai’s spartan residence, beautiful Temples and the world famous Maheshwar Sarees. 

Maheshwar’s history dates back from the times of “Ramayana” and “Mahabharata”. It was then called Mahishmati. It is said that Sahastrarjun’s (who had 1000 hands) 500 wives wanted to play. So Sahastrarjun, with his mighty hands, stopped the flow of the river Narmada and the riverbed became dry. At that time Ravana wanted to pray to Lord Shiva. He found the dry bed of Narmada and wanted to pray there. He created a Shiv Linga in sand and started praying there. 

Then the queens finished their play and so Sahastrarjun let Narmada flow again. The onrush of water disturbed the prayer of Ravana and so he went after Sahastrarjun. There was a fight and Ravana was defeated. Sahastrarjun lit lamps on ten heads of Ravana and one on his hand.  They say that the practice of lighting eleven lamps in the temple started then. Similarly there are tales from Mahabharata mentioning Maheshwar..

One of the key attractions in Maheshwar is the Rajrajeshwar Temple complex. In the complex there are Temples of Sahastrarjun, Shiva, Ganapati with Riddhi / Siddhi, Ram Laxman and Sita etc. The  architecture and colour of each of these Temples is different. The Temples are beautiful. In one of the Temples 11 flames have been kept continuously lit for the past few centuries.

The fort and the various structures within the complex are beautiful. They have used stones of different colours - yellowish ochre, gray etc. In the construction of the fort. The architecture is gorgeous. Building styles are lovely. There is extensive carving on the stone facades. One of the carved panels shows a convict receiving capital punishment (for heinous crimes) under the feet of elephants.

The fort is by the side of river Narmada. There are ghats near the river which makes it easier to descend to the river on the steps of the ghats. Narmada is one of the seven holy rivers of India. Narmada is one of the few west flowing rivers of India.

Narmada is pretty wide at Maheshwar and the flow is quiet and serene..There are many boats which take you on a short cruise in the river for a small fee. Within the river there is small island which houses the temple of Baneshwar. 

During Monsoon the Narmada river swells and many of the Temples on the ghat get submerged.

It is said that Emperor Akbar built a fort here in Maheshwar in the 16th century; the fort was taken over by Malhar Rao Holkar in the 18th century. When Ahilya Bai Holkar came to power in 1767, she shifted the capital of the territory from Indore to Maheshwar.

It is said that Malhar Rao saw her as a nine year old girl and was impressed by her. He got her married to his son Khanderao. After Khanderao’s death, Ahilyabai wanted to go as sati. Malhar Rao pleaded to her and dissuaded her from that. After Malhar Rao’s death, Ahilya Bai became the queen.

Ahilyabai ruled during 1767-1795 and her rule was famous for being just, happy and peaceful for the people. She lived a very simple life herself. Carried lot of projects all over India. She led in battles and used diplomacy to avoid wars where possible..There is a lot to learn from this great ruler.

We also visited Sahastra Dhara (thousand streams) where the great Narmada flows over a rocky bed - which splits the river into multiple streams. There is a short waterfall at the location. The streams gleaming in sunlight is a truly lovely scene. Wished I had a drone to explore the beauty of the streams and the place. 

Near Sahastra Dhara is a temple to single headed Dattatreya. This temple is one of the four being constructed in four corners of India. The temple has a massive courtyard but had very few worshippers.

We came face to face with the “Narmada Parikramis” who are among the most tenacious of the pilgrims anywhere in the world. They walk the entire length, on both flanks of river Narmada,  from its origin at Amarkantak to where it meets the Arabian Sea, covering a distance of 2600 kms on foot. The parikramis travel on foot with meagre belongings. They are revered by the common folk for the arduous task they have undertaken and so are happy to meet their needs such as food and shelter.

The tradition of Maheshwari Sarees and the weaving art dates back to 5th century AD. During Ahilyabai’s reign, she invited weavers from Gujarat and Karnataka to come and settle down in Maheshwar. In recent times the descendent of the ruling Holkar family - Richard Holkar took up the cause of poor weavers. He formed a cooperative for them, with a view to get them better Compensation for their work. Richard Holkar is the Son of the last Maharaja of Indore - Yeshwant Rao Holkar and his American Wife. We saw the Rehwa Society, founded by Richard Holkar, which works for the hand loom weavers of Maheshwar.

Maheshwar is a small and clean town. It will leave a lasting impression on you..

Mandav MP India

Mandav

An inscription discovered from Talanpur (in Dhar district) states that a merchant named Chandra Simha installed a statue in a temple of Parshvanatha located in the Mandapa Durga. The word "Mandu" is believed to be a Prakrit corruption of "Mandapa Durga". The inscription is dated 555 CE which indicates that Mandu was a flourishing town in 6th. century.

When Timur, captured Delhi in 1401, the Afghan Dilawar Khan, governor of Malwa, set up his own little kingdom and the Ghuri dynasty was established. His son, Hoshang Shah, shifted the capital from Dhar to Mandu and raised it to its greatest splendour. Hoshang Shah's tomb is first marble structure in India. 

Mohammed Khalji established the Khalji dynasty of Malwa (1436-1531) and went on to rule for the next 33 years. It was under his reign that the Malwa Sultanate reached its greatest height. He was succeeded by his son, Ghiyasuddin who was a pleasure seeker and devoted himself to women and music. He had a large harem and built the Jahaz Mahal for housing the women, numbering thousands, of his harem.

Akbar defeated and killed Hemu in the second Battle of Panipat on 7 November 1556. In 1561, Akbar's army led by Adham Khan and Pir Muhammad Khan attacked Malwa and defeated Baz Bahadur in the battle of Sarangpur on 29 March 1561. One of the reasons for Adham Khan's attack seems to be his love for Rani Roopmati. Rani Roopmati poisoned herself to death on hearing the news of fall of Mandu. Baz Bahadur fled to Khandesh. Akbar, soon recalled Adham Khan and made over command to Pir Muhammad.

After Akbar added Mandu to the Mughal empire, it kept a considerable degree of independence, until taken by the Marathas in 1732 by Peshwa Baji Rao I. The capital of Malwa was then shifted back to Dhar by Marathas under Maharaja Pawar, re-establishing Hindu rule.

Rani Roopmati Pavalian:

A large sandstone structure originally built as an army observation post it is known today as Roopmati's Pavilion. Rani Roopmati - the love interest of Baaz Bahadur lived here and is said to have gazed at the Baz Bahadur's Palace - situated below and also at Narmada river, flowing through the Nimar plains far below, a river which the queen revered.

Baj Bahadur Palace:

Built by Baz Bahadur, this 16th-century structure is famous for its large courtyards encompassed by large halls and high terraces. It is situated below Roopmati's Pavilion and can be seen from the pavilion.

Rewa Kund:

A reservoir constructed by Baz Bahadur for the purpose of supplying water to Rani Roopmati's Pavilion. The reservoir is situated below the pavilion and hence is considered an architectural marvel.

Jami Masjid:

Inspired by the great mosque of Damascus, this enormous structure is striking in both its simplicity and architectural style-with large courtyards and grand entrances. At the front of Jaami Mosque, there are ruins of Asharfi Palace. There is a seven-story winning memorial at the north-east of the Palace, and also a fascinating Ram Temple nearby, which was built by Maharani Sakarwar bai pawar in 1769 AD.

Hoshang Shah's Makabara:

India's first marble structure, it is one of the most refined examples of Afghan architecture. Its unique features include the beautifully proportioned dome, intricate marble lattice work and porticoed courts and towers. It served as a template for the construction of Taj Mahal.

Hindola Mahal:

Hindola Mahal - meaning Swing palace is so named due to its sloping side walls. The Hindola Mahal might have been constructed during the reign of Hushang Shah about 1425 C.E. but may date to the end of the 15th century during the reign of Ghiyas al-Din. It is one of a set buildings making up the royal palace complex at Mandu, which consists of the Jahaz Mahal, the Hindola Mahal, the Tawili Mahal, and the Nahar Jharokha. The Hindola Mahal may have been used as an audience chamber. There are a number of other, undated structures surrounding the palace - an evidence of the rich and glorious past.

Robert Chandran

I had seen the interview of Robert Chandran on CNBC by Christine Tan. I was quite impressed with the interview.

Robert Chandran did his engineering from India followed by MBA from Philippines. He wanted to be an entrepreneur. His entry into the oil tanking business was the story of hitting an idea and following it up with dogged determination. It was captivating to know how he got his first break and how he grew the business.

Once, while in the US, he was making a presentation. His Japanese partners were attending the presentation. Bob was elaborating his idea when one of his staff blurted out. He said that the idea was stupid or that it did not make sense. Bob listened to him but went on to calmly defend his scheme.

After the meeting the Japaneses partner came unto to Bob and said " this would never happen in Japan". For the Japanese guy it was unthinkable that some body working for you could dare to ridicule your idea. Bob laughed it off. He in fact defended his employee. He said -the guy had company's interest in mind. Bob said that he did not take this personally.

Christine said that she had heard that Bob did not take "no" for an answer. Bob replied with a smile that it was true. He said I do not pay top salaries for being told why things could not be done. he said that he was paying top dollars to hear how things could be done.

I met him in the lift at Millenia Tower in Singapore. I told him about how impressed I was with the interview. He smiled back and thanked me. He seemed so friendly and approachable. I could not believe it. A man worth few hundred millions sounded like any other common man on the street. I fixed up an interview to meet and chat. it is quite rare that you meet somebody important without any road blocks.

I was quite excited on the day I was supposed to meet him. I opened my mail in the morning. there was a mail from Bob's secretary announcing his demise in a helicopter accident. out of the five people aboard the helicopter only Bob was killed. I was utterly shocked and distressed. Never in my life did I feel so bad about the death of a person who I barely met. I felt as if I had lost a friend.

Sachin Tendulkar

I was at a party yesterday. The topic of discussion was the loss in the recent one day match against Australia. The conversation moved on to Sachin Tendulkar. One of our colleagues blamed Sachin for not carrying on batting to see that India won. I was really amazed by the argument.

Few of our colleagues seemed to be very critical of Sachin. Their arguement was that he plays for him self and for his own individual records and not for the Indian team. And that whenever Sachin plays well the Indian team loses. And that 17,000 runs was no big deal. And that Don Bradman praising him means nothing. And that he is no great player and he is more hyped than a genuine great player. He plays for money only. Whenever he is required to play he falls sick. (Citing his absence at some of the IPL matches). And that Sachin's application for waiver of custom duty for his Ferrari was bad. When ordianry citizens pay the duties why should the celebrities seek special advantages particularly when they earn so much of money.

I was a bit surprised by the animosity. (I have noted that hostility against Sachin on some previous occasions too). Although some of the criticism was not mis - placed. I have also failed to understand why he should have sought to get a waiver for the custom duty considering that he got the car free and that he could afford to pay the cutom duty. And if he did not afford to pay he should have declined the offer of the gift.

I do not claim to know cricket and I am not an enthusiastic follower of the game. But from what ever I see in the press about Sachin, his interviews etc., I have a picture of his personality and his character. I believe he is definitely one of the greatest players of the game and a genuinely decent bloke. It is hard for me to believe he plays for himself or for his records only or that he would miss matches on purpose. But that is my view and in democracy every body is entitled to his view and opinion.

Many a times I feel judgements by people in India are less objective and at times quite harsh. There is more emotion than objectivity.

There was only one strong supporter of Sachin in the gathering. It was nice to see a fan supporting his idol so valiantly.

Not that Sachin is infalliable but a little more objectivity wont hurt..

Fire in Jaipur

Today I saw a power point presentation on fire in Jaipur. It was a terrible tragedy. 12 lives were lost. Colossal loss of propeerty and petroleum products was reported. The impact on environment was huge.

Could it have been avoided? In India, HSE is still not an obsession. In fact the attitudes are quite casual about HSE matters. Moreover many of the operators do not comprehend the consequences of mis handling or mal operation.

How could the Petrol from the tanks leak for such a long time while loading to pipelines? On the positive side, the actions after the mishap were quite positive. So many people were moved out of harm's way. Area was cordoned off.

But focus must move on preventive measures rather than post facto disaster mangement.

Misbehavior by Ponting & Martin

It was annoying to see in the Zee TV news, the actions of Ricky Ponting and Martin of the Australian Cricket Team at the time of the award ceremony.

Was it arrogance or racism or both?

That is for every individual to asses.....

The way Ponting gestured Mr. Sharad Pawar to come over to handover the Champion's cup, was in sheer bad taste and horrifying. we do not know for sure but he would probably not dare to do this to his own Prime Minister or to George Bush, Tony Blair, Chirac , Putin, Merkel or any such person.

Likewise, the way Martin pushed Mr. Pawar was also abominable. The Australians behaved like teenager hoodlums & goons rather than the dignified national players of a country like Austrlia. Did they think that that playing with the dignity of a brown man does not matter?

A person is racist if he thinks that the honour or dignity of other perosn of different race, nationality or colour is of lesser value than his own.

May be what was exhibited was the normal behavior of Ponting and Martin. May be that is the way they would treat Mr Howard or any other dignitary. In that case it is not racism. But certinly the actions were not gentlmanlike. The actions were rude and not in keeping with norms of good behavior. They certainly had the responsibility to maintain certain decorum in award function. Their behavior was in such contract to the lovable Steve Irwin who had won the hearts all over the world with his humility.

We should not jump to conclusions about the personality of both Martin and Ponting. But at the same time we should not condone such behavior. Government of India should seriously consider denying visas in future to Ponting and Martin.

Visit to New Zealand

Our New Zealand Trip

We went to Singapore Changi Airport to catch the Emirates flight to Auckland. We were in for a rude shock. Our travel agent did not tell us that the flight was via Brisbane and that we require a transit visa for Australia (even though we were not to leave the airport premises). Australia is one of the few countries which requires visitors transiting through the country to take a transit visa. It would be great if Indians could also obtain electronic visa at the airport like many other nationals can do. Anyway, we had to reschedule our flight and obtain the Australian visa the next day. Luckily our further travel with in New Zealand was not affected. We then flew to Auckland.

First Stop - Auckland

We were in Auckland for a few hours only. But we made best use of the time. We saw a few tourist attractions like the one tree hill, Mount Eden, Domain, Water Front etc. in the few hours. What strikes you in New Zealand is the greenery. The weather was also very cool and pleasant. The one tree hill once had a tree at the top, now only the name remains. But the hill is carpeted in green. At the top there is a obelisk. View is 360 degree. We could see the sky tower as well as other city land marks.


Mount Eden is nice too. You really have to control the urge to walk down into the crater. I do not know if the crater is volcanic or is created by impact from a meteorite. The crater is considered a sacred site by the local authorities and they only permit you to walk on the periphery.

We left for Wellington in the night aboard an Air New Zealand flight. It is a one hour flight. Wellington airport is small, more like a medium size Indian city airport. Wellington, the capital city is quite beautiful. Wellington is undulating and hilly. The city once suffered earth quakes. Some areas which were once under water now form the green land mass of Wellington. The city is on the extreme southern tip of the North Islands. That is the reason why they say, the city is so windy. Although it was not very cool but the wind chill factor made it seem cooler than it really is.

We took the conducted tour on day two of our visit. The tour took us to Mount Victoria, Botanical garden, ride on the cable rail, the Parliament house etc. The view from the Mount Victoria is quite nice.

The parliament building has a unique shape and is called the bee hive.
Beehive. We saw some demonstrations which indicated that the democracy is alive and kicking. We saw the modest house of the prime minister. They say, she does not get any special treatment because she is the Prime Minister. She has to stand in queue like other citizens. In India, we do make gods out of our petty politicians. We gave a miss to the Te Papa Museum. The conducted tour also took us to a 19th century Church. The church was good. It is fully constructed in wood and has stained glass windows. Our group of about ten were the only people in the otherwise empty church.

The ride through the cable car reminded us of a similar ride in Hong Kong to the Victoria Peak. The botanical garden is beautiful. There were roses in the garden outdoor and beautiful begonias in the glass house. The surrounding areas are beautiful too.

We left in the evening by car to New Plymouth. The drive to New Plymouth was great. The entire route is green and hilly. The journey took about five hours but we did not feel the time pass by as we were looking at the scenery rolling by. We stopped on the way to eat Mediterranean food. Filafil sandwiches, coffee and the Turkish sweets/ Baklava.

On day three, we went around the New Plymouth area. We went to Mount Egmont, which is called Taranaki in the Maori language. The mountain which resembles mount Fuji of Japan is also snow capped at the top. You can drive half way up the mountain. You reach a kind of small plateau. From this place, the view of Taranaki is magnificent. You really feel dwarfed in front of the cool colossus.

The mountain climbers leave their cars behind and walk up the mountain to the summit. We could not climb up as it was raining and was extremely windy too. We waited there for a short while appreciating the beauty of the Mount Taranaki. On a clear day you can take a helicopter ride to the summit. We remembered the train trip to Mount Jung Frau Jok in the Swiss Alps. It was raining there too. Jung Frau Jok is the highest train station in Europe.

We later saw a documentary on Taranaki. The mountain is in volcanic area. The mountain has erupted a few times in the past. Through the volcanic eruptions it was busted and then formed again a few times. It is really nice to see an animation film on the mountain. There is an interesting story in the Maori language. It is said that the mountain moved from its past location to the present. The story depicts mount Taranaki as a person who was in love with another beautiful lady mountain called Pihanga. It fought a battle with Tangariro to win the love of Pihanga but lost. After the defeat it was driven away from its past location to the present.

We went to the sea-front in New Plymouth. It is a nine kilo meter long stretch of shore with a nice paved foot path for the walkers. You also see the wind wand on the beach. It is a tall wand which leans with the flow of wind indicating the wind direction.

We drove to a Baratutu, a small small rock rising a couple of hundred feet from the ground. It has trees on it and steps to climb up. Last few meters are a steep climb. This is a 1/20th to 1/50th scale model of a bigger mountain. I climbed on Baratutu. If during traveling I am not able to climb a hill or hillock, the fulfillment of a journey is missing.

The next place on our itinerary was a nearby lake. The lake is really beautiful and very serene. Calm placid waters, beautiful forest around, green grass between the lake and forest and very few people to disturb the peace. We could see ducks and swans in the lake. While we were watching the Swans from a close distance, near the shore, we notice a duck with a few ducklings was trying to enter the water. The swans made threatening gestures and the duck refrained from entering the lake. But only for a while. After a couple of tries it entered the water anyway. The ducklings jumped in behind the mother duck, without any worries.

Pukekura is another beautiful garden in the midst of the city. Last Samurai was partly shot here. They say the fight sequence involving Tom Cruise was shot here. The garden is really beautiful. Trees of many hues and colours rest in the garden. The garden is elegantly landscaped. Small water bodies lie idyllically in the midst of the trees. A bright red bridge spans beautifully a small stretch of water. There are a few artificial water falls and fountains in the lake which can be started by the press of an electrical switch. On certain occasions the garden is lighted by beautiful lanterns.

Visit to New Plymouth will not be complete without the trip to Waitamo caves. Wai means water and Tamo means hole. Literally translated, it means watering hole. The cave forms a big cavity in the mountain. In side the cave there are stalactite and stalagmite formations. One has to bend a little at the entrance of the cave. But then you enter a large hall aptly called the “Cathedral” The height of the ceiling here is approximately 45 meters, although it does not appear to be that much. The acoustics of the “Cathedral” are so good that you get a pure quality sound. The sound gets fully absorbed in the porous lime stone walls and ceiling of the cave and so there is no echo. Many opera singers have sung in the Cathedral. New Zealand’s very own, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa has also given a performance here. There is a small stretch of river that flows through one part of the cave. When the river level rises during the floods the cave has to be closed down some times. What make these caves different are the glow worms. Glow worms have an interesting life cycle. The life cycle involves stages as larvae, pupa and the insect. While the life as a larvae is a few months long the life as the insect is barely three days. So the species have a long boring life as a worm but short exciting life as an insect. The glow worm hangs threads like spiders’ web from the ceiling of the dark cave. It emits light to attract small prey like mosquito. Once the prey is caught in the web, called the “fishing line” the glow worm slowly pulls up the fishing line, eats the prey and then replaces the fishing line. Once you are in the dark sector of the cave and look up, the sight of thousands of the glowing worms give the feeling of a starry night. The tourists are requested to keep absolutely quiet as the noise disturbs the glow worms and they may suddenly stop their “batteries” plunging the whole cave in total darkness. Quite amazing stuff.

We visited the local museum. It was a pleasant surprise. A family collection has now been converted to a delightful museum. The Museum shows life over a long period of time in New Zealand. From the early settler days to now. Details of Maori and settler life-styles and cultures are very interesting. The story of a white man, who became one of the Maoris, the models of Maori villages and homes, Maori weapons, clothing etc are interesting. Models of early work in the collieries, scenes depicting steam engine driven tracks, sawing of logs etc are nice too.

On the last day, I went for a long two hours walk in early morning through the Pukekura garden to the sea front and back. It was exhilarating. Visit to any place is incomplete without some shopping. That is what we did later. Last stop was a rock shop near the air port. There were a variety of volcanic and other rocks on display / sale.

We left New Plymouth by the afternoon flight for Auckland. The New Plymouth airport is small. We had a sandwich for lunch, prior to take off. The plane that took us to Auckland was a Canadian made Bombardier – a twin propeller plane. In this jet age, it was nice to make the flight once again on the propeller air craft. The low altitude flight took only 45 minutes.
Bombardier

Auckland was bright and sunny. We went to the sky tower in the evening. At 328 meters, the sky tower is advertised to be the tallest structure down under. It has two viewing decks – the main deck and the sky deck. The view is terrific. We reached at a nice time. When we went up day light was still there. Slowly darkness fell and the city lit up.

You can see whole of the Auckland from the top. The one tree hill, Mount Eden, the tall buildings from the down town, the harbour view with the harbour bridge (like similar one at Sydney). There is a circular restaurant at the top offering a fantastic view. You can also view a small television documentary on making of the sky tower. Sky tower is part of the sky city complex which houses the casino as well.

Next morning we visited the Museum and the winter garden. The museum houses Maori art as well as exhibits from all around the pacific islands. The usual stuff – weapons, clothing etc. It also has a section on the natural history. There are a few dinosaur exhibits. There was a bird like dinosaur with a wing span of around 20 feet. That was quite amazing. There was also the skeleton of another bird taller than Ostrich and having a height of over ten feet.


The winter garden has three sections. The flowers in the glass house were really colourful. The ferns were interesting too.

In the end, we had a lunch in a Malaysian Chinese restaurant. That was quite good. Eggplant, chicken and vegetable fried rice. After the lunch we hurried back to home to pack and leave.

Our trip was a great success. Despite rains, despite paucity of time we could see every thing worth seeing. Thanks to Ashok & Pratiti in Auckland and Samir and Sapna in New Plymouth.

New Zealand is a great sensory and stimulating experience. We do feel like visiting new Zealand once more, to cover Rotorua & few other places in North island plus the whole of the South island. I wished for a long time to make this visit happen. I am prepared to wait for the second visit as well.

The flight back home was quite comfortable. We came via Brisbane. The flight loading was quite lean. So we got to stretch out and sleep. The flight from Brisbane to Singapore was also nice. We landed at Changi at about one AM….