Guest guest Posted October 3, 2008 Report Share Posted October 3, 2008 Pranam, Dr. Sarojaji: I am very happy to read that Shree Krishna as Shrinathji gave you an opportunity for His darshan at Kankroli and Nathdwara. Most Shree Krishna devotees in Gujarat visit Nathdwara on a regular basis. What Guruvayur temple is to the devotees from Kerala, is the Nathdwara temple for Gujarati devotees. You said “Immediately after coming out I rushed to the shop to buy a likeness of Him and felt that I was taking Him away with me.” In my humble opinion He chose to come with you and then also in the form of that particular likeness of Him that you got. Many years back one morning after His darshan at Nathdwara, I started my search to purchase a large painting of Him to bring to the USA. At the first shop I saw many paintings and really liked one but thought to look at other shops also. As I was leaving the first shop, the owner said something to the effect “You can search in all the shops but you will only purchase the one in which He wants to go with you.” I visited many shops but at the end of the day, I went back to the same shop and purchased the same painting that I had liked in the first place. The wise shopkeeper was right and may be Shree Krishna was telling me something through him. I tell my North Indian Shree Krishna devotee friends to visit Guruyayur if they go to Kerala for vacation. Conversely I tell my South Indian Shree Krishna devotee friends to visit Nathdwara if they go to Rajasthan. With regards and best wishes, Kirit Shah =========== --- sarojram18 <sarojram18 wrote: > > A tour with a difference- Rajasthan > > > > This was a tour of a different nature in the sense > that we (my husband > and I)were on a historical journey to the glorious > Rajasthan . The > splendour of the Rajput valour and art is still > alive in Rajasthan > through the palaces and monumenta and the way of > life of the residents. > The photos are uploaded in the photo section of my > blog in sulekha and > they can be seen by logging in > www.sarojaramanujam.sulekha.com > <http://www.sarojaramanujam.sulekha.com/> and in my > orkut page > nrsimhabhrthya for my friends in orkut . > > We started from Chennai on 12th September 2008 by > Coimbatore-Jaipur > express and reached Jaipur on 14th morning at about > 8am. Our tour was > perfectly organized by the Rajasthan tourism Dept. > Chennai who booked > our train tickets, hotel room in each place and a > taxi to take us around > Rajasthan. The taxi came to pick us up at the > station at Jaipur and > dropped us in the hotel and from Jaipur we went to > all the places in > Rajasthan by the same taxi which dropped us at Kotah > to catch the > Jaipur-Chennai express on 21st.Everything has been > prepaid including > parking and toll charges and we had to take only > enough for our food and > shopping. > > 14-9-2008 > > We started for our sight seeing at 9am and after > breakfast on the way > (there is India coffee house in Jaipur for those who > want south Indian > food) we saw Hava mahal from outside and proceeded > to the Lakshmi > narayan temple known as Birla temple. It is full of > marble statues of > mythology and the temple is also made of marble. > Then we went to Janthar > manthar which was really fabulous. The various > yanthras constructed to > measure the time and zodiacal positons accurately > according to the > incidence of the rays of the Sun is astounding and > provides a complete > study of Astronomy. This was built by Jaisingh. In > 18th century. > > Next we visited the City palace and museum right in > front of > Jantharmanthar..The architectural beauty of the > palace displays both > rajasthani and mogul styles. The most prominent > feature of the palace is > two giant jars of silver in which the water of > Ganges was stored for > the king to take wherever he goes .A part of the > palace is converted > into a museum where various art forms are displayed. > > 15-9-2008 > > We went to the Nagargarh fort where the mansion > built by Madhosingh > stands. It was quite small but well planned with > self contained > apartments for the royal family each provided with > a lobby, bath and > kitchen. The architecture was a blend of Indian and > European style. > There are two canions at the entrance of the fort > which alone are the > witnesses of the past glory of the fort which has > fallen into ruins. > > Nearby is the Raigarh fort which sports the biggest > cannon in India. Up > in the Amer fort we could see the strategy of > warfare with its tall > walls and various structures to watch and attack the > enemy forces. It is > quite big and inside there is a diplay of royal > dining room and kitchen > with life- sized models > > In the evening we went to the Amer palace which is a > blend of Indian and > mogul architecture and it is a beauty with carvings > and inlaid works in > marble. > > We also enjoyed the exclusive features of Jaipur, > such as camels and > elephants being used as carriers like we use > bullocks in the other parts > of the country. Jaipur is picturesque and well > developed compared with > the other parts of the state not only because it is > a capital but also > because the kings of Jaipur like Jaisingh, were more > interested in > development of their state rather than opposing the > foreign invaders. > For that reason they were criticized as being > lacking in Rajput spirit. > > The old city of Jaipur is real pink city as all the > buildings are of > sand stone but the rest of the city is quite modern. > > 16-9-2008 > > We started in the morning at 9pm towards Pushkar > and reached Pushkar at > about 1.30 pm. The hotel in which we stayed there > was a palace, not a > heritage one, but a small one called Sarovar and it > was very nice and > antique looking yet modern. While we were nearing > Pushkar we could see > the Aravalli range around us on all sides and it was > a lovely > experience. Pushkar is situated in the midst of the > Aravalli mountains > and hence the view from our hotel room was > breathtaking. We went to the > lake Pushkar in the afternoon and did puja there and > visited the Brahma > temple. This place is supposed to be as holy as the > others like Gaya to > offer pinda for pitrs. Pushkar means born due to a > flower. In Hindu > mythology it is said that the gods released a swan > with a lotus in its > beak and let it fall on earth where Brahma > <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahma> would perform > a grand yagna > <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yagna> . The place > where the lotus fell > was called Pushkar. The lake is very vast. It seems > that Brahma called > his first wife savithri, (for whom there is a temple > nearby), but she > delayed and he did the yajna with his second wife > Gayathri. Sarasvathi > according to the legend is not the wife of Brahma > but his daughter. > There is a reference to something of this sort in > Srimadbhagavatham > though. > > There is also a typical South Indian Vaishnavite > temple here known as > Vaikuntaperumal kovil known to the locals as > Ranganathji temple in which > Tamil -speaking bhattacharyas are doing puja. > > There is a temple for Hanuman here called Tulasi > manasa mandir with the > statue of Tulasidas inside and statues of other gods > and goddesses as > well. Whole Tulasiramayana is written on the walls, > the scene of > Bhagavatgeetha is depicted at the entrance, a very > small but impressive > temple. > > > > 17-9-2008 > > We started from Pushkar in the morning and reached > Jodhpur in the > afternoon. We were met in the evening by the brother > of Sunitha, one of > my contacts through orkut,who is in US now and well > versed in Gita. He, > Anand Arya, came with his wife Dimple Arya and took > us to his house to > meet his parents. We spent nice time with them and > had a taste of real > Rajasthani food. > > 18-9-2008 > > We went to Jasvanth thada which houses the tomb of > jasvanth singh and > others. The building is quite pretty made of marble. > Then we went to > Usmadbhavan palace which is partly converted into a > heritage hotel while > the rest is the museum. It is made of a special kind > of sandstone called > Chittar and the architecture is Indo-Saracen. It is > a beautiful place > with imposing halls and courtyards and there are > numerous curios and a > large collection of clocks from all parts of the > world. > > Our next destination was Mehrang garh fort which is > a famous landmark > of Jodhpur and it is a blessing that there is an > escalator to go up! It > is one of the largest forts in India and the museum > has a good > collection of elephant seats, palanquins and other > curios. The view of > the city from the top of the fort is impressive. > > Lastly we went to Mandoregardens, seeing which I > thought that the name > bandhar garden would have been more appropriate > because it abounded in > black faced monkeys! Besides the monkeys there are > figures of all Hindu > gods and goddesses sculpted on a single rock. > > > > 19-9-2008 > > We started towards Udaipur via Krankoli and > Nathdvara. We reached > Kankroli at 12.30 pm even though we started from > Jodhpur at 7.30am. > Kankroli is the place where Vallabhacharya had > installed the idol of > Dvarakaadeesh. The temple was closed at 12pm and we > had to wait till > 4pm to have darsan. The idol is very small like a > private archa idol and > the photo of the Lord we saw was similar to > Sreenathji of Nathdvara. > > In Kankroli and Nathdvara it was a different > experience altogether from > the sight seeing mood we were in so far. In Kankroli > , though we had a > good darsan, people were pushing us when we entered > the sannidhi and I > was afraid that it would be worse in Nathdvara which > is even more famous > than Kankroli, So when we traveled to Nathdvara from > Kankroli I was > praying to Lord Sreenathji to help us to have good > darsan without any > difficulty. Krishna never forsakes His devotees. In > Nathdvara we were > helped by the security guards and had good darsan > with out being > jostled in the crowd. When I stood in front of > Sreenathji I was moved to > tears! What a wonderful darsan it was! He simply > steals your heart with > His childlike charm. Immediately after coming out I > rushed to the shop > to buy a likeness of Him and felt that I was taking > Him away with me. > > We reached Udaipur late in the evening and the next > day we went around > Udaipur. > > 20-9-2008 > > We first went to saheliyon ki bhari , a nice garden > constructed for the > sake of the royal ladies and then to the Prathap > memorial. Though Udai > singh constructed the palace and lived there Udaipur > became famous in > the days of Prathap, his son, due to his valour and > he stands for all > the values rajputs cherish. In Prathap memorial > large paintongs of the > exploits of Prathap, the saving of Udai singh by his > nanny Panna , > Meera, Kumbharana and Chithore rani padmini can be > seen. > > Next was the city palace museum. It also contains > many paintings of > Prathap and royal emblems etc. and the hall > constructed by Udai singh to > dispense justice. > > Lastly we went to the museum of folk arts, > Bharatheeya lok kala mandal. > There were puppets and figures of all folk arts and > tribal people and > their gods etc and we had an opportunity to see a > puppet show also and > it was very nice and more refined than the usual > ones you expect to see. > We left Udaipur after lunch and reached Chithore > garh in the evening. > > In the evening we went to see the sound and light > show in Chithore fort > and it was fabulous. By mere lighting through laser > beams they brought > the whole history of the place alive. We saw Padmini > jumping into the > fire, Meera singing to Giridhari, Uday sing being > saved by Panna and her > son being killed etc all by means of lighting > effects. > > 21-9-2008 > > We visited Chirthore fort in the morning and I > bee-lined to Meera > temple. It was nice to stand where Meera was > standing and sang to her > Giridhari. It was of additional joy to me that this > was my birthday! We > saw the chithore fort from outside only and the > temple of Kumbhashyam > and the victory tower as it was very hot to roam > around unlike in other > places where it had rained and the climate was > cool. The fort and the > palace of Padmini were however in ruins and only > the outer walls were > standing, as the chithore fort was demolished thrice > by the moguls. > > After lunch we started for Kotah to catch the train > back to Chennai. It > was quite an experience to travel through the roads > that were not! The > roads were being laid and everywhere there was a > diversion and we ended > up at a crossroad and our driver took a wrong road > which ended abruptly! > Only way for him to get across is to climb down a > steep incline and he > did just that only to find that even it ended > abruptly. Only alternative > being to climb a steep incline to get into platform > and then to the road > across. We have given up all hopes but our driver > must have driven > across the desert or been an expert in stunt acts > because he simply > climbed up the steep incline and took us across! > Finally we came to > Kotah at 5pm after traveling 7hours in the hot sun > and booked a room > with AC in the station as our train was only due at > 11pm and slept for > 3hrs. Finally we took the train back and reached > Chennai on23rd. > > Thus our trip was different , full of excitement, > curiosity, devotion > and adventure! > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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