Comments on Travelogue

April 8, 2015

 

All comments collected at one spot.

 

 

Re: Kashmiri Shawl hawkers of the cities

ranjitnagra39@yahoo.com;

An interesting episode beautifully narrated.

Ranjit 

 

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Kuldip.Keith@thewalkergroup.ca;

Hi Hari,

 Your trip descriptions have been amazing.

As far as Indian national character is concerned, it has always been corrupt. When you live abroad for so many years, the corruption  in India coupled with dishonesty at every step seems excessive and somewhat painful.

See you back home soon.

Kuldip

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aniljindals@hotmail.com;

and Anju have been seeing India through your writings. You have written about your site seeing experiences as if we are watching a commentary on the tv. Great job.

Anil Jindal

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ranjitnagra39@yahoo.com;

Hariji,

As always, it was a pleasure reading your experience in Nepal. Gurkha soldiers for Indian and British Army generally come from rural Nepal surrounding Kathmandu. They have different characteristics, like Gurungs are more volatile than the Thapas. They form different Gorkha Regiments in the Indian Army, like 9 th Regiment of the Gorkha Battalions are all Gurungs. You can get more information on this issue from some Gorkha Regiment officer. You may find someone in Shimla.

Regards,

Ranjit Nagra

 

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rajm_999@yahoo.com;

 

Hari, it's a pleasure reading your travelogue; makes me feel I was there and the amazing bites of info are a feast to enjoy.

Raj

 

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rajm_999@yahoo.com;

Hari, I have been through all these places but lack the expressive talent you have; I am revisiting and learning more and again through your very pen the details you're embedding ... it's a pleasure ...

Raj

 

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sheelguru@rogers.com;

Hari,  super detailed story.  Few questions......

1. Are you taking any pictures of this temple or try to get some printed book or material.

2. Gold story still seems like a mystery......how come so much Gold got collected by a relatively minor Rajah.

3. How was the secret maintained.......that is incredible in India. Muslims from North luckily never reached there. 

     Somebody must have worked very hard to build these vaults.  Looks like there children are now in Middle-East building Dubai, Kuwait, etc.

4. What is the plan now.....are they going to display this history in a museum ?? 

5. I want a piece for myself.  Can you get a bejeweled gold Shiv Lingam for me......I will fund upto US $10000.

     I promise to bath it in milk everyday and offer flowers as prayer daily.  You and Sushma will have visitation rights for life.  Surinder and Ranjana too.

Good luck.

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anil3702@gmail.com;

Excellent story of Kathakali Dancers. Thanks

Anil

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luthra.harvinder@gmail.com;

another deep cultural observtion ...... have fun.

Harvinder

 

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Kuldip.Keith@thewalkergroup.ca;

 

Hi Hari:

Very interesting information about Kerala. I did not know that  Keralites were such good fighters against the moghuls  and at the same time  Kerala is  now  so strongly multi religious. Of course the muslims in Kerala were geographically  too far removed from both Pakistan and Bangladesh, and had to stay where they were when partition occurred.

British were much smarter. Southern India was the first area they took over and South Indians,  all of them known collectively  as  "Madrasi " by North Indians were educated and  trained by the British  to  become clerical workers for them and  help run their civil service. When partition occurred, these civil servants became senior administrative officers.

 In early 1950's India  a" madrasi "was   very well respected by Punjabis for their education and wisdom. Punjabis, who were used by British for their martial skills  ( almost 33% of the British Indian Army were Punjabis ) would take almost 20 years to gain any significant foothold in Delhi administrative process .

Thanks for your very interesting  travel information.


Kuldip S. Keith, M.S., P.Eng.
Technical Director/Senior Chemical Engineer | WGI Manufacturing Inc.
The Walker Group of Companies | www.thewalkergroup.ca
WGI Manufacturing

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ranjitnagra39@yahoo.com;

Very nicely described, as usual.There were about seven fly-overs between Delhi and Ambala incomplete due to technical faults-relics of previous corrupt Haryana Govt under Hooda. Are these repaired and made functional under new Haryana Govt

Ranjit Nagra

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aniljindals@hotmail.com;

Hari Kishan, I travelled on this road about three months ago.  I did note some of the items you have mentioned, but not even 50%.  Haveli restaurant is a good stop for upscale travellers. The only thing is it is a bit too close to Delhi, if you are travelling from Delhi.   I am very much enjoying your commentary and learning a bit of history details again that I had learned in grade 8 bit I have forgotten now.   Keep sending new material.    

 

anil

 

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sheelguru@rogers.com;

Good bargaining.  But still a lot of money for a shawl......most of the time these things sit in the closet doing nothing.

I had bought a bunch of shawls ( cheaper version )  for Bonnie few years back.....they are lost in Bonnie's warehouse.

Forgotten.  Lost.   Excess clothes.  Not good enuff ??   When to use ??   etc etc etc

 

Sheel

 

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ranjitnagra39@yahoo.com;

 

Dear Hariji,

Your travelogue were extremely interesting and well researched. I wish you

 continue with them even while visiting Nepal and Haridwar. A wonderful way to retirement!!

Regards.

Ranjit Nagra

 

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rajm_999@yahoo.com;

 

I have been reading about your sojourns with much interest and fascination. You are a true buff of history and detail. Particularly I enjoyed your research on Mathura-Vrindavan area history. 

 

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sheelguru@rogers.com;

 

I am always amazed at the skill level of these guys , few centuries back. 

Envisioning, planning, cutting, moving all the heavy stones........without the modern tools.

Similar surprise I had when I saw the Ajanta caves, near Aurangabad..........the detail work is mind boggling.

On a different scale.....Pyramids are a wonder too......maybe built by aliens ?? 

And then all these skills disappeared ??  All the BIG VISION went away.

So now we have the huge warehouses built by Amazon.  How useful but boring.

 

I love the human and skill angle. So please keep it coming. 

How about few pictures.......especially the scenic Himalayas when you get to Katmandu.

 

Sheel

 

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Kuldip.Keith@thewalkergroup.ca;

 

Hi Hari.

 

Thanks for sharing  your remarkable travel memories.

 

You are going through an intense journey of religious and historic places that we all read about in our high school days.  Clearly you are renewing somewhat  faded memories with new emotions as well as logic and rationale.

 

All the best and enjoy your stay in India.

 

Kuldip

 

Kuldip S. Keith, M.S., P.Eng.

Technical Director/Senior Chemical Engineer | WGI Manufacturing Inc.

The Walker Group of Companies

 

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ranjitnagra39@yahoo.com;

 

Hariji,

it was a pleasure reading your memorable experience in Vrindavan and Mathura. Have a great time.

Ranjit Nagra

 

 

 

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The Majestic Mount Everest

April 3, 2014


Our first trials to fly past Mount Everest early in the morning was unsuccessful, weather was fine on the ground but very quickly a cloud cover enveloped the summit and we could see nothing from our flight. The Buddha Airline's Beechcraft 1900 with 16 passengers returned. We were promised another attempt, the next day on April 3rd. The second attempt was successful. The majestic mountain unveiled itself at our eye level, all bright and shinning and we had a glorious view of it. We clicked our cameras, heart-full. The flight turned around, without going Into the Chinese airspace and we had a second view of the mountain top. The pilot informed us that he turned around from the very spot where Hillary and Tenzing in 1953, fixed their third or fourth tent on South Col (another peak) and took the southern route via Lhaotse to get to the summit. We patted ourselves for an achievement with thanks to the tourist bonanza which Nepal is having these days and a bunch of daring pilots who fly these small planes at 30,000 feet, so close to the summit.

We are eight of us in Nepal for the last five days. We have seen much of Kathmandu both the current city and three ancient cities, which formed the core of today's Nepal. There are 26 million people who live here and make a living. Much of the income is money orders and tourist trade. Soon they may be exporting hydroelectric power, if they get over the civil war which has engulfed the countryside. The ancient cities, one Baktapur (one hour drive) is the oldest where one of the ethnic Nepalese people established a city and a strong point. The city as people tell us, has been here since 8th century and was ruled by "Newari" people. The second one, Patan has been around for the last four hundred years built and ruled by another ethnic group "Malla" and the third one is Kathmandu, ruled by another ethnic group. Each of these are about an hours drive from each other. They tilled the same valley land but split it up and avoided confrontation. Then in 1740AD, a strongman lead by Narian Shah from surrounding India (may be) conquered all the three ethnic groups and established what is now called present day Nepal. This family has ruled till 2001, when the King's son and heir apparent killed the whole family, leaving a leadership vacuum. King's brother succeeded but a civil war broke out as the brother as a king, incompetently handled issues and chaos prevailed. In 2006, monarchy was abolished and the new king became a common man. This transition is hotly debated with no peace in sight.

The political troubles aside, the brave Gorkhas under their General Amar Singh, conquered everything from Sikkim to Himachal Pradesh in 1800. They fought the British to standstill in early 1800s until the British General Octorloney brought in the long range guns and blew up the Malon fort near Arki in Himachal Pradesh. The Gurkhas lost the battle and decided to become loyal servants of the, British Empire. For the British, they conquered the rest of the empire, including recently beating up the Argentinians in Falkland War in 1980.

Back to the historic sites, these three ancient cities all very ancient looking and mostly made of wood have become UNESCO heritage sights. These cities have a unique architecture which need to be preserved. But the level of repair and preservation is mediocre. The buildings are not well kept and much of the cultural heritage is undergoing a decay with most of it likely to disappear sooner than later. If you remember the TV show Chanakya of 1990 era, it was shot here. It gave the TV producers ready made site, much of it looking like what Indian cities looked during Chanakya era in 320BC.

Nepalese people surprisingly look like "us" in Kathmandu. They speak Gorkhali, but their names like Upadhaya, Kulsheshta, Gore etc., which are common names of northern UP tell me that much of the population base is of Indian extraction. I believe that it is UP culture which had been transplanted in Kathmandu in last three or four hundred years. My question repeatedly to the guides was, that where do the Indo-Tibetan  look-like, the much famed Gorkha soldiers come from. Bulk of the population looks like us, only a small percentage looks like Indo-Tibetan here in Kathmandu. The answer was, that they live to the northern part of Nepal in much of the rural area. All soldier recruitments are done in the rural area, not in Kathmandu. British still recruit Gorkhas, but much less. The Indian Army recruit Gorkhas both from Nepal as well as from Darjeeling area. They are Gurung, Thapa, Pradhan etc.

Kathmandu, a city of about  one million looks like any other Indian city, but it is a bit cleaner. It's traffic is as bad as any Indian city of that size. Pollution is less than Delhi, but quite a few people are supporting a face mask as a precaution. We also as like any other tourist visited the Pashupati Nath Temple. It probably is a few hundred years old. It's architecture is like the three ancient cities which pre date modern Nepal. Also we made a three hour rough drive thru the mountains on not so good road to visit a temple popularly known as "Manokamana Shrine". Here all your wishes are fulfilled (so they say ). It is a hilltop temple of Kali/Parvati about 2,000 feet above the river level. It is hard to approach, hence a rope way/cable car has been built. It is fun, ten minutes ride. Still you have to climb 134 steps to reach the shrine. The whole party of eight reached there. This again is built with the same architecture with multiple floors. It is about, twenty feet by twenty feet base but rising 100 feet above in the sky in multiple levels.

A very peculiar shrine we visited was "Kumari Temple". A live young girl of about 10 to 12 is worshipped as an incarnation of Kali. She has been featured in the TV series on National Geography. Kings and commoner come to take her blessings. We also got her blessings. Tourists flock in numbers to this shrine. Why? - I do not know. Her blessings are pretty important to the local ex King, although he did not survive inspite of her blessings.

Let me be frank, it is not one of the best or unique places I visited this time around. It is a third world country, but still fairly well clean. It's economy is money orders and tourists. It is heavily dependent on goodwill of India and the United Nations. There are 2 million Nepalese working in India and sending money home. That is a major contribution to the Nepalese economy but from time to time, they do pick up a fight or two with its mighty neighbour India, with whom they are culturally and economically connected. China drops in from time to time with a bag full of money, but of no avail.

The Nepalese have to thank India a lot for preventing majestic Mount Everest becoming a Chinese mountain. It was Nehru, who told Mao Tse Tung in 1956, that Mount Everest is not Tibet although, it is at the border with Tibet, and it is internationally recognised as part of Nepal. Chinese relented and never made claims after that.

Rest of the world which sends mountaineering expeditions to Mount Everest has to be questioned for leaving an infinite amount of garbage near the Summit.  A few years back, the Indian Army organised an expedition to the Mount Everest, probably the eleventh, but this time to pick up the garbage that had been left there by the European and Western expeditions. They picked up 4,000 pounds of it and brought it down.  Shame on these mountaineering clubs in the West, who wish to be heralded as pioneers in mountaineering but left their garbage up near the top for somebody else to clean it up.

We are all eight of us returning tomorrow to New Delhi. Now I have to visit Shimla, otherwise I will make a whole lot of my family mad.


Cheers


Hari Sud

Kerala, the Cleanest State of India

March 24, 2015


Kerala trip comes to an end after ten days, I have a few special notes about this place. I list them below.

Since my high school days, I had been taught in my Geography class that Western Ghats from Surat to Cape Comarin were plains & flatland where people lived and died for the last many millenniums. My understanding has been incorrect. Western Ghats (I do not know why the British called them Ghats) is a picturesque lowland facing the Arabian Sea, dotted with lakes, mountains, greenery and the most picturesque of all, the palm trees. Today I had a boat ride, again in the artificial picture perfect wet lands in Poovar near Tamil Nadu border. An artificial sand berm separates the Arabian Sea from this artificial fresh water wet lands, which is home to countless bird spices.

Six distinct cultures, all Hindu inhabit the Western Ghats. Starting from north, Gujaratis, Marathis, Carnatic, Goanese,  Keralite and last a small portion of Tamil Nadu. None of them speak the language of the other, still, their religion, their culture, their geography, their common coast line and last of all the life giving Monsoon season binds them together. Now, the new economic interdependence is the common glue. It is a fascinating area. I have already been to the four states and plan to visit Gujarat & Karnataka in the near future. Last nine days in Kerala were fun filled. Here is some impressions of mine about Kerala - some hilarious & some serious.

Clean people of Kerala.

Kerala  people are clean people. Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) is a clean city. Dumping garbage right in front of their own house does not come to their mind. I am sure a regular pick up of garbage has been organized by the local municipality, because I saw no dumps on roadside. City roads are clean and less congested, but I dare say that traffic is not so well organized, although it is better than Delhi. There are no cows on the roads.

All billboards are in Malayali, hence we did not know who is selling what. Most men have overgrowth of upper lip hair, which seems to be the local style. They wear a "Lungi" and in a quick maneuver, go from full L to L/2 i.e half and tuck it around their waste. Rich, poor and in the middle, they all wear Lungi except the office and college going boys who are wearing pants. Women is a separate issue. Percentage of pretty girls/women is less. Anything more said about them could get me into trouble. So I stop here.

Communal harmony in Kerala.

There are more women supporting Burqa in Kerala than anywhere else including Delhi. Some Muslim women may not be wearing it, it is hard to tell. Young girls can be distinctly singled out with their Chaddor on their head. They all are going about their business unmindful of their body coverage or any other sign of being Muslim. Men are hard to distinguish. They all have a lungi and growth of thick mustache on their upper lip. Bearded Mullahs are rare in public. I saw some billboards with a Mullah looking politician with CPI (M) political message. I could not read as it was in Malayalam. Hindus have a distinct ash mark on their forehead. Quite a few are supporting that mark on their forehead. Familiar surnames are Nair, Nambiar, Parsanna, Kurien etc. There is no way to tell a Christian from others. A cross around his neck in a gold chain is the only tell tale sign for some They are politicians, judges, civil servants and everything else. Hindus are political force in Kerala as for two thousand years the lineage of the king stayed Hindu Rajput. Culturally, it is a Hindu culture but the whole of Kerala landscape is dotted with more churches and now with Middle Eastern money, with Mosques. But one single temple of Padamanabhaswamy takes away the cultural thunder of the other religions. There are other temples all over the place like the only temple of "Parusram  Rishi" in India. Other temples like Krishana, Ganesh temple etc. are also there and I did see Durga pictures on billboards which I was unable to read, but my belief is that Durga is worshipped by people here.

Kerala's love affair with Ayurveda.

Ayurveda clinics and message centers dot every corner where tourists flock. Most tourists go for various forms of messages but a few do consult the Ayurvedic physicians. Panch-karma is a favored form of treatment. I do not know what that means. Another, Shiro- Dhara is favorite of Sushma and others in our party. It costs about $40 here (Rupees 2,200). Messages in Kerala, especially done by authentic master than a copycat in Toronto are much cheaper. The Ayurveda physicians are qualified like B.A.M. degree.  Other than surgery they can treat every disease with success (I do not believe them). A few decades back CPI - M, the dominant political party here encouraged Ayurveda to get a physician in every village and helmet. They have succeeded.

There are no Unani physicians., although I would assume that with 20% Muslim base, this type of practice may be common, yet I did not see any Unani practitioner in the shopping district i have visited. In North India, Muslim adopted Unani system as form of medicine, but that does not appear to be the case here in Kerala.

Indian culture which survived intact in Kerala and elsewhere in south.

The four Afghan Muslim Sultanates - Bijapur, Ahmednagar, Berar, I forget the fourth one, ruled south India from fourteenth century onwards. These Muslim rulers picked up lesser fights with Hindu subjects, never the less they were Muslim and enforced their own laws. But Kerala escaped their dominance. When Aurangzeb led his armies south, he destroyed all the four sultanate and appointed his own governors but he never went to Kerala. This is the only state which is culturally pure in Hinduism. It's Brahmins - Namboodri, are prized priests all over India. You visit the Napier Museum to get the flavour thru paintings and sculptures. The museum has stone/metal figurines dating back to second century B.C. And then a complete progression thru various centuries until eighteenth century. You can distinctly see how sculpturing techniques evolved as time passed over ages. Also the temple building architecture evolved as centuries passed without an iota of Muslim influence. The main sanctum- sanctorum of the Padamanabhaswamy temple has no spires jutting to the sky. Everything is totally enclosed including the forty ton one piece stone Gopurum. The only architectural piece the builders borrowed from the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu is the trapezoid decorated main gate architecture. Everything else is their own evolution over ages.

The houseboat town of Alleppy.

Alleppy is the houseboat town of Kerala. I came to know later that Alleppy and other surrounding areas are just about at sea level, that means, during the rainy season it is flooded all the way to the Arabian Sea. Some time in the recent history, a Kerala king hit upon unique piece of engineering idea. He asked his engineers to prevent the rainwater from flooding the area and going waste. He wished to harness it. He got a wall, about four to six foot high built around the low points in the area roughly sixty km long and at places five km wide to contain the rainwater and store it. This prevented rainwater from flooding the tableland below. Now two crops of rice can be grown in the land saved and plentiful water remained stored in the lake for year round irrigation and drinking. We saw miles and miles of paddy fields all along this artificial lake. In addition for people like us, it has become a place for rest & recreation, where houseboats could be rented for two days for fun and frolics in a fresh water lake. We had our fun and we learnt a little bit more about the Malayalam culture.  Alleppy area is also famous boat race town. You probably have watched the races in which a number of boats with eighty rowers and a few drum beat guys cheer up the rowers to win. Gods each year favor one or the other team but they do not tell in advance. They let them race.  It is Kerala's most enthusiastic water sport.

It is good to be here. I must thank again Surinder for organizing this trip.


Cheers


Hari Sud

The Fort Knox of India in Padamanabhaswami Temple in Kerala

March 22, 2015


Move over Fort Knox, there is a Temple in the Indian State of Kerala at Trivandrum or today's Thiruvananthapuram, where a lot more ancient Gold is stored, I mean real ancient than Fort Knox. That temple is Padmanabhaswamy Temple, dedicated to God Vishnu, the creator. The last partial count (2012) of gold horde stands at today's value of $20 billion. It's artistic and antique  value is ten times more at about $200 billion. More vaults have been discovered in Temple's labyrinths which when opened and gold valued, the find should increase many fold.

That immense gold stored in the temple vaults and sealed a few hundred years back is of Indian and three foreign origin. Local Indian gold has Karnatic origin, where gold was mined for two thousand years. The Travancore monarchy seized huge haul of gold after wars with neighboring states over many hundreds of years.  Other gold in the temple vaults has its origin elsewhere. Some of the gold coins discovered in the vault date back to Roman times, hence spice trade must be prevalent during that era using camel routes via Arabia and Persia. Other gold has Arabic origin which they had obtained from Timbaktu (now Mali) when fourteenth century Mali king Mansa Musa became a Muslim and who opened gold trade with the Arab world. Later explorer, Vasco De Gama, the Portuguese in 1500 AD circumvented Africa to reach Kerala to open direct sea trade with India for the spice trade.

Spices were traded for Gold with Romans/Greeks early in the first millennia. Greeks & Roman had Egyptian Pharos gold to trade. Later the Arabs used Mali gold to trade for spices. Last, Vasco De Gama brought the Spanish gold to trade. Soon Portuguese gave way to Dutch & British  and the spice trade continued until the British decided to seize all of India from 1757-1857.

How much gold came into India is anybody's guess. But it seems to be immense. The forgoing is unimportant until you learn, what the local king did to all that gold and his State Treasury. He gave it away to the Padamanabhaswamy deity in 1750 AD. The whole of King's wealth became the deity's wealth. It was dumped at its feet. The priests overwhelmed, dumped all that gold in underground vaults. The King himself became Lord Vishnu's servant and a representative to govern the state. The spice trade continued and more gold arriving was straight away dumped at the deity's feet. Hence an immense amount of state gold is what is stored in the temple vaults. Danger appeared when British looted Bengal Treasury, Tipu Sultan's Treasury, Lucknow Treasury, Maratha Treasury from 1757 to 1799. Last date was Tipu Sultan's defeat and looting. It is when, I would imagine, that the vaults at Padamanabhaswamy Temple were sealed and forgotten, so that the British do not get the whiff of it, although the local royal family say that knew about the horde.

My Visit to Lord's inner sanctum & sanctorum:

I was very enthusiastic to visit this temple as soon as we hit the Kovalam beach which is only fifteen KM south of Thiruvananthapuram. Third day after arrival we were at the temple and boy the sight of this immense temple is mind boggling. It is in Tamil pagoda style, central trapezoid front gate reaching about two hundred feet high. The main temple is 500 meters inside, spread over seven acres, where Lord Vishnu is seated in his reclining position. Our party checked in via the VIP entrance using insider influence. Another hundred meters thru a number of stone gates and we reached the sanctum Sanctorum. This is a four feet high platform built of exquisitely cut ancient stones which accommodates the devotees who wait eagerly to get the "Darshan". I had not imagined that I am standing in front of at least 12 feet long Padamanabhaswami in a reclining position. He cannot be viewed in a single shot. There are three doors which are opened to view the deity. The first door to the left shows the head and the gold crown and the Sheshnag (the Serpent protector) with its hood over the Lord. The second door shows his "Nabhi" (the Navel) and Lord Brahma perched on a lotus flower. The third door shows the Lord's feet. All the stone columns supporting this heavy structure have been gold clad including the roof, doors and the section from where the puja is conducted. Hundreds of devotees are milling about to have darshan from all the doors. First time I was not successful, but second time I had my heart full of darshan.

Kings of State of Travancore and later Cochin were Vaishnav (Vishnu) worshippers and built this present brick and mortar temple in the sixteenth century, after a fire incident about a hundred years earlier. One last piece of stone, Gopuram ( capping stone) about 40 tons in weight and perched 75-100 feet high above the deity is an engineering marble in itself. The main sanctom sanctorum is surrounded by inner "Prakrima" and an outer "Prakrima". The outer Prakrima is stone cut colonnade about 500 meters square decorated with "Apsaras" in various dance positions carved on the stone columns. This stone work is of exquisite quality. The inner Prakrima is simpler and surrounds the inner sanctom sanctorum. Within the temple premises there are other deity's like Krishna, Ganesh and a few others who are also worshipped.

Existence of a major place of worship at this specific place predates to second century BC, even at that time, the temple was so wealthy and full of gold that it had been referred to as the "Golden Temple" in old temple records and other literature. I personally felt so proud to be here. Being a Hindu, I am fulfilling my destiny to visit as many great temples as possible. This pilgrimage to me is dream come true.

Who Knew About the Gold here?

The Travancore Royal Family had made it known that they always knew about the vaults. The priests, about fourteenth generation of the priests who dumped the gold in the vaults in 1750 AD also made it known that they knew about the vaults. The vaults with easy access were opened twice in last one hundred and fifty years, last time in 1931 AD. Each time there were not enough folklore about the hidden gold that the British government ignored It and made no effort to recover it as state property. These vaults are located not far from sanctom sanctorum that any curious visitor would ignore the locked doors. The temple management with the Travancore King as its head has generally suppressed any talk about the vaults. Moreover, no real estimate of the hidden wealth was available, hence in the twentieth century most Keralites ignored it as hearsay. The matter got a serious review when some serious minded people asked the management to open the vaults, which they resisted. Finally the Supreme Court stepped in and ordered these vaults be opened in 2012. Two of the opened vaults yielded a horde of wealth. Another door inside the vault has mysterious power or curse guarding it. After due consideration that there is no Sadhu, Saint or Astrologer of the current era who have the procedural knowledge and could perform a puja which will force the mysterious power to withdraw or remove the curse, hence the door stays unopened. It is believed that immense riches lie beyond this door. We have to wait until this guarded door is opened. Then only estimate of these riches could be made.

The milling crowd outside sanctom sanctorum is unmindful of the riches just beneath their feet. They have come for only one purpose i.e Darshan. This they do it in peace and leave.




Hari Sud

Kathakali Dancers of Cochin or Kochi

March 16, 2015


Kathakali (Men's only) dance is a four hundred years old dance-form which had official patron in the king of Travancore & Cochin or now Kerala. It is an elaborate ritual of face painting, expressions, dress code, foot movement etc. Kathakali is a dance, a - Katha or a story is related on the stage by - Kala or Kali by movements only. Why the male dancers only, I do not know, but I am sure there is a reason.

I must thank Surinder for his elaborate planning that I watched this show in Kochi or Cochin.

The state of Travancore & Cochin through the seven hundred years of Muslim rule of rest of India never came under their domination. Aurangzeb tried in 1670 but failed. Perhaps Keralites sword was sharper than the Mughal sword and before that all those sultanates which ruled South India from 1300s till Aurangzeb dealt a death blow to these Sultanates in 1670 timeframe also did not wish to tangle with Keralites. Having said that then, you may ask - why 25% of Keralites are Muslim? The reason behind it, is the spice trade which brought them in touch with Arabs, who converted the traders to Islam. The Arab brand of Islam which the traders brought to Kerala had no territorial ambition. Hence Kerala stayed independent, not until the British appeared on their gates in the eighteenth century. The British had much longer range guns and they managed to conquer Kerala same way as rest of India, but not without a fight. One Prime Minister of Kerala with name Velu Thampi lead a Rani Jhansi type revolt in 1807-09 AD and almost succeeded in beating the British, but the clever British found a fifth columnist and captured Thampi and hanged him.

Another 19% of Keralites are Christian. A similar reason exists which predates even Islam. St. Thomas and St Anthony, the Christian Apostles came to Kerala in second century AD onwards and brought the message of Christ. Having said that, the King never changed his religion. The political system stayed Hindu. The king built larger and larger temples, seminaries to balance the growth of both Islam and Christianity.

One of these king in 1600s after his victory over Moghul armies instituted a scholarship to develop the Kathakali art form. Some components of this dance existed before but it became a ritual dance form of Kerala after that.

The place we went to watch this dance is in the interior of this very clean city of Kochi. This dance form have existed in this location for over one hundred years. World dignitaries visit this humble location. Last to visit was Prince Charles in 2013. Countless others have visited it and watched the elaborate preparations and then the dance.

Two male actors in a dimly lit medium sized hall are sitting on a wooden stage and are painting their faces in absolute silence. Flash photography during preparations is forbidden. Flash disturbs  their concentration. It takes, over three hours to paint their faces in a specific form as specified in the dance ritual. Their are about fifty to sixty chairs in the room, all are filled with foreigners except we four. They are clicking their cameras away without flash. One male actor is distinctly painting his face as a male and the other as a female for today's performance.

As I was learning more and more about the show, the show manager outside explained that today's performance is about a story from "Bhagwat Puran". In the story a demoness turns into a pretty maiden and tries to seduce the king with her advances. The king refuses all her advances and in the half way thru the show the demoness reveals her true form. The king in the end cuts off her nose and ears - so goes the story which I am about to witness in next 45 minutes on the stage with eyes movements, facial expressions and some foot movements.

First, one of the actor comes on the stage and tutors us, the audience, with 12 forms of expressing yourself with eye movements and then 18 or more forms of facial expressions expressing love, anger, pity and whatever other forms. These are everyday emotions which come naturally but we never sort of pay attention to them. This actor has mastered them. Every time the drum beat changed, he showed us another emotion.  We clicked our cameras like nothing before. The actor did not speak a word, a commentary in the background explained the proceedings but the actor was following the drum beat for his own performance.

The drum beat changed and the main performance began. The narrator in the beginning related us the story as to what is going to happen next.  Then the commentary stopped and drum beat guided the actor. The lead actor in form of an elaborated king and costume showed himself on the stage. Everybody in the audience clapped.






His kingly gate, his sword, elaborate costumes, his headgear, jewelry, and all that time spent for facial decorations indicated to the audiance that he is the king. We all clapped like hell. He continued his walk as if leisurely going thru his garden with various emotions and eye movements.

Now the real story began. Suddenly from the dark corner, the demoness in form of a fairy maiden, with matching costume, appeared. They spoke no words and the way she looked at him in love stuck eyes, indicated that she way falling for him. The king was spurning her advances and all those eye movements and facial expressions of the dancers was indicative that it was not a love match. The demoness had come to harass the king by first enchanting him with her beauty and then entrapping him and take him as a prisoner to her abode.






Back and forth it continued until the king, cuts off her ears and nose, then the demoness reveals herself.

The story ended with demoness disappearing into the dark corner. The whole audiance erupted in an applause, so did I. It was a fun filled afternoon.

Because of its elaborate preparations and very specific costumes this form of dance and drama has not gained popularity beyond Kerala's border. In Kerala every major city or district has its training school and performance centers. I saw on their wall Photographs of Prince Charles, ex French President, Italian Ambassador etc.  They had all come to witness the performance.

Outside the performance hall I started a chat with one of the manager of the performance, he illuminated me on the differences of the various dances. A similar dance, Kuchipuddi originated in Andhara Pradesh, and Bharat Natyam originated in Tamil Nadu. He thinks that Kathakali is king of all, but I do not think so. It's elaborate preparations make it a non starter elsewhere. The actor training lasts ten years, these are all male actors, which is another non starter. A woman in the demoness role Would probably enhance it further. But who am I to advise the masters, I should keep my mouth shut.

We climbed the stage and got ourselves photographed with the  lead actor. Then we exited the studio hall. It was a successful day in Kerala.


Cheers


Hari

One Day at India's GT Road

March 12, 2015


It is grand in every respect although a few stretches are in disrepair and a few section are still under construction after seven years. Barring these hiccups, this is a grand motorway with three lanes each way. It is heavily travelled by cars, trucks, auto rickshaws, occasional horse drawn carriages & cyclists and not to miss a buffalo or two if you make a four hours journey from Delhi's Azadpur to Ambala.

For the present road, we have to thank Sher Shah Suri, a Muslim king of India in 1540s who built it. He envisioned it from Agra to the mouth of Ganges now Kolkata as a majestic roadway paid for by the official treasury and connecting east to the west (Southern and Central India had not been conquered by the Moghuls as yet, although he was not a Moghul, never the less he was the king ruling Northern India from Delhi/Agra).  He routed it thru his own sultanate and force acquired the land, laid a twenty feet wide artery all thru it's length and planted trees to shelter the travelers. Its stone and gravel foundation stood the test of time. The compacted dirt withstood the armies moving for invasion or re-enforcements during war and moved commerce during peace time. The British used it to their advantage to conquer all of north India from 1757 until the last of the Sikh War in 1848.

Magasthense, the Greek Ambassador to the Maurayan Court in third century BC had referred to this road as "Uttarapath" and used it during his fifteen years stay in India to travel around all thru the Maurayan Empire. He on his entry into India had taken it with his mules and donkeys from Taxila in Pakistan to Patliputra now Patna in Bihar. Another connect to this road existed even prior to that which connected Kabul in Afghanistan to Taxila. That is the portion which Alexander took to reach Taxila and pick up a fight with Porus. He did not go any further, but his ambassador went much further and left a record of his travels.

I have been taking this route now called NH - 1, ever since 1957, when I first went to Delhi from Chandigarh, a distance of about 200KM. This Grand Trunk road does not go to Chandigarh, the latter section branches off at Ambala. At that time it was a single lane highway on which mostly trucks and buses and few cars travelled, not to miss the cows and buffaloes also taking this road. The author distinctly remember that traffic from the opposite direction slowed down to pass each other, as the road was not wide enough to accommodate two speeding buses or trucks. Trees on both sides did not exist. You could see miles and miles of flat tableland, planted with crop on both sides. This crop of 1960s was not dense enough as the Grow More Food (GMF) schemes had not arrived yet. During the rainy season, water puddles right next to road existed all along the road. These were breeding grounds for Mosquitos. 

I always wondered what happened to the trees which Sher Shah Suri planted. The recent history provides the answer. The British after 1857, expanded and reworked the road. They followed the general route of the original road but relaid it at places to connect new cities, towns, villages and garrisons. In the process they cut the original trees (my guess, if the original trees survived that long) and renamed it as Grand Trunk Road connecting Peshawar to Kolkata, about 1600 miles.

Today it is six lane highway of grand kind and ends at Attari Border with Pakistan. Beyond that the road still exists but it is not grand anymore.

The road from Delhi is dotted with cities and towns and with "Dhabas" (food for the travelers), Gurdwaras, temples, Argo businesses, factories, repair workshop, homes and whatever else I have not mentioned in the forgoing. At places road has been elevated to avoid the congestion of the towns below. Delhi to Panipat is one such section. A multitude of overpasses have been built (some under construction), to let the town's traffic thru without letting it on the GT Road. But population base around the road is so large that, in-spite of underpasses, they still manage to get on to the GT Road. It is risky but they are unmindfully peddling or walking in the direction of the traffic, or against it and some risk takers will try and cross it in front of the speeding traffic. I dare say that some would find themselves dead, although I did not see any fatalities when I travelled both ways. At places, a section of the British built road is used and at other places, it runs parallel to it.  The water puddles on the road side have disappeared. As was explained to me that previously water will drain from the road and collect in puddles near it. That was overcome by a major project undertaken by Forest Research Institute, who planted eucalyptus trees in the puddles, which sucked the water away. Now the roadside puddles have disappeared. 

There are occasional cuts in the road where fast running traffic is passing. I do not know what bit the road planners to build these cuts or traffic lights on the main road. They probably were trying to give access to the cross traffic but ended up building hazards on the road. Cars, busses and trucks have to slow down and watch for somebody crossing the road in the front or occasionally making a U turn. This aspect is very disappointing, but it is there and nothing can be done about it. If you eliminate these cuts you would have a slogan shouting mob to deal with. People are now used to crossing from these cross cuts, even if these are risky.

Dhabas are a unique feature of this road and probably thru out the length of this road. These are shanty towns built along side the road, most likely illegal construction built on government land. These sometimes are in a cluster or singly every mile or so. There are hundreds of these, advertising fresh food, mostly vegetarian but non vegetarian too. Their names are most fascinating - Narian Dhaba, Jilmil, Khao aur Pio, Pind Baluuchi etc. etc. JilMil is the more popular Dhabaa.  it is well known for food and merchandise, but try not to visit its washroom. For upscale customer there is Haveli, Shishmahal, Savoy etc. Washroom and other amenities there are good. In the upscale Dhabaas, there is a resident astrologer. For one hundred rupees, he will read your palm and tell you, your future. Higher charges could be incurred to remedy all the bad planets in your horoscope. 

Closer to Delhi, in Haryana state, there is a tremendous construction in progress. Tons of high rise housing complexes are being built in between Murthal and Delhi, a distance of about twenty miles. I counted a few technical institutions and importantly a big Rajiv Gandhi engineering or technical institute complex. It is spread over a mile. What does it teach, i could not figure out. There is no recognized university called Rajiv Gandhi institute, but it very much turns out candidates with some sort of technical skill. 

My memories are still fresh, I am fond of the tremendous change which this single road is bringing to the lives of Haryanavis and Punjabis. I wish them success.

Cheers

Hari Sud

Fatehpur Sikri

February 28, 2015

These are two villages - Sikri and after Babur's Victory over Rana Sangha of Mewar in 1527AD, another town called Fatehpur was established to commemorate the battle. This hilltop village did not get much further attention for the next two dozen years as water on top of hill was in short supply.

Then came Childless Akbar, whenever he found time after his military campaigns he would visit a Sufi saint named Salim Chisti at Fatehpuri. This saint had established this place as his home after Babur sort of left it alone. Babur and His successors ruled from nearby Agra Fort called Red Fort. When  Akbar came to power he messed around with a multitude of female consorts and his queens but they would bear him no son. At last, he approached this Sufi Saint Chisti for his blessings in about 1570AD. Lord behold, Akbar had a son. Overjoyed  Akbar decided to build a new city, a new seat of government and an army barracks at Fatehpuri. I am sure Saint Chisti must have been overjoyed with the additional attention, although the saint still kept this place as his but allowed Akbar to build around it.

Now the problem begins, there is no fresh water. The wells sunk produced brackish water. The problem had shown up earlier but Akbar paid no attention to it. But when, it came to the point to begin living there, they found water unfit. Even Akbar came in person once and twice, he brought his queens also to the new palace, but long range prognosis was not good. For three consecutive years Akbar's engineers tried to raise water about 100 feet from the wells at lower level where water was good but did not succeed. They summoned experts from elsewhere including Baghdad but of no avail. Hence the proud emperor gave up in 1583AD. 

Then Fatehpur - Sikri, the twin city was abandoned. It remained occupied by the Chisti saints, who call it a home and are buried their for the last 16 generations. The cart the water away. During rainy season it is collected in a cistern, but off season it is carried on camels for a small number of saint's retinue who continue to occupy the hill top. Today, electricity pumps it up there.

This huge expenditure during the Akbar's rein was a waste. If there was a parliamentary system like today, people would have asked for his head. They dared not do it, as all power rested with the king, they could be hanged still worst, die under the foot of his many elephants, head crushed. He even forbade Abdul Fazal, his official historian to record it in his biography. 

Today it is relic of the past, where people visit it not to see king's failure but to visit the grave site of Saint Salim Chisti and ask for more personal blessings. Myself and Sushma also asked for his blessings as we have one son to marry.

You now have account of Vindaban, Mathura and Fatehpur- Sikri. I had visited Taj Mahal. There is no point of writing about it as guys know all about it.

 

Cheers

Hari Sud

Taj Mahal and Some Repair Work by ASI

 February 27/28, 2015

 

There is nothing I can tell you about Taj Mahal, which you already do not know. I found a bit more interesting subject of the repair work which Archeological Survey of India constantly undertakes.

The master Architect "Isa Shiraji" made sure that everything he builds is on a solid foundation, hence there is nothing in Muslim architecture which is ever placed on soft subsoil. They keep digging until solid rock is reached. Hence, unlike leaning Tower of Pisa, it is all solid and is as vertical or at an angle as was originally built 360 years back. The horizontal is as square as the builders built it after such a long time.

Muslim in the Middle East and India/ Pakistan were master builders. They even surpassed the building techniques of Romans or Jews building the Temple at Jerusalem. The flat platform they created on which the Taj Mahal stands is reminiscent to the Turkic memorial to Timur Lane in Samarkand, later Humayoon Tomb in Delhi. It is perfectly flat and has not given way anywhere in 360 years. Even the water in the river next door does not seep into the foundation to begin the deterioration process. The structure is probably built of stone/brick masonry to the height of 310 feet and then clad with absolutely white Markana marble from Rajasthan. To get this marble Shah Jahan struck a deal with local Rajputs in exchange for marble, their control over the trade routes of Rajasthan. There is plenty of soft red sandstone within 25 miles hence there is a perfect harmony of red and white combination. That is where the problem begins to repair it.

The marble is soft, an inch or less thick and is translucent. The ASI official showed us light when he switched on a torch from the other side of the marble. It oxides and with constant use. The sharp lines chip away where human foot constantly uses it. Hence the marble stairs have no sharp square lines left, the marble entrances have rounded up. The lattice work is fine but has oxidized. I hate to say that the British when they became the rulers chipped away the precious stones which provided the reflected and refracted light for the inside, hence inside is dark. Where they removed the gem stones, there are depressions in he marble.

The builders, - the stone masons who worked for twenty years have their sixteenth generation living next door, beyond the western gate and they repair anything damaged. They were asked by Shah Jahan to stay around, in case he wants something else built. They have been their for the last three centuries. They can repair the floor which has sort of dull or the steps to sharp square lines but the new marble quarried would require about a century to oxidize and properly blend into the rest of the work. Hence all advice is not to undertake it. 

Alternative is to limit number of visitors. Average day has about ten to fifteen thousand visitors. On weekend it triples. Summer holiday times,it stays triple for four months. That is a good advice. The Chinese have closed public visits to the Forbidden City, unless special pass. They are trying to limit the damage. Chinese are dictatorial regime, they can limit entree. Any government who limits entree to Taj, will fall. 

Ten feet above the ground, there is no damage except the oxidized marble. I was told by the official ASI escort that it probably was absolutely white until the middle of the nineteenth century. Then began the industrialization and pollution. The SO2 and other gases from diesel, coal plants and cars and trucks in last sixty years has changed the marble's texture a bit. Mind it, it is still white but only a century back, it was whiter. Now the conventional wisdom is to leave it alone. 

(we had an official ASI guide, thanks to connections, not mine but Surrinder's). 

The red sandstone is easy to repair. The builders had assumed that, some repair work on red sandstone would be needed in the future, hence they built the outer cladding and overhangs in such a way that, these can be carefully pulled out and an exact replica be placed in its place. That is true even for the red sandstone vertical claddings also. At a few places, they in previous years they have pulled the pieces out and replaced them. A distinct change in patina is noticed where the replacement work has been done. The red stone has a tendency to deteriorate faster, hence more of these pieces have been painstakingly replaced. The entry gate, the walkways, two side buildings are all red sand stone. The ASI replaces these much more easily than the white marble. Good work done here. The same is not possible with the white marble, which has no cracks, no broken pieces but signs of wear with constant foot traffic. What a pity?

About the gem stones taken away by the British - only God would know, where these are, hence inside would stay dark. Electricity probably can light up the inside, but there are a number of schools within the ASI, who are against it.

I was told that British about 1905, Lord Curzon, undertook some repair work on the entry gate and other places. It probably looked alright then, but the plaster after a hundred years of exposure to rain and sleet is coming loose. A huge debate is in progress as to how to remove it and replace it. Right now they have left it alone.

Everything else about the Taj Mahal and its beauty, its harmony you already know. It is relic which need to be preserved and if the need be entry restricted. 

Guys, I am back from four day trip to Mathura/Vrindaban/Taj Mahal/Fatehpur-Sikri. Next one is to Kathmandu in two days. After that to Haridwar etc. I will not bore you with info in these trips unless it strikes me something unusual.

Did you like my unusual kind of travel journalism? I do not concentrate on the usuals but try and find unusual. These also act as my notes. Now I do not have to keep a diary, which I used to keep on my previous trips. I can send my notes to friends and file them in my personal files. 

Was this a fun?

 

Hari Sud

Mathura - Vrindaban Visit

February 25, 2015

First let me thank Surinder for arranging this wonderful religious experience, it is fun.

Today at Mathura was a better experience than Vrindaban yesterday, although the place is dirty but it gave me a further background into Hinduism.

Did you know that after Gupta Dynasty of about 400 AD, Hinduism was on decline because the Buddhist were slowly overpowering it? In fact it had completely overpowered Hinduism by about 700AD. A Pala dynasty of Bengal ruled Mathura. This place had more Buddhist monasteries than Hindu ritual places. It was in about 1025 AD that Mahmud of Ghazni, destroyed it. Indians had lost by then, capability to fight the invaders, hence they miserably lost. Mathura was destroyed together with all Buddhist and Hindu culture. So were many other cities, in all seventeen of them. For about two hundred years nobody cared much about Mathura when Turkic / Afghans ruled from Delhi, until Tughlaks came to power. It is then that Hindu revivalism began. A guy with a name Chaitanya Parbhu came from Bengal in about 1400 AD and began the Hindu revivalism.

The most important place in Mathura for Hindus the Krishna Birth spot had also stayed dilapidated. It had been destroyed by Ghazni in 1025 AD. Before that the Krishna birth spot had been well cared for for about a thousand years. A temple marked the spot and it had been rebuilt three times, each time enlarged. The last one was built by Gupta kings in about 400 AD. After its destruction, a charitable man built it again at the behest of Chaitanya. Aurangzeb had it destroyed in 1670 AD and used that building base and it's material to build a Mosque at the spot. The poor Hindus lost a very important relic of its culture. This is what you get when you listen too much to peacemakers like Buddha. Nobody dared to build anything resembling a temple or marking the births pot of Krishna anywhere.

First attempt to reclaim that spot was made a local Raja from the neighborhood using the British style court system in India in about 1870AD. As a matter of fact, Hindus won the case two times, each time the Muslim lobby refusing to vacate it. In about 1900 AD, the British granted permission to Hindus to build a temple next door and erect a wall, leaving the Mosque in tact. That is how the situation is today I.e. at the exact historical spot of Krishna birth, there is a Mosque. Next door is temple which can also claim proximity to the Krishna birth place, but not exact. The exact historical spot has been occupied by Muslim. 

Anyway this visit for me is religious experience. I do not prey much, that is Sushma's job. I let my presence in the place give me the feeling of accomplished something. There is a third temple which claims to be jail house where Krishna was born. It is poorly visited, meaning that nobody believes the priest claiming to be the jailhouse. I also was skeptical. 

There is a DwarkaDhish temple right in the middle of the town. It is difficult to get to, but I and other's got to it by a rickshaw. It is highly crowded and not well kept place. By the name of it DwarkaDhish means king of Dwarka, that is Krishan. Why not to call it Krishan temple like others. I believe the person who had it built probably came from Gujarat, and wanted to commemorate Gujarat - Dwarka kingdom of Krishna. 

We did go to funny places like Radhasrowar, and another pond but uneventful. Oh yes!, I did go to see the temple where Krishna and his friends lifted the Goverdhan mountain to act as an umbrella during rain. I could see no mountain nor any trace of it, but being smart I did not question anything. If I did, I could be ejected out of the car. 

An interesting place we visited was the Radha temple on the mountain top about 30 Km from Mathura. Radha is worshipped there. I joined in that too. 

We were dead tired by the time we returned to the hotel. Much of the time was spent in getting to these spots and following the security instructions. Security at the Krishna Birthplace is very tight. 

I have had enough of the religious experiences, I wanted no more, hence we pack tomorrow and leave all the religious experiences for this trip behind. But hold on, that may restart, I am going to Haridwar in about two weeks.

Cheers

Hari Sud