After 5 months of exams and only exams my journey to the Rajasthan town of Nathdwara which is a pilgrim place for the Gujaratis was a welcome break. It was actually a planned tour which the family undertakes every year. The tiredness after the grilling schedule for preparing various exams vanished instantly as I boarded the train for the 2N-3D journey.
For those new to this, Nathdwara is a small town in the Udaipur district and the nearest airport is Udaipur while by rail it can be reached via 2 routes: one via Mavli junction ( 25 min drive) and second via Falna( 3 hr drive). By road it can be reached in 4.5 hours via Ahmedabad. The time has reduced considerably compared to a decade ago thanks to great highways built by the Narendra Modi government and the NHAI.
I expected a change in the surroundings like every year but everything was same as the last year. So much so that the workers in the hotel were the same and the roads were still full of cow dung. Reaching at a time when the darshan was about to start, I didn't wait to bathe and rushed there. And when I entered the temple happiness filled the heart. I forgot all my troubles and was at peace something which eluded me in the past months. And since then I did not miss a single darshan while I was there no matter how tired or hurt I was during the darshan.
The very sight of the God makes you forget all the worries. Once you are in the temple you dont realize whether you are hurt or not. It is only later that you realize what happened inside the temple. This feeling was the prime reason behind not skipping a single darshan. Whenever the thought of not attending crossed my mind, I just remembered Him and I was on my feet to head to the temple.
Lunch on 2 days was at the Government run RTDC and it is one of the few govt run entities I praise because of the ambience and the food they offer. Even though it is a good 3 km away we didn't mind going there. While the third day was the traditional Guajarati thali. After a delicious meal a good nap is a ritual but due to travelling so far it was something I was deprived of. Another reason for lack of afternoon nap was that by the time we returned it was time for second round of darshan.
Lord Shrinathji is probably the only God in India who does not give darshan to its devotees for the whole day. Its a brief appearance for 7-8 times depending on the month of the year. It starts with "Mangla" as early as 5am followed by "Shringar" , "Gvaal" and then the sumptuous " Rajbhog" at around 11.30 am. After a 3 hour break it starts again with "Uthapan", "Bhog", " Aarti" and finally "Shayan". Each darshan lasts for about 30 mins on average with a 1.5 hour break between 2 darshans and hence it is a great feat to pray to your heart's content when there are 1000's of people wishing the same. If the names are observed closely they resemble the day to day routine.
As luck would have it, my slippers were stolen during the first darshan of the second day and since then most of the times I walked bare feet from the hotel to the temple since wearing shoes was quite cumbersome. This made people wonder how such a young person can be so pious. But the fact was something else. Also there were no chappals/slippers worth the price quoted by the sellers so I considered it as destiny to walk bare feet. It required smart walking as the roads are full of cow dung and 100s of people walking.
Corruption is one of the biggest problems in India and in the temple too. If you wanted to do the auspicious aarti you had to shell out Rs.100/- on weekdays and Rs.150/- on weekends. The arrangement is such that 80 per cent would go to the guards while the remaining would go to the person who brings the devotees. Even though not wanting to be a part of this, the desire to see the aarti made me do this a good 5 times. But I was chuffed by one guy who not only facilitated a smooth entry and exit but also provided us with betel leaf which is one of the prasads and given to a chosen few.
Then there are the famous trustees and so called VVIPs who can enter any time during the darshan at their will and the guards will stop the entire crowd for them to have a peaceful darshan. One such example is Kokilaben Ambani who is Vice-President of the Temple Board. Luckily or unluckily she too had decided to be in Nathdwara on the days we were there. On one day I was in the same row as she and this allowed me 20 minutes of darshan uninterrupted so I cannot complain much. One of her friends is a distant relative so I got to greet her as well. It made me extremely happy but would have been happier had I seen her son and one of my favorite businessmen Anil Ambani who too was there for a night but paid hefty amounts( A wild guess) for a special darshan behind closed doors.
Waiting in the special line for offerings to God (read money) you are bound to strike a conversation with the person in front or behind you. In my sister's words, Every gujju is doomed to be an open book to a fellow gujju. The conversation starts with just one word, " Mumbai?" or "Ahmedabad?" referring to the place of residence and then the conversation starts. Withing a matter of 5 mins you have exchanged so much information that it makes you realize the power of socializing. New friends are made in this fashion. And you keep bumping into people you met on your way in the train and/or at least one relative.
The whole trip tired me a lot due to the above schedule and as the trip came to an end I vowed never to go for all the darshans the next time I visit Nathdwara because of the stress I had experienced. But I know I will break this vow and still run as soon as the darshan starts. A memorable trip as always!!
For those new to this, Nathdwara is a small town in the Udaipur district and the nearest airport is Udaipur while by rail it can be reached via 2 routes: one via Mavli junction ( 25 min drive) and second via Falna( 3 hr drive). By road it can be reached in 4.5 hours via Ahmedabad. The time has reduced considerably compared to a decade ago thanks to great highways built by the Narendra Modi government and the NHAI.
I expected a change in the surroundings like every year but everything was same as the last year. So much so that the workers in the hotel were the same and the roads were still full of cow dung. Reaching at a time when the darshan was about to start, I didn't wait to bathe and rushed there. And when I entered the temple happiness filled the heart. I forgot all my troubles and was at peace something which eluded me in the past months. And since then I did not miss a single darshan while I was there no matter how tired or hurt I was during the darshan.
The very sight of the God makes you forget all the worries. Once you are in the temple you dont realize whether you are hurt or not. It is only later that you realize what happened inside the temple. This feeling was the prime reason behind not skipping a single darshan. Whenever the thought of not attending crossed my mind, I just remembered Him and I was on my feet to head to the temple.
Lunch on 2 days was at the Government run RTDC and it is one of the few govt run entities I praise because of the ambience and the food they offer. Even though it is a good 3 km away we didn't mind going there. While the third day was the traditional Guajarati thali. After a delicious meal a good nap is a ritual but due to travelling so far it was something I was deprived of. Another reason for lack of afternoon nap was that by the time we returned it was time for second round of darshan.
Lord Shrinathji is probably the only God in India who does not give darshan to its devotees for the whole day. Its a brief appearance for 7-8 times depending on the month of the year. It starts with "Mangla" as early as 5am followed by "Shringar" , "Gvaal" and then the sumptuous " Rajbhog" at around 11.30 am. After a 3 hour break it starts again with "Uthapan", "Bhog", " Aarti" and finally "Shayan". Each darshan lasts for about 30 mins on average with a 1.5 hour break between 2 darshans and hence it is a great feat to pray to your heart's content when there are 1000's of people wishing the same. If the names are observed closely they resemble the day to day routine.
As luck would have it, my slippers were stolen during the first darshan of the second day and since then most of the times I walked bare feet from the hotel to the temple since wearing shoes was quite cumbersome. This made people wonder how such a young person can be so pious. But the fact was something else. Also there were no chappals/slippers worth the price quoted by the sellers so I considered it as destiny to walk bare feet. It required smart walking as the roads are full of cow dung and 100s of people walking.
Corruption is one of the biggest problems in India and in the temple too. If you wanted to do the auspicious aarti you had to shell out Rs.100/- on weekdays and Rs.150/- on weekends. The arrangement is such that 80 per cent would go to the guards while the remaining would go to the person who brings the devotees. Even though not wanting to be a part of this, the desire to see the aarti made me do this a good 5 times. But I was chuffed by one guy who not only facilitated a smooth entry and exit but also provided us with betel leaf which is one of the prasads and given to a chosen few.
Then there are the famous trustees and so called VVIPs who can enter any time during the darshan at their will and the guards will stop the entire crowd for them to have a peaceful darshan. One such example is Kokilaben Ambani who is Vice-President of the Temple Board. Luckily or unluckily she too had decided to be in Nathdwara on the days we were there. On one day I was in the same row as she and this allowed me 20 minutes of darshan uninterrupted so I cannot complain much. One of her friends is a distant relative so I got to greet her as well. It made me extremely happy but would have been happier had I seen her son and one of my favorite businessmen Anil Ambani who too was there for a night but paid hefty amounts( A wild guess) for a special darshan behind closed doors.
Waiting in the special line for offerings to God (read money) you are bound to strike a conversation with the person in front or behind you. In my sister's words, Every gujju is doomed to be an open book to a fellow gujju. The conversation starts with just one word, " Mumbai?" or "Ahmedabad?" referring to the place of residence and then the conversation starts. Withing a matter of 5 mins you have exchanged so much information that it makes you realize the power of socializing. New friends are made in this fashion. And you keep bumping into people you met on your way in the train and/or at least one relative.
The whole trip tired me a lot due to the above schedule and as the trip came to an end I vowed never to go for all the darshans the next time I visit Nathdwara because of the stress I had experienced. But I know I will break this vow and still run as soon as the darshan starts. A memorable trip as always!!
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