Friday, March 29, 2024
Navigating In Nagpur
ON THE TRAIL OF THE GREAT BENGAL TIGER—SAFARI IN TADOBA NATIONAL PARK
Our month ended in the most extraordinary way as Llew and I embarked on a tiger safari to Tadoba National Park that we had planned and booked, almost a year ago. We were joined by our friends, Nafisa and Husefa Nasrullah, whom I have known for decades--they have been my travel companions in Italy, Orissa, Matheran and now Tadoba. Jennine and John Slavin, South Africans, whom we have only recently befriended through my Mumbai Connexions Club rounded off our group. Getting to Tadoba involved a short hour-long flight to Nagpur from where we were picked up in a private car for the two-hour drive to the park. We checked speedily into Taaru Vaan, a privately-run forest resort, where we had en suite rooms that were incredibly comfortable.
No sooner did we drop off our backpacks than we launched on the first of six freezing dawn and boiling hot afternoon safari drives, each of which took place in a different section of the park. Having been twice to Ranthambore in Rajasthan when we were sorely disappointed (not having glimpsed a single tiger), this time we had a veritable feast of sightings for we saw 13 tigers in four days—an embarrassment of riches! It is amazing how well the trackers are trained to recognize deer calls that warn of tigers in the vicinity. They lose no time then in calling each other on their mobiles to identify the exact spot at which a tiger sighting is likely to occur in a park that is 1800 square kilometers in size. For four days, tigers prowled right besides our open-top safari jeeps and allowed us to shoot them at such close quarters that we actually held our breath in awe and respect for these magnificent creatures whose coloring is so complicated and whose stripes make them so distinctive.
We awoke at 5.30 am each morning to have a quick coffee and cookies before boarding the jeeps that took us deep into the frigid heart of the forest—itself a thing of great beauty and constantly changing facets. Although tigers are the main attraction at Tadoba, we saw wild animals galore such as a sloth bear and her cub (adorable!), herds of spotted white deer, large tan-colored sambar deer and a stately group of neelgai (blue deer). There were hundreds of black-faced monkeys called Hanuman langurs, a whole bunch of wild boar and several gaur (massive Indian bison). As for birds, we had our fill of them—any number of hawks and eagles (crested, brown-breasted, etc.), owls, spotted doves, mynahs, and dozens of waterfowl such as mallards, cormorants, terns, loons, ibis, storks, kingfishers, egrets, herons, etc. They crowded the lake side where we also spotted a baby crocodile. I am delighted to say that the Indian Forestry Department is doing a marvelous job in its preservation efforts. Strict rules are followed in the park, and no one breaks them. We’d usually stop for breakfast on the trail in the middle of the morning safari (hard boiled eggs, an Indian item such as vegetable cutlets, aloo paratha, poha, butter and jam sandwiches, hot tea and coffee). Back at the hotel, we had adequate time for rest before we met for a buffet lunch followed by the afternoon safari that began at 2.00 pm. When we returned after sunset, there were tea and snacks awaiting us (pakoras, onion bajjis, kachoris) and just a little later, our lovely group would convene on lawn chairs for sundowners—red wine for Llew, rum and coke for Husefa, G&Ts for the rest of us, as we nibbled on the munchies we had carried. A big dinner brought the curtain down on our days in the wild. We loved every aspect of our travels, not least the glimpses of Maharastrian rural life to which we were treated in the villages through which we drove, the flocks of goats and massive herds of cows we saw as peasants led them to pasture, the wheat, gram and millets fields soaking in the winter sunshine, the machans that are constructed so that farmers could climb up to seek safety from wild animals as many of the tigers—get this—are, in fact, man-eaters! It was hard to forget that in the midst of so much beauty, we were in the territory of wild animals that could get hostile at any moment and turn on us.
The Slavins left early, as John, CEO of an international conglomerate based in Bombay, had an important investors’ meeting for which he had to prepare. That left just four of us in the jeep on the last day, when we had our most memorable sightings: Tigress Bublee making her way to a water hole, all the while crying out for her two cubs that had strayed. She cooled off, lapped water and left roaring as she continued her search for them. All this unfolded before our very eyes as we watched in disbelief. Indeed, tigers revealed themselves to us in varied facets: asleep, clawing at trees, lying on their backs (their hind legs exposed), playing with their siblings, going on the prowl and stalking herds of deer, bathing in water holes and seeking their cubs. On the last day, we had a chance to descend from the jeep and venture into the wheat and gram fields and pluck ripe cotton stalks from cottonfields. It was with much sadness that we bade Tadoba a final goodbye after four blissful days in the lap of Nature.
The Treasures of Awesome Ajanta:
Saturday, March 23, 2024:
The Treasures of Awesome Ajanta:
It was the last day of our travels in the Deccan and we wanted to make the most of it. After a very restful night, we awoke to shower, pack up and get down to Madhuban restaurant for breakfast. Llew’s tummy was behaving better but he still stayed light with just toast and tea while I had a mushroom and cheese omlette, rice kheer (yes, for breakfast), fresh fruit and watermelon juice. Llew checked out swiftly while I walked outside to get some pictures of our lovely hotel. Not too long after, we were in the car with Raju taking us to see the final item on our agenda—the Ajanta Caves.
Exploring the Ajanta Caves:
The journey to the Ajanta Caves from Aurangabad was a long and very dreary one. You pass by basically rural countryside for miles on end. It takes two hours to reach the base and when you get there, there is another short journey in store—this time by the small mini-buses run by the State Tourism Department which take you up the hills for a 20-minute ride for the cost of Rs. 25 per person, one way.
Once at the base, you will walk from your parking pot to the mini-bus parking lot through a tiny market place filled with shops. Be prepared to be accosted by persuasive vendors who urge you to come to their shops to take a look at their wares. It was already the off-season when we were there (it is already far too hot for most people) and they are hungry for customers. We managed to dodge them and get into our mini-bus and, about 20 minutes later (after purchasing tickets from the driver), we arrived at the base for exploration of the Ajanta Caves.
The Caves at Ajanta are entirely Buddhist. There are 26 caves in total and they curve beautifully and naturally around a bend in the Waghora river (which was dry when we were there). While in full spate, ie. during and just after the monsoon, it must be wonderfully green and gorgeous at this site. Here too, we had to purchase tickets and could use toilets and other facilities for the area is far better served than the Ellora Caves. The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation runs a fully-staffed restaurant at this venue. Once again, you can expect to be accosted by vendors selling everything from small, cheap souvenirs to pictorial accounts and guides to the Caves.
Among the 29 caves, the ones that are most important and should not be missed are Caves 1,2,16,17,19, and 26. The Caves consist either of viharas (monastries) or prayer halls (chaityas). However, in Cave 1 itself, you will be treated to the biggest attraction of Ajanta, the large scale paintings on the wall—frescoes, really—that depict various deities of the Buddhist tradition. There are details in these paintings, but it is very difficult to see them—for one thing, there is a great deal of natural deterioration after more than 2000 years (they were built around 400-300 BC) and it is also extremely dark inside the caves. Tour guides use their flashlights to throw light on the subjects as they try to explain the significance of each of the painted tableau. But it is a challenge to discern them clearly. It is interesting to note that these paintings are in a very limited color palette—shades of rust, dark red, a bit of orange, some yellow and a lot of brown. They add to the antiquity of the subjects, of course. Some figures are large and some are tiny. You must make sure you do not miss surveying the ceiling as the paintings up there are in a far better state of preservation than the ones on the walls. There is evidence of interaction between Persian visitors and members of these Buddhist courts in the paintings on the ceiling which clearly depict bearded men in flowing foreign robes socializing with Indians. There are heavily painted geometrical discs that are also in good shape—you see these designs on many tablecloths in India even today
The monasteries show the same typical design that we found in Ellora. There are niches that are entirely carved or pianted along the sides while the central deity is always given pride of place in a large niche, usually flanked by guardian deities. Some of the caves are more ornate than others, their carving more elaborate, or more detailed. One of the Caves has two massive elephants in profiled bas-relief guarding the stairs that lead up to the caves. Quite striking indeed. You will come across chaityas or prayer halls that have stupas at the far end—either carved with figures of the Standing or Seated Buddha or left plainer.
Cave 29 is most certainly the piece de resistance. It portrays a gigantic Reclining Buddha (the Buddha on his death bed) and being that it is at the entrance, it sets the tone for what is a truly stupendous artistic achievement—for the entire semi-circular cave is thickly carved along the sides with representations of the Buddha or scenes from the life of the Buddha. It is all jaw-droppingly amazing and I simply could not fathom how such treasures remained hidden for centuries. It was only in the 1840s, that a British official, who happened to be a tiger hunt in the area, wandered by mistake into the area and fell upon the caves. They were then revealed to the world in all their glory—and what a find it was!In many ways, it is good that Cave 29 is the last cave—because it leaves the visitor open-mouthed. Truly, after this Cave, everything else would simply pale into insignificance. By this time, also, the visitor is tired and visually satiated. So, it is good that one then has to find one’s way back to the mini-bus base across a narrow bridge that is part of a short walk back.
bus was waiting for us when we arrived at base. We bought our tickets and 15 minutes later, were at the Ajanta parking lot, trying hard, once again, to doge the persistent shopkeepers who tried to lure us to their shops. We merely bought ourselves a cold drink, used the toilet facilities and got into our car to start the long drive back to Bombay.
Drive Back to Bombay:
It was 3.00 pm by the time we were ready to start our journey back to Bombay. We hoped to get back by 11.00 pm but actually reached home at 12 midnight as we had traffic near Kalyan-Bhiwandi and had a hard time finding the CNG that Raju needed to fuel up our car. For a very long time—what seemed like at least two hours—we were on a spiffy new highway called the Mumbai-Nagpur Highway. It took us past Nasik, Igatpuri, etc. and offered a stunning sunset before it disappeared behind the inky Western Ghats. But once we headed nearer to Greater Bombay (from around Kalyan-Bhiwandi), the traffic got intense and chaotic with large, looming trucks inhibiting visibility. We stopped in that genera area for food as suddenly (after what seemed like miles on the highway with no food courts), a number of modest restaurants materialized, each more gaudily lit than the next. We ate pau bhaji (me) and puri bhaji (Llew) washed down with creamy lassis before we hit the road again. Finding CNG was a huge challenge and caused poor Raju a great deal of stress. Finally, when we did come across a gas station that sold it, the line of cars leading up to it were at least half a dozen strong. This delayed us even further, but we were not in a hurry—after all, we were just going home to crash in our beds. It was Raju we felt sorry for—poor man! Just imagine the tension of knowing you were driving on reserve with no sign of fuel around for miles!
Eventually, when we arrived at BKC, we realized we were at home stretch and about half an hour later, we were safely deposited in front of our building. It was just midnight and we were far more exhausted than we could believe. We thanked Raju for his services, tipped him handsomely and took the elevator upstairs to do just that—crash in our beds! We’d had an incredible trip, but it was good to be back home!
Thanks for following me on this amazing exploration of Incredible India! We feel deeply privileged that we have the opportunity to traverse this country at leisure, to bite into it, as I were, one little chunk at a time, and to marvel at its ancient mysteries.
Until next time, may the road rise up to greet you!
A Day of Fantastic Sightseeing—Historic Daulatabad Fort, Grishneshwar Temple, The Incredible Elegance of Ellora Caves.
Today was a very strenuous day as it included three major sites. We woke up fully refreshed after a good night’s sleep in a very comfortable bed, and while Llew showered and got dressed, I put together the notes we would need for our day of vigorous sightseeing. Llew stuck to toast and tea while I treated myself to the hotel’s breakfast buffet. I ordered a mushroom and cheese omlette, but while it was being prepared, I had a small bowl of birschersmuesli which is my regular breakfast at home. With my omlette, I ate a chicken sausage and baked beans to make it a half (if not a full) English breakfast. I washed it all down with glasses of watermelon juice. I also took two bananas for Llew to eat as his tummy still needed binding. With our breakfast done, we called for Raju, our driver, and set off at 8.30 am for our first port of call, Daulatabad Fort.
TExploring Daulatabad Fort:
TDaulatabad is the town and the name of the fort that sits perched high on a conical hill that is 200 meters high. It is a vast complex and would once have constituted an entire township in itself. It was built in the 11th century by the Yadava dynasty of the Deogiri hills—in fact, the entire area was once known as Deogiri. The vast complex comprises elements of military engineering, amazing town planning, a unique water management system and Hindu and Islamic architectural marvels. Constructed entirely of black basalt, you will be struck by the fact that such feats were possible in the 11th century.
TFounded by the Yadavas, in the 11th century, it was annexed by the Khilji Dynasty in the 12th century and came under the control of Muhamad-bin Tughlak. He renamed Deogiri Daulatabad (Abode of Wealth) and moved his capital from Delhi to Daulatabad in 1328. Hence, during his reign, it was a thriving township with vigorous trade and an enviable lifestyle. It changed hands several times as power struggles in the North continued until finally, by the 1600s, it came under the control of Akbar and Shah Jehan until the Marathas wrested control of it before it was purchased by the Nizam of Hyderabad. Daulatabad was also once an important center of religion as Sufism spread from this point.
TThe defence system consists of two moats that encircle the property—a wet one that was filled with crocodiles intended to kill enemies, and a dry one. Inside, there are a series of gateways, entrances and exits that are completely confusing and were designed to puzzle and expose enemies. Very few invaders had any chance of taking control of the fortress—so strategically had it been constructed and so well did it function.
T Once we bought tickets and entered the gates, we were quite impressed by how well the main sites of interest were sign posted. In fact, overall, the place is very well-maintained and is preserved by the Archeological Survey of India. There are lovely little carvings on the walls and ramparts of the Fort and you need to ensure you do not miss the tiny architectural and decorative details. Following signs, we arrived at the Saraswati Stepped Well which is quite the most unusual structure and one we have not seen anywhere else. It traps water at the base but to get there, there are superbly hewn steps on all four sides—almost like the ghats seen on river banks of the Ganges.
TNext, we walked along the broad and long walkway that, in medieval times, would no doubt, have been lined with shops as traders hawked their wares. The central avenue reminded me very much of the main thoroughfare in the excavated city of Pompeii in Italy. One of the places that was signposted along this route was the Bharat Mata Temple and we are so glad we took a detour to climb the stairs of a small gateway to enter the complex. Inside, the complex was huge—a Jama Masjid of sorts that, apart from the large, open space, combined a vast number of distinctly Hindu features such as pillared columns as seen in Hindu temples as well as minarets and domes as seen in Islamic mosques. There is a Hindu shrine today at the very end, but it was very evident to us that at various times, this has served as both a Hindu and Muslim place of worship.
TAs we walked along that wide pathway, we came upon the Chand Minar (Moon Tower) that readily resembles the Qutb-Minar in Delhi. I was not mistaken. It is one of the best specimens of Persian architecture in India. Built by Sultan Al-ud-din Bahamani (Ahmed Shah I), it was constructed in memory of his victory over Gujarat in 1445. He was a great admirer of the Qutb Minar that had been built in Delhi by his predecessor, Qutb-din-Aibak, and he wished to have a similar structure made in this fortress. The Minar or Tower has four floors and each has a viewing gallery encircling it. It is constructed in stone but was then faced with decorative tiles in lapiz lazuli and ochre—some remnants of which can still be seen on the outside. Unfortunately, a recent suicide has closed entry into the tower to visitors. We walked around it and found the place mobbed by a large family of black-faced grey monkeys who were congregating around the only expanded bit of shade available as the sun was already quite hot and comfortable.
TWe left the Minar and Llew walked towards the Cannon Courtyard which was on the opposite side. I enjoyed the shade and a cool drink of water. Llew took many pictures of the courtyard which was encircled by cannons in various sizes that had all seen duty during various phases of the wars fought in the centuries when the fortress was an active bastion of defence.
TWalking further up the pathway, we arrived at the actual Gates of the Fort. There is a small museum at this point but we did not stop to look at it as we had other places to see before it turned too hot. The shrine to the Sufi Saint is way at the summit of the hill and we soon realized that we would not be able to hike all the way to the top (although hiking is very much one of our joys). We climbed just a few steps to actually get into the fort before we sat for a while to get a drink of water and then begin the long walk down and back to the entrance.
TIt took us over an hour to explore this fort, even though we did not actually climb to the top. However, the architectural elements we noted, the vastness of the space, the sheer antiquity of it all, was so striking that we are so thrilled we made the time to see it. It is these treasure that make our travels in India now so completely fulfilling and exciting.
T Stop—Grishneshwar Temple:
TThe Grishneshwar Temple is very important to Hindus and was the reason why we attempted to visit it. In point of fact, it has one of the strictest security systems we have seen anywhere in the world with CCTV cameras everywhere. Footwear is to be left outside and no mobile phones or cameras are allowed inside—not even if you promise not to take any pictures.
T is a long driveway leading up from the parking lot to the temple. Along the way, there are little shops galore selling everything from temple offerings (flowers, garlands, fruits, vegetables, etc.) to toy shops to keep the kiddies amused. We followed all the required protocol and entered the temple only to find ourselves in one of those winding mazes that you see at the airport when you are heading to the airline counter to check in. It was ridiculous to have to follow those curves and bends as there was hardly any crowd at all. Still, once we found out that the line was not moving, we inquired what had happened and discovered that we have arrived exactly at the hour when everyone goes for a lunch break. It was hot and we lacked the spiritual zeal to keep standing in that line for a whole hour. We, therefore, bowed out and asked a security man to let us out—which he did by asking us to squeeze through an opening in the barrier. Luckily, both Llew and I are relatively slim and we managed to do so quite easily! The guard was very kind and allowed us to go ahead of everyone else (although we asked for no such privileges and would gladly have left the temple right away). As things stood, we did get a chance to go into what looked like a very ancient temple with a medium-high gopuram (or tower) and in the sanctum sanctorum, we saw the priests performing the aarti. A few minutes later, we left the temple and got back into the car and, after having a cold beverage from one of the make-shift stalls outside, we got into our car and drove just five minutes to the entrance of the Ellora Caves which was the piece de resistance of our day.
TExploring the Astonishing Ellora Caves: The Ellora Caves were the highlight of our day. They are truly remarkable—both for their antiquity and the artistry and
Tcraftsmanship that resides in them. They are filled with sculpture (some of which might have been painted originally). There are no paintings as such here—these can be seen at the Ajanta Caves.
TWhat’s most interesting about the Ellora Caves is that there are three distinct groups to them and each group represents a different religion—the majority are Hindu, a lesser number are Buddhist and just about five of them (found a good mile away from the main caves) are Jain. This proximity of caves representing three major Indian religions is great evidence of the religious harmony that existed in India in the ancient era. There are guides available to take you on a walking tour of the caves and there are several vendors selling beautiful souvenir brochures and books filled with pictures of the carvings, if you would like to buy one. We had our printed notes with us (obtained from the internet) and armed with those, we explored the caves.
TEllora is all about carvings. They were done over a period of two centuries and are created in rock-cut cave temples. This means that each cave was carefully hand cut (probably using the most rudimentary of tools) to create a hollow. Once the hollow as large enough, the decorative carving detail was begun. Needless to say, since these caves are representative of religious zeal, they feature a large number of gods and goddesses in the Hindu pantheon. However, the largest of them and the highlight of this complex is the Kailasa Temple.
TEncircling the Kailasa Temple:
TThe Kailasa Temple is a massive complex that consists of prayer halls, individual prayer cells (all richly carved), twin towers (in two different, but twinned sections of the temple), etc. The wonder of it all is that the carving of the temple was begun from the top (of a rocky hill). Carvers then made their way down to the floor of the temple. All along the sides are corridors (or cloisters) with multiple niches. In each of these niches, there is a carved deity from the Hindu pantheon, sometimes alone but often accompanied by a bevy of other sacred characters. Many of the carvings are in poor shape or have been deliberately defaced—we see this on faces and chests of female deities. I could not get over the lovely carvings of elephants in various poses interspersed occasionally by a rather stylized lion carved with conch-like shells for a mane. If you walk besides the temple, you are dwarfed by its size. But aside from the large carvings, my eye was repeatedly caught by the smaller carved details of elephants or deer or apsaras (beautiful angel-like women) that were nondescript and would not have caught many visitors’ fancy. There was a couple of life-sized elephants but their trunks have suffered damage, unfortunately. Lots of people were milling around taking pictures of the various sculptures and the temples and, of course, we joined in too, unable to stop ourselves from taking pictures of everything so that our cameras could hold on to what our memories would soon lose.
TBy the time we finished with the Kailasa Temple, it was already more than an hour. We still had the rest of the Buddhist Caves and the Jain ones to cover—so we hastened towards them.
TInside the Buddhist Caves:
TThe Buddhist Caves at Ellora adjoin the Hindu ones. They are completely different from the Hindu caves as they were a sort of living complex of the ancient world. They were essentially monasteries that served as places of worship as well as living quarters for Buddhist priests as well as ones in training. As such, the Cave complex known as Teen Taal is a three-storeyed structure carved entirely out of a single massive rock. It has three floors each reached through an internal flight of stairs. Inside the complex, as you move from floor to floor, you are completely struck by the size, quantity and beauty of the works that represent scenes from the life of the Buddha as well as the Buddha seen in a variety of his avatars. You will find the Buddha enshrined in niches at the far end of each cave, often flanked by guardian deities, as we had seen all over Japan’s Buddhist temples.
TOther parts of the Buddhist cave complex consist of stupas or prayer halls with wonderful stone beamed ceilings (all carved out of large single stones) together with galleries from which one could receive a view of the proceedings down below. There are ornate carvings on the exterior walls and the little chapels along the side that sport the same elaborate design and decoration. It really is very very impressive, even breathtaking, and you will be continually struck by these masterpieces of great works staring you in the face at every turn. Incidentally, there are 35 caves in all, but there are a few that should not be missed. If you stick with just those, you will find the excursion very manageable, and you will not have missed anything significant either.
TBy this point, the sun was very hot and we could not face the thought of walking for over a mile to see the Jain caves. Luckily, we saw an E-vehicle stop from where we could hop into a buggy that would take us to the next venue. For a fee of Rs. 30 per passenger, we could board it (it looks like a large golf buggy) and off we went. It was indeed a very long ride to the Jain Caves, but we were there in about 10 minutes.
TExploring the Jain Caves:
TThere are only five Jain Caves at Ellora, but they are all equally noteworthy. Jainism’s founder, Mahavira, is the person depicted in stone here together with the teachers or Tithankaras that accompanied him in his mission. He was contemporaneous with the Buddha and shows a lot of the characteristics that we call the ‘lakshanas’ or signs of the Buddha such as the elongated ear-lobes, the ‘ush nisha’ (bump in the head), etc. There is one cave that is particularly note-worthy in this cluster of caves—it is known as Chotta Kailash (or Little Kailash). It is just as wonderful as the Hindu one, if on a much smaller scale. It too has a life-sized elephant as well as life-sized depiction of a contemporary male in the style and fashion of the era, in an exterior corner on the second floor. In the main shrine, Mahavir is depicted flanked by guardians. You can climb up to the upper floor here too so that you can admire the intricacy of the sculpture without craning your neck.
TFinally, Cave 29:
We re-entered the buggy and this time, we were driven another five minutes away to Cave 29, which actually turned out to be the most magnificent of this Jain Group of caves. It is huge, as might be expected, and was filled with massive tableau-like sculpture that seemed to depict whole scenes from Hindu mythology. In addition, there is a shrine in this cave that holds the shiv-ling. It is open on all four sides and each of the four sides is flanked by huge sculpture in the form of guardians. A large number of uniformly-placed pillars or columns support the entire structure and give it the sense of a huge prayer hall. This was the only cave we saw that was full of bats and it was eerie as they kept hissing and whistling and made me want to get out—really creepy!TBy the time we were ready to leave this cave, the buggy was waiting outside for us. We hopped into it and in five minutes, we were back at the main spot from where all exploration of the three sets of caves begins. It was not long before we called our driver and told him to pick us up from the entrance, but not before I spied some really gorgeous crystal stones being sold there for very reasonable prices. I picked up an amethyst beauty that weighed a ton as well as a much smaller one that was equally lovely. I had seen these crystal stones in Morocco, but had regretted not to have picked them up there. This was really inexpensive and I was really happy to have it.
TDrive Back to Aurangabad and a Very Relaxing Evening:
TThe drive back to Aurangabad took about half an hour. It left us with enough time to take a quick nap in our rooms before we freshened up and decided to go out to some place for dinner rather than staying put in the hotel itself. Before leaving for dinner, we had drinks in our hotel as we had carried wine and nibbles with us. A quick consultation on Lonely Planet led us to a pure vegetarian restaurant called Bhoj that served Rajasthani-Gujarati thalis. We called Raju and told him to meet us at the porch of the hotel and we were off. Bhoj was about a fifteen minute drive from our hotel, but we found it easily enough.
TDinner at Bhoj for Rajasthani-Gujarati Thalis:
TWhen we entered Bhoj, we did not find it crowded at all and were immediately seated by the very attentive staff who welcomed us warmly. Before we could even straighten up in our seats, a whole assembly line of servers materialized at our table and began piling food into our thali! There were at least seven of them who filled each little bowl with a variety of curries and dry vegetable dishes that we found really amazing. Plus, there were three types of rotis (Bajri rotis, plain rotis and puris)—all of which were fresh and piping hot. Rice was also served—again, two types: khichdi (with daal added to it) and plain rice with hot melted ghee poured on it. There was also aamras—which is squeezed fresh mango pulp! It is usually eaten with puris. So we had our first taste of the famous mangoes of India and we were thrilled. As is the case with Gujarati food, sweet and savory dishes are served at the same time and on the same platter—the idea being that every one of your taste buds is activated at the same time! We were hungry enough that we demolished our meal really quickly and relished every bit of it. As the evening progressed, large groups of people entered the place and were all swiftly seated. The wait staff told us frequently that everything was “unlimited” and that we could get more of everything! But, for one thing, we are small eaters and for another, there was just so much to eat that we did not ask for anything more than what was initially provided—and that too was too much for us! Overall, a really great meal. I should add that cumin water (called Jal Jeera) was provided to accompany the meal as was a very simple dessert—made with semolina, it is called sheera.
TReplete with our meal, we got back into our car and drove straight to our hotel where we had a really relaxing evening before calling it a night.
TUntil tomorrow…