Eastward ...ho !

When the Indigo flight soared above the raining grey skies of Chennai, little did the 14 member team of East bound travelers realise that this tour will be different from the other tours of Sree Janaki Tours (SJT - www.sreejanakitours.in ), the organizers of this four day East India outing. Normally, such tours will be so stuffed with temples and other places of interest that the touring member would be left with little time to enjoy the excellent star accommodations with an ambiance that will make our sportsman  proud, whom we are used to seeing pushing their hand baggage out of the plush hotels. The touring party started enjoying from the moment the flight took off by devouring  mouth watering Idlies provided by SJT along with an earful of chat that even the brief stopover at Vizag was not felt and the flight raced fast towards Bhubaneswar, as few used the time to catch up with the lost snoozes due to the unusual early morning wake up.

When the flight landed and people clamored into the gleaming Biju Patnaik International Airport at Bhubaneswar, they were fresh to gulp the hitherto unknown terrains of the east and the first on visual feast was the famed sand art exhibit of Sudarsan Patnaik.

Bhubaneswar Airport

The enthusiastic senior citizens party straight headed to the best ask of the youth from Odisha viz., the Sun temple at Konark. Braving the glaring sun, they enjoyed the sculptural marvels of the place ably supported by the guide provided by SJT and there were pictures galore, when tried to capture all they could see and take them through their meager GBs of mobile phones.

Konark

An hour long travel to the resort at Puri was worth it as evidenced by the first sight of the ambiance of Tosali Sands (www.toshalisands.com ), where people were welcomed with traditional south Indian jasmine garland and a drink. The sumptuous lunch tended personally in the courteous presence of the Chef was enough to usher the people into the cool confines of the resort, which was all luxury cum comfort , with the facilities one could ask for.

Welcome !

After forty winks forced by the delicious lunch and early sunset expected of the eastern part of the country, the team set out to the famed Puri Jagannathar temple ( http://www.jagannath.nic.in/ ). The milling crowd on the eve of Karthika Poornima was ably managed by the logistics and guide support provided by SJT, as the town wore a festive look. The streets of Puri were too wide for imagination which was later explained that the roads have been formed to facilitate the conduct of the famed Puri Rath Yatra, where lakhs of devotees across the world congregate every year.

Puri Jagannathar Temple

Despite the presence of our local guide, the dharshan at the 800 year old temple was difficult to come by as the temple management is yet to hear of the words like 'crowd management', it appeared. Though manageable, the crowds were not properly managed giving an impression of a milling crowd, with the cops on duty chatting in leisure waiting for things to happen , for them to wield their lathis. Sincerely, the crowds at the local pradhoshams and the humongous ones at Tirumala are better managed and it is time the temple authorities focus on this to ease the pressure on the visiting devotees and tourists.  The stone work of the tower, the majestic flag atop always waving in the direction opposite to the wind, a specialty of this place, we were told were a sight to behold. The streets were nothing to crow about as they were filled with uncleared garbage, but the feel of Bhakthi was more pervading despite all these visual hiccups. At the suggestion of the well meaning guide, we refrained from even reaching for our purses, as there were waiting hands to grab anything that you not only want to offer but also intend to offer!

The next day dawned with aroma of the now popular home made decoction coffee of Ramesh, who has made it a habit of luring people to shamelessly ask for a refill after downing the first one. Then we also undertook a tour of the hotel which is complete with a swimming pool, health spa and large greenery where the swans could be seen quacking around and it was an experience to undergo. After experiencing the culinary expertise of the Chef once more, this time with a well thought of breakfast menu, the team set out out to Chilka Lake ( http://www.orissatourism.org/chilka-lake.html ), Asia's largest brackish water lake.

Chilka lake - Flight of birds

Cruising in the Chilka lake

An hour's ride from Puri took us to the boarding point, where people braving the glowing Sun with a customized cap , available for a small rent, set out in steamer boats sans the customary safety belts, which must be insisted upon as the lake is known to run deep. Around 15 minutes of Fut-Fetting through the blue waters , one is led to a small lagoon which is expected to be crowded with birds of all sorts, but we could see only flamingos , but in hundreds. On hearing our approach the birds flocked in unison , a sight to freeze your memory to reminisce and munch later, as it would refuse to leave the memory for hours to follow.

Puri private beach

Final day at Puri dawned with the team wishing the SJT creators of their Wedding Anniversary which was celebrated in simple way but with a colorful cake thoughtfully offered by the resort management. Early in the morning , the party set out to the private beach and the twilight sea, with the curling white foamy wave rising and falling steadily with the orange sun overpowering the brilliant super moon of the previous night , was an experience to be enjoyed in person rather through the binary outputs of a keyboard.

Puri beach

Dawn at the Puri beach

 The thick foliage of the forest cover dotted on either side with mounds of sands accumulated by snakes for their sojourn set the perfect setting for the day break. Rejuvenated at these natural sights, the team set out to leave Puri but not without visiting some of the notable spots at the place.

The Gundicha temple is not to be underestimated by its simple exterior but  ignoring the crazy feeling of paying a fee for getting into a temple in the land of temples, one could see some of the ancient traditions of Odisha here. But a word of caution for those likely to follow suit and travel here- Never talk to the priests there or take out your purse; they demand money as a matter of right as some of us experienced the challenge in extricating ourselves from these hungry hands.

Gundicha Temple

But the views of the ancient set of pots in the kitchen, wherein the rice in the topmost pot on top of the column gets cooked, is a must see. This is the place where Lord Jagannathar is supposed to rest when he leaves the Jagannathar temple during the ten day Rath yathra . One could also see large number of wooden wheels and when enquired we gathered that the Rath used for the yathra every year is made fresh and never the same Rath is used for the succeeding years.

The reverence to the place rubbed last evening at the Jagannathar temple refused to rub off as we headed to the Sankara Mutt, one of the four ancient mutts founded by Aadhi Sankarar, where one could also see the cot used by the holy seer.

Puri, Sankara Mutt

The entourage then proceeded to Sakhi Gopal, a small town where the deity at the temple is supposed to keep track of the visitors to Puri and inform Jagannadhar about their details.

Next spot to stop was Dhauli, where a huge standing Budha welcomes the visitors amidst milling tourist vans. After climbing some 70 odd not so steep steps one could see Budha in different postures and also view the ground where the battle of Kalinga was fought. This place is also believed to be the one where King Asoka decided to renounce arms.

Dhauli

Dhauli

After some minor purchases en route at a colorful shop in Pipli for some famed applique works , the team reached the elegant Hotel Excellency at Bhubaneswar (www.ecellencybbsr.com ). Though the dim lights at the reception did not warm the hearts initially, but the subsequent information about deployment of energy saving measures at the pathways made us clap for the initiative and the bright rooms with facilities certainly did not allow the mood to dip but only to rev up !

Picturesque Dining , Bhubaneswar Hotel 

The 1200 year old Lingaraja temple believed to be the basis on which the famed Puri temple has been designed is the first point of visit in the evening. Despite the absence of any crowd, with extensive security measures in place, people there were more keen on getting money from tourists. Its time the Temple managements across the state address this should they want the continued visit and patronage of tourists across the world. The not-so-warm reception and suspicious activities of the hovering touts  does not fit well with the popularity of the temple. Not withstanding these obstacles, the temple with its ancient Gopuram and minor minarets resembling Tiruvarur down south,  is a place one must visit.

The Sri Rama temple , we visited next was a modern temple with excellent lighting.

                                                                   


Final day of the tour started with a visit to the Muktesvara temple, which again boasts of the typical Odisha style gopuram with plenty of places to capture the beauty, for the visitors to take with them.

Mukteswar Temple, Bhubaneswar

The adjacent Kedar Gauri temple was a contrast with the later day maintenance and the Udayagiri caves were reminiscent of caves at different tours we had undertaken.

Udayagiri caves

The tour was wound up with the flight back to Chennai, with the touring parties enriched by few friends and lot more of devotion they earned with visits to the holy places. As mentioned earlier , this tour is different from other tours undertaken by these tour Managers. I recall the words of Mr Ramesh of SJT during the Ahobilum tour that 'It is more of a pilgrimage and we may need to adapt ourselves to the tough terrains of Ahobilum forests and eat whatever is available with the sole purpose of seeing the Nava Narasimhars at various abodes around the place'. None cribbed and accepted the reality and what he said.

Through this tour, we have been compensated, I feel. Odissa tour is not just a religious trip though it centers around the great temples of Puri Jagannatar and Lingaraj at Bhubaneswar. But, it has enough attractions for those young at heart through the artistic and romantic sculptures at Konarak, beautiful walking and relaxing avenues in the picturesque resort at Puri for ageing citizens, Chilka lake for the bird watchers and Ornithologists and enough scope for food lovers too !

Signing off from Bhubaneswar Hotel 

With the existing modern day facilities, it is not difficult for one to embark on such tours and there is always a debate raging questioning the need for a tour operator for such outings. But, the expectations of the current day travelers are different from those of the earlier period. All that people expect now are Good planning, friendly logistics, food that is soft on your belly and does not harm during travel, safe travel and satisfaction. One could feel that the touring party had all these factored into their satisfaction list.

I summed up my feedback , with a warning to those who would like to undertake similar tours, in the following email, I sent to Sree Janaki Tours:

ஸ்ரீ ஜானகி டூர்ஸ் மூலம் பயணம் செய்ய விருப்பமா - ஒரு எச்சரிக்கை

வீட்டுக்குத் திரும்பியபின் எதிர்பார்க்கக் கூடிய சில நினைவுகள் , நிகழ்வுகள்:

தினமும் அதிகாலையில் எழுப்பி  புது டிகாக்ஷன்  ​ காப்பி கொடுத்துப் பழக்கி விடுவார்கள் - வீட்டுக்கு வந்தால் எதிர்பார்க்க முடியாது ; கிடைத்தால் அதிர்ஷ்டம் தான்.

வெளியே வெதுவெதுப்பான வெப்பமிருந்தாலும் படுத்தால் உள்ளே போகும் மெத்தையும், கிளுகிளுப்பான குளிர்பதன வசதிக்கும், திரும்பி வந்த பின்பும் மனம் ஏங்கும்.

காலை டிபனில் அடுக்கி வைக்கப் பட்ட பண்டங்களில் நாமாக விரும்பி எடுத்துக் கொள்ளும் buffet சிஸ்டம், வீட்டில் கையில் ரொட்டித் துண்டுடன்,  கனவு தான் காண முடியம்.

மதிய உணவிற்குப் பின் ஐஸ்க்ரீமும் சூடான ஜிலேபியோ , குலாப் ஜாமுனோ கேட்டால் கன்னத்தில் குலாப் ஜாமூன் முளைக்க நல்ல வாய்ப்பு.

பொத்தானை அழுத்தியதும் காபியும் , படியை விட்டு இறங்கியவுடன் காரும் ................ நன்றாகவே கெடுத்து வைக்கிறார்கள்

சுற்றுலாவின் போது வாய்க்கு ருசியாக சாப்பிட்டு ஊர் திரும்பிய பின் எதற்க்கும் குடும்ப வைத்தியரை ஒரு நடை பார்ப்பது உசிதம் . நம் வயிற்றுக்கும் நல்லது, டாக்டரும் பிழைத்துப் போகட்டும்.

ஜாக்கிரதை