One week through Madhya Pradesh
Door: Bianka
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Bianka
28 November 2010 | India, Indore
Hello All,
Four weeks ago was the most important festival in India.The Diwali... the festival of lights lasting 5 days... you will see overall candle light in the streets and a lot of fireworks. They celebrate because Lord Rama ( one of their important gods) comes home after having been traveling for 14 years in exile to vanquish the demon-king Ravana. They want to illuminate the whole country ( former kingdom) by lighting a lot of candles in and around the house. Secondly they welcome him with fireworks.. At the Diwali evening which was the 5 th of November we have been in Orcha. This small town is located 600km in the north of Indore. It claim to fame were rulers who managed to stay on friendly terms with the mugals and produce marvelous palaces and temples. On the outskirts, along the river, are a group of Hindu temples which have been abandoned. I liked the scenery, peaceful and relaxed, but still a lot to see and to do.
I should start from the beginning and not the end. We ( Adva and me) started our journey in Bophal the capital city of MP. We arrived there very early at 4am and had to wait another 3 hours to fetch the connecting bus to Sanchi. You might think that is boring , but actually the time was going fast and it did not really seem like 3 hours waiting while drinking Chai, enjoying little Indian snacks talking a bit to the man in the shop and get to know more about the different gods the worship in India. Every house and a lot of shops have a little place with holy pictures and candles.So, it is quite normal hat you ask who is that and there are always willing to tell the story about it. At 8 am we arrived in Sanchi. Although not directly connected with events in the life of the Buddha, Sanchi became a pilgrimage site when Ashoka Maurya erected a stupa and column there in the middle of the 3d century BC. Later rulers enlarged the complex. After the decline of Buddhism in India, the ruins lay neglected until the 19th century, when they were despoiled by treasure hunters. Restoration activity commenced in the early 20th century, with the rebuilding of the principal stupas and the creation of the present park and museum. Sanchi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Yes, it was worth visiting it.
After that we headed for the Udaigiri Caves. It is around 13 km from Sanchi. Udaigiri Caves comprise of both Hindu and Jain caves that run in sequence one after another. These caves are world renowned. They have great historical significance. It is believed that Sanchi Udaigiri Caves were inhabited by the Buddhist Monks in 2 B.C. These caves were formed into sandstone hills. Today, in these caves you will come across the elaborate carvings of Lord Vishnu. Besides, you will also be delighted to chance upon the ruins of the 6th century Gupta temple. This temple is perched on the summit of the hill. This temple is reckoned among the pioneers following whom other temples were built in India.
In the evening we came back to Bohpal and took a night bus to Khajuraho. we arrived there early in the morning.First we had to look for reasonable but clean hotel which we found soon.Then we started to discover Khajuraho. It seemed very touristic and every person wants to make money with you. This means people are running after you and ask to come to buy something from there shops or they want to sell a guided tour.. It is impossible to walk on the streets there without experience this. It was not very nice and irritating. The second day we handled this easier because also these men understood that we are not going to purchase anything from them. Khajuraho, the temple city of central India, is famous throughout the world for its exquisitely carved temples in stones. Thousands of visitors and tourists from all over the world come together to envisage this immortal saga of Hindu art and culture engraved in stone by shilpies (stone craftsmen) a millennium ago.
Today, apart from the temples, Khajuraho is a small village but a thousand years ago it use to be a large city of the Chandelas, medieval Rajput kings who ruled over Central India.
I am sorry that I did not manage to put new photos on the website due to problems with Internet.
Take care,
Bianka.
Four weeks ago was the most important festival in India.The Diwali... the festival of lights lasting 5 days... you will see overall candle light in the streets and a lot of fireworks. They celebrate because Lord Rama ( one of their important gods) comes home after having been traveling for 14 years in exile to vanquish the demon-king Ravana. They want to illuminate the whole country ( former kingdom) by lighting a lot of candles in and around the house. Secondly they welcome him with fireworks.. At the Diwali evening which was the 5 th of November we have been in Orcha. This small town is located 600km in the north of Indore. It claim to fame were rulers who managed to stay on friendly terms with the mugals and produce marvelous palaces and temples. On the outskirts, along the river, are a group of Hindu temples which have been abandoned. I liked the scenery, peaceful and relaxed, but still a lot to see and to do.
I should start from the beginning and not the end. We ( Adva and me) started our journey in Bophal the capital city of MP. We arrived there very early at 4am and had to wait another 3 hours to fetch the connecting bus to Sanchi. You might think that is boring , but actually the time was going fast and it did not really seem like 3 hours waiting while drinking Chai, enjoying little Indian snacks talking a bit to the man in the shop and get to know more about the different gods the worship in India. Every house and a lot of shops have a little place with holy pictures and candles.So, it is quite normal hat you ask who is that and there are always willing to tell the story about it. At 8 am we arrived in Sanchi. Although not directly connected with events in the life of the Buddha, Sanchi became a pilgrimage site when Ashoka Maurya erected a stupa and column there in the middle of the 3d century BC. Later rulers enlarged the complex. After the decline of Buddhism in India, the ruins lay neglected until the 19th century, when they were despoiled by treasure hunters. Restoration activity commenced in the early 20th century, with the rebuilding of the principal stupas and the creation of the present park and museum. Sanchi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Yes, it was worth visiting it.
After that we headed for the Udaigiri Caves. It is around 13 km from Sanchi. Udaigiri Caves comprise of both Hindu and Jain caves that run in sequence one after another. These caves are world renowned. They have great historical significance. It is believed that Sanchi Udaigiri Caves were inhabited by the Buddhist Monks in 2 B.C. These caves were formed into sandstone hills. Today, in these caves you will come across the elaborate carvings of Lord Vishnu. Besides, you will also be delighted to chance upon the ruins of the 6th century Gupta temple. This temple is perched on the summit of the hill. This temple is reckoned among the pioneers following whom other temples were built in India.
In the evening we came back to Bohpal and took a night bus to Khajuraho. we arrived there early in the morning.First we had to look for reasonable but clean hotel which we found soon.Then we started to discover Khajuraho. It seemed very touristic and every person wants to make money with you. This means people are running after you and ask to come to buy something from there shops or they want to sell a guided tour.. It is impossible to walk on the streets there without experience this. It was not very nice and irritating. The second day we handled this easier because also these men understood that we are not going to purchase anything from them. Khajuraho, the temple city of central India, is famous throughout the world for its exquisitely carved temples in stones. Thousands of visitors and tourists from all over the world come together to envisage this immortal saga of Hindu art and culture engraved in stone by shilpies (stone craftsmen) a millennium ago.
Today, apart from the temples, Khajuraho is a small village but a thousand years ago it use to be a large city of the Chandelas, medieval Rajput kings who ruled over Central India.
I am sorry that I did not manage to put new photos on the website due to problems with Internet.
Take care,
Bianka.
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