Papu Mashi the nomad

Sunday, 22 March 2015

Tokyo to Himeji on a Bullet Train

Himeji was our destination and a Bullet train journey my dream. I knew about Japan’s legendary fast trains, and now it was a dream come true.”Shinkansen” as it is referred to in Japan, is a network of high speed railway lines linking the major cities. At a speed of nearly 320 km/hour, the 570 km (crow’s flight) distance from Tokyo to Himeji can be travelled in three and half hours. So let me begin this travelogue right from the beginning.

The Air India flight was from Mumbai to Tokyo via Delhi. The 6762km from Delhi to Tokyo was travelled in eight and a half hours. We arrived at Narita International Airport at about eleven in the morning, and took the Narita Express to Tokyo city center . The station had an old British type of architecture from the outside in one direction and a completely modern type of built in another direction. It is mind bogglingly huge from inside. We were going to spend a few hours in Tokyo before leaving for Himeji by the Bullet Train. So our first task was to find a locker for our luggage and a reservation on the train . The station is a labyrinth of shops , eateries, train exit points and may other facilities. Morning hours are always the rush hour with office goers and others who travel daily to their varied destinations from this central station. To negotiate all this and reach the lockers and the booking counter , proved to be a tough task for us, in spite of sign boards written in English. English is not the language spoken by most of the population here so we had to use sign language.

Tokyo Station from the exterior- Colonial style of architecture

Narita Express
Transport from Airport
to Tokyo railway station

Dome roof ceiling seen from the center of the lobby of the station

We had a few hours before we had to return to the station. Therefore we could choose one tourist spot that was not too far away from the station. We chose to visit the Imperial Palace . We walked to the palace grounds ambling through the streets and asking for directions. It wasn’t too difficult to reach the palace . The Palace covered a very large area as all such palaces should. But then it was in the middle of Tokyo where space is prime and precious. The palace area looked more like a fort from the outside , bordered by a high stone wall and a moat. There are arched bridges across the moat at various points and one can cross over into the palace. Only one entrance is always open to the public. The high surrounding wall had something like watch towers as part of the stone wall corners. These are built in the Japanese pagoda style of architecture, and white washed all through, and have grey- black roofs. We walked around the wall and moat absorbing the beauty of tree lined walk path and the stylized spruce trees, before entering the premises. Only the East Garden and some of the main quarters of the former Edo Castle are open to the public. Quite close to the entry gate there was an information post and exhibition hall. The exhibits were mainly the emperor and his family’s clothes, and few other artifacts of his daily use. The silk garments were exquisitely embroidered with flowers, clouds, grass, water lilies, fish, flying egrets, cranes and much more. The embroidery was fine and delicate, with soothing colored threads. Other than this exhibition hall, there are a few other scattered structures that house other exhibition areas and administrative rooms. Most of these are preserved and renovated original buildings in the traditional Japanese style. The rest of the premises that was open to the public was mainly gardens that we walked around in with a few more pagoda styled small houses, made of wooden walls. Most of the wood is left with its original color. In general the use of paint is minimal. The sloping roofs with curled up edges had the typical style of ridges that end with some sort of emblem cut in grey stone. I got a closer look at this type of roof at Himeji Castle. The gardens had lily ponds with gold fishes and cute bridges. In this season (August-September) the garden is green with well manicured grass, pine trees, weeping willows, cherry blossom trees , bamboo shoot groves, orchards of pear, peach and plum and a lot more. We walked through the asthetically pruned shrubs bushes and trees to reach the main Palace. Very little remains of the palace. Only the high elevated ground made of stone remains. The wooden structure has been burnt down long ago.

Entrance gate to the Imperial palace at Tokyo.

High stone wall and moat surrounding the Imperial Palace premises.

Stylized Spruce trees along the walk path surrounding the palace .

Garden, Pool and cute bridges inside the Palace grounds

Remains of the original Palace

Statue outside the imperial palace . Tokyo.

The Bullet Train

The Bullet Train.

We walked back to the station , then took some time to get our bearings inside the station and moved towards the “pay locker” , to collect our belongings. The elegant and sleek Bullet train slid into the station and we headed towards Himeji. A scan of Google map will show the train route and this map indicated that the train was going to partially circle Mount Fujiyama. Therefore at some point on the route I should be able to spot Fujiyama. The picture I had in mind or the view that I expected to see was the following. The perfectly symmetric slopes of the volcanic mountain with the top portion covered in snow, viewed through the branches of cherry blossom trees in full bloom and a bullet train moving from left to right in the picture frame. I did not see any of this. First of all this wasn’t the season for cherry blossoms and I was sitting inside the bullet train itself. In any case at some point of this journey I heard a collective sigh (Fujisan, Fujisan) from the other passengers and guessed that they had spotted Fujiyama. But Fujiyama eluded me. We reached Himeji at about 7:30 in the evening. It had already become dark . Our stay for the next three nights was at the “ Comfort Hotel”. After a good night’s sleep I was ready to explore Himeji the next day. The breakfast spread at the hotel had the usual fare of bread, butter ,jam ,and cornflakes and juices. In addition we could choose from the Japanese rice based dishes. I ate the Japanese dishes. Not that I liked it much. But then I was here to experience and explore the different.

Himeji is in the Kansai district and Hoyogo Prefecture and towards the east coast of Japan’s Honshu island. With a tourist brochure in hand, I headed towards Himeji castle. I walked through the shopping area and did a lot of window shopping. Once the shopping area is left behind one enters the area where most of the places of tourist interest is located. I spent the whole day in this area, beginning with the Himeji Castle. The castle is a world heritage site. The design is the pagoda style of architecture with three main pagoda turrets. The main pagoda was undergoing renovation. Therefore it was covered with scaffoldings and screen. The screen had a line drawing of the actual structure. The castle grounds had an entrance gate and the premises was surrounded by a moat. The entrance gate is a big barrier kind of structure, made of wood ,stone and metal. It is the “Water Chestnut Gate” and it gets this name because of the bell shaped wooden carved crest on the upper beam. I believe the bell shaped decorations are found in Zen Buddhism. The castle building has white colored walls and grey roof with black edge paint. It has been compared to a white flying bird and is nicknamed “White Heron Castle”. The pagoda styled structures are built on a high stone wall , that has a gentle slope but becomes steeper towards the top. This perhaps was built to defend against invaders climbing in. Various kinds of fortification can be found around the castle showing the unique defensive methods used then. For example there are walls built with regularly spaced rectangular holes. These were used as passage ways through which hot oil could be poured on the unsuspecting enemy. Before exploring the different parts of the castle one can go through the exhibits in the exhibition corner. Here I could see at close range the bell shaped stone structures that are generally found on the roof beams. The carved stone emblems that form the end point of the roof ridges were displayed too. Also the two ends of the roof that have curled up structures are actually two stone carved mythical creatures with a fish body and tiger head. To me they looked like two fishes, biting into the roof body. Himeji castle is from Japan’s feudal era and the castle was owned by different Lords over the centuries, the last being the Hondas. These owners had added to the building and expanded the castle complex over the years. A castle will always be associated with the “Samurai” or the legendary warriors of feudal Japan. So the exhibition rooms also includes the armor, sword, spear and many objects of defense and offence used by the Samurai. A wide range of crafts including wrought iron, leather work, metal work and lacquer work went into the making of the armor. These are now valued as historical art work. In fact the art of “Chokin” or metal engraving was originally created to decorate the armor of the “Samurai”.

Then I went into the souvenir shop to buy a 24KT gold edged decorative plate with an image of the castle engraved with gold- The Art of Chokin. Then I walked around the extended castle grounds to see shrines, gardens, pools and the greenery. I befriended a very affectionate and warm lady who volunteered to show me around, because she wanted to brush up on her English language and practice speaking it. She guided me to the Himeji City Museum of Art and left me there. I spent the afternoon here viewing the exhibits of a contemporary Japanese artist and also some European art exhibits, that were on display. The museum had a small library with various books on art and a cute coffee shop corner. The perfect combination to keep one happily glued to the Art Museum. During the next two hours I just relaxed flipping through the pages of traditional Japanese water painting prints , along with coffee and cake. I ended my tour that day at the Egret ,Himeji. It is a convention center and there was an ongoing conference and I had to meet my spouse there. Here I was able to attend a very interesting lecture on the scientific techniques being used to preserve the Japanese treasures and the speaker projected a few unusual pictures of Buddha’s statues (taken from different parts of Japan) in sitting postures that I haven’t seen in India. Researchers are using the most recent scientific techniques to probe, study and preserve the ancient statues and carvings of the Japanese temples , shrines and monasteries. To study the architectural history they have studied the different types of wood used in the carvings and statues. The wood can be graded by the grain size, radial structure, tangential patterns, density, odor and a few other parameters. It was found that Sandal wood is the best for statue carving because of its light golden color, its density and grain type and the fragrance, that I believe is the key to the preservation from decay. So sandal wood qualities were recognized in ancient Japan and it was the desirable material too. But then it was found only in the jungles of far away India. So the Japanese, used the Kaya (Japanese nutmeg tree) wood as a substitute for Sandal wood. The Kaya wood too has a light yellowish color and a lovely fragrance.

My next day’s trip was planned for Mt. Shosha Engyoji Temple . I took a “Shinki Bus” from the Terminal East Gate of Himeji station and within half an hour I was on the outskirts of the city and the scene had changed to rice fields and surrounding hills. Mt. Shosha can be reached via the Ropeway from the mountain foot station to the uphill station in a three minute ride. After that the Engyoji temple area can be reached by a small bus ride further uphill. The bus leaves you at the entrance after which the whole place can be experienced by following the walk trails. Many prefer to trek up to the monastery gate area. I took the bus because the trek involves a lot of uphill and down hill climb, sapping out one’s energy. The monastery nestled in the wooded region is not only beautiful but also gives one a feeling of peace and serenity. There were many Japanese maple trees (or “momiji”) and some of them were just beginning to change color. The five pronged leaf of these trees was much smaller than the maple leaf of the Canadian region or the similar “chinar” leaf of the North Indian Kashmir region. Engyoji Temple was founded in A.D 966, by a Buddhist priest named Shoku , who received enlightenment from the God of Wisdom and Intellect. It is a place of pilgrimage for the Japanese and one of the important training center for priests. The monks here wear grey and white robes. At the Temple office I picked up a “walking map” and spend the next few hours wandering about this sacred area. This place has many pagoda styled structures that is built of cut out and polished logs and no paint at all. The wood I suppose survives all seasons and the pagodas blend into the forest scenery. The first building that I saw was the Maniden Temple built along the rocky hillside on a complex wooden beams support. The two story pagoda structure sits on this support and there is a wide veranda running all around the main hall and everything is made of wood. To reach this veranda I climbed ninety eight steps. The temple has statues of Buddha in the main enclosure. I found devotees or pilgrims sitting on the floor and chanting prayers. This added to the spiritual and peaceful atmosphere here. As I walked around the veranda I saw green all around and when I looked down below , I could only see foliage, and the ninety eight steps were hidden in this greenery. Then I took the walk trail and found Daikodo Lecture Hall, Jikido Hall, and Jougyoudo Hall. These three structures are placed bordering a square courtyard like area and are built of wood in the “veranda” construction style . Jougyoudo Hall houses a massive statue of Buddha sitting in the “Padmasana” pose. This is the training hall for the monks. The hall is surrounded by a very wide veranda and this is used as a stage for performances of traditional Japanese music dance and drama. In fact while I was there a lot of activity was going on for a stage set up , for a performance in the evening. Daikodo lecture hall is used mainly as a place of education and work for the monks. Jikido Hall is a longish double storied pagoda that was used by monks as living quarters. And now the first floor houses a number of beautifully crafted statues of Buddha flanked by his disciples and surprisingly a statue of goddess “Durga” and “Mahisasura”(the demon) too. There was no mistaking the eight armed celestial being with weapons in each hand fighting to kill the buffalo incarnated “Mahisasura”. There were two sculpted creations. One depicted goddess “Durga” killing the buffalo and another depicted “Durga” stamping “Mahisasura” ( in the human form) triumphantly. Each of these statues had a legend but written in Japanese so I could not understand. I tried asking a person who seemed to be a caretaker of this place, but he did not understand English. The hill side is scattered with quite a few tiny temples , two bell towers ( or small pagodas housing the bell), Buddha statues, and even tombs. I wandered around , following the trails, till evening. I was wandering around this big monastic village, where the Hollywood movie “ The Last Samurai” was shot. Then I traced back my path to the ropeway station, and then to the foot of the hill and then I took the bus to Himeji city. My day ended at a banquet where I joined my spouse for a sumptuous dinner. There was a wide variety of dishes, Japanese and continental, including fish, chicken and vegetarian dishes. The spread was presented so beautifully that one had no other option but to taste all. The salads included radish sprouts that gave a pungent zing to the taste buds. Then of course there was sushi and sake to satisfy ones belly and heart. I was back at the “Comfort Hotel” by eleven o’clock at night and hit the bed immediately. We had to catch the early morning Bullet train.

We reached the station even before sunrise, when it had a deserted look. Soon it became a busy place and the train glided into the platform and we got into the unreserved compartment. This was a tip from our new found friend at Himeji. If one books a ticket for the unreserved compartment , definitely one risks traveling the entire route standing along the passageway of the compartment, but there is also the finite possibility of getting a seat. In this way we saved a few Yen. Luckily, since it was an early morning train we did get empty seats in the unreserved compartment.

We got off the train at Odawara station and two of our Japanese friends were waiting for us there. They were going to take us around one of the volcanic regions of Japan – The Hakone Volcano. It was a beautiful long drive through the cool hilly region, before we reached Lake Ashi. I reminded my friends that I still hadn’t seen Mt.Fuji and that I would hate to return from Japan without seeing Fujiyama. Lake Ashi is a caldera lake. We stood on the banks of the lake breathing in the cool air and feasting our eyes with the deep blue waters. A cruise ship stylized as a pirate ship floating on the water added to the picture perfect beauty. And then our friends squealed in delight because they had spotted Fujiyama. I looked in the direction of their pointing fingers and saw the bluish outline of the iconic volcano. It was far away, between other mountain peaks and peeping through a gap in the clouds. It is not that easy to spot Mt.Fuji. One has to concentrate and gaze for long in the right direction to decipher the mountain top that has been blown off by volcanic eruption. Our destination now was Togendai station, which is at one end of the long Ashi lake. We could take the cruise ship, but we chose to drive instead. This is because we wanted to get a better view of Mt. Fuji. So we took the hilly route. We did spot the Fuji top from some view points, but most of the time it was hidden behind a cloud cover. I think I will come back to Japan sometime to see Mt.Fuji at closer quarters and from a different direction.

From Togendai station we took the Hakone ropeway ride to Owakudani station. It is a twenty five minute ride above the tree line. A large part of the cable car gondola is made of glass so that one gets a 360 degree view as it moves up hill and above the trees. The ropeways length is about 4 km and there are quite a few gondolas moving up and down. The ride is quite delightful as one floats above the green earth and if one is lucky then even Fujiyama can be spotted along this route. The gondolas at a distance are like little bubbles with ears clipped on to the steel ropes. When we neared Owakudani station the distinct scent of sulfur greeted us. The whole Hakone region developed over thousands of years, beginning as a cluster of volcanoes. With major eruptions occurring one after another, small calderas were formed and then these claderas gathered forming the larger caldera with lava domes and cones like Mt. Kamiyama. Owakudani , translated as “ The Great Boiling Valley” is a result of the collapse of Kamiyama. So as we walked the hill side trails, the sign boards warned us -- Spending long hours in this area is injurious to health because of the spewing volcanic gas like hydrogen sulphide and sulphur dioxide. On one side was the bronze exposed hillside with steam spewing vents and on another side we could see some greenery, where plants resistant to high ground temperature and acidic soil were growing. There were hot water springs, boiling pools and hot water streams, but the air at this height of 1040 meters was chilly and windy. The total scenery was different and it was an unique experience for us. We didn’t miss the boiled egg treat. Eggs were being boiled in the gushing hot water at one point. It is believed that eating one egg adds seven years to ones life. White eggs were dipped in the boiling water and they came out as black colored eggs. Some chemical reaction caused the egg shell to turn black only on the exterior and the boiled egg tasted like any other regular egg.

After the Hakone area tour we took the train route to Tokyo. We reached Tokyo after dark and the city was glittering with the tall buildings lit up with a variety of light emitting diodes in different colours and intensity. It was a night halt here before we flew back to India the next day.

Himeji Castle-at the entrance bridge. Two turrets seen at a distance. The turret under renovation is covered by a screen.

Entrance to Himeji Castle

Himeji castle-Note the high stone elevation
on which the castle is perched

Focus on the roof with the curled up edges.

Mythical creature with a fish body and tiger head- A structure of the roof

Typical bell shaped structures of the roof

Himeji Castle - Two Turrets-A closer look

Structure at the end of the roof ridges

Armour of the Samurai.

A shrine in the Himeji Castle premises.

Sitting posture statue of Buddha, made of Bronze and wood, at Koryu-ji Temple

Maniden Temple at Mt.Shosha

Elaborate wooden support structure of the Maniden Temple

Statue of Buddha at the Maniden Temple

Courtyard of the Daikodo Lecture Hall, Jikido Hall, and Jougyoudo Hall.

Jougyoudo Hall, viewed from Daikodo Lecture Hall.

Verandah on the first floor of the two storied pagoda- Jikido Hall

Massive statue of Buddha inside Daikodo Lecture Hall

Sculpture of Buddha flanked by his followers- Displayed on the
first floor of Jikido Hall

Buddha's followers-At Jikido Hall

At Jikido Hall - Sculpture has a similarity to Goddess Durga.

Sculptures at Jikido Hall

Buddha, next to a walk path at the Mt. Shosha Monastery

Walk paths in the Wooded region of Mt. Shosha Monastery

Toumb of the Hondas

Fujiyama seen from the banks of Lake Ashi

Lake Ashi

Ropeway from Togendai to Owakudani in the Hakone volcanic region

View from the cable car gondola

Steam spewing caldera

Steam and the hot water stream

Boiling eggs in the hot water stream

Black shelled eggs that add 7 years to ones life

Mt.Fuji viewed from the Hakone volcanic region

Glittering Tokyo at night.

Monday, 25 August 2014

AMDAVAD

It was already the first week of July and there was sporadic showers during the past two days and the citizens of Mumbai were worried. The Meteorological department had predicted heavy showers for today. But our trip to Ahmedabad was already planned ,so we were ready to fly, come rain or shine. I had expected traffic jams, water logged roads and flight delays. None of these happened because there was not a drop of rain and the sky was clear. I was happy because I got a fantastic birds eye view of Mumbai after the aircraft takeoff. It was a blue sky with a few cumulus clouds scattered around letting the sun shine through on to the Mumbai skyscrapers. The view of Mumbai was like thousand pins sticking out of a pin cushion. The “Bandra-Worli Sea Link” gleamed in the sunshine and looked gorgeous from that height. In an hours time we landed at Sardar Vallabhai Patel Airport. It hadn’t rained here either. It was hot minus the humidity which is pretty distressing for a person living in Mumbai. We quickly located the car that would transport us to the guest house that was booked for us. I had heard and read so much about Gujarat and its transformation to a near Utopian land, that I was eager to see with my own eyes. So from the airport we headed towards the border of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar. The car sped over the bridge and I could see the Sabarmati river way below as a small stream ,and most of the river bed dry and covered with wild foliage. I was quite disheartened, but still remained hopeful for other better things to come. The road was good, wide and sidewalks well painted and bush lined too. We reached our destination somewhere in the Chandkheda area on New CG Road. Gandhinagar is being developed as the twin city of Ahmedabad. Most of the construction was recent and the roads were wide with lots of trees-specifically Neem trees.

After a nights rest, I was fresh the next morning , and ready to roam around Ahmedabad. The locals call their city “Amdavad” and that is the original name. I had picked up a tourist pamphlet at the airport, and so armed with that I requested the car driver to take me to the Swaminarayan Temple in the city center . This is one of the temples built in the recent past when drills and other machines could be used to carve copiously in marble. Most of the temples here are elaborately carved. The Hathee Singh Temple a few road crossings away is elaborately carved in stone. It is a Jain temple and from a distance it looks grey and drab. As you go closer one will be floored by the beautiful carvings on grey stone. The temple was build in the 19^th century and dedicated to Dharamanath, the 15^th Jain Tirthankara. The inner sanctum houses a marble statue of the Tirthankara. When we went inside we found a group of people congregated and a religious discourse with musical chanting was on in Gujarati. I couldn’t understand the words of the chants but I could decipher the tune of the chants – “Mera Jeevan Kora Kagaz” , from a very popular Bollywood Movie. Photography was not allowed inside so I had to record the beautiful intricate sculptures in my head only, but the beauty is imprinted in my heart. Around the three edges of the main temple are shrines, that houses all the “Tirthankaras”. One can walk along the corridor and see all the statues carved out of different colored stones , ranging from white marble to pink stone to bluish stone to green marble to black marble or granite. All polished to mirror finish. The saints are all sitting in the “Padmasana” yogic pose. The distinguishing feature of this Jain temple is a tower , again intricately carved in yellow ochre stone. This is the “Kirti Stambha”. The people around this part of the world whether ancient or present , are passionate artisans who love to chisel into stone . The stones are fashioned into, gods, goddesses, elephants, apsaras, flowers, leaves, decorative motifs and other imagined embellishments. There is fine carving , whether it is a temple or mosque or well.

Yes even wells are ornately carved here. This is the only city I have visited till date I think that has two wonderfully carved wells. I don’t just mean digging out a well in the ground, but carving out a well in the ground that is so ornate , that it leaves you spellbound. The “Adalaj Vav” built during the 15^th century by Mohamad Begda for queen “Rani Roopba”, has intricately carved walls and pillars. It has steps that take you down five stories to the bottom of the well . It is spacious, sculpted and is just amazing. One may as well be inside a temple. Now the well is dry but they were a traditional source of water. Water, so precious and so revered that such a beautiful architecture is made around it!! Yes it is a temple, because water is life and so water is god!! The surroundings of this step well has been well maintained with a garden and a nice approach road. There was one more step well that we visited and which was just as beautiful and mesmerizing as “Adlaj Vav”. “Dada Harir ni vav” was located in a slightly neglected part of Amdavad and it wasen’t that tourist friendly and it did take a lot of asking around , in order to locate it. But it was just as gorgeous with carved walls and pillars with village scenes, motifs , “whirls” and “tworls”. “Vav” means step well. One goes down to the bottom of the well via these large and long steps. The total premises it seems is held together by many decorated pillars. The walls have small cutout enclosures, that perhaps would be useful to hold a pot of water while going up or down. A local chap followed us into the well and explained that during the old days the water from this well was used for irrigation too. With ground water being tapped in other parts of Amdavad, this well has run dry. This well was built in the 15^th century during the reign of Mahmud Shah, and Bai Harir Sultani or Dada Hari was the superintendent of the royal Harem. Next to this well there are two “Masjids”, again beautifully architectured and intricately carved. I feel this complete premises is a treasure and should be looked after a little more.

Next I asked our driver to take us to the Jama Masjid. He was a bit reluctant ,so I didn’t press further. It is only the day after that I would know the reason for the reluctance. He took us to the “Sidi Saiyed Mosque “ though, which was bang next to a very busy road. The tourist pamphlet informed that this mosque is known for its beautifully crafted stone jaali windows. Of all the windows ,each with different Jaali work, the “tree of life” motif has become iconic for the city. Though the intricate stone work was good the entire premises wasn’t too impressive. I had already clicked a few photographs when someone called me and told me that women are not allowed inside the mosque. He pointed out to a Notice board hung out on a tree trunk—“Lady visitors are not allowed to enter into the Masjid premises under any circumstances.” “Visitors in half naked dresses are strictly prohibited to enter into the Masjid premises”. “Visitors should take off their shoes before entry.”

Our next stop was at the “Sabarmati Ashram” where Mahatma Gandhi’s living quarters, his spinning wheel and many other belongings have been preserved. It is a large area with huts scattered about. The huts enclose exhibits related to Gandhiji’s personal and public life. Browsing through the exhibits is a very pleasant experience, because of the way in which the huts have been designed—Open and seamless. One can sit around and watch the working of the “charkha” or sit under a Neem tree and soak in the serenity , or watch the Sabarmati river flow by. It was heartening to see the Sabarmati river full from one bank to the other and flowing with water. I believe the Sabarmati is pumped in by water from the Narmada river.

To get a flavor of the modern experimental design we headed towards Vastupura , into the IIM Ahmedabad campus. This part of the city is very green. The institute buildings were nestled between trees and gave an earthy and spacious look. The buildings had clear cut lines with no frills and were made of red bricks (sans the plaster) that had aged into a brownish red colour. The hallmark was the large arches and gaping holes of the buildings. We walked around the garden and buildings for a while before heading back to the guest house at Chandkheda. We had reserved the next day for “Akshardham temple” where one can spend the whole day if one wishes. The security measures here is very strict and all are frisked thoroughly. All belongings (including mobiles and water bottles ) had to be deposited at the entrance and we were allowed in with the clothes that we were wearing and our wallet. So we walked in swinging our arms and soaking in the grandeur of the temple , dedicated to Swaminarayan. Carvings and embellishments were exquisite, and done mainly in a reddish brown sand stone. Inside the temple a giant sized statue of Saint Swaminarayan is made of white marble. There are many exhibits in the form of paintings, sculptures, model villages and IMAX styled movies. All this is aimed towards imparting knowledge about the saint’s life, times , teachings and his social work. We enjoyed the landscaped gardens and finally the laser light show, before returning back to rest at the guest house.

We had one more day at Amdavad. I spend it shopping at the “Law Gardens” . Here temporary small shops extend along the footpaths and small time traders display their goods from five o,clock in the evening to 12 o’clock at night. One can pick up very interesting things made of typical embroidery , done in these parts of the country. After spending some time here I hailed an “auto-rickshaw” to return to the guest house. The driver turned out to be a friendly person and a great communicator. He said that he could take us to the Jama Masjid, which was not to be missed at all. I reminded him that women were not allowed inside any masjid or mosque so the travel to the Jama Masjid would be futile. He said that , no body can stop me from entering and he would escort us inside the mosque. So first we travelled to see the “Sidi Bashir Mosque”, in a very crowded part of the city. With a smart and skilled driver ,the auto could thread its way through the crowded streets. This mosque is famous for the two “minars” of the entrance archway, that sway in resonance when only one of the “minars” is shaken. We saw the impressive “minars” but did not see the resonant swaying. After this the enthusiastic auto-driver took us to the Jama Masjid. Again we were passing through narrow winding, confusing lanes. The lanes were over crowded with street vendors, buyers, children , hens and cocks running helter-skelter, goats of all sizes and colour making their way through and much much more. A car could not have passed through these streets and now I understood why a day before the driver was reluctant to take us to the Jama Masjid. A large arch way welcomed us into the Masjid and we removed our shoes and stepped into a huge courtyard like space, completely paved in white marble. There stood the majestic mosque on the other side of the courtyard. As expected it had beautifully carved walls and was supported by many beautifully carved pillars on the inside. We walked around, enjoying everything around us and getting some insights about the Jama Masjid from our constant guide ,the auto-driver.

Our last and final stop was at the “River front”. The Sabarmati river bank is completely paved in concrete and stone. This definitely rivals many European city river fronts. The best part is that , the river front is at a lower level than the city roads. There is a large parking area and an amusement park area at the street level and one has to come down to a lower level to reach the river . So after parking one can leave all the cacophony above and enjoy the river and a walk along its paved banks. Though they say that the river is polluted, it wasn’t evident to the naked eye. Everything was new, clean and neat. A plaque made of black granite said that this was inaugurated in 2012 by the then chief minister of Gujarat.

Early next morning we were on our way back to Mumbai. We landed in Mumbai and heavy rain fall greeted us.