This month, I decided to visit my old pals in Delhi and also make a visit to Mathura, Vrindavan and other holy places in the vicinity, besides feasting my eyes on the Taj in Agra
This month, I decided to visit my old pals in Delhi and also make a visit to Mathura, Vrindavan and other holy places in the vicinity, besides feasting my eyes on the Taj in Agra.
The plan was that I would first go to Delhi, and from there visit Mathura and Agra with a close friend of mine.
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Now, I have not generally been a people person and have few friends thanks to a strict diet of Batman comics during my childhood days, followed by healthy dollops of books on loners like Sherlock Holmes, I prefer to read a book rather than meet an acquaintance any day. But this said when one goes on a pilgrimage or on a sight-seeing trip, friends especially old ones are most welcome.
But such was not to be and so I caught a bus from Delhi and went to Mathura. From there, I re-paired to Vrindavan and saw the famous grove of basil plants that is associated with the Ras Leela. Returning to Mathura, I visited the Krishna Janma Bhoomi and saw the jail where Krishna was born. Needless to say, I feasted on pedas knowing about my weakness for gastronomic pleasures, my friend had told me to partake of 'Matura ke pede' and 'Agra ke pete'. The last stop on my pilgrimage was Govardhan, where Krishna lifted the hillock and moved Hinduism 'from a more sacrificial/ appeasement oriented worship to a more spiritual plane of thought' as Wikipedia puts it.
After visiting such holy spots, I took a bus for Agra and checked into a small hotel. The next day, I visited the Taj and the Agra Fort and as a South Indian in the North, was struck by the similarities between Jehangir's famous 'Adl-i-Zanjir' (Chain of Justice) and Manu Needhi Cholan's giant bell, both of which point to the easy accessibility of the kings of yore to the common man in search of justice.
Later in the evening, I returned to Delhi and my friend asked me how the trip had been. When I told him that it was fine, but that it would have been better if he had come too, he pointed out that in some ways, it was better that I travelled alone because I was then my own master.
There is much truth in what my friend said. While going in a group to a picnic spot is indeed a great experience, going alone to a historic spot like Braj Bhoomi may be preferable simply because a religious pilgrimage implies that you look inward to enhance yourself spiritually. Even if the visit is not spiritual, going alone has its benefitsu2014for instance, I was able to observe the Taj at a more leisurely pace because I was alone.
I was also able to observe some of the intricate patterns on some of the outer walls with greater attention because there was nobody around to disturb me.
I don't drink, so I don't say things like 'one for the road' but if ever I do, it will mean that I'm travelling somewhere alone.
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