Chota Mahadev

It is not necessary for a place to be far from home when you want to break away from the toiling urban life and find solace in the lap of nature. Madhya Pradesh is blessed with such beauty that one gets a sense of being away from the world at a very small distance from any of its major cities. During my recent travels to Tamia I encountered one such artistry of nature.

Tamia is about 60 KM away towards north west from the district headquarters of Chhindwara. It is situated at the edge of Satpura hills that hosts the Tultula peak on one side and a huge cliff ending at the deepest gorges of a rift valley at the other side. High flying Eagles and vultures appeared too small in front of those straight and huge rocky hills. The depth seen from the top of the cliff inspires awe and fear at the same time. The vehicles meandering through the curves of the road distracts the satisfying view of the infinity. Tamia has few of the best kept secrets of nature.

The view from the cliff was heartwarming, as I looked at the vast expanse of greens down the hills towards the valley. Few houses appeared like white ships sailing in the vast green ocean. Tourists have two places to witness the magical eternal beauty of that wholeness of the place. One is a PWD Rest House and the other is Forest Rest House. Both are located strategically at the edge of the cliff. I meditated appreciating the beauty facing the infinite green jungle and blue sky. I was immersed deep in the endlessness of the universe.  

Tamia is famous for Patalkot village, which derives its name from the Hindi word “Pataal Lok” that means a world deep inside the earth. The inhabitants of this village were living a kind of nomadic life till a few years back when road, and electricity reached them. 

Another fascinating place in Tamia is Chota Mahadev. The whole place reminds one of Jurassic world. Chota Mahadev is about half a kilometer from Forest Rest House and it takes 30 minutes for a normal person to reach there. As I descended through rough rocky terrain, some steps provided relief and security from walking on a rapid decline. The journey to Chota Mahadev was exciting and amusing. The view from every step one takes down is refreshing with a new perspective of beauty and hues and colours of nature. 

As I climbed further down trees of various kinds aroused my curiosity and imparted knowledge and I got the clue about the sources of many herbs being sold by the native people of that magical land. The landscape fills everyone with the inspiration to get drunk with the pleasure of a unique ecosystem. When I reached near the hills, the sound of flowing water in the background appeared before my eyes mysteriously and quenched the aesthetical thirst of my heart with immense pleasure. I witnessed the eternal beauty of a small waterfall that appeared before my eyes in no time. Seeing the sudden appearance of the waterfall I wondered for a moment as if it was a dream or reality. How could such beauty sprung so fast when it appeared so far away.

The water everywhere takes the traveller to a dreamland. Omnipresent moisture produced a cooling effect over my body immersed in the sweat of hardship. Water was seen everywhere with every new step I took. The bald rocks with water peeping out from everywhere looked green with algae covering its darkness. The cliff appeared more pronounced with every heavy breath I took and when looked up to gauge the depth I had reached. The land became flush with more water and I had to be more careful as I took more steps to tread further safely. 

The beauty soaked my thoughts in the mystic of the place and I forgot the tiredness arousing out of the physical effort. The spaces between the trees and the leaves of small shrubs provided the window of opportunity to witness the charm of the place from different angles. Finally, after crossing small streams I encountered steep steps that took me to my destination - Chota Mahadev, a small cave that houses a dark shiv ling. The cave was filled with pictures of Hindu gods and goddesses. A cushion indicated the place for the priest in his absence. From above the cave comes a stream of water making another waterfall, thus painting the place with its mystic elegance. 

I sat there for sometime and became the spectator of that delightful experience that filled my heart with a kind of completeness which we hardly encounter in our everyday life. The return journey was more tough but the divine experience provided the fuel to climb with great vigour and I was on my way back to Bhopal. While I was riding back, the thoughts about the necessity to conserve nature were lingering in my mind and I promised myself to sensitise as many people towards sustainable living.

Narmade Har

I have always wondered as to what inspires a person, especially a Hindu to worship the river Narmada. I have seen its magnificence in parts before. I have swam in the holy river in Jabalpur, in Pipariya, in Narmadapuram and in Awali ghat and have sat beside the banks of the river at several places. I have seen the big dams built across its length from Bargi to Indrasagar, to Omkareshwar, to Sardar Sarovar. Having already seen the river in Bharuch where it merges with the sea and converges in infinite water, my quest drove me to the origin of the river. 

I was excited to travel to Amarkantak, the place of origin of the river, as I had heard so much about it. The journey was long yet it brimmed with thrill. I took a break after a meeting at Jabalpur to start again the next day with a halt at Dindori for another meeting before reaching the district Anuppur. I had to return the next day so I decided to stay at Amarkantak for the night. As I travelled towards the place I noticed the shrinking size of the river. The twists and turns of black charcoal road, meandering through the mountains, looked to shake the vehicle from its stability; however, the central white marker kept the vehicle on track. 

The vista of trees on both the sides and the canopy it formed provided a calming and cooling sensation as if comforting the bare footers who walk across the length in reverence of the river. The thick green color was becoming black as I raised my eyes towards the horizon reflecting the abundance of the woods. Soon mountains were everywhere on every side. The horizon was lost in the closeness of the inclines. Yet the valley, when looked from above, had a soothing effect on my soul. 

The lush green paddy crop reflected the profound optimism on the countenances of farmers and the people I encountered on the way. 

When I glanced at the milestone I saw that Amarkantak was just 7 kilometers away, and suddenly a sharp turn brought sal tree covered hills and tall trees looming over the car. I couldn’t see anything beyond 50 meters. I was overwhelmed with greenery until I reached a place where the sky became visible after a brief magical road that reminded me of the deep and dark woods I have read only in books and that was my destination. 

After settling in the government circuit house I refreshed myself to get ready to visit the place I had come for. I felt a burst of emotions as I led my way to the temple. As the destination was getting nearer, I was remembering the numerous photos of Amarkantak I had seen over the years in various places. I was struck with awe and reverence as I entered the premises. It was simple yet elegant and was full of devotion. It was humming with the chants of vedic mantras yet it was as peaceful as space. One troupe of devotees was singing and chanting mantras with the deepest devotion in their heart while the other was waiting and watching for its turn to offer prayer at the sanctum sanctorum. 

After offering prayers in the temple, I sat near the temple. However, for me the real worship is in meditation which gives me real satisfaction. So I just sat and concentrated on the ultimate. After a brief dive into that wholeness I went to another place and returned to the rest house. I was very tired and had to travel again the next morning.

It was 2:41 AM when I got up suddenly. I felt as if someone shook me out of bed. I was alone in that room. My thoughts were going back to the temple again and again as if they were wandering the temple compound in reverence. An unknown fear gripped my veins and I could hear my own heavy gasps of breathing. I was terrified for a brief spell as I gathered my senses. I couldn’t believe what I was undergoing as I had never believed in anything supernatural or out of this world. I went to relieve myself and stayed in bed for about a minute after coming back and finally I could overcome the horror I witnessed that gripped me surprisingly. My rationality forced me to divert my attention from the incomprehensible event to the fact that any new place has its own toll on sleep many times. Despite all my efforts, I could not sleep and kept thinking about the river and what I realized was a kind of revelation for me. 

My thoughts went back to the temple again and again and I suddenly realized that the river has something unique about itself. This river is special. Despite starting from a plateau at a height of about 1000 meters, it is perennial in its journey to the sea. Generally, rivers which do not originate from the Himalayas are not perennial, but Narmada is. 

I felt that a river also has a life of its own. It has a lot to teach us. It starts small and grows big. Despite being big it shrugs the arrogance stealthily. It faces innumerable hurdles on its way yet it sails through and completes its journey and reaches the destination. It might be slow sometimes but remains on the course. Monsoon and rain might swell and drive it beyond its bank to the fields and forest, but it settles soon without any smell of pomp or show-off. 

The river is committed to its goal, is eternally focused and is disciplined to its core. Day and night it has only one task - to continue the journey. The river never gets tired on the way. The patience it enshrouds when it is small and low is instrumental in completion of its journey as it never gives up or fades away in slumber. During summers it may appear that it has lost the steam, yet the patience gives it the strength to grow and once the water is back it flows again with a delightful bang. 

In its journey Narmada gives so much without taking anything from the people in return. Despite the dams built across, it fills them completely and continues to flow to give again to more and more people. It provides water to the fields. It amuses people who look at it for entertainment and gives them the opportunity to indulge. It feeds the fisherman, it drives businesses, it blesses people with what they wish. It has a multifaceted aspect of benevolence. 

This journey inspires devotion in the masses and propels them to walk even barefoot to cover it from origin to destination. It inspires people to learn and get drunk with spirituality. 

My journey to find substance in the journey of a river was complete as I was nearing my home. Such is Narmada. Such is her style. You too can feel it. Narmade Har…

Kahna- First Day First Show

While travelling back to Bhopal and thought of peeping inside the national park of Kanha. It was the occasion for the national park to open to the public with some pomp and festivity. I chose to turn my gaze to Mandla, the villages Kanha and Kisli are towards Mandla that gives it the much popular name. The stay near the forest was itself so enchanting, engaging and engrossing that I fell in love with the place immediately. My stay was a kind of meditation that itself provided a rejuvenating spiritual experience. Yet the visit isn’t complete unless one takes a ritualistic dip in the dark and deep woods sufficient to take one out of the burden of city life. The excitement grew, it was raining heavily. a day before but the continued spell made me doubted of the opportunity to finally go inside. As luck would have it, rain stopped. The next morning was thick with fog and I entered the park. It was a tar road that became dark black with humidity. As we moved ahead after being welcomed by the park staff we saw a few vehicles standing and gazing deep in the jungle. Our guide told us after some deliberation and sharing of some encrypted messages with other guides that a leopard had just crossed the road and had vanished inside the woods. A bit disappointed in being late to spot the leopard we moved ahead with a lot of hope beating in our hearts. Fog and mist reduced the visibility but added to the excitement. The trees were healthy, rivers were smiling with muddy water rushing crazily towards its destination and roads were good despite heavy downpour. In general the park appeared well maintained. As we moved further ahead, the guide told us about the trees and birds and the process of relocation that resulted in development of huge grasslands, which support the herbivore. He gave us a detailed overview of the national park as we sat tightly in the vehicle on the curvaceous road with ups and downs of the forest topography. We started spotting wild. Deer, black buck, sambhar, langur and many birds kept us engaged though getting up early had forced everyone to be lethargic in the absence of the unmet expectation of seeing big wild cats. As the time progressed and the guide told more about the forest we listened without deep appreciation. Suddenly one jeep passed us and the guide in that vehicle informed our guide that they saw a tiger passing. The call by a male deer and repeated calls by languor confirmed their information arousing our curiosity to the peak of those high saal trees. The guide and driver were intelligent and witty. They discussed and took the vehicle to a place about 1 km away and parked the vehicle there. We wondered why he brought the vehicle that far. On being asked he responded, ‘This is the path of the tiger and if he is walking he would pass from that place.’ There were thick bushes amidst long trees filling everything before us with the shades of green. We watched eagerly but nothing came out. Our patience was running out yet our good sense prevailed and we stayed on. After a long silence the dead appearing bushes started scratching each other and wind filled our souls with excitement yet again and within a minute our zing was rewarded with a sight worth waiting for… 

A big male tiger coming out of the bush with his gaze full of anger growled at us. Our excitement grew by leaps and bounds and our eyes fixed to the moving magic for the next few moments. Tiger crossed the road and continued the journey away from our sight. Happy as we were, but it was not enough for our driver. He drove forward and waited at another place and once again the tiger came out near a stream and took a long dip inside the water giving us a rare glimpse seen only on TV so far. 

The happiness drove away the lethargy and we were up with further expectations. We moved forward to see more dark magic of the forest and we reached a place to have the breakfast we brought with us. A giant beautiful arch made by the antelopes of deers collected over the years from all over the forest distinguishes the park from others that I have seen so far.

After the break we were taken to a very well organised museum located nearby. We fell in love with it at first sight. The first room displayed a model of a dark rainy night in the forest drenching all the animals sending goosebumps on our body about the struggle of animals in the forest and the extreme conditions they face. Then there was another room with details of the tiger and its struggle and another room displaying the topographic details. The museum is rich in its informative demonstration about the flora and fauna that characterize Kanha and it presents a very creative picture of the topography of the national park. At last a dark room with a small dramatic yet real appearing scene of a kill by a tiger, when it jumps on the prey stealthily instilled fear in our minds and added further value to our experience of the park. 

The educative tour followed by a feast of a sort ended when we disembarked and started back for the park gates as the time to finish approached near. We returned back to our rooms to pack and start once again towards our home. 

The long ride completed in only a few days was full of memories and pictures in our mobile as was the river adjoining the place we stayed for the night after a spate of heavy rain. Kanha, invites all with its charm and enchanting environment. A well maintained park added sweetness to the unforgettable unwinding short trip enriching our life experiences.