When you have some places in your dreams for years and you are madly in search of an opportunity to shape your dream & you find a similar fellow, BANJARE becomes reality. IIT Gandhinagar Explorer’s Fellowship is a quite amazing opportunity to explore the unity in diversity of the land that stretches from Ganga to Kaveri, from the Himalayas to Nilgiri and from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. Since me and Vikas are both from banks of Ganga, nothing gives better start then the Holy city of God Shiva, Varanasi. The city gets the name from the confluence of the rivers Varuna and Assi. Both the rivers are on verge of extinct but the culture of Banaras lived for centuries. Being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Banaras is the heart of Uttar Pradesh. Everything changed in Banaras but Ganga, Kashi Vishwanath, and the Ghats remained in place thus Varanasi lived. Manikarnika Ghat, Dashaswamedh Ghat, Assi Ghat are the jewels in ghats. We then moved towards the link to North-east India, Guwahati.
The roaring Brahmaputra and the blessings of Goddess Kamakhya make the city adorable. Assam State Museum, Fancy Bazaar, Paltan Bazaar, Peacock Island, Sualkuchi, and Hajo are the destinations one should not miss in Guwahati. We then left for Kolkata. Being a few hour stoppage, we could not miss the opportunity to visit Dakshineshwar Kali Temple and the Ganga flowing silently towards the sea. Next stoppage was Deogarh, Jharkhand via Ranchi. The place is known for 120 km long Shivratri fair (Mela) starting from Sultanpur (on the banks of Ganga) to Baijnath Temple. Nandan Pahad is an attraction in Deogarh.
Eager to move ahead, Sambalpur was our next destination. The Hirakud Dam was the place of study. Being one of the largest dams in India in terms of the capacity of the reservoir, it homes the Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary. On the same day, we continued to the home to God Jagganath, Puri. It was the first place where I touched the sea first time in my life. The legends of the temple from the memories of the pandas in the temple are worth listening and appreciating. Next place in the list was Hyderabad. Mallikarjun Temple, Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar Dam hold historical as well as religious significance. In few days, we were going to Chennai. Few hours to stay, it was appropriate to visit the nearby Marina Beach. In our hearts, God Rama was calling, Rameshwaram. The magnificent scene from Pamban Bridge linking the mainland India to Pamban Island, was heart wining so was the Dhanushkhodi. In next few days, the queen of my dreams was in front of me. Vivekanand Memorial, Kumari Temple, 3-D Museum, Bakeries and fishermen colony were the attractions. The adobe of Gods, Kerala was waiting to welcome us. The initial thought of Arch Dam in Idukki led us to one of the beautiful places in India with absolute greenery in nature and hearts of people. Soon, it was the time to take a dip in archeology and history, Hampi near Hospete via Banglore. After a memorable tour to Wonder La, Hampi had many more secrets hidden inside.Hanuman Halli and Kishkinda were the Ramayan era places where I felt blessed by Lord Hanuman. Now, it was time to entre Western India via Mumbai. First, it was Nasik in the list. Triambakeshwar and Godawari are the souls of Nasik. Aurangabad was the next stop. Daulatabad Fort, Ellora Caves, Eateries around the cities would not let you move away from the place. We returned to Mumbai to reach Delhi to move to our final destination, Rishikesh. Located in the foothills of Himalaya, Bhagirathi and Alaknanda rivers confluence to make the holy Ganga at Devprayag. Narendra Nagar uphill was worth visiting. With light and happy heart, peace in mind and holy energy around, Ganga Aarti at Parmarth Niketan Ashram marked the end of our forty-five-day long journey.
VIKAS YADAV
Undergraduate
Department of Civil Engineering
ABHAY VARSHNEY
Undergraduate
Department of Civil Engineering