Nagardhan fort

Yes my friend ! Nagpur does have forts…not one but many..and I have discovered a few this monsoon !This one I found 10 kms short of the very famous Ramtek temple..The place is called ‘Nagardhan Killa’.

“Red fort of nagpur” the first expression that came out of my mouth after the first look ! It was love at first sight for me…The main gate has a remarkable resemblance to the red fort@ Delhi…It is no where near the grandeur ,but yes will definitely remind you of it !

Nagardhan – May be has been derived from ( Nagar) which means village /town and (Dhani) which means rich. My assumption that it may belong to lets say the zamidar of this place many many years back. The fort is not that big ! or may be the part which we say was the only structure that survived the natural erosion and human invasions. The ASI sign board outside the palace. declared the palace to be 2000 years old ! It says the fort initially belonged to the Gonds ( tribal chiefs) of vidharbha region and then the fort was captured by the Bhonsles.

Wont lie…The facelift done is commendable..but sadly, the ancient feel of the place is missing..Infact it does not look 2000 year any longer ! I believe in the saying ‘old is gold ‘ …I realized it then and there!It was time to say goodbye Nagardhan fort and welcome lunch…

We had ‘pet pooja’ at greenland( earlier known as Meghdoot resort) resort near khindsi lake…P.S – Do try chicken masala and fried rice..you will come back and thank me for the advice !

SEVAGRAM

Our trip to Sevagram was full of adventures...We left for the adventure early morning...the first hitch that came up was a tire puncture...bless the person who has discovered tubeless tires,the ordeal was short. I totally depend on my best road trip buddy google for direction! This time ,for the first time I was betrayed by google ! This is the path I followed ! I reached Sevagram village , GPS  showed Sevgram Ashram was another 15kms from the village ! we blindly followed and landed up in a muddy,rocky road,with thorny bushes on both sides...Thanks to my dad's driving skills..we could come out of that trap !

GPS Please type Mahatma Gandhi ashram ! Please note, Bapu kuti is just one kilometers from the main city.

Do not follow this map ! 

Disappointed by google ,we came back and finally saw this board .

Its has developed into a clean, peaceful picnic spot. As it was a holiday,The Ashram was bubbling with visitors.....

BAPU KUTI - Mahatma gandhi lived here from the year 1936-1946.

Inside Bapu kuti....

Ba Kuti - Kasturba lived here.

                                                                       Adi Nivas,

A little history before I share more pictures...It was the year 1934, Gandhiji wast had just finished touring all of India and had decided to make central India his permanent residence. He came to Wardha , at the invitation of his follower and industrialist, Jamnalal BajaJand stayed in one of the rooms at Jamnalal's bungalow (Bajajwadi) at Wardha .In April 1936, Gandhiji established his residence in a village called Segaon at the outskirts of Wardha, which he renamed as Sevagram, which means 'village of service'. Gandhiji was 67 years old when hecame to Sevagram. Many decisions on important national matters and movements were taken at Sevagram. 

Though he did not have any intentions of keeping anybody with him except his wife Kasturba, pressure of work necessitated more colleagues with him till Sevagram Ashram became a full-fledged institution. There were no facilities at Sevagram, not even a post or telegraph office. The letters used to be brought from Wardha. There was another village in this region named Shegaon, made famous by the residence of Saint Gajanan Maharaj. So, Gandhiji's letters used to get misdirected!

Coming back to the ashram...

We saw a full fledged Khadi unit at the Ashram. The unit is managed and operated by female force af the ashram.

Ambar Charkha

A lady working on cotton spinning machine @ Sevagram Khadi unit.

A lady making Khadi cloth @ Sevagram Ashram.

There is a photo museum just opposite Gandhijis ashram. Must visit,if you are @ sevagram. Shudh Marathi thali is available at the museum...We had a lovely lunch..sitting on the floor in padma asan...Indian style lunch....

To sum up...If you are a history enthusiast...A trip to this place to understand Gandhian Ideas and life is mandatory !

SITA BULDI FORT - The Pride of Nagpur !

Sita Buldi fort..The pride of Nagpur was open for public this month ( June 2017) . Golden opportunity not to be missed ! Right ?

                                                          
                                                  (http://bit.ly/2tA4l11)- Main Gate

 The only fort at  Nagpur city , which is usually closed for public, had been kept open for visitor  every Sunday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Sitabuldi sounds unsual ? No, It does not have any connection with Sita Maa... Legend says that Sitabuldi got its name from two Yaduvanshi brothers – Shitlaprasad and Badriprasad Gawali, who ruled the area in the 17th century.  Eventually the name evolved from "Shitlabadri"  to Seetabuldee", and finally settled at the current form, "Sitabardi" or "Sitabuldi". 

Sitabuldi Fort was built in the year 1817 by Mudhoji II  Bhonsle fondly known as Appa Saheb (died 15 July 1840). He ruled the Kingdom of Nagpur from 1816 to 1818. He annexed the throne by assassinating Parsaji and signed subsidiary alliance with the British.

To know more about Kingdom of Nagpur,visit their official page

http://maharajaofnagpur.com/

The only fort of Nagpur city, stands well-guarded and maintained by Indian army’s 118^th battalion garrisoned at the place. It is a ‘Giri Durg’ ( Hill fort) as it stands tall  on twin hillocks ‘Badi’(big)’ tekri’ and ‘chotti’( small)’tekri’. The word ‘tekri’ means hill in Marathi. According to The Arthashastra the Indian treatise on military strategy describes six major types of forts differentiated by their major mode of defence.  ‘Jala durg’( water Fort), Dhanvana- or Maru-durga (Desert Fort), Giri-durga (Hill fort), Vana-durga (Forest fort), Mahi-durga (Earthen fort), Nri-durga (Human fort).

Reading all the history available on net, We visited the fort last Sunday. private vehicles have to be parked outside the main-gate. It is a long walk up the (gradual)hill from the main army gate. The first ancient structure that we encountered was an old Shiva temple. The temple was a small chattri, where the Lingam was installed. After walking for 5 more minutes , we entered the original fort gate. The grand gate still intact is big enough for elephants to cross.

                                      (Source: http://bit.ly/2sHAuU1 ) British Styled Mansion

Further up the hill, we saw a stone made British styled big mansion. This I suppose is where the soldiers lived. We were informed by a friendly Guard at the post, that the fort has a fully functional system of rain water harvesting, that is still in use. We were shown a secret passage( surang). The experience inside was scary as it was dimly lit. It was a 5 minute walk through the surang. We came out of this passage to see a Jail, where Mohandas Karamchandra Gandhi was kept between 10th April - 15^th May 1923. 

While returning back , I saw a kirti stambh that was made to honour the martyrs, who lost their lives guarding the fort ,during The third Maratha war. This fort was graced by King George V and queen Mary during their visit to British India. Tipu sulatans grandson Nawab Kadar Ali was hanged here in the year 1857. I had read that a mosque is maintained in the fort to mark the location of hanging, but sadly I could not locate it.

Memory of Sitabuldi fort will be etched forever in my heart. Not only because of it’s grandeur or reason being its architecture, but only for the fact that it the cleanest and most well maintained fort, I have seen so far. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Army for maintenance of our heritage so well. What a lovely way to keep our heritage alive by living, guarding and rebuilding it !

Maharajbaug

Built on the Royal gardens of Bhonsle and hence the name MAHARAJBAGH ( Rulers garden). Located in the heart of orange city Maharajbagh a very famous tourist spot of Nagpur....I have visited this place quite a few times..but this time it was special as it was was baby's first zoo visit...

She loved it... her first meeting was fishy fishy... The fish section is well maintained.. We saw a variety of  fish in different colour,shape and size.

 

 Aligator Fish, This name I still remember....

 

Then came the Avain section... chirp chirp all around...sharing a few pics..

There we saw an alligator well camouflaged from all visitors...but my baby caught it !

 Tiger was having a lazy siesta..poor thing...the tempratures outside were 45 degrees the time we visited..

Oh dear sun !

up there must me fun...??

Down here,animals without Ac and Fan...

I realize how,fortunate is Man...

Poor thing , with mighty weight and fur..

Bearing the heat without a pur..

Felt guilty when I came back home...

 looked at my air conditioner..and thought RAIN RAIN COME SOON, That is the only hope....

Most of the animals were lazying in the sun.... we bid adieu and went home ,with my kid super excited and exhausted....

KORADI TEMPLE( Jakhapurvanshi) - Shaktipeeth of Nagpur !

If I say, We live in an atheistic society! I am sure most of you will agree with me. Visiting a religious place is considered low fashion or let me put it this way, its an obsolete practice ! I am sure ,many millennials believe its a sport for baby boomers... or may be a exigency for the Needy / Greedy / Wealthy !
For me visiting any religious site has become like an addiction! Not only do I get to learn fascinating stories and legends , I get to witness exquisite architecture , see elegant iconography and the deep meaning behind....and the icing on the cake is the solace and peace that I always anubhav(experience) !
In this blog , I bring to you a very Jagrut temple from Nagpur -Koradi mandir . Just 15 kms from orange city, standing strong on the banks on Koradi lake. It belongs to Shree Mahalaxmi Jagdamba Mata.








Source: https://www.google.co.in/search?q=koradi+temple+nagpur&rlz=1C1ASUC_enIN726IN726&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=662&tbm=isch&imgil=TaiNJxQZwtwXSM%253A%253Bs2Jw9y5B62EHtM%253Bhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.youtube.com%25252Fwatch%25253Fv%2525253D6ck45wikEHs&source=iu&pf=m&fir=TaiNJxQZwtwXSM%253A%252Cs2Jw9y5B62EHtM%252C_&usg=__hjHXNhZr4Il3MiMNKuBnPPr6FXc%3D&ved=0ahUKEwit35aEosfRAhUVS48KHXKWDdEQyjcILw&ei=Dw19WO2bDpWWvQTyrLaIDQ#imgrc=GrPrqddNVFhzDM%3A




Some call it a Lakshmi temple, while others Shakti(Durga)..lets understand why...
Science can give us the first explanation. If you recall the first law of thermodynamics, It states that energy can neither be created nor be destroyed ,It can only change forms. Same theory applies here. In Hinduism Shakti is 'energy' or 'power'. Shakti represents the dynamic forces that are thought to move through the entire universe changing forms. In the Navratri ("nine nights") festival, "the Goddess is worshiped in three forms. During the first three nights, Durga or Parvati is revered, then Lakshmi on the fourth, fifth and sixth nights, and finally Saraswati until the ninth night. Thus according to Tridevi concept all three are same !
As I have mentioned the Mukhya Devi is Mahalakshmi Jagdamba Mata. Let's understand the meaning of the name ( Mahalaxmi + Jagdamba) in Hindu mythology and iconography..
MAHALAKSHMI :
LAKSH meaning { Target}, making Laksmi goddess of Targets! For some this target{ Laksh} can be wealth , fame ..for each his/her own! Lakshmi Mata is a very important Hindu , Jain and Buddhist God ,worshiped for fortune and prosperity ! According to Hindu Mythology, Lakshmi was born from churning of ocean( samudra manthan ). She choose Vishnu bhagwan(God) as her consort.

Source :http://bit.ly/2jPNVNr
Indian Iconography depicts Lakshmi as a very graceful women, dressed elegantly, wearing lots of gold jewelry. Her Vahan(Vehicle) is the OWL. She sits in a yogic poster on a lotus and also holds lotus on her upper two arms. The lower two arms are shown powering fortune, good-luck into the household.Her iconography shows her with four hands, which represent the four goals of human life considered important to the Hindu way of life – dharma, kāma, artha, and moksha.

JAGDAMBA:
Jagdamba means ( Jagat + Amba). Jagat = universe and Amba means mother, Making her universal mother..Jagdamba is one of the numerous forms of shakti(Durga). In this Avatar as Jagdamba goddess takes a peaceful form of a loving mother. In this roop ma is shown having 10 arms and sitting on a lotus instead of Lion/Tiger. This makes her ( Durga + Laksmi). source: http://www.hindu-blog.com/2011/10/goddess-jagdamba.html

Source: http://bit.ly/2kqXPUL


History of Koradi.
There are around 51 Shakti-peeths of Devi Jagadamba. The Temple of Devi of Koradi – Shri Mahalaxmi Jagadamba – is considered as one of the Shakti-peeths. It has a great history and lakhs of devotees visit the temple every year.( I did a little research and found that there are discrepancies regarding Shakti peetha, According to Some of the great religious texts like the Shiva Purana, the Devi Bhagavata, the Kalika Purana and the AstaShakti recognize four major Shakti Peethas (centers), like Bimala (inside the Jagannath temple of Puri, Odisha), Tara Tarini (Near Berhampur, Odisha), Kamakhya Temple (Near Guwahati, Assam) and Dakshina Kalika (Kolkata, West Bengal) originated from the limbs of the Corpse of Mata Sati in the Satya Yuga. I am yet to find out a source to identify the actual 51/52/108 shakti peetha's of goddess.. Comming bck to Koradi, Many many years ago.. Koradi was known as Jakhapur. The King of Jakhapur, Raja Jholan, had seven children – Janoba, Nanoba, Banoba, Bairoba, Khairoba, Agnoba, Dattasur. The king was unhappy as he had no daughter. He performed Yagya and was ultimetly blessed with a beautiful daughter. After seeing his daughter for the first time, the King felt that Adi Shakti manifested in the form of his daughter. The king in his lifetime exprienced the divya shakti of his daughter many times they say...Her traits included devine beauty,wisdom, war-skills, visionary skills etc..Once in a war when she accompanied the king, she had shown great justice towards the king as well as his opponents. While returning from the war Jakhumai being the divine shakti decided to stop at the place where the sun would set. That place is regarded as Jakhapur (now Koradi). The moorti (idol) is believed to be 'Swayambhu' - manifested one, as nobody installed it. The surroundings consist of a Kund and Goumukh. There is a natural stream of cool water. Stones of Rangoli are still found in this area.

Shri Mahalaxmi is also called as ‘Jakhapurvasini’ – the divine shakti which resides in Jakhapur (the historical name of the place). source: http://www.koraditemple.com/

Main Entrance


Pooja Samagri..








The path to the main temple is full of small shops selling various types and kinds of pooja samgri and not to forget plastic toys! My little one loved the place(reason being obvious).

Khekranala - Vidharba's Secret hill Station !

Reminiscing those hot coffee sips and chats at 5:30 AM on a cold winter morning....  with my bestie my Mom from room no 6 Khekranala MTDC resort.

MTDC Resort : https://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/properties/property/mtdc-resort-khekranala

The morning after an adventurous day is normally lazy ! Not in our case, we were so charged up !More than the coffee in my hand, I was sipping in all the beauty of the place before leaving.....

Khekranala literally means 'ravine full of crabs'  is just 55 kms from Orange city. A pleasant 50 mins ride through 4 lane National Highway will lead you to this sleeping beauty of Vidharba(Khekranala). As you near this magical place, the view all over will amaze you at times even make you agitated! It is a Mini hill station , laden with flora and fauna,still lying secretly in Nagalwadi Jungle( Pench buffer area).

                                                                                                        First look of the resort..

                                        smiling welcome by these lovelies...

                                                           View from room no 6( best room in the resort)

                 Cotton fields + Mountains on the background can make a Nagpurian mad !

We halted at MTDC resort Khekranala. As I write this blog.I can't stop myself from mentioning the crisp hot fish fries that we had. The resort has all the basic amenities, one requires to have a decent stay ! We reached there at around 11 : 00 AM on a Saturday morning.

After settling down and enjoying the view around the resort.We were all set to see Khekranala reservoir.

Steps to the top ...

DAM from all possible angles..

Super breezy ! The lake has blue crystal clear water..We spotted schools of fish swimming at a distance( that clear is the lake). Khekranala Dam I learnt from a local is an earthen Dam.Earthen Dam's are built using soil material ( sand ,loam , clay and so on).

There was an old lady selling 'channa' on the banks of the reservoir , She had a blind date with tiger, near the reservoir, 20 years back ! 20 years was too long....I felt a little safe..but does that mean NO MORE TIGERS ?

There is a temple visible from the reservoir, steep steps lead to the temple. The lady informed that the Temple belongs to Masoba. He is a local deity worshiped in some parts of India,specially in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. Masoba temples are located outside the village or near shamshan. Regarded as guardian diety , Masoba is worshiped as he wards of evil spirits.We could not go near the temple as the steps did not look that inviting.

source : http://www.mymulshi.com/mhasoba-devasthan-kharavade/

I did click pics of the temple from the reservoir.

As I have mentioned earlier, Khekranala lies nestled in the heart of Nagalwadi village. Night safari is available in Nagalwadi forest. Another exciting destination lies just 12 kms from the resort named Mansinghdeo Wildlife sanctuary. It was declared a protected site in 2014 ,making it the 42nd protected forest area in Maharashtra. Tiger , Sloth Bear, Leopard , Bisons ,Deer and a variety of birds can be sighted according to MTDC website.For us the ride to the reserve was thrilling.We hired an open jeep from the resort. The journey was through a small village and kaccha road . The forest is scary, loaded with trees ( Aranyacious). At the entrance of the forest, a forest guard joined us for the safari. We were able to spot tiger pug marks. The forest ranger/guard informed us that the tiger was out as the pug marks appeared fresh ! I was scared, as in the jeep with me ,was my 2 year old baby ! Moving further we spotted bear scratches on a tree ! Many wild birds, monkeys and in the end a Sambar( Large Deer).

 The list is not that bad !

Please note: 
Thursday -Closed
Safari timings - 6:30 AM-10:30 AM, 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Best season to visit - March to June.

The term "buffer zone" gained international prominence through UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme in 1971.

It is petrifying for me to even think how man can thrive so close to big cats ! but, that is the ideology( live and let live) behind buffer zones. Mansinghdeo wildlife sanctuary provides crucial buffer to Pench. One of the most commonly cited definitions of buffer zones is: “an area peripheral to a national park or equivalent reserve, where restrictions are placed upon resource use or special development measures are undertaken to enhance the conservation values of the area. source: http://www.biodiversitya-z.org/content/buffer-zones.

Forest Ranger and us.

Pench national park lies in Madhya Pradesh. We were taken to the core area of the forest, that is MP. " Jungle Jungle baat chali hai" song was continuously playing in my head. This is where my childhood hero Moogli, Bagheera lived and also the supervillan Sherkhan ! (Moogli is a fictional character from Rudyard Kiplings ' The Jungle book stories'. He is an orphan child raised by a pack of wolves in PENCH FOREST !) I also learnt that the area of present Pench has been described in Ain-i-Akbari( Detailed documentation of Akbar's empire.)

Bear Scratches on a tree...

Ghost tree ! Sterculia urens is a species of plant in the family Malvaceae. It is native to India. A small to medium-sized tree with a pale-coloured trunk, it is commonly known as the भुत्या in Marathi (meaning ghost tree). source: wikepedia. I inquired from the ranger, why the name? Answer came ,because the tree shines on Moonlit nights ! It would be wrong ,if I skip mentioning that apart from being a bit scary looking, Ghost tree is economical very useful ! A natural gum known as gum karaya is exuded by the tree when the bark is damaged. It is used as a laxative, used as a thickener in cosmetics and adhesive for dentures.

                                     My entire Gang...

                           

  In trips like these, I regret not having a professional camera.

                        

 It takes almost 3-4 hours to complete the safari. Zigzagging through the forest in hope to get the grand darshan of (Sherkhan)Tiger is a feeling that I shall never forget ! We were also shown a natural cave ! Where only me out of the entire group thought a Tiger was sitting and staring us !

 The black spot visible in the pic above is the Tiger cave ! The guide said it( Cave) is so big ,that 200 people can live together inside it . wanted to go closer and have a look ! But I was not allowed :(

Sun had set , It was pack up for the villagers around but night shift workers ( Wild Animals ) had already started showing up ! we safely returned back to our cottage, satisfied and tired .By the time , we were back, It was pitch dark .The manager had set up a Bonfire for us , just outside our cottage! We had a lovely evening.Thanks to the weather, food and the feel of Khekranala....

Definitely a day well spent with my family ( my daughter, parents and maternal uncle and aunt). Would like to thank all for always supporting my crazy travel ideas....