On The Top Of My Mind

12 October 2012

A Thousand Splendid Suns---Khaled Hosseini

A gripping tell-tale of the life and times of Afghanistan, spreading over about 30 years of its history of prosperity, Soviet invasion,Talibanisation and the effort to revive a stable and flourishing Afghanistan. The novel is as unforgettable as `The Kite Runner’ by the same author. It is impossible not to be moved by its narrative of extreme physical and psychological violence; of continuous hope and despair.
It leaves me wondering why God has made man and woman too different to be complementary and compatible.
A book, I carried along for my visit to Chicago/An Arbor, thinking it will see me through the entire visit of 17 days; was almost finished before I landed in the US.

25 September 2012

The Help

Very touching, an eye opener, relevant to any region in the world, gripping, brilliant and at the same time, often funny !

15 May 2012

National Fossils Park, Ghughua, M.P.

National Fossils Park, Ghaghua, is a unique park as heaps of plants fossils have been found here. These fossils tell us the types of plants that existed here some 65 million years ago. These fossils are older than the human race which itself is considered to be .2million years old. Their age makes this place priceless. Considering the scientific importance of these fossils, the government of Madhya Pradesh has given the status of a national park to this place in 1983.
Well preserved fossils of trees, creepers, leaves, fruits, flowers and seeds have been found here. The plants belonging to the eucalyptus family are most commonly and prominently present here.

Interestingly, some of the types of these plants also exist today in different parts of the globe.
It is thought that 65 million years ago, this part of the land had evergreen forests like the ones that now exist in the western ghats and north-eastern India. These forests had plants of all sizes with some very tall trees. Ghaghua would have had a long rainy season with warm and humid atmosphere. Due to the presence of the fossils of some shelled animals like snails and molluscs, it is thought that there was a large water body there, which according to the scientists could possibly have been a branch of the Arab Sea --- now called the Tethis Sea.

Spread over an area of app. 27hectares, the park is situated on NH no. 11, 76Km from Jabalpur.
I share some fossils' pictures here which will give an idea of how amazing the place is--

09 May 2012

Jabalpur City - A `badaa Gaun', as the localites call it......

Jabalpur, an important administrative town and commercial centre, has not grown physically as it should have. Once a pleasure resort and the capital of various ruling dynasties like the Gonds, the Kalachuri and the Marathas, and then established as a spacious cantt with colonial residences by the British, the city today, gives an impression of a rural area with ill-maintained roads and barely-there traffic discipline. The roads are in such a deteriorated condition as if these were never built. Because of this rawness in the look of the city, the local people like to (or find it hard not to) call it a badaa gaun or a big village !

I found the people of Jabalpur simple and warm to the visitors. Jabalpur itself has few attractions for the tourists but it definitely gives an opportunity to see some wonderful places around it--

Bedaghat -

The famous marble rocks of Bedaghat rise upto 100ft on either sides of the river Narmada and glitter like silver when showered by sunlight or moonlight. A boat-ride (available from Nov. to May) on the serene waters of Narmada gradually unravels the beauty of the multi-hued rocks and takes one through the narrowest point, Bunder Kudani or the `monkey's leap' where the rocks on the two sides are the closest and only a few feet away.

`Brahma Vishnu Mahesh'

Beautiful peaks

Nandi Rock

The narrowest point between the rocks on two sides- `Bunder Kudani or Monkey Leap'

The guide in the boat will keep you further entertained by pointing out rocks where various films have been shot, or by telling you some of the locally-ascribed rock names based on perceived shapes like, Brahma-Vishnu-Mahesh, Nandi Bull, a saint being pushed by a disciple or a crocodile's den etc.; or by his funny, poetic style of narration.

As you climb back to the street, some 100 yards away is a wonderful place known as the Chaunsath Yogini Temple. Situated atop a hillock, this temple can be reached by climbing a flight of 108 steps (I did not count but the little kid who followed me to the temple was more than 100% sure and his confidence and knowledge about the place made me consider him my guide ). I wanted to know more about him than the place. He is a school-going kid and during his free time he does this part-time amateur guide service. He told me that he wanted to be a `big guide in a bigger city' when he grew up.......so sweet!

The 11thC Shiva temple

Chaunsath Yoginis corridor

Some of the 64-yogini statues are quite intact

The 10thC Shiva temple has sixty-four exquisitely carved statues of different forms of the goddess Durga installed in a circular corridor surrounding the main temple. Though mostly damaged with time, some of the statues are in a relatively good condition.
The temple gives a beautiful view of the Narmada passing amidst jagged marble rocks.
The legend says that the temple is connected to the Gond queen Durgavati's palace through an underground passage.
The Narmada making its way through the marble rocks, narrows down and plunges into a waterfall. Surprisingly, the height of the fall is not much, but the force with which it falls makes such a loud sound that its roar can be heard from quite a distance.The splash of the water gives it an all white, misty look, hence they are called the dhuandhar waterfalls or the smokey cascade! The water at the fall looks extremely foamy and the stone present there is called soapstone due to its softness.

Dhuandhar Falls behind us

One must stop a while to admire the artistic hands working on the stone there and turning it into beautiful artefacts.
Bargi Dam On Narmada---

Serene Narmada in Bargi

To view the Narmada at its best, one must visit Bargi, 40km from Jabalpur, where a dam has been built over the expansive river. The boat cruise `Narmada Queen' by MPSTDC is available in the evenings. It also makes a scenic picnic spot.

Jabalpur Local--

Shree Mahadev Temple--

The people of Jabalpur are very proud of this recent possession of a Shiva temple, which is distinct in having a huge statue of lord Shiva and not the usual Linga; the statue is placed on a high podium in an open courtyard and not under a roof in a shrine. There is an equally big Nandi bull in front of the murti. This distinction is currently getting more tourists than the devotees to the place.

Balancing Rock--

Balancing Rock

In a rocky terrain, there are massive boulders lying precariously on other rocks and have been balancing like this for centuries. One such rock just sits with a very narrow contact with the base rock and gives an eerie may-tumble-down-anytime-soon feeling and mocks man's vulnerability to natural calamities.
Rani Durgavati Memorial--

Queen Durgavati Memorial

This memorial is dedicated to the great queen Durgavati considered even more valorous than the Rani of Jhansi and the museum closeby exhibits a fine collection of sculptures and pre-historic relics.
Peesanhari Jain Madhiya(Temple)-- The following couplet best describes this 650 years old Nandishwar temple-
पीसनहारी पीस-पीस कर बना गयी एक मढ़िया
इस मढ़िया में नन्दीश्वर की रचना इतनी बढ़िया .
The legend says that an aged mother, who lived here, used to grind flour by a hand grinder (haath ki Chakki ) to earn her livelihood and got this temple made from her savings. The design at the top represent the slabs of a chakki and is a symbol of respect to labour and hard work.
It has a massive Nandeeshwar's Jainalaya in its premises with a large number of mini Jainalayas in the main hall.

Shree Nandeeshwar Jainalaya looks like an open air temple because of the starry-blue ceiling!

Small Jainalayas in the central hall

Peesanhari Temple on the hill-top

It has an unusual design for a temple. The main temple is upon a hillock and can be accessed by stairs.
I did not know that a small city like Jabalpur, which I had merely considered a stop-over in my journey, had so much to offer to a tourist.
Some more photos here-