Friday, October 25, 2013

OUR ITINERARY AND ITS MAP

.  This blog describes the Yatra by eight of us  to several sacred places in UP and Nepal through a package tour offered by Nepal Pilgrim Travel,Chennai in the month of September 2013; the chart and the map given here shows the places visited;while the tour operator has covered a number of places,the journeys were extremely grueling and tiresome;it is packing and unpacking every day due to shifting of camp and an exacting schedule requiring leaving camp as early as 5.30AM and reaching the night halt often late in the evening;add to it the poor condition of the roads.
    These details are given to guide persons wishing to undertake the Yatra and warn them of its arduous nature!
       Distances chart
Date       September 2013                  Km
9th.    Allahabad to Chitrakoot--       131
10th   Chitrkoot to Nemisaranya via
          Allahabad,Lucknow------ -   -   417
11th  Nemisaranya to Ayodhya        212
12th   Ayodhyato Bhairawa-------      189
13th   Bairawa to Kathmandu------   294
14th   Kathmandu to Pokhara------   203
15th   Pokahra to Jomsom by Air
          and by zeep toMukthinath.
16th   Jomsom to Pokahra by air,and
          halt due to Nepal bandh
17th   Pokhara to Chitwan----------  -135
18th   Chitwan to Janakpur----- ----  246
19th   Janakpur to Gorakhpur---  - -367
         add diversons to Nandigram,
         Ganjendramokshastal etc-      100
  TOTAL- ------------------------------ -2294



TRIVENI SANGAM

on 8th morning we arrived in Allahabad,and visited Triveni Sangam in the evening;the Yamuna was still in flood and inundated the banks a few days back;we could not take a bath in the Sangam and satisfied ourselves by sprinkling the holy  water on our heads.

Triveni Sangam



Hanuman temple gopuram in the background

CHITRAKOOT

On 9th we joined the yatris [arrived from chennai] at2.00AM at the Allahabad station,traveled to Chitrakoot,arriving there at 6.oo AM .We had a holy dip in Mandakini and visited spatikasila,sathi anasuya cave,kamathnath temple,Hanuman dara.
Mandakini



sati Anasuya cave

spatikasila
 kamathnath temple

Hanuman dara

NEMISARANYA

on 10th Sept.it was  a 400km marathan drive of over 12hrsthrough Allahabad,and Lucknow,to reach Nimisaranya from Chitrakoot !!!it was a grueling journey.
 11th started with a holy dip in Gomathi,then visits to Balaji temple, Chakrateerth,Vyasa gaddi,Devarajaswamy temple[shakthipeet],Ahobila mutt,Lalitha devi temple.After lunch weleft for Ayodhya.
River Gomathi at nimisaranya

chakrateerth

Anjaneya idol


NANDIGRAM

On the way to Ayodhya from Nimisaranya we visited nandigram and the temple of  Hanuman and Bharat milap

AYODHYA

on 12th sept. we traveled by autos  to Sarayu,had holy bath,visited kanak Bhavan,karyasala, Ram janmabhoomi, Ammaji temple.[divya desam];it was a long walk through a fenced path and several security checks to see ram Janmabhoomi,and all in hot sun.After lunch we left for Bhairawa;on the way we stopped for two hours in Gorakhpur to collect a second batch of Yatris arriving by train from chennai.We reached Bharawa  at 9.30 in the night and hit the bed tired and with swollen ankles.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Raja_Ravi_Varma%2C_Sree_Rama_Crossing_Sarayu_river.jpg
RAMA crossing Sarayu[ravi verma painting]

GAJENDRA MOKSHASTALAM

on 13th morning ,after a quick breakfast at 6.30AM,we left for Gajendramokshasthal on the way  to kathmandu.This ia beautiful place on the bank of river  Gandaki,in the middle of a thick forest.we all had a holy dip in the Gandaki.
GANDAKI