As we happened
to reach Goa on Monday evening, we had not planned for much for that day,
taking into consideration the fact that flights at times get delayed. The furnished apartment that I had booked for
our stay in Goa was in North Goa and in Arpora locality. As the Baga
beach was the nearest and in a walking distance, we decided to visit this
destination in the evening. Baga is located at the north end of the contiguous beach
stretch that starts from Sinquerim, Candolim and stretches right up to Calangute. We spent the evening enjoying the various
activities taking place in the beach and also enjoyed the sun set from the
Beach. The beach has a long row of
colourful umbrellas with sitting decks placed below them in a neat row all
along the coastline. Since we had placed
ourselves in a serviced apartment, we through it fit to have our dinner at the
beach side shack and then head back to the apartments. Accordingly, we decided to dine at the
famed shack, called as St. Anthony’s running since the 1960’s and we enjoyed our
evening to the hilt, as the ambience as well as the food was worth every penny
spent.
Here is a short video of the Baga beach
Early next
morning, as scheduled by us, especially it being a Tuesday, we had decided to
visit the temples in South Goa and the Churches in Old Goa. Accordingly, we
started in the hired vehicle early in the morning, so as to avoid the stinging
late morning/afternoon sun.The first
destination visited by us in South Goa was the famed Balaji temple, which is
situated in Kunkulied village. The
temple whose full name is Tirupati
Balaji Padmavati temple and it is placed amidst a lush green complex, with a
carpet of grass that is interspersed with flowering plants, provides for a
soothing experience.The temple complex
consists of the main temple, housing a tall statue of Lord Balaji and similar
in appearance to the deity in Tirupati.Next to this main temple is a smaller temple dedicated to Lord Ganesha
and Goddess Padmavati and this temple complex too like all the other temples in
south India has a tall ‘dhwaja stambha’.Despite having started early, walking on the
paved path was next to impossible due to the heat and we had to trudge
alongside on the green grass.Having
paid our obeisance in the temple, we proceeded further to visit the next temple
in South Goa.
The entrance to the famed Balaji temple
The lush green temple complex of Balaji temple
The most famous temple destination in South
Goa is the Mangeshi temple, which is
about 450 years old and dedicated to Lord Shiva and is situated in Ponda.The main features of this temple is the seven
story lamp tower called ‘deep stambha’
and a magnificent water tank that is considered to be the oldest part of this
temple complex.Apart from this there is
also a prominent Nandi Bull in the temple precincts.Earlier the temple was well exposed for
viewing, however, at present the corridor in front has been covered thereby
obscuring the temple façade to some extent.It is one of the most beautiful temples in Goa and is a must visit
destination.
The magnificent 'Deep Stambh' in Mangeshi temple
The corridor in front of the main temple in Mangeshi
The water tank in Mangeshi temple
We retraced our
way back to Old Goa to visit the old churches there, as it was the part of Goa that
housed the Portugese invaders and they had developed many churches in the
region over the centuries.These
churches are really an architectural wonder in their own rights.The first of such church that we visited was the
Basilica of Bom Jesus, which is
famous for housing the mortal remains of St.Francis Xavier and is also an
UNESCO heritage site.No amount of
narration would truly portray the architectural beauty of this church and I
would rather let the photographs do the talking.
The outer facade of Basilica of Bom Jesus
The inside view of the altar of Bom Jesus church in Old Goa
An ornate altar inside the Bom Jesus church
Another close up view of the altar inside Bom Jesus Church
A painting inside the church of Bom Jesus depicting remains of St.Francis Xavier
The next church
that we visited was the Se Cathedral
that is located right across the road, opposite to the Basilica of Bom
Jesus.The
main entrance of the cathedral has Latin inscriptions of Corinthian columns.
Out of the eight chapels in the Church, two have ornamented perforated wooden
screens and remaining six panels have scenes of Saint Catherine’s life carved
on them. This filigree carving gives a royal look to the place. The Chapel of
Blessed Sacrament is famous for decorated wall and ceiling painting. The arches
of the altars are decorated with old paintings. One can also find many small statues,
wooden figures and other artefacts.The
Se Cathedral also holds a huge brass bell called as Golden Bell that is the
largest in Goa. The main altar of the church stands as a dedication of
Catherine of Alexandria.Only a
pictorial representation can do justice to the beauty of this church as well
and you may enjoy the photographs.
A panoramic view of Se Cathedral
View of the altar of Se Cathedral
Close up of the altar in Se Cathedral
One of the statutes inside Se Cathedral
Chapel of Blessed Sacrament inside Se Cathedral
St. Catherine of Alexendria inside Se Cathedral
By
the time we were finished with visiting the Churches, we were totally famished
and being a Tuesday, we had to have a vegetarian food only and hence as advised
by our driver, we headed for Krishna Restaurant to have our lunch, which is in the vicinity in Old Goa. The driver dropped us there and went for
lunch, but thereafter, despite calling on his mobile number umpteen number of
times, it was found to be unreachable and with all the camera equipment in the
car, there was a sense of panic that set in and just as I was about to approach
the local police, the driver came in claiming that his mobile has malfunctioned
and thereafter, we headed back to our service apartment.I am putting this incident on record so that
all those who follow my blog do not leave their costly equipment in their hired
vehicles to avoid unnecessary stress and anxiety.
Family having lunch at Krishna Vegetarian Restaurant
The famed 'Gateway of India'& 'Taj Hotel' of Mumbai in one frame
We
had a full day to ourselves on the second day of visit to Mumbai, as for the
half day on our first day of our visit, we had explored visiting Mumbai, which is
detailed in my previous blog (titled ‘Visiting Mumba’).We had planned a visit to the famed Elephanta
Caves on the second day.I tried to
glean some information from the reception clerk of the Hotel regarding ferry
timings from the famed ‘Gateway of India’, but he did not have much information,
except for that the ferry ride starts at 10.00 A.M.Since I too could not gather much
information, I decided to start from the hotel at around 9.00 A.M.However, the late serving of B’fast, despite
my having instructed them on the previous day, delayed our scheduled visit by
about 20 minutes and we started only around 9.20 A.M.The weather was a bit sultry that day, but
when I reached the famed ‘Gateway of India’, I found that there was no dearth
of boats leaving for Elephanta Caves and there were a plethora of operators
offering return trips from as low as Rs.140/- per person onwards to average of Rs.200/-
per person, depending upon the size of the boat used for ferrying and the
service starts from around 9.00 A.M onwards.
The ferry boats at Gateway of India jetty ready to ferry passengers to Elephanta Caves
All set to embark on the journey to Elephanta Caves
As the Sea Gulls fly alongwith the ferry boat
Waiting for the train ride at Gharapuri island
Lovingly
called the City of dreams, Mumbai is the financial capital of the country and
is brimming with life 24X7.One of the
most famous monuments of Mumbai is the ‘Gateway of India’, which was built to
commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Many in 1924.The monument is a huge gate like structure
constructed in Indo-Saracenic architecture style, overlooking the Arabian Sea
and the Mumbai harbor and it took four years to complete this structure.The area is a sought after destination by
both domestic as well as foreign tourists visiting Mumbai and being set with
background of the famed Taj Hotel, a large number of instant photo makers will
converge on you to get a photograph taken with either of the structures as
background and do a brisk business.Besides this there are hordes of other vendors pedaling their wares
from balloons to food items, who will also bicker you to buy their
products.But the main thing that the
tourists must be aware of is that being an overcrowded location, especially the
ferry ticket counter area, it is infested with notorious pick pockets etc.,
therefore, visitors should be extra vigilant in this region.
As the climb for the Elephanta Caves begins
Since
the mechanized boats ferrying passengers to the Elephanta Cave start the
journey from the small jetty at the Gateway of India, there are a plethora of
boats of all sizes, shapes and colour jostling along the jetty, waiting for
their turn to pick up their load of passengers.The Elephanta Caves are situated about 11 Kms from the Gateway of India
on an island called Gharapuri, which is also called the ‘Island of the Caves’.The journey from the Gateway of India to the
island takes about 45 minutes to an hour depending upon the type of boat one
has purchased tickets for and from the jetty of the island, it is another 1.5
to 2 Kms. trek to the base of the hills, wherefrom about a 100 odd stairs take
you to the hill top.However, there is a
small train like contraption that ferries passengers from the jetty to the base
of the hillock and it’s ticket costs Rs.10/- for a return journey and during
the hot summer days it saves a person a lot of hard work and sweat, if one
chooses to travel by it.We immensely
enjoyed our ferry ride from the Gateway of India to the Island of Caves, with
the Sea Gulls flying around the sea breeze making the journey a pleasant &
memorable one.Occasional sighting of
huge tankers or other ships, including a cruise ship was an added bonus during
the trip through the Arabian Sea.
We finally reach the famed Elephanta Caves
The entry to Cave No.1
Cave No.1 - The sculpture inside
Cave No.1 - The sculpture inside (2)
Cave No.1 - The sculpture inside (3)
Cave No.1 - The sculpture inside (4)
Cave No.1 - The sculpture inside (5)
Cave No.1 - The sculpture inside (6)
Cave No.1 - The sculpture inside (6)
Cave No.1 - The sculpture inside (7)
Cave No.1 - The sculpture inside (8)
Historically,
the Elephanta caves date back to the 2nd Century B.C, wherein some
relics related to Buddhist culture have been discovered. The rock cut caves are attributed to medieval
India and are dated back to 450 to 750 A.D.
Being an important trade route, this island remained under control of
various Kings right from 400 AD and the rock hewn caves are attributed to have
been constructed during the reign of Pulakesin-II of the Chalukya dynasty of
Badami. The
most important amongst the caves is the great Cave 1, which measures 39 metres
from the front entrance to the back and the main body of the cave,
excluding the porticos on the three open sides and the back aisle, is 27 metres
square and is supported by rows of six columns each.The layout of
the caves, including the pillar components, the placement and division of the
caves into different parts, and the provision of a sanctum or Garbhagriha of
sarvatobhadra plan, are important developments in rock-cut architecture. The
Elephanta Caves emerged from a long artistic tradition and one will see some
of the highest watermarks of medieval India's sculptural art.
Cave No.2 - The entry to the cave
Cave No.2 - The sculpture inside (1)
Cave No.2 - The sculpture inside (2)
As we return back - the view of Gateway of India and Taj Hotel from the sea.
The
Cave number 1 is resplendent with various stone cut motifs and sculptures and
the chief amongst them is the 7-metre-high masterpiece
“Sadashiva” that dominates the
entrance to Cave. The sculpture represents three aspects of Shiva: the Creator,
the Preserver, and the Destroyer, identified, respectively, with Aghoraor Bhairava (left
half), Taptapurusha or Mahadeva (central full face),
and Vamadeva or Uma (right half). Representations
of Nataraja, Yogishvara, Andhakasuravadha, Ardhanarishwara,
Kalyanasundaramurti, Gangadharamurti, and Ravanaanugrahamurti are
the other forms that can be viewed in this gallery. The details of the sculptures or motifs in
Cave are detailed as follows –
Slaying of
Andhakasura : Depicting Shiva slaying a demon
called Andhaka. One of the most animated panels in Elephanta. Shiva is
represented with eight arms in this panel.
Kalyana
Sundara: The
more humanly theme of marriage depicted in this panel. Arguably, Parvathi is
portrayed superbly than Shiva in this panel, with her her head slightly tilted
towards him with a hint of coyness.
Shiva-Parvathi :
One of the highly damaged panels in Elephanta. This depicts Shiva and Parvathi
engaged in a game of dice. The divine couple tries to cheat each other in the
game as much as possible, though Shiva loses in all the games. Shiva loses
everything, the trident,moon, earrings, snake and even the loincloth. The
mythology is associated with a complex philosophy.
Nataraja : Nataraja,
literally translate as the king/lord of dance.
In mythology Shiva is
considered as the cosmic dancer, who performs his divine dance to destroy the
weary universe.
Ravana
Shaking Kailasa :
Ravana, unsuccessfully tries to lift Kailash, the adobe of Shiva. There are
popular mythical stories associated with the Demon king Ravana, the lord of
Lanka and Lord Shiva.
Mahayogi
Shiva : A rare posture of Shiva meditating on
a lotus. Considered as the aadiyogi ( or the first guru of
Yoga) by the Yoga tradition, Shiva is depicted as the original
master of yoga.
Gangadhara: The
story depicting Shiva bringing River Ganga to earth. The fall of the river is
so powerful that Shiva has to make it fall on his matted hair first, before it
further descends.
Mahesh Murthy: The three headed iconic image representing
three aspects of Shiva. The masterpiece image of Elephanta. It's debatable to
find a more spectacular sculptural expression created during or after the
medieval period in India.
Ardhanarishvara :
Probably the most mystical theme to narrate. Shiva and Parvathi as a single
body, depicting the complex philosophical theme of male-female energy of the
universe.
Here
is a short video of the travel to the Island and the caves
N.B - Some of the details have been browsed from the UNESCO website
The famed Girgaon Chowpati and Marine drive as seen from Kamla Nehru Park
My kids wanted
to visit Mumbai since a long time, but I was a bit sceptical about the visit,
being more of a nature lover, I could not fathom any good reason for visiting
another metropolitan City.However, an
opportunity arose when we planned a visit to Goa and hence I decided to
accommodate my kid’s wish and planned the trip via Mumbai.
The visit was
scheduled for first week of April, 2019 as there was no other appropriate
window available during the year, due to academic issues of the kids.Although it was perceived that the season
would be rather hot in those parts of the Country, yet we decided to push ahead
with our plans.
As
planned we reached the airport and as the boarding was completed well in time, the
Captain announced early take off, which was about 15 minutes prior to the
scheduled departure time.The flight was
uneventful and we reached Mumbai 35 minutes earlier than the scheduled time of
arrival and landed at the Chatrapati Shivaji Terminal.The availability of App based Taxi service
has made a dent in Mumbai as well and one can just use the App to book your
taxi at appropriate rates without hassling.We had booked a hotel in the Santa Cruz area, as I was a bit
apprehensive about the Mumbai’s notorious traffic jams and wanted to stay as
close the airport as possible to avoid any kind of traffic trauma while taking
my flight to Goa.
The approach to Worli Sea Link
Having
reached early, we checked into the Hotel room by noon and after freshening up had
ordered early lunch and enjoyed a brief siesta, as the afternoon was quite
hot.Thereafter, we called for a Taxi
for four hours duration and started for our evening excursion at around 4.00
P.M, to visit some parts of Mumbai, as we had planned to visit the famed
Elephanta Caves the next day.It was my
wish to visit the famed ‘Siddhi Vinayak temple’ and accordingly, we first
headed for the destination.But enroute
the taxi driver informed us that since the day we had chosen to visit was the
New Year day in Maharashtra and locals celebrated it as ‘Gudi Pawda’ and that
there would be a huge rush in the temple.Despite his advice we decided to take a chance, as we had started at an
off-beat time and decided to take the Worli
sea link to reach early.However,
when we reached the temple complex, we found that the queue of the devotees had
spilled right across to the road adjoining the temple and that it would take
about 2-3 hours to visit the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine, so time being a
constraint, we decided to skip the visit and paid our obeisance from outside
the precincts of the temple itself.
The famed Siddhi Vinayak temple in Prabhadevi
Siddhivinayak Templeis located in Prabhadevi area, near Dadar railway station. This temple was constructed way back in the
year 1881. The temple receives thousands of devotees on daily basis. The small
hall or mandap has the idol of Lord Vinayaka or Lord Ganehsa who it is believed
fulfils
wishes of all his devotees. While the
huge wooden doors have sculpted carvings of the 8 manifestations of Lord
Ganesha as Ashtavinayak, the inner roof is gold plated. The beautiful idol of the Lord Ganesha
is in black stone and stands in the middle of the sanctum
sanctorum. On the both sides of this
idol, there are idols of the better-halves of Lord Ganesha known as Riddhi and
Siddhi.
The Hanging Garden in Malabar Hills
Thereafter,
on advice of the taxi driver we visited the famed Hanging garden also known as Pherozeshah
Mehta Gardens. Hanging
Garden is a layered or terraced garden, placed on the western top-side of the
Malabar Hills, right in front of Kamla Nehru Park. The garden offers some amazing sunset views over the Arabian Sea. Established over a reservoir by Ulhas Ghapokar
in 1881. The garden is also popular amidst
locals for walks and yoga sessions, as we found that there was huge crowd of
people enjoying in the park. It is one
of the best places to enjoy in Mumbai tour.
Panoramic view of Girgaon Chowpati from Kamla Nehru Park
Thereafter, we just strolled across
the road and visited the Kamala Nehru
Park, which has a viewing gallery and therefrom one can view the entire
vista of the Girgaon Chowpati/beach and the famed Marine drive.The viewing
gallery is a three storey structure and one has to use the staircase to reach
to the top and is not an easy access for the old, as the lift was closed at the
time we visited.However, we enjoyed the
views and shot videos and took photographs.
Families enjoying the evening breeze in Girgaon Chowpati
The food stalls in Girgaon Chowpati
As the Sun sets across the Girgaon Chowpati
Therefrom we headed for the Girgaon Chowpati and it was teeming
with people as many locals had come to the beach to enjoy the festive mood of
‘Gudi Padwa’. Located northwards of
Marine Drive, the Girgaon Chowpatty/beach bustles
with activity as a picnic spot, on all the days of a week. One can not only indulge in fun activities but
can also gorge on sumptuous street food of Mumbai such as sev puri, bhel puri, batata
puri, pao bhaji and so on in the stalls that are situated on one side of the
beach entry. One is free to quench one’s thirst
with fresh coconut water or various kinds of cold drinks or ice creams and
local chuski’s being served by various stalls, each of which cries out loud for
attention, not only as a metaphor but literally too, as various agents approach
you vigorously with the menu card of their stall and harping on its’ specialties. During our visit in the evening hours’, we found children and their
families enjoying rides such as ferry wheels, taking a leisure stroll, riding a
pony and enjoying the cool sea breeze by the sea side sitting on mats being
rented out by agents. Having enjoyed
some local snacks at the Chowpati, it was time for us to head back home and
since we could not locate any local Parsi Restaurant, on advice of the driver
again, we picked up our dinner from the famed Lucky Restaurant in Santa Cruz
area itself and the food served was really lip smacking. Thus, ended our first day in Mumbai.
The commendation certificates given by famed personalities on walls of Lucky Restaurant
Here
is the link to a short video of this part of the visit –
