I’ve never explored much of what is popularly known as the “Hindi Belt” of India. My friend Nidhi was getting married in the capital city. It was the perfect opportunity for me to visit places I’ve always wanted to see.

Thus, in late December, my partner-in-crime Sachin and I set out from Seattle to Delhi. This blog post is a recollection of what, in retrospect, was definitely one of my best ever trips.

Day 1 (Dec 20, 2019) -

Delhi, fog, and CAA -

I had never traveled with a friend to India, so the long journey didn’t seem quite long. While we were dozing, a sudden thud woke us up, and we realized we had landed. The fog was so thick, we assumed we were among the clouds and were shaking our heads for quite a while, wondering how the pilot had landed in this weather. After immigration and waiting for what felt like an eternity, we finally collected our luggage. Nidhi had arranged a cab for us, and we reached our hotel, Lemon Tree, around 6 am. The familiar warmth of Indians towards their guests was in abundance again. Still, the climate in which we had landed made everyone a bit uneasy. The anti-CAA protests were at their peak at the time, which meant we had no internet access at the hotel. After refreshing ourselves and having a sumptuous breakfast, we read the news articles to understand the extent of the protests and the violence around and took a nap.

Scramble for Kurta, and Sallu Bhai -

We woke up to phone calls to our room, and we realized Nidhi, and everyone else was staying in the same hotel. It was great to see her, Gaurav, and their families. Since we had time to kill until the Mehndi function in the evening, Sachin and I set out to the adjoining East Delhi Mall, which, apparently, was famous “back in the day.” We decided to get Kurtas here but had the small problem of not having cash on us. The lack of the internet meant that the POS machines couldn’t accept our cards. After a few frantic calls to Amma and Roji, and some innovative money transfers, I could withdraw money from the mall’s ATM and make our purchases of our grand-looking Kurta’s. We added a haircut for good measure. The barber told me - “yeh Delhi hai, yahan kabhi bhi kuch bhi hota hai” (This is Delhi, anything can happen at any time).

With that insight, we attended Nidhi’s Mehndi function and met a few of her friends, her Bhaiyya, and her family. After dinner, we decided to catch Sallu Bhai’s latest flick, Dabangg 3. The movie was nothing short of a disaster, and I managed to sleep during it. After watching Salman remove his shirt for the millionth time, we headed to our rooms.

Day 2 (Dec 21, 2019) -

The Wedding and Jet-lag -

D-day! Nidhi’s wedding was a blast, notwithstanding our superior mess-up later in the day, but we’ll get to that. Jet lag woke us up pretty early, and after prancing around in the room for a while, we had terrific south Indian breakfast. The hotel gym was open as well, so we got in our workouts. We also got approval that our choices for Kurta were spot on, given the number of compliments we were getting. After waiting for the bride to come out, we finally got to see her, looking gorgeous. The photo and videographers had a field day, making her perform antics I didn’t know she could!

Sachin and I got to take part in some of the ceremonies, notably carrying a flower curtain on top of her head. We witnessed all the festivities and celebrations and came back to our room, exhausted, around 4 pm. The wedding reception wasn’t until 7, so we figured we had a bit of time to sleep and get ready later.

Enter jet lag.

We were awakened to thundering banging noises on our hotel room door. We woke up dazed, confused, and alarmed, and I took a moment to even gather where I was and what time of the day it was. I honestly thought the fire alarm was on in the building. Sachin told me to open the door, and Bhaiyya came in, shocked that we had slept through the reception. He asked us to wake up, get ready, and come upstairs ASAP. After calming him down and assuring him we won’t fall asleep again, we hurriedly got ready and went to the reception. It was 9.30 pm, and the event was almost done, we were the last to go on stage and take pictures with the couple, but it was memorable.

After spending some time with Nidhi, Gaurav, and their friends, we got back to our room, exhausted but happy that we’d completed this first leg.

Day 3 (Dec 22, 2019) -

Trip to Ghaziabad station -

We bid farewell to Nidhi, Gaurav, and their family, they were sweet to offer us many gifts and their blessings.

After being shielded from the poison that is Delhi’s pollution, we were finally forced to confront reality when we checked out of our hotel. The ride to the station exposed the uncomfortable truth prevalent in large parts of Northern India - a cloud of smoke hanging as far as the eye can see. The roads were decent, though, as the flyover led us to the station. We were greeted by a monkey casually strolling the station arch. Sachin remarked that we “stick out like a sore thumb,” and truer words weren’t spoken. I noticed that everyone looked and dressed a lot differently than we were.

Thanks to Sundar Pichai, though, we got access to high-speed WiFi for the first time since we landed in India 3 days back. Consequently, we found out that our train to Mathura was delayed by an hour, leading us to capture pictures of ourselves with the station art and curious onlookers as the background. We found a clean place to sit in the station, letting the smoke and dust engulf us. Despite being used to the railway announcements all my life, I wondered if it was serving its purpose. My mind was already filtering the non-stop reports.

Ride to Mathura -

We were complimenting ourselves for our efficient planning in taking a train from Ghaziabad to find that the train was stopping at Delhi on its way to Mathura. A rookie mistake, but we live and learn.

We were greeted by the spectacular view of our coach being filled with passengers and suitcases. After some adjustment, we befriended Athul, an undergrad from IIT Bombay. We discussed the start-up culture and his plans post-graduation. Making new connections in Indian trains is a cultural process as much as it’s an organic one.

Mathura first look -

We reached Mathura early afternoon, and the first positive aspect was we could finally see some blue skies. We were also greeted by the familiar heckling by auto and taxi drivers. Still, We didn’t need them as well Ram Bhai had sent Rajni bhaiyya to pick us up. We learned about the place from him for the rest of the day, despite my broken Hindi.

After checking into the hotel amidst another internet shutdown, we started embracing the forced digital detox. Since we had time, we decided to visit Vrindavan in the evening. Raju bhaiyya chauffeured us again to exciting sights of cows locking horns, vast fields of agricultural lands, and monkeys galore!

Visiting Vrindavan -

Our first stop was at Prem Mandir in Vrindavan, a marble marvel dedicated to Sri Krishna by Kripalu Ji. Thousands of devotees abound, it was just as we expected it to be (selfies notwithstanding). After a quick darshan and realizing that the wide-angle lens I rented was a bit too wide, we headed to “banke bihari” mandir. It was heartening to see that local transportation in Mathura was only on eco-friendly e-share autos. On the flip side, a ride on them is sure to rival a few famous roller coasters, thanks to the road conditions.

The path towards the Mandir was filled with the choicest of shops selling all kinds of articles and mouth-watering sweets made of fresh milk and ghee. I was warned at the entrance to remove my spectacles as my simian brethren were apparently prone to steal them. Wading through the myriad of shops half-blind was still an adventure in itself, though. We reached the Mandir and waited till the doors opened as the crowd chanted loudly praising Bihari Ji and Jai Shri Krishna. I remember I used to hate temple crowds as a kid, but I have realized that it’s the crowds and the collective chanting, which adds an aura to the environs. Truly spectacular.

The entire city was filled with such piousness, with people having “Radhe” marked on their foreheads and singing His praise on their lips. After dodging a few enthusiastic kids, we eventually had “Radhe” on our forehead and cheeks as well, but that’s for another day.

Exhausted, we headed back to our car but couldn’t resist buying a box of kalakand. The ride back was uneventful, and we were glad to hit the beds after an adventurous day.

Day 4 (Dec 23, 2019) -

Mathura - Krishna Janmasthan

On the itinerary was Krishna Janmasthan. It took a while to figure out that the two Divya Desams in this area were Krishna Janmasthan (Thiruvadamathura) and Gokul (Thiruvaipadi). Ram Bhai was ready for us by 10 am, and we set out to the former. We checked out Potra Kund, a historical stepwell fed by the Yamuna river, before heading to the Mandir.

The security check here rivaled airports as no electronic items were allowed in. We wished they hadn’t let shoes in as well, but more on that later.

As we ascended the stairs and turned to look at the Mandir, I witnessed a sight I could never have imagined. An imposing Mandir and an equally impressive Idgah right next to it. I had a mental flashback in my head of all the books I’d read on these areas' Islamic invasions. Still, nothing could have prepared me for this experience. It was one of those moments when the weight of history can truly be felt.

The Mandir itself was spectacular with a glowing Radha-Krishna, full of tales from the Puranas on the walls and the ceilings. There was heavy security cover as well. From there, we went to the adjoining cellar, where Krishna was actually born in a jail. At the entrance, we were given a grim reminder of the 1000 year battle for our civilization, on the information slab. It noted the history of this temple being destroyed multiple times, starting with Ghaznavi and ending with Aurangzeb and being rebuilt every time.

The Idgah stands on top of where the temple once stood while the jail cellar is underneath the mosque. It was a surreal experience to walk through it and out.

As we headed out to wear our shoes (which we still noticed), we decided to visit a newly built makeshift cave on the premises. But to our surprise, Sachin’s shiny shoes were whisked away in the interim. After a few agonizing minutes to try and find it, we decided to leave.

Gokul - Visiting Thakur Ji’s family

Downgrading to cheap sandals, we next headed to Gokul but made a quick halt for lunch at the Brijwasi restaurant. Our indulgence in sweets was getting overboard during the trip, and this restaurant wasn’t an exception.

From here, we headed to Gokul (I think it was called Shri Giriarj temple). In this place, Krishna grew up with Yashodha and Vasudev and the rest of his family. Gokul seemed even more rustic than Mathura, but with the same spirit. We had darshan of Krishna, Yashodha, and Lord Balarama, also affectionately known as “Dau Ji” in these parts (Lord Krishna is referred to as Thakur Ji here). The priest asked us to laugh after we received the prasad to symbolize our delight in consuming it.

What was gut-wrenching to witness was the Yamuna herself. It looked like we had stepped into Iceland with some floating glaciers around, as the river was full of chemicals frothing on its top. Ram Bhai informed us that it was due to effluents from neighboring industries. The saving grace was not all parts of the Yamuna looked this way.

The streets here were tiny and home to a variety of animals and birds. People and and other living beings were in harmony, day in and day out, casually going about their business.

A short ride brought us to Thakuraani ghat, adjoining, another temple dedicated to Dau Ji - Shri Dau Ji Maharaj Virajman Baldev Mandir. This temple was open only for 20 minutes in short periods. Once again, we witnessed scenes similar to Ban Ki Bihari, except the crowd, was more “expressive” to put it mildly.

We then set out to a third temple in Gokul adjoining Brahmand Ghat, the Brahmand Vihari Mandir. This place’s significance was the tale we’ve all heard where Krishna swallows butter and opens his mouth to show Yashodha his entire creation. The Yamuna here was cleaner, so we spent some time paying our respects and clicking photographs of the surroundings.

Ramanreti, Shopping, and Chai -

Our penultimate spot was Raman Reti, an ashram/Mandir dedicate to Thakur Ji. It was calming to walk around the ashram and witness peacocks, langurs, cows, and dogs around. It had a serene lake as well. On the opposite side was a heron sanctuary, so I indulged in feeding them some grains and figuring out the best way to distribute them to the enthusiastic heron pride.

A local Mathura specialty was the Matka masala chai. Served in an eco-friendly earthen cup, it was an immediate uplifter as the cold evening started to wrap us.

It got dark quite early, so we ended up making our final stop near the Yamuna at Vishram Ghat, where they do an aarti for the Yamuna twice a day. Witnessing the bells jingling and the aarti raised high in the air, can only be described as a dream-like experience.

We came across an “Attar” (fragrance) shop on the way back. It housed some delightful local aromas, and we would have been remiss if we didn’t buy a few. We headed to our car smelling sweeter and with our wallets a bit lighter.

On our way back, we had homestyle phulka thaali at a restaurant named Benani in Jatipura. We liked it so much that we decided to frequent it the next day as well.

Day 5 (Dec 24, 2019) -

Breakfast at Benani -

We were finally hitting the part of the trip when the exhaustion was beginning to kick in. We woke up quite early again and paced around until we were ready to have breakfast at Benani. The poha was so delicious that I had multiple servings and topped it off by swooshing some masala chai down my palate. There are some things money can buy.

In and around Govardhan -

Most of the Mandirs we went to this day were in Barsana and Nandgaon. Our guide told us that the legend was that the bride’s (Radha) family was from Barsana while the groom’s side (Thakur Ji) side was from Nandgaon.

We started with another mandir of Kripalu Ji - Kirti Mandir. Another grand marble/stone structure in the heart of the town. Nearby was the Radha Rani Mandir, which required a short hike up a hill. The Mandir was quaint and traditional, and the mountain offered a Panoramic view of the Mathura “terrace”-line. We lit lamps at this Mandir and got a smear of the sandal on our foreheads in return.

We took a swing at the famous lassi as well, but it was a bit too sweet and fatty for me, so I happily offered the remaining to a stray dog.

From here, our next stop was Nandgaon ki Mandir, similar to the one we visited yesterday. The crowd was massive here, so we had to make-do with jumping up and down to witness Him. This temple also offered some views of Mathura. We were told that shooting for movies happens here. While I could see why I couldn’t believe that that was the sole reason the surroundings were kept severely underdeveloped. A priest gave us a brief history of the temples around the area and the Brahmins' work for the goshalas.

Temples, temples and more temples -

Next, we took a drive along farmland to approach a quiet temple called Ter Kadamba. The Sadhu there gave us the meaning of Ter Kadamba - a call from the forests. The legend goes that Lord Krishna used to call Gopikas to this place to get food from them. On a lighter note, he also complained of the smartphone selfies' menace and why they had to put up boards banning photography. We had excellent rice kheer as prasād.

We stopped at Benani’s again for a quick lunch and then went to Govardhan hill. The route was filled with monkeys and people doing parikrama. They did parikrama by taking a body length bed and falling flat on it and then getting up and moving it forward to fall flat on it again. They repeat this process for a distance of 21km, which usually takes 10 days. Some sadhus were doing an advanced version, which takes 7 years to complete - filling 108 stones on top of the bed for every move. I was rendered speechless at the devotion of the devotees, especially in such cold weather. Dharma is above everything else.

There was a small temple near the hill dedicated to Indra, who was supposed to have asked for Krishna’s forgiveness after he lifted the mountain. From there, we drove along to Dhan Ghati Mandir, whose legend involves Gopikas donating food to Lord Krishna. The pedhas (milk sweets) outside the Mandir were too tempting, so we bought some.

Our last stop was at Kusum Sarovar. This wasn’t a temple but was a monument adjoining a very scenic lake. I got to explore all the lenses I’d taken for this trip, and I took some lovely photos of the memorial and ourselves. The day ended with a dinner visit to Benani’s (again).

Day 6 (Dec 25, 2019) -

Agra; Not so grand -

One of those - “I-wish-this-part-of-the-trip-ends-soon-so-I-can-get-to-the-hotel-and-sleep” days. It didn’t start out all that bad - we got ready as planned and drove to Agra. Except for a wait at the toll gates (an ominous sign of things to come), the ride was uneventful. The Taj parking lot had many curious onlookers waiting to offer us the “service” of taking us to the Taj main entrance for Rs.100 - a grand 0.8 km away from the parking lot.

Our spider sense prevented us from making that mistake. After a wait to get our entry tickets, we finally headed to get the glorious view of the Taj… except I didn’t really feel that way. For one, it was crowded, and more importantly, the smog surrounding the area took away from the beauty of the structure.

Still, not for nothing is it a wonder of the world. We took plenty of pictures and walked around until we were tired. We were halted at a handicraft store, so we bought some marble articles.

From here, we headed to Agra fort. I got a text from Indian railways informing us that our Shatabdi express was delayed by 2 hours. We went around Agra Fort, a massive structure made of red stone, contemplating whether we should try and reschedule for an earlier train. I found the fort more impressive than the Taj Mahal.

At one point, I noticed that we seemed to be carrying one lesser item, and I realized that the wide-angle lens I rented was missing with a jolt. What followed was a sprint that would have caught Usain Bolt’s attention as we raced back to the last location we sat. The lens wasn’t there. I looked around, and the security guy gestured towards me. I anxiously explained my situation, and he responded by showing that he’d kept it safe. What a relief!

We decided to try our luck at Agra station to find an earlier train. Unfortunately, there wasn’t one, so we decided to drive to Delhi in the same car.

We learned some valuable life lessons in that ride, the biggest of which was - don’t drive to Delhi from Agra, no matter what. The long journey was back-pain inducing and was worsened by the hour-long toll wait time. Reaching our hotel in Connaught place felt like drinking water after surviving a desert.

When asked for our ids to check-in, Sachin realized his passport was missing. Trying to brush aside my tiredness, I processed the situation and quickly called the driver and told him to wait so we can check the car. This was the only time the traffic worked in our favor, as he hadn’t left the hotel yet. Our hearts pounding, we rushed to the car (this time we would have made Usain Bolt proud). We were fortunate again as the passport was found under the driver’s seat. What a relief, again!

Safe to say we had more than a good night’s sleep at hotel Shangri-La.

Day 7 (Dec 26, 2019) -

We spent the entire day at Pacific Mall, shopping and treating ourselves to the spa, good food, and the latest Star Wars movie - The Rise of Skywalker.

Day 8 (Dec 27, 2019) -

Shangri la had the most mouth-watering breakfast we have had, and we had only two meals a day for the remaining days. After finishing up some errands, we set out to the Red Fort. ASI has made it really convenient to book tickets to these monuments online. Still, we only realized it after we reached there. Again, it saved us some valuable time as we trudged into the Red Fort, with a heavy camera bag and an audio guide in our ears.

Red fort was historic and imperious. As we walked along listening, one got a sense of the number of historical events of great significance which have taken place here. The most impressive part of the Red Fort was the museum we visited (I came to know later that it was one of 4). The museum was dedicated to the many known and unknown faces who’ve sacrificed their lives to get us freedom. It was chilling to read about the trials and tribulations they faced many times, resulting in death. More importantly, I was happy that we finally have museums that are state-of-the-art and tell our story from our perspective, not from an invader’s.

Shah Jahan’s architecture was all around to observe, and we were quite exhausted by its end.

We returned to Connaught place to meet my friend Prachi at a coffee shop. After some delightful chai and paneer sandwich, we set about exploring the streets of Connaught Place. We were in awe of the cosmopolitan nature of the place. The British architecture of the buildings (all white and circular) reminded me of Mount Road. We stopped at a sweet shop and a book shop and then took an autorickshaw to India Gate.

This was another goosebumps moment, with the tricolor lighted on top of the gate and a soldier standing in solitary silence watching the flame of Amar Jawan, un-disturbed by the din around him. We then had a brief look at the parliament before heading back to our hotel room, exhausted. Thanks to Sachin, we treated ourselves to a spa massage. I wondered why I had waited so long to get a massage in my life. Better late than never, I guess.

Day 9 (Dec 28, 2019) -

We kicked off our last day with yet another sumptuous breakfast at Shangri-La before we headed out to cover Delhi’s remaining hotspots. Our first stop was the Qutub Minar. Once again, I was in awe of the Delhi Metro and its efficacy. This time we learned our lesson and booked our ticket online from ASI, which fast-tracked our entry to the premises.

The first look of the Minar was magnificent. Upon getting closer, I noticed the numerous columns of Hindu temples razed around the time the Minar was built and yet again got a grim reminder of the life and times of that era. The Iron Pillar was housed on the same premises, a metallurgical phenomenon since it doesn’t rust. Dating back to the Gupta empire, it now stood in the courtyard of the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque. It was unfortunate that despite the railings around it, there were scratches and scribbles on its surface.

After taking a lot of pictures of the Minar and some tourists, we headed back to visit Chandni Chowk. “Old Delhi” was in its bustling best and reminded me of Old Chennai (Mount road/Ritchie Street/Parry’s corner), except it was a 100 times denser. Cramped stalls selling everything from sweets to electronics were present here. I was on a quest to purchase a diary for the new year, but most shops refused unless I could buy it in bulk. Luckily I had purchased one earlier, but I was still disappointed that I couldn’t buy a fancier one. We also witnessed the Jama Masjid, which was in the middle of Chandni Chowk.

After consuming some hot samosas at Cafe Coffee Day, we headed to Akshardham to visit the world-famous Swaminarayan temple. The security checks here rivaled the best of airports as we were stripped of our cellphone and other items before entering the massively ornate temple. We went around looking at this modern-day architectural marvel, learned about the history of Sri Swaminarayan. We departed back to Bercos restaurant in Delhi for a nice dinner with Prachi and her brother. We had an entertaining conversation, and I also got to try “fire paan” at last, which was quite fun!

Finally, it was time to depart for our early morning flight. We bid goodbye, got our luggage from Shangri-la, and took the Delhi express metro to the Airport. I was super impressed with the WiFi connectivity within the metro. After a tiring wait, we boarded the flight back to the US. Truly one of the most memorable trips I’ve had.

  

Originally published here.