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On the Ghats of Chitrakut |
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The drive to Chitrakut, 125 kilometers from Allahabad, was through a yellow carpet of mustard flowers, broken here and there by patches of green.
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After two and a half hours drive, I was lodged in the State Tourist Bungalow.
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The manager suggested I take a siesta after lunch, as there is no activity in Chitrakut in the afternoon. I did not feel like a siesta hence I set off for a stroll. The Manager was right, I could not find a single boatman at Ramghat. Instead I went off to explore the banks of the river Mandakini.
Chitrakut covers a vast area comprising five villages: Sitapur, Karvi, Nayagaon, Kamta and Khohi. Today the main pilgrim center, Ramghat, on the banks of the river Mandakini is synonymous with Chitrakut. This small, sleepy village is associated with many a legend and epic. It is believed that Rama and Sita, the leading dramatis personae of the epic Ramayana spent 11 years out of their 14 years of exile in the forests around Chitrakut.
The mountain ranges of the Vindhya surround the area. Mixed forests spread in all directions. Despite the ingress of modernity, Chitrakut and its environs have remained tranquil reminding the visitor of it's hallowed past.
I ventured out alone that afternoon, upstream of Mandakini. The steep escarpments, and thickly wooded embankments made the progress very slow. A motley group of inquisitive schoolboys accompanied me and were very helpful. Two of them led the way. "This is Janaki Kund", one of them told me. It was a straight stretch of river and a series of steps on the left bank descended to the water, almost greenish-blue in colour. The priest from the temple above came down, and asked " are you a visitor, a tourist?" I requested him to tell me about Chitrakut. He gave me an hour-long discourse on the Ramayana and stories about the life led by Rama and Sita in the forests around. "This was the favourite bathing spot of Sita", he pointed out.
The sounds of temple bells wafted through the morning stillness. The recitation of prayers was broadcast through the loudspeakers. Pilgrims started arriving even before the eastern sky turned orange. In dawn's soft light I made it to the ghat (bank). Around seven, the boatmen came. One of them named Rajpal volunteered to take the boat beyond Janaki Kund, after a tour of Ramghat. "That tree, up there" pointing to a large peepul tree "was where Lord Rama used to sit in meditation. The temple was built much later". Rajpal, like most of the people I met in Chitrakut, subsequently, sang paeans on the sanctity of the place. Ramghat is a long stretch of steps cut into the banks where pilgrims perform religious ablutions and rituals. Many compare its hallowed sanctity to Rishikesh and Benaras. We turned and headed upstream.
The boat journey was exhilarating. The countryside on either side looked so different when I saw it from land the day before. I sat relishing the pure air and the silence of the surroundings. Scattered groups of huts presented an atavistic lifestyle. Beyond Janaki Kund, the river was enchantingly beautiful, the tilting boughs adding to the beauty. We were now at Sphatik Shila where on a large boulder there were impressions of Lord Rama's footprints. A few pilgrims offered peanuts to the monkeys, as many hold these primates in reverence for they believe them to be descendants of the monkey-god Hanuman.
"Only an experienced boatman can steer a boat upto this place" boasted Rajpal. A part of the journey upstream was tricky and beyond Sphatik Shila the boulders jutted out of the water. Our return journey was slow. Only an occasional bird call pierced the serene ambience.
Next day I drove 19 kilometers to the south to visit Gupt Godavari. There were two caves, on the hill side, one larger than the other. A subterranean steam emerges out of one cave and after flowing for a distance fills a pool before disappearing again and hence the name Gupt Godavari. It is popularly believed that Lord Rama during his exile held court in this cave, alongwith his faithful brother Lakshman. The priests point to two podiums to prove their conviction. At the entrance to the cave is a beautifully carved sculpture of the Trinity (Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva).
Kalinjara Fort, 50 kilometers south-west of Chitrakut, is said to be equally hallowed place. This fort is mentioned in the Puranas and Mahabharata. By its mere reference in the scriptures and epics the Fort's antiquity is established according to the villagers.
"The gradual acclivity, the abrupt ascent, and stupendous fortifications of Kalinjara, towering 900 feet above the plains, present a scene grand, majestic and sublime" wrote Captain William Pagson, of the Bengal Army, in 1835. Perhaps the physical immensity of the Fort has remained unchanged. It was in the reign of the Chandela dynasty in the 10th and 11th centuries that the fort finds increasing mention and importance. In the early 10tyh century the Chandela King, Yasovarman, on ascending the throne was given the title of 'Kalinjaradipati', or Lord of Kalinjara.
I decided to trek upto the fort accompanied by a young boy. He took me by the route used by foot-soldiers in the past and now increasingly by the devotees to Neelkanth temple. It was a steep and difficult climb. I remembered the villagers' stories that no enemy ever stormed this Fort, it was always captured through treachery or a long siege. After passing through two rows of defensive walls, we came upon a clearing near Neelkanth temple. The main sanctum of the temple is inside a cave. The rock face on either side of the temple has exquisitely carved panels. After another flight of steps and passing through the third gate, we came out into the open, a large undulating hill top.
I was surprised to find footpaths neatly laid out, marked by white-washed stones. Most of the ancient buildings are in ruins and only three buildings stand in different stages of decay. The old palaces now houses sculptures collected from different parts of the Fort. The large tank adjacent to the Palace, which provided water to the garrison under siege, now lies half empty. The main 'royal' entrance to the Fort is on the northeastern face of the Fort. I stood there, and in the description of Captain Pagson " to pause and view an amazing expanse of country to the distance of five and thirty miles. The bird's eye view of forest trees and cultivation, extending as far as the eye can reach."
After a round of the Fort, we visited the 'museum' in the palace. The sculptures were mostly of Chandela era; the treatment by chisel was similar to that of Khajuraho temples. Mahoba was the administrative capital of the Chandelas, Kalinjar Fort their military capital and Khajuraho their religious capital. The guard offered us cool water to drink. I took it, a little apprehensively. Quick to sense my hesitation, he said "this is not from the tank. We have taken it from Mrig dhara, from there" he pointed. A small spring oozing out of the stone, called Mrig dhara, is believed to have provided drinking water since time immemorial.
Two millennia of recorded history haunt a visitor here. An aura of sanctity surrounds Chitrakut. The countryside seems to exert a peculiar alike. My visit to Chitrakut and Kalinjara Fort, albeit brief, was dream.
VISITING CHITRAKUT
Chitrakut in Madhya Pradesh is 125 kilometers west of Allahabad and Kalinjara Fort is 52 kilometers south-west of Chitrakut. Black-top roads connect these places. Allahabad is connected by Indian Airlines flights from Delhi, Agra and Patna.
WHAT TO SEE
Chitrakut: Most of the spots of tourist importance are along the river Mandakini, and the road running parallel to it excepting Gupt Godavari, Deva Ganga and Hanuman Dhara. Places of interest are Ramghat, Janaki Kund (2 kilometers), Sphatik Shila (5 kilometers), Sati Anasuya (16 kilometers), Gupt Godavari (19 kilometers) and Hanuman Dhara (3 kilometers).
Kalinjara Port: The Fort itself, Neelkanth temple and the museum in the palace atop the fort .
Courtesy : Discover India
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