Stepwells near Vadodara : Let's make our Vav 'Wow'

 

Stepwells near Vadodara: Let's make our Vav 'Wow'

Hello all,

                                        

            So after a few blogs of trekking outside Gujarat, we are now back to our beloved city, Vadodara, and its places. Schools have started with the overhanging sword of projects and unit tests (though it mainly affects moms only, rather than kids and fathers). Sorry, all dads no offense but you know how stressful we moms can be. 

           And this is the only reason we need breaks. Not big but small breaks on weekends. We don't need a luxurious spa or shopping in grand malls. We just need some peace and some quiet from all mayhem.  

          But before this let me go back to the year 2018. I was standing there... I have seen it in the movie, and it fascinated me completely. When I watched it in the movie PK and Sultan, I thought what an architectural gem this is. But when you visit it in reality you will be baffled, as I was. Yes, I am talking about Ugrasen ki Baoli in New Delhi. 

           Recessed arches on either side and a huge central arch in the front, which is connected with the well below...It is an ornament of our Indian architecture. Though you get the eerie feeling at the bottom with bats lurking on your heads, the excitement tops all creepy feelings. And how can we forget an ostentatious Chand Baori. (it is in our bucket list), which has attracted Hollywood directors also? Why just these baolis, all stepwells were the main part of our country with a history back in 300 CE and now most of them are in the ramshackle state apart from a few major and huge ones. 

          India is not just a country of temples, forts, and tombs, it is the country of stepwells too. Right now there are appx 2000 stepwells are there in India (and appx 500 are in our Gujarat), most of them are ancient ones because, after British rule, the use of stepwells declined as they thought them to be unhygienic and unsanitary. But before that stepwells were one of the main components of our water harvesting system. Why just water, most of the stepwells also have temples within and it was the main place for women to come together and relax for a while, it was a place for their  'kitty party'. 

         And now we feel disheartened seeing these treasures, completely abandoned by us and by the government. The same is the state with our city's stepwells.  We visited   two stepwells this weekend:

Sevasi Stepwell

                            

           This stepwell is in one of the most advancing areas of our city. Just at the entrance of the Sevasi village, you might not even notice this stepwell as we are oblivious to this type of beauty. Our ignorant selves have made us blind to look deep into nature and our surroundings. This is also the reason why these treasures are in derelict conditions. 

                      

                             

         Thanks to the people of the Sevasi village the stepwell is clean. But it needs restoration as soon as possible. This vav is also called 'Vidhyadhar vav', as it was built in memory of spiritual leader Vidhyadhar. 

                            

                                  

            The gate of the stepwell is distinct with beautiful carvings of tiger and elephant. The gate is covered with a beautiful dome just like the domes you can see in Champaner monuments. But when you step inside the gate the most amazing feature you will notice is the telescoping pillars inviting you in to this subterranean wonderland. The pillars are carved with flowers, garlands, toran, and animals. The vav is seven storeyed structure with your every step giving you a sense of amazement. 

                             

                                              

                            

           At the 63rd step, there is a big platform with Trishul in the center.  The sieved morning sun rays from the pillars, cool air at the bottom of the stepwell, and peace despite its location just beside the main road,  these are your allurements to visit this place. 

                                                         

                    

          The vav is made up of bricks and stone pillars. The plaster of the wall is peeling off and a few of the pillars are also not in good condition. At the far end of the vav, there is one dome and behind that, there is a huge deep well that is now filled with soil. There are two alleyways on either side connected with bridges of the pillars. 

                         

         So friends while going to Sindhrot or Decathlon, just spare a few minutes or hours and visit our jewel and spread the word. 

Hinglot stepwell:

                         

         This stepwell is the classical example of our neglect and our ignorance. We do not cherish or respect our heritage and we do not value it. 

                   

                          

        This three-storeyed stepwell is located just outside Hinglot village on the way to Sindhrot. The most prominent feature you will notice here is symmetric arches. Do you ever wonder why symmetry is so much important in architecture? Because it gives us a sense of balance and balance always provides comfort and trust. It gives satisfaction to the mind and soul. You will find this balance, this symmetry in almost all stepwells. But beyond these amazingly balanced arches when your eyes move downwards all you can see is rubbish and garbage. Why? Why do we do this? Where is our sense of responsibility and liability? Where is our guilt? 

                           

                           

        It's high time, we cherish these treasures now and make these endangered monuments our priority. Our heritage is imploring us...Let's make India not only the country of temples and tombs but also a rich legacy of stepwells. And this is of utmost importance now rather than later in the era of water scarcity, as these stepwells can be used as one of the major sources of water with proper sanity measures. 

       "We do not choose our obsessions; they choose us, and I could never have predicted that stepwells would commandeer such a large slice of my life. All it took was one look over a modest stone wall on my first trip to India more than 30 years ago, and the ground disappeared. In its place was a man-made canyon with a complex parade of steps, columns, and platforms leading into the earth to an unfathomable depth. It was utterly disorientating. I had no idea what I was seeing, but it subverted the experience of architecture as something we look up at, not down into. "

        This is the passage from the book by Chicago journalist, Victoria Lautman "The Vanishing Stepwells of India", who has visited more than 200 stepwells in India and has documented them in the book. Her every word is true. Most of the stepwells in India are abandoned monuments. These stepwells are a unique part of our culture and our heritage. Let's just not keep them as dilapidated ghost buildings...

See you next week.

With a new story, new Gyan, and new Bhashan. 

Location of sevasi stepwell:https://goo.gl/maps/AR5EWTJ4QRB2uJ2u9

Location of Hinglot stepwell: https://goo.gl/maps/ZsoFHKphtQMBfxFR9

Dayara Bugyal : Green Gigantic Grassland of Garhwal Himalayas

Dayara Bugyal: Green Gigantic Grassland of Garhwal Himalayas                       

                      

 Hi, 

         So after last week's super-duper lengthy blog, you all must have thought that I will take a little break. Right? I also thought the same. See how well you all know me. But I am so exhilarated by this place that I had to write about it soon. This is our first Himalayan trek with an altitude above 10,000 feet.  Have I caught your attention now? Great...Let's climb up and see what we have achieved...

        After planning the Dzukou trip in May, Sheel wanted to do one more trek for this summer. He is addicted to it, I tell you.  Some people say travel is the healthiest addiction but for Sheel, trekking with kids is. And that's how we confirmed our Dayara Bugyal trek which is the perfect summer trek with kids. Vast meadows, Gangotri, and Yamunotri range on either side and dense forest trails. What more do we need? 

                         

         Thomas Edison’s last words were: “ It is very beautiful over there.” It is a mystery for us all which place he was telling. But I think I found one.  Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder but when the place is like this, whoever the person is, he/she can not,  not feel anything. ‘Ek ajib sa sukoon’…that’s the phrase that can define the peace of Dayara Bugyal. 

       Bugyals are alpine pasture lands at high altitudes (3000-4000 mts) as per the local Garhwal dialect. There are 21 such Bugyals in Uttarakhand- Auli Bugya, Bedni Bugyal, Gidara, Chopta, and Gorson a few of them. 

                     

                     We went via Tehri dam while going to Barsu

         If you are on the Gangotri route, then after driving appx 40 km from Uttarkashi, instead of going straight, you take a sharp left turn and you will come to village Barsu, nestled in the laps of the Himalayas with the Gangotri range overlooking the village with their mightiness.  At the entrance of the Barsu village, there is a small Homestay on your right side welcoming you with its beautiful cottages and small trail-like entrance. 

                     

          The location couldn’t be more beautiful and amazing than this.  From your room window and from the balcony, from the small dining room, and from the small garden you can see Mighty Gangotri ranges. The rooms are very tidy with clean bathrooms. The most amazing thing is the stream passing just behind the rooms. So you can hear the slow soothing hum of water whenever you are in the room. What more do we need? We have gigantic snowy mountains on one side and a small little stream on another side. 

   

        We reached there late evening. And after early dinner, we called it a quick night though we do not have to leave before 9'o clock in the morning for our trek to Barnala. Yes, Barnala is the first stop in the Dayara Bugyal trek, if you are going from the Barsu side.  

 

                      

                    

       Trek to the Baranala is very steep but well marked and paved. It is through the dense forest. When we think of forest we think about tall trees and eerie silence..but not here. Though the forest is dense with oak, maple, and rhododendrons, the sound of the forest stole our hearts. We were accompanied by the continuous chirping of birds, telling us that we are not alone on this journey. But other than that the most remarkable sound we felt was the soothing melodies of cow bells. You can not see the cows in your vicinity but they influence your steps and guide your path. We literally recorded those sounds to calm our racing minds once we are back in our chaotic city life. 

        

                     

                    

                     

       You will reach the verdant campsite of Barnala. We camped in the meadows between the lower Barnala campsite and Barnala lake. This campsite is more isolated than the lower one because there you will find some shepherds' huts and forest officers' cottages. It has the quietude and beautiful scenery you need.  We camped here for two days. Barnala is also a small meadow with a beautiful lake and attractive Nagraj Temple. while climbing down the lady from the lower Barnala shepherd's hut gave us 'Mathha', buttermilk rich in butter, it was delicious.

                      

                             

                         She gave us her delicious Mathha

         The next day we started early as we wanted to do Dayara Bugyal with the Bakaria summit.  Now you have to climb a steep mountain among the forest with a carpet of brown leaves crackling under your feet. Here along the entire trail, the Gangotri ranges will have your back, giving you incentives to reach the top and have a better view of them. And once you reach the Dayara base camp the enormous Himalayan peaks will seem like at a hailing distance from you.  You will find a few huts here. They are planning to start homestay there and were preparing for the same. You can get tea and biscuits here. But you will be more interested in the views... 

                     

                                Dayara base camp 

                      

                      

                      

        From here there is a paved path, you have to take the right one and after a while, you will enter the world of wild meadows and pastures... You can see lush greenery till your eyes go and after that blue clear sky with mountain peaks...The enormity of Himalayan peaks is balanced by luxuriant verdure. And as it was summer, entire meadows were covered with small yellow and white flowers as if we were seeing an intricately woven carpet. The grass and flowers were dancing to the tunes of the gentle wind, giggling and wiggling and the animals of the meadow cows, horses, mules, and sheep were listening to these melodies and grazing lazily...

         

                      

                      

                      

     You might want to remove your shoes and just run wildly in the tender meadows... We did! Infinite undulating hills covered with green grass and ubiquitous massive peaks like Bandarpooch and Kala Naag on your left and Gangotri 1,2,3, Shrikanth, Draupadi ka Danda on your right... We had one special companion... little Sheru, he was with us from Barnala till the summit. He never left a side of our younger one. 

                       

                       

       Once we reached the summit our enthralment has no bound. We were tired yet energized. We were silent, yet our eyes spoke volumes. We were sitting apart yet it felt like we were hugging ourselves and those snowy mountains, they were that close...I may sound repetitive but you will be in a dilemma about where to look? On one side there is a deep valley overlooking the villages, on another side sloping flourishing meadows shining brightly in sunlight and a semicircle view of gigantic peaks popping like giant fluffy ice cream cones. 

                        

      

                        

                        

        While coming down we took another way of Bugyal to complete the circle. from there also there is a beautiful view of the valley with villages. this way you will come to the left side of the shepherds' huts at Dayara basecamp. 

                      

                                Back to homestay Barsu

           This was all thanks to Mr. Ravi Ravat, owner of Dayara Bugyal Sarai. He is an amazing man with a kind heart and a passion to do something for his community and he has done it. He has done many. While listening to his experiences we truly feel inspired. 

     

                     

                      Homestay dining hall with Mr Ravi Ravat

        He has also arranged Dayara Bugyal Trek for us. From getting permission from the forest department to our tents, cook, and mule. He has managed everything perfectly. The cook Mr. Dipak has provided us a hot fresh meal at Barnala campsite. And how can we forget those Pakodas and soup after our tiring descent from the Dayara summit. 

                        

                                  Entire team

         He has sent one of his best guides with us because we had kids. Mr. Manish. He took utmost care of our children, from holding their hands to playing with them while on the trail and making them understand the forest and mountain rules and etiquette, he has done everything with such ease that we were astonished.   

                              

                            Our guide Mr Manish

         How can we forget little Sheru (another one), the endearing dog at Bugyal Sarai. Our younger one has become his big fan. 

       So thank you so much Raviji, for your superb hospitality and your care and support. We will visit this place again and again… 

                      

                     

                      While returning we stopped at Maneri Dam

Terrain type:  Grassland in the Bugyal and forest trails while climbing. 

Difficulty level: Easy to Moderate - apart from steep climb the trail is very well made and maintained. 

Total distance :

         Barsu to Barnala: 5 km

         Barnala to Bugyal: 6 km

         Bakaria top : 3 km

Altitude : 

      Barsu -  7400 feet

      Barnala - 9880 feet 

      Dayara Bugyal  - 11,393 feet

      Bakaria top - 12,000 feet

Best time to visit:

       As per guides and local people, the Dayara trek can be done all throughout the year except Monsoon. according to our cook, the best time is Autumn for the best views of the mountains as we have a clear sky and crisp air. but if we are going with kids then summer is the best time because of the pleasant weather and lush green meadows. and the meadows turn into Christmasy wonderland in winter with green grassy landscape metamorphoses into the white snowy carpet and it is becoming a popular skiing destination also.  

What to pack:  

        Though we went in summer, nights in the Himalayas are always cold so please pack accordingly you will need at least two warm layers and a jacket. Keep poncho also with you. 

         If you are planning to go in the winter then you have to take more layers with thermal. 

Associated treks: 

- Dodital

- Siyari Bugyal

- Gidara Bugyal 

These three treks can be done as an extension to the Dayara trek. 

                              

           So, the trek made us aware of how tiny we are in the universe. We can feel the vibrations of the universe, of Mother Earth, of mountains, rivers, and fellow creatures. Lastly, we ask ourselves whether these vibrations are part of us or are we part of them? 

                    

Thank you.

See you next week. 

Contact number of Dayara Bugyal Sarai (Barsu) - 

                       Mr.Ravi Ravat 9917728363

Location of Dayara Bugyal sarai - https://goo.gl/maps/RhzBYeSTNSopJ85u6