Rajasthan diaries - Part 6

From Bharatpur to the abode of Lord Krishna

Deeg Palace 


Besides the bird sanctuary, Bharatpur  houses many other places of tourist interest. Like for instance, Lohagarh Fort, Jawahar Burj-Fateh Burj,  Museum, Ganga  temple, etc. Our assignment included visiting Deeg which is at a distance of about 34 kms from Bharatpur. This gave us an opportunity to see the famous Deeg Fort. A  must see place, it was originally built by Raja Badan Singh in which many additional structures were  erected by his illustrious son Raja Surajmal. Gopal Bhawan, Nand Bhawan, Suraj Bhawan & many other mansions adorn the Fort. The architectural beauty, exquisite artefacts,  marble swing (believed to belong to Queen Nurjehan) are worth admiration.  Its sprawling lawns, flower beds, fountains,  Rup Sagar &  Gopal Sagar water reservoirs, are awesome.  The engineering skills displayed at Keshav Bhawan catch you by surprise.  The structure was developed around canals with  pierced walls, fountains & ball bearings to give the effect of monsoon rains & thunder to the royalty.

Majestic Deeg Palace

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   While  gasping at the majesty of  Deeg Palace, we overheard someone mention 84 kos. Curiosity has often got the better of me. Racing past my friends, I  merged with a group walking ahead  & partook in the conversation uninvited. A wiry old lady was enlightening the group that Vraja is an area of about 84 kos falling in parts of UP & Rajasthan. Deeg was a part of the sacrosanct area. Mathura, Vrindavan, Gokul, the land of Gopis & their beloved Krishna. Yashoda’s lotus eyed azure cuddly baby, famous for his tactics of stealing butter. The lore of Radha Madhav, Kansa vadh, Geeta updesh to Arjuna,  lying embedded in my consciousness all woke up  at once. I had to visit Mathura Vrindavan.  Promptly, I conveyed my compelling desire to the other members. There was a general consensus  for undertaking the visit on coming Saturday.

Mathura Vrindavan

   Friday night was a busy one. We packed a few necessities for the trip. In went the snacks, towels, hand sanitizer, tissues, paper plates, glasses & stuff. Our cabbie had promised to reach at 6.00 in the morning. So, we woke up at 5.00 a.m & were ready by the time he honked. Carrying our luggage & water bottles, we rushed down. It was a pleasant day. Our itinerary included Gokul, Mathura, Vrindavan & Govardhan parbat.

   

   It did not take us long in realising that we were nearing our destination because touts came calling. Some of them were audacious enough to leap in front of our car to bring it to a screeching halt. Then, brazenly, pushing their paan ridden faces  inside the window, they would quote their price.  Wading through a cluster of such cheeky messengers of God, we finally reached Gokul.  It looked like a maze of dilapidated structures. Fortunately, we came across a soft spoken old man holding a walking stick, to guide us through the place. Despite his condition, he could walk fast. We almost ran to keep pace with him. He showed us around to Baldevji, Balkrishna, Yogmaya & other temples. Murals depicting baby Krishna being carried over by Vasudeva through the Yamuna river, Trinavrata & Putna vadh. From there, we proceeded to Krishna Janam Bhoomi in Mathura. Fairly new, this temple is a devotees delight, beautifully depicting the various facets of the Lord’s incarnation.

   

   Next in cue was Vrindavan. We got off a few yards away from Bankey Bihari  temple because the road that leads to it is quite narrow. Our hosts had warned us to beware of the monkeys in the area  who love to snatch spectacles. Two out of us were myopic. So, holding  spectacles in our hands, we began walking in a single file, being lead by the one whose sight was intact. What we failed to notice, however, was that a big bonny simian was also stealthily following us. A loud thud & crash. The monkey had landed on my friend’s shoulder & grabbed her spectacles. After my reeling mind  came to its senses, I realised that we had all fallen on the ground- still holding hands. Awesome, threesome. When something can go wrong, it will. Murphy’s laws never seem to fail, do they?

  

   Needless to say, the crowd helped us to our respective feet. Radhey, Radhey, some of them sympathized. I also tried to focus my attention  on the good lord soliciting help for return of the stolen spectacles. Meanwhile, the monkey had quickly climbed a nearby banyan tree, proudly holding its loot. Unyielding to our pleas for return of its treasure, it started swinging merrily from a protruding branch. My friend waved her fists displaying anger, just to scare it.  Looking amused, it changed its posture & was now hanging upside down- spectacles dangling dangerously in its right arm. My friend was determined to have her glasses back. Necessity apart, acquiring a new pair could burn a hole in her pocket. The offensive creature was obviously enjoying the attention its deed had garnered.

   Lo & behold, a few boys appeared on the scene apparently from no where. They were holding small sticks in hand. The by standers informed us of their expertise in conversing with the monkeys of the area. They will convince the monkey, we were told, albeit on a small fee, to return the darned spectacles. Judging our disbelief, the crowd prompted the boys to pull the trick. We nodded agreeably to let them know that they will be paid suitably for the feat. After about 10 minutes of weird chatter, the monkey benevolently relented. The spectacles returned safely in barter for fruits. We thanked the boys profusely & limped our way to the temple.

   The ringing of bells, fragrance of josh sticks, aarti,  loud cheering of crowds, Bankey Bihari ki Jai, made us push the incident behind. The magnificence, the grandeur of the temple, the beautiful idol of Bankey Bihariji in all its finery, the peacock feather, takes your breath away. Meera’s love for Krishna, Surdasa’s devotion, Jayadev’s Geet Govindam, the reverence for the Lord, all realised in a flash.

   Post lunch session saw us in Govardhan Parbat. We visited 2 temples depicting the Lord’s leela of holding the Giriraj hill on his little finger for seven days & nights to protect his devotees at Braj against the incessant rain. It was a memorable experience.


....... continued in Rajasthan diaries - Part 7 ....