A trip to Biharinath Hill

By this time, I’ve unexpectedly started loving hills and trekking. And this was our post-semester-exams celebration time, so I chose to do one last trek of the year ! This was going to be our third trek of 2021. On 26th December, 2021, me and my friend Anshuman started our trip to Biharinath Hill. I had read about the hill earlier, that it was 452 m high and was the highest peak of Bankura district. It is a part of the Eastern Ghats.

So, we boarded the Barddhaman-Asansol MEMU at 5:20 am, and reached Raniganj by 7 am. After having some “Kochuris” and “Jalebis” for our breakfast, we enquired some locals regarding the bus for Saltora or Biharinath. They told us that we wouldn’t get a direct bus to Biharinath,so either we had to go to Saltora where we could avail some public transport to Biharinath, or, would have to reach Dubrajpur More (a stoppage en route Saltora), and from there, book a toto to reach Biharinath. As they told us that the chances of getting a toto from Dubrajpur More were scanty, we decided to go to Saltora first and take a bus. The bus fare from Raniganj to Saltora is ₹35. The journey was smooth and there was scarce human settlement there as seen from the bus.

At 8:50 am, we reached Saltora. After asking about the bus to Biharinath, we got to know that the bus had already departed, and the only mode to reach there was to take a trekker (shared jeep) to Ituri (8 kms away) first, and from Ituri, to take another trekker to Biharinath (distance between Ituri to Biharinath is 6 kms).

We sat in the trekker and waited for a few minutes, but it was already 9 am, and as we were informed, there were few trekkers from Ituri to Biharinath. So, we estimated that we wouldn’t reach Biharinath before 12 pm, and decided to walk up to Biharinath using a shortcut (it’s 8 kms away from Saltora).

We ate Mecha Sandesh (a famous sweet of Beliatore, Bankura) from a sweet shop and set forth to enjoy the trek. The roads were dusty and cemented. On our way, we got to see the Saltora Dam, and chose the longer distance to see the Simladihi Dam (which I had found on Google Maps). On reaching there, we found it completely dried up and immediately regretted walking an extra 2 kms just to see that dried and cracked reservoir !

We continued to walk and stopped in between to click pictures and to rest. At that time, I came to know that Anshuman was a very good singer as well. He sang a few Rabindrasangeet and Bengali songs en route, which was refreshing. The path was serene, and there were many small hillocks on either side.

A milestone….. 7 kms to reach Biharinath

Small hillocks on either side of the road

Resting on a rock, while going to Biharinath….. The “Samba pose” from Sholay !

Biharinath Hill, as viewed from a far distance

At long last, we reached the base of the hill. There were many vehicles parked and hundreds of people had gathered for picnics. Actually, that was the ideal time for picnics in Bengal. There was a huge temple, a pond named “ShivGanga” and a few shops at the base.

There were so many people and we were worried about our shoes getting stolen. So, Anshuman visited that temple first, while I was guarding his pair of shoes, and then, it was my turn to visit the temple!

There was a huge temple of Biharinath, made of white marble, and a few other temples. There were a few very old idols of Nandi and other Gods, which many historians claim to be Jain gods. According to some historians, Biharinath was a center of Jainism in the past. The sanctum sanctorum of the temple is a huge hall with a deeply placed small Shivling. Unfortunately, I couldn’t see the Shivling as it was totally covered by fruits and flowers offered by the devotees.

An idol worshipped in one of those many temples in the temple complex as Lord Vishnu, though looks like a Jain god.

After visiting all the temples there, I came outside, and Anshuman bought a few souvenirs from a stall. He bought me a wrist band as a token. We prayed at the ShivGanga. As we were very hungry, we ate some kochuris from a shop there, and then started our trek.

The path to the top of the hill was narrow, and there were some enthusiastic people who had come for a picnic, and had started trekking out of excitement. Going by their pace and expressions, it was clear that they were trekking for the first time. As we were trekking upwards, their rush kept decreasing. Most of them returned after trekking a few metres. It was a rough patch, and many rocks had loosened up. It was a narrow path with branches and creepers protruding from the nearby trees. It was an overgrown jungle, as compared to the ones I had seen in Parasnath and Susunia. We also spotted a snake there, resting outside it’s burrow. After trekking for 1.5 hours, we reached the peak. There was a small area where a few photos of Lord Shiv and Lord Hanuman were kept, and countless people had tied stones to a nearby tree, praying for the fulfillment of their wishes.

After resting for half an hour, we started descending down the hill. Surprisingly, it was tougher than the ascent. We needed to use our hands too to descend. It took us 45 minutes to climb down. Luckily, there was a sugarcane juice seller at the base. We had some juice and asked him about the route we should take to return back. We thought of walking for 6 kms to Dubrajpur More, from where we would get a bus to Raniganj. There wasn’t an alternative either! But that person told us that the last bus from Saltora to Raniganj (via Dubrajpur More) was at 4:30 pm, and we wouldn’t ever get that bus if we walked all the way. He suggested we go to a crossing which was around 0.5 kms away, and we could get a trekker from there to Madhukonda, from where we could go to Asansol by train. We asked some policemen too about the route, and they suggested we take a trekker from that crossing to the bank of Damodar, to cross the river and then to take a bus to Asansol Jn. Railway Station. By that time, the sun was already setting and there was a beautiful view of the sun setting down in the Biharinath hill. The sky blushed yellow, and then pink.

The sun setting down in the Biharinath Hill

We waited for a few minutes at that crossing, and luckily got an auto-rickshaw. It was actually a reserved auto, but the driver and the passengers agreed to drop us near the banks of Damodar, and we reached there by 4:30 pm. There was a long bamboo bridge on that river, by which only pedestrians and bikes could pass. The fare for pedestrians to pass was ₹10, and for bikes, it was ₹20. We crossed the vast Damodar river and reached the other bank. The river separates the Bankura district from the Paschim Bardhaman district. There were several people enjoying and picnicking on this side. There were no totos to go to the Burnpur Riverside Bus Stop, so we walked for another 1.5 kms and finally reached there at 5 pm. There were three to four mini buses for Asansol Jn. Railway Station, and we got into one. It took one hour to reach there (bus fare : ₹25).

We were very hungry by that time, as we hadn’t had our lunch, so we had some Littis and Sattu ke Parathe outside the railway station. Then, we waited at the station for half an hour, until Hatia-Barddhaman MEMU arrived at 6:35 pm. It took us 2 hours to reach Barddhaman. From there we took a toto and returned back to our respective rooms.

Thus, our trip ended.Though it sounded tiring, we had fun exploring new places. We returned home with fatigued bodies but fulfilled minds. Looking forward to more such adventures in the future.

A visit to a Shaktipith : Maa Jogadya Shaktipith

I have always been fascinated by Shaktipiths, and Bengal is dotted with them. So, on 24th December, 2021, I and my friend cum junior, Sayantan Ghosh Choudhury planned to visit the Shree Maa Jogadya Shaktipith located in the Kshirgram village of West Bengal, which is just 40 kms away from Barddhaman. We boarded the Barddhaman-Katwa Local of 7 am, and reached Kaichar Halt Railway Station at 7:50 am (train fare : ₹10). It was a chilly and foggy morning. There were toto drivers calling for Kshirgram Bus Stand, so we got into one. It’s around 4 kms away from the station. The road was in a very dilapidated condition, and the place was a remote one. As we had a plan to offer prayers there, so hadn’t had our breakfasts. We reached there by 8:30 am, and took a narrow road which goes inside the village. As instructed by the toto driver, we got to see a large lake on the other side of the road, fenced by a red boundary wall. It was Kshirdighi. We clicked a few snaps there, and worshipped the water as it’s very auspicious. A cute dog was accompanying us all our way to the temple, that acted like our guide, and even stopped and waited wherever we stopped to click pictures. Then we went to the temple complex located on the bank of the Kshirdighi. There was no one in that complex at that time, and the temple was also closed, so we decided to go to the second complex.

Actually, there are three temples located in two complexes within the same village.
The first complex is just near the Kshirdighi. There are two temples of Maa Jogadya in this complex.
One is of white marble, partially submerged in the water of the lake, which is kept locked for whole year, except for 3 days (Boishakh Shonkranti and two days in Joishtho). The stone idol of Maa Jogadya, built by Nabin Bhaskar of Dainhat in the 19th century is kept under water.
Another one is a brown temple, built in 2000s, where the original old idol of Maa Jogadya is kept and worshipped daily.
The second one is just 500 m away from the first one. It was rebuilt by King KirtiChand of Burdwan Raj in the 1770-80, as the original temple of 11th century was destroyed by Kalapahar.

The temple where the idol is kept under water

The temple where the original idol is kept

The second temple complex, which was rebuilt by King KirtiChand

That complex was also very calm and there were no one around, except for an old lady and her playful grandson. She introduced herself as one of the family members of the sebaits of the temple, and narrated the legend and history behind Kshirgram and the Shaktipith.

The entrance of the second temple complex

History behind the temple/Shaktipith :
This is one of the 51 Holy Shaktipiths and the one where Maa Sati’s right toe had fallen. Here Lord Shiva is known as Kshirakantha/Kshireshwar. According to Ramayana, MahiRavan had kidnapped Lord Ram & Lakshman and kept them in Paataal. MahiRavan was a devotee of Goddess Bhadrakali. Lord Hanuman went to Paataal and escaped from there along with Lord Ram and Lakshman by killing MahiRavan, during that time Lord Hanuman also took the idol of Devi Bhadrakali and set up the idol in Kshirgram. Later, Devi Bhadrakali was renamed as Jogadya. According to Shaktism, this temple is regarded as the centre of the earth (The second complex).
It is said that Nabinchandra Bhaskar, an architect of Daihat sculpted the idol of the main temple. Even today the inner sanctum (the marble temple of the first complex) houses the idols he had built. It is believed that the deity remains submerged under the Kshirdighi, a nearby pond of the shrine. On every Boishakhi Shonkranti, she comes out of the water and stays overnight inside the temple’s inner sanctum. After yajnas and the special pujas, she again gets back into the water of the Kshirdighi where she stays with Lord Kshirakantha, her husband and an incarnation of Lord Shiva. The devotees believe that according to the old legends, the same practices are carried on since ages.

She told us that the puja starts there at 10 am, so we roamed around the complex and bought sweets for the offering beforehand. There’s a Radha-Krishna temple also, at the backside of the complex. At 10 o’ clock, the purohit came and introduced himself and asked us where are we from. After the aarati, we offered our prayers. There’s a red coloured platform (called Bedi in Bangla) in the garbhagriha, which denotes the place from where Lord Hanuman had brought the goddess from the “paataal” to earth on his shoulders. No idol of Devi Jogadya or not even a picture of Devi has been set up there in the temple. There’s a bed kept inside the temple, with pillows and mosquito nets. According to the locals, every morning it seems as if someone had slept in that bed and they believe that the goddess sleeps there in that bed.

Inside the temple (this bed is believed to be used by the goddess)

We paid the purohit for the bhog (₹50 per person), which he told us would be served at 1 pm, and asked us to explore the village and a large lake nearby called “Dhamchi”. As per the purohit, the bhog of the second complex is non-vegetarian, as the goddess gets pleased with non-vegetarian bhog only, and the bhog of the first complex is pure vegetarian (₹40 per person). We then went outside the temple, ate some Mondas (Monda is a Bengali sweet just like Sandesh, which is usually offered in temples) which we had offered to the goddess, and went to the first temple. That temple had opened by that time, and we were lucky enough to see the aarati in that temple. A guy who was ringing the bell asked me to ring the bell during the aarati, which I did whole heartedly. After the aarati, he asked us to worship the goddess in the garbhagriha (where outsiders are not allowed). The idol is 3 to 4 feet high made of Koshti Pathor, intricately designed as seen in the idols made during Pala era of Bengal.

There’s a corridor behind the temple, from where people feed the fishes of the Kshirdighi. We stood there for a while, and kept seeing innumerous Katla and Rui fishes in the lake. Villagers believe them to be auspicious, so they don’t catch them. A rare scenario in Bengal ! From there, we went to a sweet shop outside the temple, ate some freshly fried Aalur Chops.

Then we started walking towards the western side of the village. After about half a kilometre, there were no houses around, and there were vast fields on both sides of the road. That was the time of the year when paddy is harvested, so the fields were just clear and dusty, and everyone in the village was busy in threshing and drying the paddy. I haven’t walked on such a village road ever in my life, so it was quite unique and peaceful on my part. Sayantan was sharing his stories and experiences when he goes to his native village. He told me why he loves villages more than the city life. By now, we entered the other part of Kshirgram, but it seemed that there was no path to go to Dhamchi, as all the four sides of the lake was taken on lease by a person, who cultivates fruits and vegetables there. On asking a local, we got to know, that there’s a ghat on the northern side of the lake and we have to walk for another 1 km to reach there. While asking that local, unfortunately a crow pooped on my head. In a frustrated and anger manner, I kept washing my head and spectacles for 5 minutes, and then walked to the ghat. There was a fenced garden around the road to the ghat. Finally we reached the ghat of Dhamchi. It’s a vast lake, around two times of Krishna Sayer of Barddhaman. It was so peaceful there. It is believed that Maa Jogadya had worn “shakha” (bangles made of conch worn by married women in Bengal) there. We spent some time in silence, watching some migratory birds, and the waves on the waters of the lake. There were some boats tied at the bank. While returning, we trespassed the garden and clicked some pictures there, and then returned back to the first temple complex. Visited that premises again, and then explored the village, as we still had time left for the bhog. Every Shaktipith has its own KaalBhairav Temple, who is considered as the consort of the goddess of that Shaktipith. Kshirkantha Shiv Temple is the KaalBhairav Temple associated with the Maa Jogadya Shaktipith. We went there. It’s a very tall temple, renovated just a couple of years back. Some youngsters of that village were chitchating there. One can view whole village from that temple. It was so refreshing there, after walking so much on that sunny day.

Fenced garden around the road to the ghat

While returning to the temple complex, we saw a Durga Mandap and Gopinath Temple. The Durga Mandap was a typical do-chala structure, supported by wooden pillars, well preserved and decorated. A Durga/Chandi Mandap is a typical structure where goddess Durga is worshipped during the four days of Durga Pujo. Such mandaps are very common in villages of Bengal. Most of the houses there were made of mud, and were double-storeyed, constructed in the typical Bengali architecture with chala type terrace. It was very astonishing on my part, that how could the first floor be made out of mud and straws, which I saw for the first time. There was a lady sitting in front of one of those houses, who started chatting with us and told us many interesting facts about the temple and the village. She told us that no Durga idol is worshipped in that Durga Mandap, and infact in that village during Durga Pujo, instead they worship the KolaBou or the banana plant as Maa Durga, and no one in that village even keeps a photograph of Maa Durga or any other goddess in their houses, as it’s believed to be ominous, and the only goddess which can be worshipped there is Maa Jogadya. She also told us that a large fair is organised during Boishakh Shonkranti, and many famous personalities visit the village during that time, and the bhog in the second temple complex (where we were going to have bhog) is prepared in the traditional Shakta manner, where the vegetables and fish are not stirred after putting in the utensils, and are just left to boil with salt and spices. We came to know that there used to be “noroboli” (human sacrifices) in this temple in the past. She also asked us not to keep any photograph of Maa Jogadya with us, as it’s also ominous ! After a brief encounter with that lady, we finally returned to the temple.

A typical single-storeyed hut of rural Bengal

We were on right time, and the purohit made us sit in the premises. There were just 6 or 7 people including us, who had come to have bhog there. There was rice, a curry made of potatoes, raw bananas and beans, and payesh in the bhog. As we were told, the bhog includes a fish there, so we asked the purohit about it, and he replied that they don’t cook fish daily and mix the bhog with the water put in a utensil which is used to cook non-vegetarian food, thus making the bhog non-vegetarian ! He sounded contrasting and befooling at the same time, but we had nothing to do.
After having our bhog, we visited the kitchen where the bhog is prepared everyday. There were four earthen ovens (called “unun” in Bangla) and one gas stove and a number of brass utensils.

The mixed symbol of Bengali “Om” and Bengali “swastik” drawn outside the kitchen

We relaxed in the premises for half an hour, and then started our return journey. As the next train was at 4:20 pm, and it was just 2 o’ clock, so we had decided to return to Barddhaman by bus.
While going towards the bus stop of the village, we saw the “Utthaan Mandir”, where the idol of the goddess is kept for 3 days, which is otherwise kept submerged in water. Asked some locals about the path to the bus stop, and went there.

On enquiring about the next bus to Barddhaman, a shopkeeper there told us that the next bus is at 2:35 pm named “Allah’r Daan” (Yes, every bus playing in rural Bengal have a particular name which is painted on it, and people call them by those names only).We waited there for a few minutes, and then the bus arrived (bus fare : ₹40). We sat on the last seat, and the road upto Kaichar was in a very dilapidated condition, so it was really very tiring to bear those jolts ! After 15 minutes, it reached Kaichar and from then onwards, the road was good. The bus went through many small towns and Chourastas, and finally we reached Barddhaman at 3:50 pm. We got off at Sun Hospital, and walked to our rooms, as it’s just 1 km from that stop. I was tired, but I knew I won’t be able to rest, as it was Christmas Eve and my friends had given me the task of managing wood for the bonfire, which we were going to organize that night. Such a happening life, isn’t it ! Haha !
Anyways, in this way, our day trip to a Shaktipith ended well. Looking forward to more such day trips in the future.

A trip to Susunia Hill

On 28th November, 2021, my friend Subhashis and me did our Susunia trip. We boarded the Barddhaman-Asansol MEMU of 5:20 am, and reached Raniganj at 7 am. After having some “Kochuris” for our breakfast, we enquired some locals regarding the bus for Chhatna or Susunia. Luckily a bus for Susunia was departing at that time, and we got into it.

Susunia is just 30 kms away from Raniganj, but as the road from Mejia to Susunia was under construction, our bus took a long route and the conductor told us that it would take around 2.5 hours to reach there! The price of the bus ticket from Raniganj to Susunia is ₹45. We were very surprised to see that the people there were far away from any kind of hustle-bustle, including the bus driver & conductor as well. While covering a mere distance of 50 kms, they took three haults of 20 minutes each, and one those was near a pond and a Maa Chandi Temple. The bus driver and the conductor were literally chilling in the sun, out of nowhere !

At 10 am, we reached Susunia. Subhashis had some tea there, and we enquired some of the shopkeepers about the bus timings to return to Raniganj.

Then, we started our trek. There was a Raksha Kali Temple, a big banyan tree and a stone idol of Narsingh from which water keeps flowing all the time since time immemorial, and the source is still unknown.

The steps to the top of the hill were cut out of rocks which made the trek more exhausting. We were stopping every five minutes to take rest. After about an hour, we reached the peak of the 1st or the smaller hill, took some rest, made a video and asked a local about the route to the highest peak. Then after a decent break for about 3 to 4 minutes, we started trekking upwards to the 2nd peak or the highest peak. It was relatively easier than the trek to the 1st hill. The temperature was gradually falling while we climbed upwards. At a point in between, we sat for around 15 minutes to chill, ate biscuits and gazed at the view around. At around 12 pm, we reached the highest peak of the hill. It was painted there on a rock by the forest department, depicting that’s the highest point. There was a small statue of Lord Krishna and some other stone idols.

There was a stone inscription on the other side of that hill, and the route to reach there started from a village called Shiulibona, which was around 4 kms away from the Narsingh Stone (from where we had started our trek). Most of the people either don’t know about that inscription or they simply don’t go there !

But, we were actually in a mood to do something thrilling, so we decided to go there through the forests. No one went there through the forest, but we took the risk ! I would not recommend to go via the forest. The forest was very dense and the path was rough. It took us 1.5 hours to get through. I made a few videos while walking through the forest. There was no proper path or sign board showing directions, so the only option we had was the GPS and the Google Map, and with the help of that we made it ! My friend fell down twice during the journey! It was an once in a life-time experience and i accomplished my dream of exploring a jungle without any guidance (inspired from Man vs. Wild !) My hands had become full of scratches and allergic rashes by that time, and they were itching badly.

My hands had become full of scratches and allergic rashes by that time, and they were itching badly.

The inscription was covered by a cage like structure, to protect it from some “eternal lovers”, some of whom had already scribbled their names on it and had damaged the 2500 years old inscription. That inscription is the oldest rock inscription of West Bengal, and was made on the orders of King Chandravarman. It reads : “The devotee of ‘Chakkaswami’ (Lord Vishnu), the King of Pushkarana, son of the King Simhavarmana, King Chandravarmana offers the revenue of the village named ‘Dhoso’ for the purpose of worship to his Lord Vishnu.” (source : Wikipedia). There’s a wheel and conch inscribed too.

The view of the plain lands from that point was so soothing. That place really gave us a sense of satisfaction after that tough trek through the forest. After clicking a lot of pictures, and enjoying the view, we started descending down. It was an easy path, surrounded by uniformly planted trees, with sunrays coming through. Within 15 minutes, we reached Shiulibona. We had expected to get a toto there, but found none. The whole area looked abandoned, and we were the only two, walking on that road. There were many ponds there beside the road, full of lotuses. We covered that 4 km route in 30 minutes, and reached the bus stop of Susunia at 3 pm.

By that time, we were exhausted and starving, so we entered into Hotel Annapurna. We ate Maachh-Bhaat (Cost : ₹70) for our lunch, and completed it by 4 pm, as there was a bus at 4:15 pm for Raniganj.

We were expecting to reach Raniganj by 5:30 pm, so that we could catch Black Diamond Express. As the road near Mejia was under construction, the bus again took the longer route and we reached Raniganj at 5:45 pm. After reaching there, we just ran towards the station to catch that train, but to our surprise, there was no unreserved compartment in that train till then, due to COVID, and it was too late to book a ticket. The next train for Barddhaman was at 9:10 pm, which reached Barddhaman at 11:30 pm. So, we had no option left other than a bus ride . We went to the bus stand and enquired about the bus for Barddhaman and came to know that there was no direct bus from that bus stand. One of the locals there advised us to visit the SBSTC Counter at Punjabi More on the NH, and to board on an SBSTC bus which plies between Asansol and Kolkata. We took a toto and went to that place which was 4 kms away from the bus stand.

It was already 6:30 pm by that time, and we found the SBSTC counter closed. At that time, we had no option left other than going to Barddhaman by that Mokamah passenger which arrived at Raniganj at 9:10 pm. Both of us decided to ask for a lift. A truck bound for Durgapur stopped, so we refused that driver. After a few more minutes, another truck stopped to help us and it was going to Muchipara, Kolkata. So, we got into it. It was my first experience of travelling by a truck ! The driver was a friendly and nice. We had asked him to stop at Telipukur, and reached within 1.5 hours. From there we took a toto and returned back to our respective PGs.

Thus, our day trip ended. Looking forward to more adventures in the future.

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A short trip to Parasnath Hill & Topchanchi Lake.

Day 1 :
We had been planning for a trip since last 15 months, but thanks to COVID, that we couldn’t make any of ours plans to reality, but atlast, I managed to go on a small trip with two of my college friends.
On 20th August, we started our journey. As we hadn’t got reservations, and local trains were not running regularly due to prevailing COVID situation, we boarded on a staff special train at 11 am from Barddhaman Jn., which reached Asansol Jn. at 2:45 pm (this was unexpected and it created a big trouble for us!)
We were clueless, because our train to Parasnath station from Asansol Jn. was at 2 pm, and we missed it. Returning to Barddhaman was definitely not an option, so we planned to go there by bus, and went to the Girja More Bus Stand.
We enquired a lot for the buses for Isri Bazaar (It’s the place where Parasnath Station is situated, and is on the Dhanbad-Hazaribag route).
We finally had our lunch at a nearby hotel, and had Lassi (which reminded me of the one I had in Benaras). We took the bus of 4:30 pm to Dhanbad (ticket pp ₹100). As the bus departed, there were small hills and coal mines on both the sides of the road. After around 15 minutes, it crossed the mighty Barakar river, which is the border of West Bengal and Jharkhand.

Lassi near Girja More Bus Stand, Asansol

At 6:10 pm, we reached Dhanbad bus stand, which was not at all busy and crowded, unlike the ones we see in major bus stands of West Bengal (esp. Esplanade!). We had enquired about the bus to Isri Bazaar to some conductors and hawkers roaming there and to our surprise, every second guy was replying with a different answer. Subhrajit and Bitan had made their mind to stay overnight in Dhanbad, but I was reluctant, and kept asking there, atlast we got a bus (it was the last bus from Dhanbad to Hazaribag), which departed at 7:10 pm (ticket pp ₹100). I was well aware that Isri Bazaar is a very small town, and was very uncertain that what would we do after reaching there ! The region is a very scarcely populated one, and the view from the bus windows were nothing but darkness. At around 8 pm, the bus halted at a petrol pump, and we could see a dark big structure on the other side of the road, which was the Parasnath Hill.

At 8:30 pm, we reached Isri Bazaar, and I asked a middle-aged person about how to reach Madhuban from Isri Bazaar. (Madhuban is a town at the foot of Parasnath Hill, and one has to take an auto or van from Isri Bazaar/Parasnath Railway Station to reach there.)
That person with a surprised face, asked me whether we are planning to go there now, and warned us not to go there at that point of time, as the route is Maoist prone, and could be dangerous. That person instructed another guy in his 30s, who was on that bus, and was going to Parasnath station to guide us to the station.
The place where the bus left us was on mid of the highway, and was dark all around, and the station is 1 km away from that point. Initially, we were not able to trust that guy, but we had no other option, and that uncle had already left us from the highway. There were no street lights on the roads, and not even a single person was there on the road, but finally at around 9 pm, we reached Parasnath station. That guy suggested us to spend that night in the waitin room of the station, and depart for Madhuban at around 4 am next morning. But, we planned to stay in a Jain Dharmashala there (there are 2 or 3 Jain Dharmashalas in Isri Bazaar). I was not sure to get a room, as many Dharmashalas don’t allow non-Jain people to stay (I had read that in some blogs, and had called some Dharmashalas in Madhuban).

Parasnath Railway Station, Isri Bazaar, Jharkhand

But, luckily we got a room in the Dharmashala of Anandji Kalyanji Shwetambar Jain Pedhi (price ₹500), and the gentleman there was quite fluent in Bangla as well. He asked us our addresses and introduced him that he is from Jamtara and had many properties in Bengal.

The Dharmashala of Anandji Kalyanji Shwetambar Jain Pedhi, Isri Bazaar, Jharkhand (Photos were clicked on the next day)

After having a bath, we quickly went to a nearby small eatery near the station to have some dinner, as that Dharmashala doesn’t allow anyone to enter after 10 pm. After returning back, we calculated our expenditures of that day and planned for the next day. As it was a 2 bedded room, and it’s a bit difficult to sleep at the junction of the 2 beds, we played “stone-paper-scissor” to decide who will be the one ! And it was Subhrajit, as usual !

Day 2 :

As loadshedding is a major problem in that region,we woke up at 6 am due to the same, but had no energy to start our day ! At 8 am, an attendant knocked on the door and told us that 8 am is the checkout time, so we got freshed hurriedly, and went to the station. There are a lot of Omni Vans, and the drivers keep asking everyone “Madhuban-Madhuban”, so we took a van (ticket pp ₹50), and after leaving Dumri, we were surrounded with forests of Sakua (I had got to know that name from a local) and Palash trees.

At the point, where the route to Hazaribag and Giridih (and Madhuban) bifurcates

As we were heading towards Madhuban, the mighty Parasnath hill was becoming clearer, and the peak was covered with clouds. We were actually wondering how would we reach the peak !

The Parasnath Hill (as viewed from the road)

At 10:30 am, we reached Madhuban, and took a room in Hotel Sapna (it’s the only hotel there, and rest all are Dharmashalas, there is a Jharkhand government guest house and a 3-Star hotel as well, but they are a bit costly). I had some Poha in a good Marwari Restaurant, and then took rest for an hour. Before leaving for the lunch, Subhrajit and I went to the terrace to have a view of the town and the hill, and it was mind-blowing (since we were so close to the hill, we were not able to see the peak, and were able to see the smaller hill only).

We went to the Bhojanalay of Bispanthi Uparaili Jain Dharmashala for lunch (price ₹60). It was a pure vegetarian Jain lunch without onions and garlic, and was very tasty.

Jain Thali at Bispanthi Uparaili Jain Dharmashala

Then we went to see a small unnamed river, which I had seen in the satellite mode of Google map (I have a keen interest in seeing rivers !) But, as the place near the river was a forested one, locals asked us to not visit that place, and suggested us to go to another place, from where that river was flowing and the place was not a forested one).
We walked through a village (Subhrajit and Bitan were very reluctant in going there! ) and finally reached a bridge over that river.
The view of the Parasnath hill from that bridge was mesmerizing. We clicked some photos there, and went down the bridge to the river. There was no one anywhere, except some goats grazing nearby.

Then, we returned back to our room by auto.
At around 8 pm, we went to the Marwadi restaurant to have dinner, and then bought some snacks and enquired the shopkeeper about the trek. He told us that it would take around 6-7 hours if we visit Jal Mandir and Parasnath Mandir, and not the Chandraprabhu Tonk. We bought canes for our trek. Small kids sell canes on the streets at a price of ₹10 and ₹15. We returned back to our room, packed our bags for the trek and set an alarm for 3 am. A long day was waiting for us.

Day 3 :

So, after an incomplete sleep of 5 hours, we woke up at 3 am, freshened up and went downstairs. We had informed Ramu Bhaiya (our hotel attendant) the previous day about our trek, so he was awake to unlock the shutter of the main gate. We went out with our small bags and canes. Not a single shop was open for some breakfast, and even the “Jalpaan Grih” of the Bispanthi Uparaili Jain Dharmashala was closed. So we started our trek on an empty stomach at 4:15 am.

A big green board from the Jharkhand government welcomed the pilgrims, and beyond that point started the forested hilly path for the Parasnath Vandana. It was still dark and silent. As it was the first trek of our lives, we found it a bit tough and were stopping to catch our breath every 5 to 10 minutes.

The highest peak is at a height of 1350 m above sea level (which is 100 m less than Mirik, Darjeeling). The Parasnath temple was situated at the peak, and it was a climb of around 10.5 kms if we go via Jal Mandir. Jain Pilgrims climb for 9 kms upward, then another 9 kms for worshiping all the 24 Tonks situated at various peaks and points, and then go to the Parasnath temple. It makes the whole Parasnath Vandana of 27 kms. If you wish to visit the Jal Mandir and the Parasnath Temple only, it would be 10.5 kms up and another 9.5 kms down, making it a 20 kms trek.

We were so amateur at this that we had expected to see the sunrise from the peak ! But, at 5:15 am, the sun was rising, and we had only covered 1.5 kms ! There was a CRPF camp of Gorkha regiment on the left of the road, which was at the peak of the first smaller hill of the trek, and after which there was a slope for some distance, and then we started going higher. There were few small shops, where one could rest for free, even without buying anything from them. We had a nice chat with those shopkeepers while stopping at their shops. We heard the gentle sound of flowing water as we went upwards, and that was the sound of Gandharv Nala. I have always heard Bear Grylls from Man vs. Wild talking about hearing the sound of a flowing river in a forest from a distance, but that day it turned into a real-life experience.

After a trek of 4 kms, we reached the Gandharv Nala. Jains consider the place beyond this river the holiest. We kept moving upwards enthusiastically, often glancing at the pearly white shrine on the peak of a lush green hill, with a background of a blue sky. There were some monkeys we met on the path, who looked innocent and cute (unlike the ones I have seen in Agra-Mathura).

After a trek of 6 kms, we reached a bifurcation, where the track on the right side lead to the Parasnath Temple via the helipad, and the other to Parasnath Temple via Gautam Swami Tonk (this route is most preferred by pilgrims who worship all the 24 Tonks, and tourists who wish to visit the Jal Mandir before going to the Parasnath Temple). We met an uncle and aunt there, who were going to the peak on Doli, and the Doli wale bhaiyas were resting there at that time. They had come from Raipur, and were visiting this place for the 5th time. The lady told us that the Parasnath temple is sacred, and whatever one wishes, it comes true. We asked them about the distance remaining to reach the peak, and which route to follow from that bifurcation.

We then drank lemonade from a shop there. There were multiple shops en route for such quick refreshments. Lemonade costs only ₹10 in all the shops there. We came to know that the shopkeeper lived with his wife there only, and went to his village once a month. We also came to know that the lemonade we were drinking was made from the water of the Sheetal Nala (the 2nd river en route to Parasnath Temple), and he fetched it daily in a big drum. I realised that life is quite difficult and different on the hills. After trekking for a few minutes, we reached Sheetal Nala. It was a very beautiful river, we clicked some snaps there, and I walked on those slippery rocks to drink some water from that river. It was really “sheetal” and sweet.

We left that spot and kept trekking upwards. We met 4 Bengalis from Asansol, who were returning, and they were the only people we found who were going to Madhuban using that path (Actually, this path beyond the bifurcation is used for going upwards, and the path right to that bifurcation via helipad is generally used to return back). After a brief conversation, we resumed our trekking. While resting in another shop, we met 3 men from Indore, and one of them said that they had trekked the hill two days back, and it was the 15th time that he was trekking this hill.

At around 12 pm, we reached the Gautam Swami Tonk. It was a levelled ground and acted as a crossing. The left route went to Chandraprabhu Tonk (which was followed by the Jain pilgrims), the route right in front went downwards to the Jal Mandir, and the route on the right side went to the Parasnath Temple. We went downwards to the Jal Mandir, which was a careful walk on a steep hillside.

That small horizontal line is the GT Road

The Jal Mandir was the only temple in which there were idols of all the 24 Jain Tirthankars. We saw the Jalabhishek of Lord Parasnath there. he view from Jal Mandir was majestic: surrounded by hills from three sides, with a view of GT Road and Delhi-Kolkata rail route from the fourth side. We were lucky enough that all of a sudden clouds came floating and within a few minutes the whole place was shadowed by clouds.

After spending half an hour, we returned back to Gautam Swami Tonk, rested there, and then started our trek to the Parasnath Temple. We were out of energy by that time, and luckily we met a sugarcane juice seller. We had some juice there, rejuvenated our senses, and then continued our journey. The whole path was occupied by monkeys, and these monkeys were not as innocent as the ones we found on the path initially. They are smart and notorious. We met a Jain pilgrim on our way, and got to know that he owned a shop in Madhuban, and basically hails from Agra. He told us that the track here had been cemented just 12 years back, before which it was a rocky pathway. He told us that only fortunate people could do this yatra, and we are blessed enough to complete it. He was a very well-behaved guy and he clicked a picture with us too. Then, he stopped at one of the tonks to worship, and we continued our trek. Finally, we reached a point, beyond which there are marble stairs to reach the temple, and there were some food stalls selling pakodas, fruits and boiled grams. After climbing 200 stairs, we reached a place where there’s a Digambar Jain Trust office. They provided free “Ukali Kadha” to everyone.

We put our shoes there, climbed 50 more stairs, and reached the Parasnath Temple, our final destination. It was a beautiful temple made of white marble, and the view from the top was mesmerizing. The weather was sunny at that time, and we were even able to see Madhuban. But after a few minutes, clouds started floating towards us, and we were engulfed by the clouds! It was a once in a lifetime experience. All of our exhaustion vanished within a second. I recorded videos of the clouds and the scenery, whenever it was visible. When we entered the temple, there was a footprint of Lord Parasnath, made of stone. We prayed there, went outside and sat for sometime. There were monkeys outside the temple. One of them even stole a bag full of rice (Jains worship gods using rice) from the temple! It was so pleasing there that we were reluctant to return back from the peak, but alas, we had to. We went to a cave temple just below the main temple, where Lord Parasnath was said to have attained nirvana.

That red spot is Madhuban, from where we had started

At around 2 pm, we returned from the temple, and had some pakodas. Then we started our trek back to Madhuban via the helipad route. As people say, it’s tougher to go downwards as compared to climbing upwards, we found it very difficult to balance on those slippery steep tracks. Going downwards put immense pressure on the shin bone and dorsum of the foot. While returning, we met a family from Allahabad, they asked about us, and praised us for doing the pilgrimage so religiously in spite of belonging to a different religion. We met the bifurcation near the Sheetal Nala, and then we walked through the same route from which we went upwards in the morning. The sky was gradually getting covered with clouds again and we were praying that we don’t get stuck in the forest due to rain.

We reached the base of the hill in Madhuban at 5:45 pm, gave our canes to a small kid, who asked us for the same (they actually resell the same canes everyday), and ate Litti-Chokha-we have been searching for it for the last 2 days ! By that time, the rain started pouring, and we waited for 45 minutes in that small Litti shop. At 6:30 pm, we went to the hotel room, took a bath and rested for an hour.

After eating a lot for dinner from the Marwadi restaurant, we went to sleep with our excessively tired bodies.

Day 4 :

I woke up at around 6 o’clock, and got ready to visit BhomiyaJi Temple (BhomiyaJi is the protector deity of Parasnath Hill) and a few other Jain Temples nearby. My two friends were excessively tired and had denied to accompany me, so I went there alone.
All the temples were made of marble, and serene. Many temples are still under construction. There were numerous marble idols of Tirthankars, and some people were worshipping with their mouths covered (Jains cover their mouth during any ritual).

I visited the Aadinath Kanch Mandir also, opposite to the Jain Museum, which is a beautiful temple decorated with glasses and mirrors. After returning back to the hotel at around 8:30 am, we packed our bags and checked our from the room, and had our breakfast in the Bispanthi Uparaili Jain Dharmashala. I ate Poha and Balusai. We met the couple from Raipur there, again. Talked a bit about the trek of the previous day.

Then, we took an Omni van to Dumri. The driver was very docile and I talked a lot with him. He told me that he lives near the Parasnath Station, and the people of that region speaks Khortha (a dialect of Hindi). As we were heading towards Dumri, the Parasnath Hill was gradually going out of sight. From Dumri, we took an auto to Topchanchi Lake (ticket pp ₹40). Now, we were on the GT Road (which was visible from the Jal Mandir) and we were able to see the Parasnath Hill again. At around 11:30 am, we reached the entrance of Topchanchi Lake, and had to walk for 1 km from the GT Road to the lake with our tightly packed bags. It was cumbersome. The lake was beautiful, and then we realised why had the Bengali actor Uttam Kumar bought 15 acres of land to build a film city there ! It’s a lake which is made of 10 rivers, which flow through the Parasnath Hills and drain here. It was built in 1924 by the British government to curb the problem of drought at that time. Uttam Kumar used to consider this place very fortunate for his career, as his hit Bengali film “Agni Pariksha” was shot here.

There’s a gated dam, which regulates the water level, and the lake is surrounded by a 9 kms long road. We went to a certain distance and returned back to the shed where we had kept our bags. It was a very humid and hot day, so we couldn’t enjoy to the fullest.

Then, we went to the Shaan-e-Punjab Hotel, which is a famous hotel of that route. Luckily we got a table in the AC hall there, and ate hurriedly, as it was already 2:15 pm, and our train was at 4:20 pm. We left the hotel at 3:15 pm and started walking. We had been told by everyone, whoever we had asked about the mode of transport from that hotel to Dhanbad, that there are regular buses and autos, and we can easily get any one of those. But, we didn’t get any, and had to walk for 1 km upto Topchanchi More. We got an auto at 3:30 pm, and that auto-driver told us that it would take 1 hour to reach to Dhanbad bus stand (which is 31 kms away), and our Black Diamond was at 4:20 pm ! So, we had no other option than praying. When it was 4 pm, we requested him to take us to the station, and we made a deal for ₹300. But, still we could reach the station at 4:25 pm, and our train had departed by that time. There was no train to Barddhaman before 10:30 pm, so we decided to go by bus. It was raining heavily that day, which was adding up to our problems. We went outside the station, and found one bus to Durgapur (ticket pp ₹150). We waited there for an hour, and then the bus arrived from Hazaribag. It was the most thrilling (?) experience of our whole trip. We were expecting to reach Durgapur at 8:30 pm, and there would be no bus to Barddhaman, neither the local buses, nor the SBSTC ones. We were confused whether we would reach Barddhaman that night or not. Finally, we found one train (Mokamah-Howrah fast passenger) to Barddhaman on the app, which would reach Barddhaman at 11:30 pm, and we had no other option left other than that. We reached Durgapur Bus Stand at 8:35 pm, took an auto to the station (price ₹100).
We reached the station at 9 o’clock, and bought the tickets (ticket pp ₹40). The train was crowded, but luckily we got to sit. This train takes two hours to cover a distance of 67 kms !! Finally we reached Barddhaman Jn. at 11:30 pm.
In this way, our short trip ended.

The Bong vagabond…

Welcome to my world !

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter.

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