6.30 am, reveille. 7.00 am, tea and typing in the garden. That's the way the day began. Nalini decided to order breakfast via the intercom, and gave very precise instructions to the only person manning the reception - the security guard. No prizes for guessing the outcome. The Burji became an omelette, plain paratha transformed into aloo paratha and the poha for one seemed like a gargantuan portion. And so, the morning began with post-Divali fireworks, aimed at the hapless chef. Although he promised to set things right immediately, madam was on a roll. That was my exit cue, and I decided to complete my spell of writing and make reparations with the staff later.
After breakfast, we hit the Sirpur tourist trail. This tiny town has over 20 odd excavation sites, and there are more popping up like mushrooms. Buddhist viharas and temples dedicated to deities like Shiva, Lakshman, Ram, and many others in the Hindu Pantheon. The three most prominent ones are dedicated to Buddha, Shiva and Lakshman. Without going into details, suffice to say that each one of them is unique, be it from an architectural perspective, intricacy of carvings or sheer scale of construction.
TheBuddhist vihara had carvings of scenes from the Jataka tales on the door lintel. The Shiva temple had a 4.5 foot high stone statue of Shiva and the Lakshman temple, was the only completely restored temple in the town. This sightseeing can get to be quite exhausting, and hence the body craves for constant refuelling. One round of samosas, onion pattys and hot tea was all it took to get us back on the road again. Considering the snack was devoured by the roadside, I don't know if we even left the road at all.
Where there is piety, there will be commerce. The town has a 250 sq m excavated market place, complete with an underground granary, wells, Buddhist Vihara, underground sewage system and broad roads. The market also had interlocking stores, the precursor of the department store, way back in the 7th century. All this, set around a giant Banyan tree.
What astounded me was the sheer size of the market and its planning. Our town planners and administrators could learn a thing or two from their 7th Century cousins.
Lunch was at a 'way out' resort called 'Muba's Machan'. Located 15 km from town, on the very fringe of the Banawara Tiger Reserve, the resort has accommodation on stilt houses or 'machans'. Well equipped and furnished with mod -cons, these 'machans' are the perfect getaway for families and lovers alike. While the resort does not encourage 'drop in' customers, they made a special exception in our case. Lunch consisted simple vegetarian fare, cooked to perfection, with a view of the forest in the distance. After a relaxing lunch, we cruised back into town.
Our first halt was the Lakshman temple and the museum behind it. The museum
has some wonderful stone artefacts which cannot be identified, as the stainless steel labels are smudged beyond recognition. Then, there are sections with bulb holders, but no bulbs. The star attraction is undoubtedly a beautiful shivling with a four headed shiva, set in a perfectly shaped 'yonipith' set in the centre of the exhibition shed.
The museum manager had the misfortune of being on the premises,sipping tea along with some cronies, outside the museum shed. He received a polite tongue lashing for the labels and a sharp barb for the missing bulbs. Hopefully one will go 'ding' in his head and I shall see a vastly improved museum on my next visit, whenever that may be.
The last stop on the tourist trail was a temple 'Surang Tilla' , a fortified temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva. The strangest thing about the temple are the steps. The first few rows are angled towards the temple in the centre, but are at an angle to the ground on the sides. It's as though someone has pushed the two side walls of the steps, forcing them to be angled upwards at the extremes, for lack of space. This makes it difficult to climb up, but almost impossible to come down from, unless you are a mountain goat. The residing deity is Lord Shiva, accompanied by Ganesh and a few buxom enchantresses.
Tired of hotel food, we decided to eat at the Bhojanalay at the cross roads. The owner had made simple home-cooked meal for us, which we devoured in a matter of minutes. ...
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