Dehradun and Mussourie

Dehradun  

This was my second trip to Dehradun and Mussourie. And though most of my trips are not planned, this trip was extremely unplanned. If I have to rate my unplanned trips, I would rate this trip on the top. It was decided an hour before, we booked the ticket in a private bus as it was the only option left at last hour and then headed to Dehradun. Delhi was boiling hot at that time and Dehradun was definitely cooler. Lying in the foothills of Himalyas, Dehradun is a great escape from Delhi, especially in summers.

The main agenda of this trip was to beat the heat and have good time with friends. The plan was to have no plan. So, we stayed at my dear friend’s place in Doon University. Morning was spent lazing around in her peaceful home, hailing from a small city, I felt as if I am at home. I sat in balcony and sipped my tea. I enjoyed greenery of forest, sound of bird’s chirping and felt cool, refreshing and relaxing breeze. After enjoying the lazy morning and a small nap, we headed to the Robert Cave. Popularly known as Guchhipani or Guchu Pani, it is one of the well-known places of Dehradun.

Located in the outskirts of the city, Guchu Pani is a must visit place to beat the heat. We parked our car and walked a kilometre inside to reach the actual sight. Basically, it is a water stream flowing amidst the hills. We held each other’s hand and got into the water. Though the water was hardly till our knee it was very cold. This was the first time I was trekking in water flowing through rock. Somewhere water was deep and somewhere it was shallow. It was a walk through the water and hence simply refreshing.  After the tiresome walk we ate Maggie and tea and relaxed our cold feet.

 Mussourie

First Visit

Like most colonial hill stations, Mussoorie has its Mall Road and that was our first destination. We walked all the way to the end, enjoying the scenery censored with buildings, electric posts and hotels. It was very misty that day and it made the place look even more beautiful. It was a beautiful weather and we enjoyed it to the fullest.  This was my first visit to any hill station of North and I went complete crazy for the place.

And then we moved to a ride to rope way to Gun Hill to further enjoy the view from top. The Ropeway distance is only 400 metres, but still it was fun. Gun Hill offers a beautiful panoramic view of the Himalayan ranges namely Bunderpunch, Srikantha, Pithwara and Gangotri group etc. and a bird's eye view of Mussoorie town and Doon Valley. It is said that it is named Gun Hill because during pre-independence time, a gun mounted on this top used to be fired indicating mid-day to enable people to adjust their watches. There is a small market on the hill with small food outlets there. We relaxed, enjoyed the view and ate maggie and tea there.

After enjoying the Gun Hill we returned to the Mall Road in Mussoorie to shop for some local handicrafts and artefacts. The Mall Road has number of shops and showrooms offering everything from gift items to clothes, hand-made gifts and antiques.

This was my visit in 2007, and I wanted to stay there forever but unfortunately had to come back. But when I left the place I promised that I will visit this place again.

Second visit

I visited the queen of hills again in 2014, with a group of friends. Though this time I did not go to Mall Road and Rope way, we definitely enjoyed our trip. This time we went directly to Kempty Falls. We went to upper part of the falls where there were fewer tourists.  In fact when we went there, the fall was empty. Though the fall was not very huge it was good enough to enjoy. The first time I put my feet in the water I realised it was chilling like ice, but gradually I went in the fall. It was more of a group adventure. We trekked nearer to the water fall with each other’s help and managed to do photo session also. Though it was the month of May, the water was freezing cold, but then also we enjoyed our session there.  After the fun-filled session at the waterfall we felt too tiered and headed to the local food outlet and had lunch. Since it was Sunday, the hill station was swamped with visitors and could not go to any other place and headed directly to Dehradun.

SOME FACTS

• The name of this hill station is taken from the word ‘Mansoor’ which is a shrub available in abundance here. And this is why even today many people call it Mansoori instead of Mussourie.
• The 100 years old church which is the oldest in Himalyas the Christ Church, is in Mussourie. It is said that in the churchyard there is a deodar tree planted by Mary, Princess of Wales.
• The first Tibetan school was established in Mussoorie in 1960.
• Place Lal Tibba is the highest point in Mussoorie with an enormous height of 2,290 metres (7,510 ft).
• Do not forget to enjoy the maggie and tea of the local outlet
• Do not forget to visit the Tibetan market which has some good collection of winter wears
• And if you are fond of getting clicked, then adorn the traditional dress of mountains and get clicked by the photographer just beside the church.

HOW TO REACH DEHRADUN

By Air: The nearest airport is Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun, approximately 54 kilometres from Mussourie.

By Train: Multiple trains run from all major cities. 

By Road: It is well-connected with all the major cities. From Delhi it will take you 8 to 9 hours to reach Dehradun.

Mussourie is just 30 minutes drive from Dehradun

With good road connectivity, you can travel by private car also-

• Delhi- 8 hours (247 kilometres)
• Jaipur- 12 hours (526 kilometres)
• Agra- 10 hours (432 kilometres)
• Chandigarh- 4 hours (180 kilometres)

The Fatehpur Sikri

The Fatehpur Sikri

The Fatehpur Sikri was established by great mughal emperor Akbar in 16^th century. It was a tribute to renowned sufi saint, Sheikh Salim Chishti. It is said that Akbar walked barefooted from Agra to Fatehpur Sikri seeking the heir for the Mughal Empire and Salim Chisti predicted a male heir. And the prediction of the saint came true and Akbar was blessed with a son. Akbar named his son 'Salim' after the Sufi saint.

It is located at 40 kilometres from Agra. The credit of visiting the city goes to my father who was very keen on visiting the city. And though I was not much interested in visiting this city after the exhausting Agra trip a day before, I loved the city. We headed to Fatehpur Sikri Fort complex which is dotted by several architectural marvels soon after our breakfast.

Though our guide gave a lot of information but only few seemed true. The first place we saw was Diwan-e-aam, the hall of public audience that was used for public meetings and celebrations; its construction is very much similar to Diwan-e-aam of Red Fort of Delhi. Then we headed to Diwan-e-khas, the hall that was used for private meetings, there is a beautifully carved pillar in the centre of this hall. One very interesting thing in front of the Diwan-e-khas, is a life-size board for a game of Pacchisi (a precursor to Ludo), where human figures were used as the pieces and were moved by the direction of its players. What royalty and grandness the Mughals lived their life in.

Then we headed to the three small structures. Our guide said that since Emperor Akbar had three favourite wives, one of whom was Hindu, one Muslim and one Christian, he built one palace in name of each of his wives. Though I have never read this version of story in any of the Mughal books I have read.

Panch Mahal, whose photo is shown in the tourist book’s pages is a five storeyed building a place for recreation and relaxation for the royal family. The structure has been so designed that each story is pillared and is smaller than the other as you move upwards. Though now it is not allowed to climb up this structure. While no less than 84 columns support the ground floor, the uppermost domed floor has only 4 columns. The whole structure is only pillared without any enclosed wall and hence very airy. It is said that it was styled to give relief from the scorching summers of Agra and never used for residential purpose.

The Turkish Sultana’s House is one of the most ornamented buildings of this complex. Each and Every inch of this building is beautifully carved and designed. Though there is not much story about who Turkish Sultana was, but our guide said she was one of the wives of Akbar. It is a small structure surrounded by a verandah, but designed very intricately.

Just adjacent to the Turkish Sultana’s House is Anup Talao. This is actually a pool with a raised platform built by red sandstone and surrounded by stone jalis in its centre. There are four paths from four directions that connect this raised platform to the sides of the pool. Our guide has one more story to say about this pool, don’t know how much it is true. But according to our guide- this pool was once filled with coins and ornaments during the Mughal Era and when the rays of sun falls on this pool it created a visual treat. Today, despite being a part of world heritage the water in the pool is dirty and no one can enter the raised platform in the centre of the pool.

Then there is Jama Masjid and Sheikh Salim Chisti’s Tomb. The Jama Masjid is a beautiful and grand masjid. There are two entrances for this masjid, one is from Buland Darwaza, through which we entered and other one is through The King’s Gate (Badshahi Darwaja). It is said that Bulund Darwaza is said be raised in 1602 AD to celebrate Akbar’s victory over Gujarat. We entered through Buland Darwaza. 

The Sheikh Salim Chisti’s Tomb is one of the most revered Sufi shrines of India. People from all religions come here to seek blessings and it is believed that their wished will be granted. And though all the other structure of this complex is made of red stone, the tomb is made of white marble. It is enclosed by beautiful marble jalis where people tie thread and ask for the blessings of the Sufi saint. This tomb is very serene and beautiful.

Fatehpur Sikri remained the capital of Mughal Empire during the era of Akbar for 14 years. But then due to the acute water shortage in the region, it was abandoned by Mughals. 

The Taj Mahal & Agra Fort

Agra

Amidst the hustle and bustle of the busy city, lies one of the most visited and photographed monument of the world. Yes, I am talking about none other than the Taj Mahal. The symbol of love, Taj Mahal is located in the historical city of Agra that lies just 200 km from Delhi. And though I have visited there twice, I will visit the city again (and then I will post better pics). I always knew Agra was a centre of power during the time of Mughal rule, after reading a book recently on Mughals I realized a lot of politics and power revolved around Agra and hence this post.

The 197 km Delhi- Agra expressway is a smooth and easiest way to reach Agra from Delhi. In 2 hours we reached Agra and that too was a comfortable and pleasurable drive with two halts in between. Though most of the times I prefer a journey from train, this expressway is recommendable for a road journey.

Our first destination in Agra was Agra Fort. Personally I felt the magnificent Agra fort is quite underrated. I loved the fort more than Delhi’s Red fort. This architectural beauty was built by Akbar between 1565 and 1574, who chose Agra as his capital. Built of red-sandstone fort, on the bank of the Yamuna River it is spread in 2.5 kilometers. This fort houses number structures and masjids. There is a city within a city in this fort. Diwan-Khas, Diwae-e-Aam, Moti Masjid, Nagina Masjid, Sheesha Mahal are some names that I remember. Most of them are made of red sandstone or marble, and has beautiful carvings on it. If you are fond of Mughal architecture like me then you are going to love this fort. There is serenity, calmness and most importantly the royalty in this fort, which makes it worth visiting.

Though there are versions of stories told by guide there, only few sounded real. So, I would suggest all the visitors not to trust the guides there. The only real story told by our guide was of Musamman Burj and Khas Mahal, the magnificent white-marble octagonal tower and palace where Shah Jahan was imprisoned for eight years until his death in 1666, and from where he could gaze out at the Taj Mahal, the tomb of his wife. When he died, Shah Jahan’s body was taken from here by boat to the Taj. The now closed Mina Masjid, set back slightly from the eastern edge, was his private mosque. This version of story is believable as I have read this in two of the books on Mughals.

The fort is huge and it will take half of your day if you want to visit this fort properly. Moreover, you have to be rough and tough to visit this fort as it requires too much f walking. I was quite tired after the visit, hence it took a break had lunch and then headed to The Taj Mahal.

The Taj Mahal is just 15 minutes from the Agra Fort. Do not get surprised by the entrance of the The Taj Mahal as you have to cross sloppy roads, lack of traffic management system and hoards of shops before entering this beautiful mausoleum.  But as soon as you will enter here you are bound to be lost in its beauty.

Built by Emperor Shah Jahan in the loving memory of his wife, Arjumand Bano better known Mumtaj Mahal, this is an epitome of love. It is said that it took over 20,000 skilled workers from across the country, working day and night, for 22 years for this architectural wonder to be created. Though with the passage of time and pollution the whiteness of the marble is reduced, still is a perfect example of grace, symmetry and beauty.

As I get nearer to the tomb my appreciation deepened; from a closer vantage point, the fact that the entire building is made out of white marble becomes more and more apparent and the way it’s intricately designed is simply spectacular.

The most interesting fact that our guide told us is about the four minarets. These four minarets are perfectly symmetrical to each other and they are constructed slightly outside the platform so that in case of natural calamity like earthquake the minarets will fall away from the tomb and there by leaving the main complex unaffected. Such was the farsightedness of the constructor.  

The walls of the tomb are beautifully carved with calligraphy and inlaid design of flowers.  I just sat at the e back side of the Taj Mahal where river Yamuna flows, and let the cool breeze refresh me from the day’s tiredness.  By this time the sun was already setting the whole ambience just let me forget that I was tiered. The whole feeling was simply rejuvenating.

To the west of the Taj Mahal is a Masjid built by Isa Muhammed and plays an important part in the overall design. It is made from red sandstone and very serene. The design of the floor of the mosque is in the shape of prayer mats. And to create a symmetrical effect, a guest house, which is of similar proportions and appearance to the mosque, was built to the east of the Taj Mahal tomb. The main difference in the guest house and Masjid is the interior of the Masjid that has Mihrab and Minbar. The Mihrab is a niche which indicates the direction of Mecca and the direction in which Muslims face to perform their prayers or salah. Circling the Mihrab are calligraphic inscriptions taken from Sura 91, The Sun, from the holy book of the Qur'an. Sitting by the Masjid near the Yamuna makes marveling the Taj a jaw-dropping experience.

Though I wanted to stay there longer, just wanted to relax and enjoy the cool breeze, the visiting time was getting over. So, with heavy heart and a determination that I will come here again I left the tomb.

Just to sum up the whole experience, there are few words of caution while visiting Agra.

• Be ready of the dirt and shoddy roads
• Beware of pickpockets
• The roadside sellers are very pushy and it is quite difficult to shake them off.
• Remember to always bargain and slash the price as low as possible, because the prices quoted have been inflated many times
• Do not give your valuables to guide