Reflections on Puri
Reached Puri on a Tuesday morning. Well the previous night at Howrah station was anxious to note about the accommodation advantage i could be deprived of if the rush happened to be huge in Puri.One gentleman was kind enough to suggest the point of accommodation near Beach Road and added i could take his name as reference. Once in Puri station, the rickshaw i took and the man riding it was candid enough to declare the rush was not in the roundabout of the temple as proceedings had shifted to Janakpur. With accommodation ensured the tea one could gain was from a cart next to a road. There would be ample occasions where carts either positioned 24X7 or placed during day and taken to a resting point during night which the residents and those visiting the town could come across. Most carts come with the leverage of snack point, laundry port and newspaper net primarily driven by the fact that a tea offering would be in the vicinity. Having gained glimpse of the Lord at Janakpur (starting from Jagannath temple on Grand Road to Janakpur) the first day, the ride back to lodge came with a rider that rickshaw could not go all the way to the main Jagannath temple. This led the rickshawman lose sight of the actual direction to the lodge and there were too many twists and turns before lodge could be located.
Wednesday again saw me take another round of Janakpur followed by a walk in the evening. In between in the vicinity of Mochi Shahi Road a cyber cafe next to a food joint came handy on different occasions.
A walk in the evening towards beach road led me to one Vishwa Das who dealt with frame pictures of the Lord. Hoping that i would be able to interact the next day, i left and took coffee from a cart next to Puri hotel. The search late in the evening for fruits could not yield much as the beach road brims with traffic and tribulations coming after. On a Thursday morning the train ticket for Dhauli Express followed by a rickshaw ride in search of Vishwa Das could not yield much as the place from which he ran his temporary shed saw another man selling his wares and any query about Vishwa Das had fewer and fewer response. A search for toast proved fruitful with the one from Sai Chandan Residency and the restaurant run by it dishing a fare that was really good.
Other reflections on Puri
- Hanuman Mandir on the turn to beach road is one that has a perfect location and tranquility
- Maa Kali Mistanna Bhandar has good collection of curd and sweets. Curd served in earthern pots come for 30rs; two cups were sufficient enough to keep the circulation in legs.
- Beach road could well be positioned in a way where traffic during day hours should be denied. Vehicles during day time should not be allowed to ply as the pollution that the area embraces is unwelcome. Respite from pollution can happen by closing the road for vehicles during day time; rickshaws could be easy mode of transport.
- While waiting for ticket at Puri station on Thursday i was told that return rath yatra would begin that day and idols won't be placed inside the Jagannath temple before Friday night. This was corroborated by the fact that when i took accommodation in Kolkata, the TV channel covering the return rath yatra proceedings showed the rath outside the Jagannath Temple on Friday evening.
As for laundry, there are carts along road that cater to this service or houses doing the same during limited hours. One near the Sangram Club is handy; the distance from a lodge in Dola Mandap Sahi could be a dampener.
Reaching Howrah
A little before 8.30pm reached howrah, with an urgency to take accommodation. A call from landline from Howrah station revealed i could take a room in City Heart in Chittaranjan Avenue. The room was on the fifth floor with the surety that it came with attached bath. FRiday morning the first thing i tried was to seek ticket for Mumbai. During three days i was in Kolkata, the search for sada dahi could not yield much as mishti doi is all that the city has to offer. There are points where sada dahi is available but they are few.
Reached Puri on a Tuesday morning. Well the previous night at Howrah station was anxious to note about the accommodation advantage i could be deprived of if the rush happened to be huge in Puri.One gentleman was kind enough to suggest the point of accommodation near Beach Road and added i could take his name as reference. Once in Puri station, the rickshaw i took and the man riding it was candid enough to declare the rush was not in the roundabout of the temple as proceedings had shifted to Janakpur. With accommodation ensured the tea one could gain was from a cart next to a road. There would be ample occasions where carts either positioned 24X7 or placed during day and taken to a resting point during night which the residents and those visiting the town could come across. Most carts come with the leverage of snack point, laundry port and newspaper net primarily driven by the fact that a tea offering would be in the vicinity. Having gained glimpse of the Lord at Janakpur (starting from Jagannath temple on Grand Road to Janakpur) the first day, the ride back to lodge came with a rider that rickshaw could not go all the way to the main Jagannath temple. This led the rickshawman lose sight of the actual direction to the lodge and there were too many twists and turns before lodge could be located.
Wednesday again saw me take another round of Janakpur followed by a walk in the evening. In between in the vicinity of Mochi Shahi Road a cyber cafe next to a food joint came handy on different occasions.
A walk in the evening towards beach road led me to one Vishwa Das who dealt with frame pictures of the Lord. Hoping that i would be able to interact the next day, i left and took coffee from a cart next to Puri hotel. The search late in the evening for fruits could not yield much as the beach road brims with traffic and tribulations coming after. On a Thursday morning the train ticket for Dhauli Express followed by a rickshaw ride in search of Vishwa Das could not yield much as the place from which he ran his temporary shed saw another man selling his wares and any query about Vishwa Das had fewer and fewer response. A search for toast proved fruitful with the one from Sai Chandan Residency and the restaurant run by it dishing a fare that was really good.
Other reflections on Puri
- Hanuman Mandir on the turn to beach road is one that has a perfect location and tranquility
- Maa Kali Mistanna Bhandar has good collection of curd and sweets. Curd served in earthern pots come for 30rs; two cups were sufficient enough to keep the circulation in legs.
- Beach road could well be positioned in a way where traffic during day hours should be denied. Vehicles during day time should not be allowed to ply as the pollution that the area embraces is unwelcome. Respite from pollution can happen by closing the road for vehicles during day time; rickshaws could be easy mode of transport.
- While waiting for ticket at Puri station on Thursday i was told that return rath yatra would begin that day and idols won't be placed inside the Jagannath temple before Friday night. This was corroborated by the fact that when i took accommodation in Kolkata, the TV channel covering the return rath yatra proceedings showed the rath outside the Jagannath Temple on Friday evening.
As for laundry, there are carts along road that cater to this service or houses doing the same during limited hours. One near the Sangram Club is handy; the distance from a lodge in Dola Mandap Sahi could be a dampener.
Reaching Howrah
A little before 8.30pm reached howrah, with an urgency to take accommodation. A call from landline from Howrah station revealed i could take a room in City Heart in Chittaranjan Avenue. The room was on the fifth floor with the surety that it came with attached bath. FRiday morning the first thing i tried was to seek ticket for Mumbai. During three days i was in Kolkata, the search for sada dahi could not yield much as mishti doi is all that the city has to offer. There are points where sada dahi is available but they are few.
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