19th to 28th September during my pooja holidays I was at Pune. As I got ready for the day, my periyamma would ask- Innikki enga digvijayam ? 😊
I was adamant, on traveling all alone this trip, yet self-doubt began to gnaw away my confidence at times. Nevertheless I got my tickets and set out with very minimum planning.
Thanks to whatsapp, I promised to keep my family and friends periodically informed about my safety with a lot of pictures for evidence. With Vatsan, away for the past 3 months, I have been enjoying my solitude greatly and wanted to extend it to a back pack pilgrimage tour. So I am here now to share my wonderful experience of traveling alone.
Pillayar being my ishta deivam, I started my pilgrimage tour with siddhi vinayak of Mumbai. On the express highway after a beautiful 2 hours drive through the ghats, I reached Chembur from Pune, to spend a day and a half with my sister and her daughter. Siddhi vinayak darshan during rain is a bliss, with very few devotees in the temple and no pushing pulling crowd. After lots of prasad laddoos; hot thalipeet and solkadi from a nearby restaurant , we noticed it was starting to rain heavily.
I experienced Mumbai rains for the first time. Hats off to the local people's attitude towards life. I have great regard for their bindass" ways and helping tendencies.
We were caught in the rain with no taxis, hence took the public transport and as we got down from the bus at chembur, rickshaws were full, and it was raining very heavily. We
Could see the roads filling up and getting flooded. There were huge pipes for draining, and from the outlet water gushed out in high speed into the canals. Our umbrellas were turning upside down like a kadai for making curries. We were completely drenched. A car stopped by to ask if we wanted to go to Chembur...We got in thanking our stars and the couple seated in front of us. As we got dropped just outside our apartment, the Samaritan said- araam se... araam se". That's Mumbai ! !
My Mumbai trip is never complete without visiting Tata textiles. Though I procured few textile materials, I had a gratifying 1 hour looking around, along with my niece .
Back to Pune, Pune Darshan was a wonderful experience in PMPT bus. Along with me were a beautiful couple from Dehradoon. Both were retired teachers from central school and the wave length was perfect. They had no whatsapp. But the uncle took my number to send all the pictures he clicked, from his daughters mobile. Their daughter is an army officer, she was so happy that her parents had a good time in my company. I visited Shanivaar wada, Raja dinakaran museum and many other places of interest.
Aghakhan palace is where Kasturba and Gandhijee's
secretary Mr.Desai breathed their last. There are a lot of pictures and articles that Sarojini naidu, Mahatmaji and others used, as they interned here for 2 years.
Lunch time , and I had misal pav, sabudana vada, and tasted kichdi from some friends who were fasting for Navaratri. Even hotels serve upavas/ fasting dishes here.
Ashtavinayak on Chaturuthi and Kolhapur Mahalakshmi on panchami was my next plan.
So far this trip has been very dear to my heart and truly one of a kind. It made me talk less and listen more. It was in many ways different from the many that I have done in groups.
Mahalakshmi of Kolhapur visits her sister Tomla devi on panchami day the 5th day of navarathri.. The streets are decorated with rangolis, she mounts her golden palanquin as people crowd to see her off.
I was reminded of the time I spent with my sister in Mumbai, sans the golden palanquin. 😊
There is this tradition of taking one single coconut to all the 8 ashtavinayak temples, keeping it on all the deities feet and bringing it back home to consume as prasad. My Maharashtrian guide uncle told me not to make chutney with it like the Madrasees usually do. 😊 I was told that I must only make a sweet, that too must try to use ghud from kolhapur.
At Kolhapur I got the famous kolhapur gud from three lovely Bhosle ladies. Deepa Bhosles husband is a farmer. They have been living there for generation. Their great grandparents had served the Maratha prince.
They gave me mirchi thecha ( chilli pickle) from their kitchen. I had some murukku seedai to share with them. They served bhajji, cha ( tea) and kolhapuri bhadang ( spicy puffed rice ) I also took OT at their homes which is their thamboolam, These ladies took me around, showed me Bhavani temple, Panch ganga river, helped me have several mukh darshan of Mahalakshmi in that heavy crowd, shopped for huge Perus ( guavas) Tushi ( marathi jewellery). By then Deepa Bhosle's husband arrived, took me in for Mahalakshmi darshan. She was mounting an elephant in a beautiful blue saree decked in gold jewellery.
My day was made. What a divine sight that was. Prosperity can be experienced in every inch of this temple town.
All these happened even before I could understand that I was going around with three women who were strangers.... Just because on the way to the temple I happened to ask them, Mahalakshmi mandir kese jana hai? That's the kind of hospitality you get here. They are Kshatriyas from the shavu maharaj dynasty. This prince was known for his kind heartedness and people of Kolhapur loved him.
The next day, back in Pune I embarked on visiting Pataleshwar temple osho ashram Lakshmi road for shopping. I also got into Aghakhan palace for a second time.
I know why it rains in Maharashtra and why there is more prosperity here. I started this pilgrimage to be able to stay alone and get introspective, and I have understood that people matter more, no matter what, where and how you are.
What we give them what we receive from them matters a lot. At last we want love from everything that's around us. The nature should love us, the gods and goddesses should shower their blessings on us....We want it all. But what we give is what comes back to us. 😊
Now over to the Ashtavinayak coconut prasad and it's opos recipe-
Make a ground paste of coconut scrapings, some milk , almonds, cashew, elaichi powder and roasted amaranth. Mix in 2 cups of milk.
Pressure-cooker (opos) the above for 4 whistles in a big cooker. Mix in the liquefied ghud. Enjoy with family and friends.
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