I managed to get a lot of sightseeing in Lucknow and now it was time to travel to the next5 destination, that of Allahabad. It is a three-hour ride on Vande Bharata train, my go to mode of transportation as I travel across UP.

I have spent some time in this city when I was a toddler as my grandparents were working here in their younger days. So, I feel a kind of connection with Allahabad, I still remember the Hathi Park and the Lete Hanuman ka Mandir, as I used to visit these places when I was just a four-year-old kid. But I have memories from that far back into my life.

Lete Hanuman Ka Mandir and Bharadwaj Ashram 

So it’s as natural that the first place I visited as I set foot in Allahabad was the Lete Hanuman ji ka Mandir. 

I managed to get some laddoos that I offered to the lord and then later eat all the laddoo’s. But it was a holy experience seeing the Hanuman Temple as it brought old memories back to me.

The next stop was The Bhardwaj Assam which is in the Colonial Gang area of Prayag Raj. This temple is dedicated and built by the great sage Bharadwaj. There is also a workshop near the temple where painters and artisans make mud statues of goddess Durga and kali.

Did manage to create  colourful pictures which captured the spirituality of the place.

Subhash Chandra Bose was a freedom fighter loved by Indians and especially the people of Bengal, he was the chief architect of the Azad Hind Fauj and was involved with the Indian Freedom struggle. He was very active during World War two and even tried to raise an army that would fight and free India. He was the one with the legendary motto “You give me blood and I will give you freedom.”

Netaji’s death is shrouded in mystery and has been matter of debate discussion over the years. Many conspiracy theories have been floated for decades how he died and weather he was still alive. The official story was that the died in a plane crash when he set off for a journey to Tokyo Japan and that his plane crashed near Taipei, where he died in local hospitals form burns, he meets when the plane crashed. He was doused with plane fuel and as he got out of the plane his clothes caught fire, he was taken to the hospital but died of his wounds, He was also cremated there and his ashes sent to a temple in Tokyo.

Gumnami Baba

The lovers and followers of Beta ji say he did not die in their plane crash and came back to India where he lived as hermit a baba in the city of Ayodhya and his name was Gumnami Baba.

I along with a friend finally tracked down the tomb and grave of this mystical baba who has an uncanny resemblance with Netaji they look like long lost twins that’s how much their faces resemble.

There has been a popular Bengali film called Gumnami that explores this baba theory and other throes that refute that Netaji died in the plane crash. There are some who say that he was captured by the Russians and was tortured in concentration camps. It is said that he even attends Gandhi’s funeral.

Gumnami Baba it is said came from Nepal and lived in an ashram Ram Bhavan in Faizabad where he died in 1985. It is said that after his death many notes’ photographs, books and important maps were discovered that connect him to Netaji and many of his escapades. They are also important letters form important diplomats that were unearthed when Gumnami Baba died. His followers however called Gumnami Baba, Bhagwan ji that was how he was called. But after his death many people visit his tomb due to the theory that he was indeed the legendary freedom fighter Subhash Chandra Bose.

It was Nizamuddin, who was Netaji’s driver cum bodyguard who had first said that the great man survived the plane cash and has been living as a sage in Ayodhya, that is how the local media got a wind of all this.

There was however a report in the local newspaper Jan Morcha that Gumnami Baba was not Netaji in disguise but K D Upadhya the man who disappeared after murdering Pandit Braham Dev.

I managed to click myself right at the spot where Gumnami Baba’s tomb stands. Enjoy the pictures

The tomb of Sadat Ali Khan was built by his son to honour his father as the Nawab and Wazir von Awadh. The tomb is a classic blend of Islamic and estates architecture. It also has the tomb of Sadat’s wife Khursheed Zadi. The Nawab was the fifth Nawab of Awadh, and his tomb is very close to Begum Hazrat Mahal Park which was a monument built to honour the 1857 mutiny. The Nawab ruled Awadh from 1794 to 1814 AD. He is also credited to building Quasar Bagh and Dilkusha.

The Tomb of Sadat Ali Khan 

His father was Shuja Ud Dual-a, and he was of Persian origin. In 1801 the east India company did a testy with him in which he had to hand over half of his kingdom and much water to the company and in return the British would offer him their army support and give him protection from other rulers and invaders.

The great Nawab died in 1814 and was buried alongside his beloved wife Khursheed Zadi. The tombs are large and surrounded by lush green gardens.

The tombs look wonderful behind and orange red sky with eagles and birds flying in the sky just above the minarets and domes of the tombs. The entry fees to go up right to the balcony of the tombs is Rs 50. Till then enjoy the pictures.

Chikankari was bought to Lucknow by the Mughals and this art was introduced by Our Jahan the queen of the emperor Shah Jahan. The art form of this type of embroidery flourished since the 16th century under the patronage of the kings and the elites.

The references to Indian Chicken work are there since the third century BC. The word chicken comes from the Persian word Chikeen or Chikin which is a name for embroidered fabric.

Exploring Chikankari in Lucknow 

The Lucknow Chowk is the perfect place to buy this type of embroidered fabric, there are many shops selling salwar kameez and Kurta made with Chikankarai. I paged to visit the chowk and ventured into a shop selling these beautiful clothes. It was called Aman Chicken and the owner showed be the exotic fabric and Laos told me how it’s as made and how intricate the embroidery was.

When visiting Lucknow, one must see how Chikankari works and how the fabrics are made. Till then enjoy the pictures of my visit.

Chikankari is a major industry in Lucknow. White thread is used to do the embroidery on fabrics like cotton, silk, Muslim, viscose and chanderi. Intricate patterns and effects are created with thread that brings the fabric to life. Even basic block printing is used to create block prints on fabric.

I got a full tutorial form the shopkeeper of Aman Chikankari and I enjoyed the experience immensely.

Kanak Bhawan is a very famous temple in Ram Jana Bhoomi in Ayodhya. Its towards northeast of Ramkot. The palace was gifted by Kaikeyi to Ram after he married Sita. The palace was built by Vikramaditya. The inner sanctum of the temple carries the idols of Ram and Sita.

Sita Ki Rasoi

Sita ki rasoi is not a royal kitchen but a temple it is believed that Sita cooked food for five sages here and the utensils that she used for cooking were kept here in this temple. The temple also has the idols of all the brothers Ram, Laxman, Bharat and Shatrughan along with their wives Sita, Urmila, Mandvi and Sukriti.

Valmiki Bhawan is a religious temple built in the memory of the great sage Valmiki who was the author of Ramayana, he was the saint who wrote the scared book. All the twenty-four thousand shlokas of the Ramayana are inscribed inside the temple.

There are idols of Luv and Kush the sons of Rama along with the sculpture of the great sage Valmiki. The walls of the temple are made of marble, and it has been erected on twelve central pillars.

Valmiki Bhawan 

Regular recitals of Ramayana take place here keeping the story relevant and alive through the passage of time.

The construction work on the temple was started by a trust of mahant’s in 1965 and it it took ten years to build the entire structure. The grand shooks from the scared book and story and etched on the marble walls of this great temple.

Everyday thousands of pilgrim’s throngs to this temple to hear the recital of Ramayana. The temple is open from 6;00 am to 11:00 am and from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

My Ayodhya leg was over, and we decided to move to Lucknow. It was best to take the Vande Bharat Express back to Lucknow. This was a pleasant experience I have been enjoying train rides after a long time and I like the new train system the trains are modern and very comfortable. The journey back to Lucknow was of about two hours.

This time I decided to stay in another hotel, and we duly found one near suburb area for two thousand a night. I was keen to see some ancient buildings where Mujara’s took place, and which was a heritage building. The auto driver took us straight to Safed Baradari this is a large marble building which some wonderful interior which have some great acoustics. This was a place where the Nawab’s and the kings used to have their musical concerts, and the courtesans would dance for the kings and the nobles. It was a place of music poetry painting and culture. The interiors are marvels, especially the colorful glass used on the windows and doors of the palace, the chandeliers are opulent and large and there are balconies all around on the top where people could sit and watch the performances. This was a place of high-class culture. I could see a large painting of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah which was beautiful and very eye catching.

The Legend of Safed Baradari

The floor area of the building is large, and its walls are well decorated with painted and colorful opaque glass, that makes the place very colorful as sunlight seeps through the doors and windows. There is a large state of Maharaja Man Singh which is a must see. There are large lamps and Jhoomer’s that adorn every corner of the Baradari. There is also a white marble statue of Digvijay Singh of Balarampur.

I did manage to strike a conversation with the local care takers who told me that now the Tawaif’s have disappeared and no Mujra’s take place in the building and that the Baradari is now sued as a marriage hall, where weddings take place. “You need to check the library next to the park, one can get many books Tehri that talk of the Tawaifs and their dance.” A caretaker advised me when I quizzed him about the history of the place.

Initially Baradari was built by Nawab Wajid Ali Shah as a place of mourning. It was used as an Imam Bara to mourn the martyrs of Karbala. After the annexation of Awadh the building was used by the British to hold court and for the kings to listen to the grievances of petitioners. The building is now under the British India Association of Awadh.

The icing on the cake was a visit to the Ram Janam Bhoomi Tirth, this was the very place that the Babri Masjid was once built and then finally erased and reduced to rubble by kar sevaks. The place has been disputed but finally the BJP government has inaugurated the Ram Janam Bhoomi temple here and this was the highlight of my tour. We had to leave our shoes and bags behind along with our mobile phone. Then there was a long walk which took us inside the temple. The security is tight here and one can see police all over the place.

Sri Ram Janam Bhomi Tirth

I managed rot grab a bite to eat a crunchy bread Pakoda before we walked in for the prayer at this grand temple. The first thing that hist you are the sheer size of the place, in fact there is a lot of temple construction work still going on, it is said that to complete the entire temple would take six more years.

The temple was opened to the public on the 22nd of January 2024. It is believed that this was the actual birthplace of lord Rama and has been a scared place for the Hindu’s. On the day of its opening the temple saw over half a million devotees’ throng to it. Since then, it has had a steady flow of hundred to hundred and fifty devotees daily.

Hanuman Garhi is the most famous Hanuman temple in Ayodhya City. The temple was built in the 10th century and is very ancient. This temple has the most exquisite statue of Hanuman and devotees from all walks of life come to pray to the monkey lord Hanuman. One has to climb 76 steps to reach the inner sanctum of the temple. There is heavy security and police surveillance in and around the temple, one has to go through metal detectors to reach the idol. There are many large brass bells that adorn the temple. There are many sweet shops selling Ladoo’s which is bought by many as Prasad and like everyone I also picked up a box of Peda to offer to the lord Hanuman.

I also got my forehead painted with orange and red tika with the words Rama inscribed on my forehead. There is always a huge crowd, and one has to jostle through the throng of devotees, but the visit is worth it.

Hanuman Garhi Mandir

The temple walls are adorned with old photographs of past Mahant’s and priests who had run the temple and done daily prayers and performed Pooja at the temple. I did manage to get a glimpse of the fabulous statue of lord Hanuman, but it was only for a fleeting moment due to a huge rush we did not get as much time to admire the idol of the monkey god but I still managed to get a few pictures. The afternoon heat however was getting to me, I was sweating like hell and almost all my t shirt was drenched and wet.

The best part was that I managed to get myself photographed with the current Poojari and mahout of the temple and that as fun. The temple is open from 5:00 am to 10:00 pm for visitors. One should wear red and orange colors when one visits the temple as these are the colors of lord Hanuman. The Temple also has an idol of a toddler hanuman sitting on the lap of his mother Anjali.

There are over 8000 temples and math’s in Ayodhya, but this temple stands out due to its idol and scale.

We were up early we had to catch the 11:00 am Vande Bharat train form Lucknow Station to Ayodhya Cant. The aether in Lucknow had been cool and had rained on most days so the air was pleasant and cool on most afternoon. That made travelling around the city more fun and less tiring. But now It was time to explore Ayodhya the birthplace of Lord Rama and the city where the Babri Masjid was grazed to the ground. It is city where the new Ayodhya Ram mandir was unveiled by the new BJP government and that was the temple I most wanted to see. The train journey was very comfortable it’s as a nee train full ac with cushion seats and a goof fresh lunch was served to us as well. It’s as good a train service as one gets in Europe, I enjoyed the journey and was busy reading comic I had picked up from the book stall at the railway station.

The train journey was two hours long and soon we were at Ayodhya, we had decided to take up a simple hotel near the Ram Temple. The hotel was basic but most accommodation is basic here. Ayodhya is a small city but an ancient one, it is full of temples and remind me more of Haridwar. After taking some erst we decided to venture out and do some temple hopping. Our first stop was the ancient Sri Hanumat Bhawan, it is very old and many Hindus devotes come to pray here.

Next Stop was the Laxman Ghat, which was next to the Sarayu Nadi, which is a pious river for the people of Ayodhya, there is another temple called Ayodhya Dham here where I keenly watched a saint perform Pooja rituals and recite the verses of the Ramayana through a microphone. I walked across the riverbed which had many boats tied to its shores. Wooden boats are used to ferry tourists back and forth the great Sarayu. The boots had scared saffron flags with images of lord Ram and Hanuman painted on them, their sheer tied to the mast heads of the boats. They’re here huge wall paintings depicting images form the great epic Ramayana. I did not have the patience for a boat ride but instead watched the monkeys jumping from tree to tree eating bananas. The city is full of Monkeys and why not it was the monkeys who helped Rama vanquish the demon, Ravan. These animals are worshipped here, you can see monkeys prancing around many of the temples of Ayodhya looking for food. No one minds and most people enjoy feeding them it is like offering Prasad to hanuman.

Ayodhya

The best way to get about the city is by using the electric rickshaw, it is cheap and the most effective way to travel through the city to see all its sacred temples. The electric rickshaws are everywhere, and they are new, which emends the government has helped to make the transportation easier and safe for religious travelers.

Ayodhya by contrast to Lucknow was very hot, especially in the afternoons, my shirt would get wet with sweat, by the evening. It is advisable to have a lot of water as the city is quite hot and it can be de hydrating.

We also managed to see the Lata Mangeshkar Chowk which is a central part of Ayodhya. It was built in the honour of the great female singer the Nightingale of India Lata Ji.

There is a huge sculpture of a Veena, a musical instrument built to honour the famous singer along with a plague. One can just meander around the many by lanes or even sit on a bench to enjoy the sunset. In the evening the heat recedes a bit. Naturally we were hungry by all the wanderings and decided to die at the Robot restaurant, where the food is served by a AI robot to all the customers. I quite enjoyed the experience, never had a robot serve dinner to me like this and it was a novel experience. Ayodhya is a smaller city and very ancient, it is like an expanded version of a village. People here are very simple and almost everyone lives on religious tourism.