Odisha Diaries - End Of An Incredible Trip!
After having breakfast at the hotel, we checked out. We had hired a cab for half-day sightseeing at Konark and then to be dropped off at a hotel in BBSR.
I felt bittersweet as we left Puri. I kept hoping for a glimpse of the temple or better yet, Patitapaban Jagannath. Unfortunately, the vehicle took another route and I had to say goodbye to both without seeing them.
I had already read that the road connecting Konark to Puri is scenic. It was a beautiful drive along the coast-line and I enjoyed every minute of the drive.
Our first halt was at Chandrabagha beach which is a pristine sea-face. We spent some time there listening to the music of the waves, watching them ebb and flow in a mesmerising rhythm and enjoying the strong yet pleasing breeze.
We had a funny moment here. My husband and I were taking a selfie with the waves as the background. I believe that we were standing at a safe distance from the waves. Even as we were busy taking selfies, a sneaky wave ebbed up to the shore where we were standing and completely drenched our feet. My shoes that were yet to dry after the last day's rains were drenched again.
As we laughed heartily, I was painfully reminded of all my trysts with the sea and the beach. I used to (and still) love the beach, to watch the waves and to listen to their calming song. My husband and I soaked up as much of the sea's aura as was possible for us, being two beach-deprived Hyderabadis.
Our next stop was the Konark sun temple. It had gotten very hot by then and there was too much of a crowd. We decided to see the temple only from the outside and instead we went to the museum showcasing the history of the temple and displaying stunning relics and sculptures from the past era.
Once we left Konark, we decided to visit the Lingraj temple. Midway it started raining. Not a drizzle, but huge drops of rain pelting the car. The driver could hardly see ahead.
By this time we were feeling hungry too. The driver stopped beside a restaurant named Kalinga which had a very humbling look. Still it was pure vegetarian and we stepped inside not expecting much.
Only, we had one of the most delicious meals of our lives there. Again, pure veg meant meals without onion/garlic. The meals were hot and delicious. The staff were extremely courteous, polite and friendly.
I have to mention this that in all the restaurants that we went to in Puri, Konark and BBSR, not only were the meals excellent, but the staff's behavior was warm and cordial. We had wonderful experiences at the restaurants here.
Once we finished our lunch, it again started raining very heavily. We decided to check-in into our hotel and postponed Lingraj temple for the evening.
At around 4.30, we booked a cab for the temple. Of course, it started raining the moment we stepped outside the hotel.
I have to mention about the cab driver here. He first exchanged pleasantries with us and casually started asking about our stay and our itinerary plan for BBSR. It was evident that he was hoping to be booked for sightseeing. We told him that we would be leaving BBSR early the next morning. He fell silent thereafter. I thought he was probably disappointed at having lost a potential tourist customer.
When we reached the temple, without being asked, he started guiding us as to where we can book a cab for the return ride and how far was the pick-up point from the temple. No disappointments, no expectations - just another person we met in Odisha who helped us without asking and reminded us yet again that Jagannath lives in every person here.
We submitted our umbrellas, mobiles and footwear at a counter before entering the temple. And we stepped into a world that felt both timeless and ancient. Lingraj temple is every architecture-lover's fantasy come true. Its magnificent spire is a testament to the sheer will power of humans and their ability to craft timeless pieces.
The highlight of the temple was a large and majestic deity of Lord Ganesha carved in black stone. We were blessed to get His darshan on the eve of Chaturthi.
We roamed around the premises of the temple and saw many small shrines inside, most of them dedicated to a form of Lord Shiva.
I was delighted to see a shrine of Jagannath here. The deity was tall and beautiful. A priest was sitting outside and called me out to take Jagannath's prasad. By now, my belief in the priests here had become quite cynical and I didn't stop by the shrine.
I regretted it for a while. But Jagannath probably wanted to assure me that it's okay, for something happened later, something incredible!
By the time we came out of the temple, dark had descended around. We checked the time and were shocked. It wasn't even 6 yet! Realising that we still had a lot of time left, we decided to visit ISKCON BBSR.
The drive from Lingraj temple to ISCKON took around half-n-hour and gave us a brief and tantalising glimpse of the city. I especially loved the roads - broad, clean, smooth and well-lit, they are a treat for people who like to drive.
Melodious notes of 'Hare Krishna Hare Rama' resonated inside the temple as we reached there. We climbed the stairs leading to the sanctum of the temple and saw the deities attired in the resplendent beauty that has become typical of ISKCON deities.
There were three inner sanctums - one for Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Nithyananda, one for Radha and Krishna and - wait for it - the last one for Balabhadra, Subhadra and Jagannath! All my earlier regret vanished as I eagerly soaked in the beautiful vision of Jagannath decked in splendid and eye-catching attire.
Then we visited the canteen of ISKCON where we tasted several delicacies, all courtesy of the blessings of the deities of the temple.
The restaurant where we went for dinner later on was as good as all the other restaurants we visited, and the meals as tasty as ever. I believe that every meal here is a Bhog for Jagannath, and every person, His reflection.
We returned to our hotel, already feeling sad about the end of our stay here.
There is something that needs to be mentioned about my return journey to Hyderabad from Ranchi.
We had boarded a flight from Ranchi and the day on which we boarded was the same day that cyclone Murasu was supposed to reach Hyderabad. I had already started stalking Murasu and I had prepared myself for some turbulence while landing.
What I had not prepared for was a whole journey of turbulent moments and rocking and swaying. At one time the plane dipped, and along with it dipped my heart. It was in that moment that frustration caught up with me. I kept looking outside, silently fuming and panicking at the horrible experience I had had for both my onward and return journeys. The chanting was going on separately.
Just as I thought about why Jagannath would make me go through this experience again, I saw a huge cloud outside. I saw it for only a few seconds. But what I saw was unbelievable.
You know how some clouds have dark or light patches in them that give them peculiar shapes? Well, this cloud that I saw had two dark patches that looked suspiciously like eyes - eyes that I had been thinking about a lot since the past two days. Eyes that see everything and miss nothing. Eyes that are referred to as chaka-nayan.
I had a very brief glimpse of the cloud - just for a few seconds. I couldn't spare much thought to it for the plane wobbled dangerously just then and landed a few minutes later. I couldn't take a photo as I had switched off my mobile as per the landing protocol.
I believe that it was a sign from Jagannath - that He will always be watching over me.
I know the storms and cyclones will keep coming. But at some point, my prayer changed from 'Let there be no turbulence', to 'Please give me a steady heart to face the turbulence'.
And I realized that the Divine gives you what you want by creating situations for you that will give you what you need.
My Odisha Diaries end here. But my journey of faith has just begun.
Jai Jagannath!
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