Ep-10 Khajuraho Sightseeing, Raneh falls, Matangeshwar Mahadev temple - 18 feet height Shivling

Ep-10 Khajuraho Sightseeing, Raneh falls, Matangeshwar Mahadev temple - 18 feet height Shivling

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Namaskar friends! Welcome to Visa2explore. This is your host, Harish Bali. As of now, we are coming out of the Western Group of Temples in Khajuraho. Normally, we show our full day's journey in one episode. But this time, we've split today into two episodes because...

... otherwise it would've been too lengthy. Ghanshyam ji is with us. He accompanied us on this temple tour. ASI-supervised monuments open at sun rise and close at sun set.

So, we've learned that you can try to start your visit early during the day. So that you get the whole day for sightseeing. So, after touring the temple with us, I've requested Ghanshyam ji... ...to spend the rest of the day with us as well. For lunch, we're headed towards Badri Vishal? Badri Seth! Badri Seth.

Marwari Bhojanalaya (Eatery serving Marwari cuisine). We're going to Badri Seth Marwari Bhojanalaya. After that, we'll go to the Raneh Waterfall.

Then, we are planning to return here to go to the Raja Cafe, for dinner, if time allows. Yes Sir. So, it will be lunch, waterfall, and dinner! Back to back.

This restaurant operates out of a basement. Take a look at the seating space here. Half the tables are occupied while half are unoccupied. The time is 2.45 pm right now. He has told me this is a famous restaurant here and tourists visit it in good numbers. See, I've ordered Special Thali for myself.

You can look at my Thali to see what I've got here. This is Kofta curry, then kadhi, this is cabbage. Then there is Dal, Aloo-Matar, Gulab Jamun.

This is paneer (cottage cheese) Sir. This is paneer? And this one is Marwari Thali. It has Choorma, Kadhi, Dal, Bharta and, this is? It is made with besan (chickpea flour).

'Gatte'? Gatte. This is called Marwari Thali, right? They serve Bati (roasted bread) with it. Oh nice! Let us begin now. Ahh! Fantastic! Today, after a long time, I am feeling like I am eating food similar to that in Delhi.

It is spicy at the level similar to the food cooked around Delhi. Ever since I've been travelling in the Bundelkhand region, I've noticed.... ...that the food here is light on spices. But this is the first restaurant, which is serving such spicy food. Yes Sir. May be because of the tourists. This Dal is very good. Simple in taste!

Aloo-Matar is okay. I found Dal to Lbe tastier. Let us taste the Paneer Butter Masala as well. Nice! Nice! Let us now finish this lunch and then we'll join you again in a short while.

There is a lake right in front of the Badri Seth restaurant. Does it have a name? It is Shiv Sagar Lake, a holy water body in Khajuraho. Alright! There are lots of lotus flowers in the lake. Yes, absolutely Sir. During winters, the lotus flower doesn't bloom as much. But during summer season, the lake's surface gets covered with lotus flowers.

Really! Yes, during the monsoon and summer seasons. Ramesh Bhai is a guide. The guide charges are Rs 125, and these are included in the ticket we bought. So, Ghanshyam ji, this is the system here. You get a guide for company?

The fees of the guide is included within the ticket cost. Naturally, it is a good practice. This practice ensures employment as well as localized information to tourists. Yes Sir! It is a good thing. Oh Wow, amazing! The water looks fierce falling down from there. In the front is the smaller waterfall. Its height is 30 m.

Another fall is located in the middle of the river, which is 60 m in height. Which river is that? This is Ken river. The one that passes through the tiger reserve? Its ancient name is 'Karnavati.' Its English name is Ken. This river originates 125 KM from here, in the Vindhyachal Mountain range. It starts in the Kutni district in M.P. and joins Yamuna river eventually.

That happens at the Chilla Ghat in the Banda district. Where does all this water come from? Right now, it is coming from the dam. This river has two dams upstream. So, the water has been stopped at those dams right now.

Therefore, the level of water is reduced. Right now, it is the water that has overflown from the dam. Really! That is great to know. During July-August, with abundant water, this whole mountainside..... ...has waterfalls flowing down till there. There is a whole line of waterfalls!! Yes Sir. There are so many waterfalls here that it becomes difficult to count.

Really! The name 'Raneh Falls' is itself inspired from the rainy season. Is this rock structure made from volcano? Yes Sir. All of this is made from a volcano. You can see different coloured rocks - red, black & yellow - these are igneous rocks.

This whole area was formed millions of years ago, following a volcanic eruption. You will find waterfalls everywhere in India, some much bigger than the ones here. But you won't find this kind of rock formation anywhere else in India.

Tell me one thing, I am looking at the waterfall from a distance. But can we go up to the waterfall? Sir there isn't a way to reach the waterfall as of now. But the authorities have sanctioned construction of a ropeway till there. You can reach there through the ropeway.

That will be constructed in the future? Yes Sir. Earlier, it was allowed to go down there for swimming, picnic, etc. But due to a number of accidents, going down there has been prohibited now. Good thing! Safety first! Yes. There is another viewpoint in the distance? Yes Sir. We will go there and see the volcano crater and multicoloured rocks. Very good! All of this is granite stone. It is particularly also known as 'Bundelkhand Granite.'

Granite is present in the whole belt in this region. If you go a little further, to Panna district. In some areas in Panna, you'll also find sandstone,.... ....also used in the building of Khajuraho temples. So good! This scenery is beautiful. I'm trying to imagine the time when you'd be able to cross over using a ropeway.

That would mean a really different experience for the tourists. Although the view from this point is also good. But I'm also trying to imagine how it would feel to reach that side.

There is one thing that I'm able to take away from this visit. This whole mountain area has originated from a volcano. And this area is also home to some of the rarest minerals. Exactly Sir! So, this is the reason you're saying that there is no other waterfall like this one? Nowhere Sir. Do you see the water flowing below? Yes! This used to be the volcano crater from where the eruption came out. From here? Yes Sir! The water here is about 60 m deep.

Really! Yes, but this volcano is dead now since it is millions of years old. According to the geologists who visited here and took back rock samples... ...for carbon dating, have proved that the volcano is millions of years old. Alright.

This black coloured stone is hardened lava. The lava came up the crater, cooled down, and turned to stone. This one is the Basalt rock. The one in the front? Yes Sir, that is Basalt and this pink coloured rock is granite. In the front? Yes! And the one behind it, slightly yellow in colour, is Dolomite. Which one is Dolomite? Do you see the light yellow coloured stone in the back? That is Dolomite.

What is it used for? Sir, it is used in the making of detergent powder. Besides, it also contains about 5-10% iron as well. I really wish that we were able to show you an aerial view of this place. That would've been really exciting. But we don't have the permission to shoot aerially in this area. Where will we go next? Now we are going towards the 3rd view point.

Alright! We'll see the canyon now. Come then. Ohho! Finally we got to see this Fall. Yes Sir, this Fall is visible from the 3rd point. At 60 m height, it is the largest waterfall here but from here, it isn't fully visible. So, it is visible as much as we are able to see it from here? Yes Sir. But once the water level rises, it is visible a little more from the other side.

Really! The water is falling through these two big boulders. How far will it go through this narrow canyon? This narrow canyon path continues for the next 5 KM. Really! Yes! This canyon is 5 KM long. After 5 KM this stream turns into a flat river.

So, this canyon lasts till 5 KM? Yes Sir. That is a long distance. Yes, it is.

On a very serious note... If you come to Khajuraho and don't visit Raneh Falls, you'll miss a huge thing! I mean I didn't realize it earlier. Normally, I read up on the place that I'm going to visit next. But I hadn't read anything about this place.

It was just 2-3 people who had suggested I should visit here. I'd assumed that it would be just like any other Fall but it is much more than that. Yes Sir. Now we are going towards the Nature Trail and after that, we'll visit Ghadiyal Point. We can even walk up to that point.

But that'll take longer, so we're going in our car. Nature Trail is 1 KM away and Ghadiyal (alligator) Point is 5 KM ahead from there. The Nature Trail was actually made for walking purpose. You can do nature walks here on this 1 KM-long path.

You can see a variety of flora and fauna along this trail. More of flora and less of fauna because... ...of this wall, which keeps most of the animals out. We've reached a different point now.

Yes Sir. This is natural beauty visible from here. This looks like the Ghost Tree! Yes, it is Ghost Tree.

It glows at night. Yes, it does. Does it glow on every night or only on a full moon night? It glows more on a full moon night. But that has its own logic behind it.

There is no real ghost in this tree. But once its leaves fall down completely, then it shines during moonlight. Earlier, we also heard that whenever a child used to cry at night.... ...mothers used to scare their kids by asking them to stop crying.... ...or the ghost will come because this tree is visible from a long distance. This is why we know this tree a the Ghost tree! Shall we go to Ghadiyal Point now? How far is it? 5 KM? Yes Sir, it is 5 KM from here. And one can walk up to that as well.

No Sir, it isn't allowed to go there on foot. You can walk from the waterfall to this Nature Trail point. But not upto the Ghadiyal Point. One needs to go in a car? Yes! Where will we actually see the Ghadiyal? These shall be visible in the river. You'll be able to see these in the Ken river. But I think there won't be much of a chance to spot them since it is evening.

We are more likely to spot Ghadiyal in the morning than at this time of the year. During mornings, they come out of the river for sun bath. With the sunset now, there are meagre chances of spotting the animal. Oh Wow! Is this a part of the canyon? Yes Sir, it is a part of the canyon. But this is where the canyon ends.

The water was flowing at a speed back there. But here, it seems to be calm. This water looks still because it is deep here. But it is flowing still. And this is where the Ghadiyals are also found. So, if someone visits here between 11 am and 12 pm... ..it would be easier to spot a ghadiyal? Yes, Sir, it is common but only during winter season because they come out...

...for sun bath. But during summer season, they prefer to spend most of their time in water. Ramesh Bhai Thank You! You're welcome Sir. We spent a lovely time with you. We will drop you right where we picked you from. Sure! You and I should now go to the Western Group of Temples. I've talked to someone at my homestay about dinner.

But I lost my connection with him. I will try again. If that happens, we'll have dinner at our homestay. It would be nice if you could join us for dinner there. Great! And if we aren't able to connect, then dinner would be at the Raja Cafe. That is our programme for the rest of the day.

From here, the return journey would take, what, approximately 45 minutes? Yes Sir! Or it could take us an hour as well. Half an hour or 40 minutes. 40-45 minutes! Yes! So 22 minutes it would take to leave the forest area and then 15 minutes more. This journey is 27 KM long? Yes Sir! We've reached back from where we had begun our journey this morning.

We have the Western Group of Temples on our right. But nothing is visible due to the dark. Nevertheless, streets are a little dark because of less lighting. This morning, we'd thought we would have dinner at Raja Cafe, which is an old joint.

But we managed to connect with our homestay an hour ago. We've informed them and the homestay is just 2-3 KM from here. So, we can eat here sometime in the future. But this cafe is famous! Yes Sir, it is a quite famous cafe. So, let us do one thing.

You had told me about the Matangeshwar Mahadev Mandir here with a huge shivling. Yes Sir! Where is it? The aarti (evening prayer) is also going on. We are going there right now. Come, let's go. First and foremost Sir, Lord Ganesh.

Jai Shri Matangeshwar Mahadev! Yes Sir! This is an ancient temple! This is one of the oldest temples. It was originally built during the 8th and 9th centuries. The rest of the temple complex, with sculptures, was built later on. Those temples are known for their sculptures but this temple is... ...famous for its religious significance. The worship ceremony here has been going on for ages in this temple. The worship ceremony takes place in no other temple.

As per Hindu scriptures, we don't worship idols that are desecrated in any way. Since idols in all those temples are desecrated, no worship is done in those. This is the only temple where pooja ceremony takes place. What is the height of this Shivling? This Shivling is 9 feet above the ground and 9 feet into the ground. It is 18 feet tall.

The invaders like Aurangzeb and Muhammad Ghazni couldn't desecrate it. They have eventually regretted their action and even accepted it in historical records. There are also two inscriptions written here behind this Trishul (trident). The invaders have accepted their mistake and called this Shivling a divine presence. And thereafter, they returned from here along with their armies.

It felt good to visit Matangeshwar Mahadev Temple. Yes Sir! As Pandit ji (temple priest) told us, this temple belongs to 8th-9th century. Yes Sir! That makes it very ancient. Absolutely Sir. And I've read here that this is the highest Shivling in North India.

Yes Sir! 9 feet above and 9 feet below the ground. Very good! You must visit this temple whenever you come to Khajuraho. You will enjoy this visit. So Ghanshyam ji lives quite far and he would like to leave for home now. Otherwise, you will get late.

Yes Sir. That would be better. So, we are now going back to our homestay to have dinner. We spent a wonderful time with you today. God-willing, we shall meet again soon. Sure Sir.

And special thanks to you Sir for letting me accompany you. We enjoyed today's journey because you have a deep knowledge of things. And during the day, you've also indicated your yearning for knowledge.

That is an important quality because there is no end to learning. It feels good to understand and interact in order to learn more about our country. Now let us leave because the place we are going to is 3 KM away. Alright! Yes Sir! You can take that road to go to the homestay. Done. Thanks for telling us that. Thank you! Thanks for being with me Sir.

Thank you so much! Okay bye! We've reached the Mini homestay after travelling for about a KM from Khajuraho. This place is known as the 'Lalguan Road'. Lalguan is basically a village. We've met Lallan Khan ji here. Since when have you been running this homestay here? For the past four years. Alright! So, you are a part of the M.P. Tourism project?

Yes, the same project. Oh, very nice! We received his reference this afternoon. We wanted to explore local food and we were told to connect with him. He serves local cuisine.

Absolutely Sir. Earlier, I worked as a cook with M.P. Tourism. Alright! I was there for 11 years and later, another officer took me to a guest house....

...where I worked for another 30 years before retiring. So nice! Is this your home? Sir! Let's go. How many rooms do you have? We have 4 rooms Sir. Alright. Alright. Good! What is the tariff here?

It is between Rs 500 - 600. Alright. You charge Rs 600 for two persons, with breakfast included.

Yes Sir. What to do Sir! We understand that this is a reasonable amount to charge. This is very reasonable.

Okay, good! You've done an exceptional job by cooking such elaborate meal at a short notice. This chutney is made with amla (Indian Gooseberry). This is the roti! Nice! If you had contacted me earlier Sir, I would have arranged for a traditional meal. That is a traditional roti (flatbread) ingredient? Yes. And there is another variety, Vasara, which is also used in dishes.

Vasara! Yes, Vasara. That is also used to make roti and it tastes delicious! What? Its curry tastes delicious! Alright! It tastes sour because of buttermilk in it. Does it contain shredded coconut too? Yes, a little coconut to enhance the taste.

See Maheri is a new flavour for me. I don't remember having eaten this dish ever before. I'm eating it for the first time. I am enjoying the taste.

Eating a new dish doesn't click immediately but... ...you understand its taste gradually. You are right. Now, as I eat it, I am realizing I will like it more going further. Yes Sir! Now I will eat rest of Maheri after this.

This paratha made with Chana dal is delicious too. If someone asks me about top three parathas that I like.... ..I would say aloo (potato) paratha, mooli (radish) paratha and Chana Dal paratha. It feels like eating at your own home. But I won't get this item at my home! Maheri.

Very good! I will mention his details in the video description. If you want to explore local food in Khajuraho, you can connect with him. Right? Many thanks to you! Now, I am going to finish this food. This is where we end our today's episode. Tomorrow, we'll have to leave early, at around 4.30 am. We will visit Bhimkund in the morning.

Then Dubela Museum. Then, we'll visit Shri Pitambari Peeth in Datiya. And, thereafter, we have a 3.40 pm train to catch.

That is why we are thinking of leaving at 4.30 am tomorrow. Its difficult but we'll have to try because if we won't,... ...then we'll have to drop a destination. Okay anyways, today's episode ends here.

Let me say bye-bye to you now. We will meet again soon. Tomorrow's journey will be shown in the next episode. Thanks for your time.

2023-02-16 07:24

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