Are You in Lucknow? Again?? – Part 3

Now that you’ve read about my Day One & Day Two in Lucknow, you can read a detailed account of my 3^rd day.

Today was the highlight of my trip to Lucknow. I was slated to attend the Mahindra Sanatkada Lucknow Festival (MSLF). My friend D was showcasing her silver jewelry brand, Daayita, & I was there to support her morally.

Aap Lucknow Mein? – III

The Festival was to begin at 11 AM but I, being an early riser, was already up & about by 9. I thus chose to spend some time at Dilkusha Kothi, another of those lesser known attractions that my cabbie did not know about.

Dilkusha Kothi

Dilkusha Kothi is in the cantonment area. Its entrance was wrongly pinned on Google Maps. It took me a couple of turns & finally asking a local before I could get to the gate. The gate too was chained & I had to ask again if entry was allowed.

Aap Lucknow Mein? – III

Anyway, Dilkusha Kothi was another stunner that I am glad I got to visit. Magnificent is an inadequate term for it. It is historically important as it was destroyed during the First War of Independence.

Interestingly, Dilkusha Kothi was built by a British even though it was a hunting lodge for the Nawab. This explains its Baroque style, rather than an Indo – Islamic style. As with most other heritage structures in Lucknow, this too is constructed with lime mortar & Lakhauri bricks.

There is also a mansion adjacent to the Dilkusha Kothi, built in an Indo-European style. Both the buildings are set amidst lush gardens. Despite being a ruin, it still has a regal air. The Archeological Survey of India have restored it.

Aap Lucknow Mein? – III

I was moved by its sight, for the events that took place here reminded me of the travails that our ancestors had faced.

Mahindra Sanatkada Lucknow Festival

I still had some time to kill before I could make my way to MSLF. The internet showed me Buttercup Bungalow (six minutes away) would be open for a cup of coffee but when I got there, I came to know that it had moved to Gomti Nagar.

Aap Lucknow Mein? – III

I whiled away a few more minutes clicking pictures of the kitschy interiors of Cappuccino Blast & finally headed to MSLF which takes place at the Safed Baradari (3 kms from Cappuccino Blast).

Safed Baradari

The Safed Baradari has a Mughal architecture & is given out for public gatherings. It was initially constructed to be used as an Imambara. It was used for meetings during the First War of Indian Independence.

Aap Lucknow Mein? – III

In the main hall of the Safed Baradari, I saw two statues – of Maharaja Mansingh & Digvijay Singh of Balrampur. Several movies have been shot here. The heritage structure does exude an old – world grandeur.

The Festival

MSLF is held not just at the Safed Baradari but also at another historical monument called Salempur House. I find it difficult to not stop whenever I pass in front of history! Always the stories are more & the time, less. Always!

Aap Lucknow Mein? – III

The theme of the 2023 MSLF was Raqs-o-Mausiqi. The Awadhi dance & music traditions are explored in depth through the festival. Awadh is the land of Thumri & Khayal, of Kathak, and of Sozkhwani & Marsiyakhwani!

In the MSLF, there are indigenous musical & dance performances as well as an experiential exhibition on the theme. It also has heritage walks to explore the unknown facets of Lucknow. I had signed up for a walk the next day & was quite excited for it.

MSLF also has craft stalls, a food festival, talks, films, & workshops. 100+ artisans & weavers display their crafts.

Aap Lucknow Mein? – III

A Festival Within a Festival

I was fortunate to attend the Home Cooked Food Festival where Lucknow’s hidden culinary treasures became exposed – pulao, aloo – gosht, mustard fish, dhaage wale kabab… Toothsome!

This food festival is an annual outing for the home chefs of Lucknow. The number of participating chefs has increased over the years. In fact, participating here is considered an honor. While I love Awadhi cuisine available in the restaurants, I found the home – cooked fare splendid!

Aap Lucknow Mein? – III

Nafasat & nazakat – on point!!

It was crazy to see the queue to buy tokens for food at the Home Cooked Food Festival. D had warned me about it, but I was still taken aback. It was only thanks to the regulars that I managed to get a token!

I saw a couple of live performances. It was heartening to see cultural admirers come together as a community. I also saw an equal space being given to the LGBTQ+ community. By the end of the day, I was exhausted but also exuberant that I got to participate in the cultural & heritage celebration of Lucknow.

Aap Lucknow Mein? – III

The MSLF takes place in February every year. I encourage all my readers to explore this gala! There is something for everybody here!

A Quick Halt at The Shrinathji Mandir

On our Jaipur to Udaipur stretch of the Rajasthan road trip, Nathdwara (351 KMS from Jaipur) turned out to be an impromptu halt. On a whim, we turned inside from the highway to bow our heads to Shrinathji (a form of Lord Krishna). We write the key points from our visit here.

1 But First – What’s Unique About The Temple?

Shrinathji Temple is known as Haveli (mansion) of Shrinathji. The haveli itself is fortified & was the Mewar royalty’s palace at one point of time. Interestingly, the haveli has amenities/ rooms for different purposes – chariot, betel storeroom, flower storeroom, jewelry chamber, horse stable, gold & silver grinding wheel etc.

statue of belief, nathdwara, rajasthan, india — Statue of Belief under construction

Shrinathji is not seen as a God but as the Lord of the Mansion. So, the form of worship is unusual – service to the living image. The Lord is attended with daily functions like bathing, meals etc. Moreover, as He is a form of Lord Krishna as a child, special care is taken. (Shrinathji has a nap time, play time etc.)

Now, as Shrinathji is a living image, He can be met (seen) only a finite number of times a day. Thus, devotees & visitors can do the darshan only eight times a day when His aarti & shringar (dressing up & beautifying) take place. The darshan timings, according to the official website, are:

*Aarti*	Timings
Mangal Aarti	5:15 am to 6:00 am
Shringar Aarti	7:15 am to 7:45 am
Gwal Aarti	9:15 am to 9:30 am
Rajbhog Aarti	11:15 am to 12:05 pm
Uthapan Aarti	3:30 pm to 3:45 pm
Bhog Aarti	4:45 pm to 5:00 pm
Sandhya Aarti	5:15 pm to 6:00 pm
Shayan	6:50 pm to 7:30 pm

1.1 We Recommend –

Plan to spend a night at Nathdwara. The different darshans have different meanings. Try to see more than one.
If you cannot spend a night, time your visit appropriately. It would be heartbreaking to reach all the way here only to find out that you cannot see the Lord.
As mentioned above, there are multiple parts in the haveli. Try to see them all.

Photography outside the temple as it is prohibited inside!

2 Finding The Temple

Once we turned in from the highway, we kept going around in circles trying to find the temple. GPS was of no help. We must have maneuvered through multiple narrow alleys before a kind traffic policeman advised us to ditch the car & run as it was almost time for the Shayan, our last chance to see Shrinathji.

Unfortunately, there was no parking in sight. We did not want to leave our vehicle on the road either. Finally, another kind soul told us the way to a gaushala (cow shelter). There was space to park & a shortcut through the gaushala to the temple, though uphill.

2.1 We Recommend –

If you are staying at Nathdwara, take local transport to the temple.
If you are just visiting, there is a parking lot on the highway itself. Park your vehicle there & use public transport to get to the temple.
If, like us, you are lost in the lanes, ask locals. Do not rely on GPS.

Running up the incline to be in time for Shayan!

3 Darshan

We literally ran up the incline to be just in time for the last darshan of the day. Like mentioned above, the idol of Shrinathji is open for public viewing only eight times a day. As we did not have a plan to stay in Nathdwara, we had to make it to the last viewing.

Luckily, we reached in time, even after depositing our cameras, phones, shoes & wallets at the storeroom. People were still scattered around.

The curtains were drawn within a few minutes. It seems the entire place came alive as soon as that happened. The crowd thronged towards the viewing queue, separate for men & women. We did not have to make any effort to move forward; the crowd carried us along! 😀

The darshan time is small as all the devotees need to be accommodated in the 45-minute window. So, do not expect to get a leisurely time to pray. And, do not even think of getting distracted, as it could be a blink-and-you-miss-it situation. 😊

The atmosphere was emotionally charged with devotees getting overwhelmed. We believe people from far & wide come to catch a glimpse of the Lord.

3.1 We Recommend –

Keep time available for the security checks & for depositing your belongings.
Photography is prohibited inside the temple. Leave your camera behind.
Keep your balance in the crowd. You would not want to fall down & be trampled upon, would you?
Keep your eyes focused to see the Shrinathji idol. It is a small time-frame. Do not get distracted.
It is, after all, a crowded place. Keep your wits about you. Do not hesitate to ask for help if you feel the need.

4 Getting Out

Outside the temple, there are scores of small shops selling idols & photographs of Shrinathji as well as material for worship. We bought a few memorabilia & had cups of tea.

We then used the earlier route & climbed down the incline towards our vehicle. It was now that we realized we were essentially walking between houses. At one spot, we saw the sun going down. At another, we came across a group of men huddled around a fire, right under a sign that read – “Do not idle around”! 😀

(As we clicked the signboard, the men began to laugh. We turned out, grinned & clicked them as well. Nothing breaks barriers as humor does. Do not leave your sense of humor behind when you go sightseeing!)

We made our way back to the highway & started towards Udaipur. Just then, we spotted a large Shiva statue, under construction, by the highway. A little googling told us it is called Statue of Belief. It was expected to complete in August 2019. We, unfortunately, do not have an update if it is open to public now. But, once it is, it will be worth visiting as it will be the second tallest statue in India.

HAVE YOU VISITED NATHDWARA?

Let's Go Sightseeing!

Tag: statue

Aap Lucknow Mein? – III

Are You in Lucknow? Again?? – Part 3

Dilkusha Kothi