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Tight schedule at office and tough warnings from my parents and girlfriend were forcing me to maintain a low profile on the roads. Oil prices per barrel had already tumbled down way below the expectations of Goldman Sachs, but the bike was still guzzling down the same amount each month, largely accountable to city riding. The feel that a smooth highway gives you, wanting to be raided at an eye-watering speed and making the world go past in a blur, had fallen out of place. But just for the sake of riding, I hooked up with the BULLZzz to take a few small trips around the city, this time, based on a theme. The constraint remained that I had to come back in time to respond to my parent’s morning phone call in a made-up sleepy voice.
Shishupalgarh
Known to be an important center in the ancient Kalinga Empire, the excavations in the past have brought up a number of pillars and a small site. The place lies in the outskirts of the city, off Lewis road. Looking at the place in Wikimapia, I found the rectangular pattern quite interesting and thought it might be something worth watching. There was also a picture of pillars unearthed at the site. An immediate trip was planned on a weekday itself and most of the guys were ready to head out, given the small distance.
The next morning, we met up at CSPur and joined Soumya on the way. He led the way, as had raided this fort (or what remains of it) earlier during the monsoons, but had landed up in mud. The Cuttack-Puri road leads to the place, which was a few hundred meters off the main road. I had already hit a large number of potholes in the dark and waited for the sun to shine in. Reaching the place, we didn’t realize we had already passed the rectangular area I had seen on the map. The glacis (raised mounds of soil) around the place were what formed the feature. Going further in, we took a dirt road at a sign put by the Archaeological Survey of India and ended up near a mound, where a structure was partially unearthed. A small naala lay to the other side. Later, I found that it was the remains of a gate to the fort. Although dejected about not finding the pillars, the cool breeze at the top of the mound made us wanna go back to sleep there itself. What disappointed us most was that people had built houses inside of the ancient structure and construction was still going on is some places. The government should have been more proactive in stopping the encroachers. I went ahead to scout for the group, trying to locate a path, but none was there.
Moving back on the road, we stopped to ask around in hope of locating the columns. After the place was pointed out by a person out on morning walk, we hurried off in the direction. Going off the road again, this time inside fields that bore signs of agriculture done there in the past. Finally, Yati da located the pillars standing in a distance and drove as near as we could to them. After a small trek, we were near to the leftovers of a golden saga. The pillars were distanced equally and stood out like strangers in the barren fields. Constructions were going on at some distance from the columns; thankfully, the people were sensible enough for that. After marveling at the solidity of the pillars, we lay in wait for the sunrise to capture some nice shots. The clouds hid the sun for a long time, and by the time it was up, nothing was there to captureL. Dejected, we returned to our rooms to catch a wink before the mad rush to office gates. The place definitely represented the strength of the Toshali that had existed ages ago form now, yet got withered by the sands of time.
The Twin Column of Pillars
Others in the background
Just checkout the massive sizes
Lids have a G2G
My pals
Another perspective
Me, wandering among the ruins (check the UGLY yellow house poaching on the ancient property)
Two little birdies sitting on a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G
Barabati Fort
The marvel of ancient times, now housed meekly in the hustle-bustle of Cuttack, was said to have contained nine floors. Yes, you read it right: nine. Built in the fourteenth century by the Ganga dynasty, the fort consisted of solid walls, entry gates and a moat all around the perimeter. Now, all you can find is the arched gateway, a huge mound yet to be unearthed and the pillars of buildings around the mound.
Having missed the fort due to a tight schedule on the earlier trips, I was determined to raid the fort on my crazy steed, along with other members of the group. It turned out that none except Pinak were free, so we went off on our own. Taking the shortcut through Nandan Kanan, Cuttack felt nearer. Once we entered the area of the fort, we could see more activity at six in the morning than in our city at ten. Kids and some adults were involved in sports activities in the park inside the fort. Parking out bikes, we went off into the enclosure and climbed to the top of the mound on stony steps. Once we were there, the view to either side of the mound was a recap of the history lessons at school. Compared to out earlier venture, this place was loaded with rows of pillars eaten away the forces of nature. The top of the mound had a structure of sandstone that looked like the top of the nine-storied structure history speaks of. The area around the mound had pits containing columns of the smaller buildings around the palace. The small enclosure was the reflection of a majestic past that is scattered around us as we eat and breathe each day. From the top of the mound, you can also see an old mosque built by a nawab during Aurangzeb’s regime. Baba Bokhari dargaah is another structure that lies adjacent to the palace ruins, near a small pond. Exhausted with the climb (and the new riding gear I was in), we sat down at the highest spot and enjoyed the view around us, before the sun started beating down on us. We got to the sharp face of the mound for another view, and then headed back to the bikes.
Next was hunger-time, so we headed to the nearby Barabati stadium and had a healthy dose of dahivada-aaloodum. Now that we were full, we rode a little into the city to find an old church that we saw from the Ring Road earlier. After asking around, we left the bikes and strolled down a narrow path with quarters on both side and ended up near the church. The Church of Epiphany had be closed down in view of communal violence in the state, so all we could do was peek inside the colored door-panels and wonder what beauty lies inside. Coming back to our bike, I felt saddened that though the city has a lot of history, yet lack of interest from the tourism department has suppressed the glory. Another tour into history at present times comes to an end, as we head back to Bhubaneswar.
Beside Nandan Kanan
Village-folk starting their busy day
Biker against the Sun
Renovation in progress...it looked much better earlier
Our Breakfast joint
The Gate and the Moat bridge
Baba Bokhari Dargaah
Steps leading to the top of palace ruins
The remains of who-knows-what
That's the top of the nine-storey palace
The surrounding converted to a park
The Church of Epiphany
The deserted corridoor
Looking at the Mahanadi...again
Dhauli
Anyone around Bhubaneswar who says they haven’t visited Dhaulagiri, also known as Dhauli, evokes a mixed emotion within me. People complain that Bhubaneswar is a boring place, with malls you could count on your finger tips and movie halls not worth a visit. What they seems to be forgetting is Bhubaneswar is a city better known for its cultural heritage, and all other things that have spawned around are recent additions. The town is just waking up to a big change brought about by IT companies and the numerous educational institutions.
The Dhauli hill is located on the banks of the Daya River, which is fabled to have turned red during the Kalinga war from the blood of the soldiers slain. The modern day Dhauli bears rock edicts sculpted by Ashoka and an ancient elephant sculpted out of rocks, the most ancient structure in Orissa. Of recent, a white peace pagoda has been built by Buddhist associations, which can be seen from far away. The recent trip that I undertook was not the first, and definitely not the last. It was meant to look at the older structures in Dhauli and the banks of Daya River, where the battle was fought.
I had plans to capture the Dhauli at sunset, so I started at an appropriate time. However, something else had caught my attention in Wikimapia and it was nearby, so I thought of paying a visit there first. The sun, about to set beyond the paddy fields along the river, was a marvelous sight. I was unable to locate the place where I meant to go, so rushed back to Dhauli to catch the sunset. Delayed due to my off-target trip, I barely caught the orange ball going down against the trees. As planned, I drove up the hill just for the fun, and then back down, taking a right on a path leading to the banks of Daya River. The off-roading brought me to a place where the river was turning away from the path. The sandbanks were on the other side of the river, so I had to be content by taking snaps from my side.
On the way back, joining the road down from the hill, the bike glided smoothly for some time before coming to a halt near the park at the bottom. This was the place that contained the rock edicts and the elephant sculptured in rock. A huge tree (banyan??) stood inside the gates on one side; the other side had stairs leading to the edicts. Climbing, I notice bottles of booze lying strewn along the path, reminding me of a somewhat similar attitude displayed in Shishupalgarh. Since it was getting dark, I did not venture deep inside the beautiful park that lay in front of me and captured the elephant carved in stone.
Dhauli Hill is witness to the change in millennia, two to be exact, from the violent past to the present, where it has become a center for attraction. The battlefield is now a fertile place for the villagers and the river serves them for the daily needs. Riding along the banks of the river, I have always felt electricity in the air, something that I couldn’t account for. The bunch of tourists and locals visiting are satisfied by glimpses of the river from the top of the pagoda; if you want the true experience, take a ride along the river and you’ll know what I mean.
End of day for farm workers
The Orange Ball (barely visible) and Daulagiri Stupa
The Silver Ball on the other side of the road
The rear-view of Dhuali
Banks of Daya River
The path goes on, but I return
The Elephant captured in stone
The HUGE tree
The Search Continues…
These are just a fraction of the glimpses of history that I have planned. For a scholar, the search is endless; for a rider, it ends with the road. And there’s still a lot of road for me to satisfy my wanderlust.
Shishupalgarh
Known to be an important center in the ancient Kalinga Empire, the excavations in the past have brought up a number of pillars and a small site. The place lies in the outskirts of the city, off Lewis road. Looking at the place in Wikimapia, I found the rectangular pattern quite interesting and thought it might be something worth watching. There was also a picture of pillars unearthed at the site. An immediate trip was planned on a weekday itself and most of the guys were ready to head out, given the small distance.
The next morning, we met up at CSPur and joined Soumya on the way. He led the way, as had raided this fort (or what remains of it) earlier during the monsoons, but had landed up in mud. The Cuttack-Puri road leads to the place, which was a few hundred meters off the main road. I had already hit a large number of potholes in the dark and waited for the sun to shine in. Reaching the place, we didn’t realize we had already passed the rectangular area I had seen on the map. The glacis (raised mounds of soil) around the place were what formed the feature. Going further in, we took a dirt road at a sign put by the Archaeological Survey of India and ended up near a mound, where a structure was partially unearthed. A small naala lay to the other side. Later, I found that it was the remains of a gate to the fort. Although dejected about not finding the pillars, the cool breeze at the top of the mound made us wanna go back to sleep there itself. What disappointed us most was that people had built houses inside of the ancient structure and construction was still going on is some places. The government should have been more proactive in stopping the encroachers. I went ahead to scout for the group, trying to locate a path, but none was there.
Moving back on the road, we stopped to ask around in hope of locating the columns. After the place was pointed out by a person out on morning walk, we hurried off in the direction. Going off the road again, this time inside fields that bore signs of agriculture done there in the past. Finally, Yati da located the pillars standing in a distance and drove as near as we could to them. After a small trek, we were near to the leftovers of a golden saga. The pillars were distanced equally and stood out like strangers in the barren fields. Constructions were going on at some distance from the columns; thankfully, the people were sensible enough for that. After marveling at the solidity of the pillars, we lay in wait for the sunrise to capture some nice shots. The clouds hid the sun for a long time, and by the time it was up, nothing was there to captureL. Dejected, we returned to our rooms to catch a wink before the mad rush to office gates. The place definitely represented the strength of the Toshali that had existed ages ago form now, yet got withered by the sands of time.
The Twin Column of Pillars
Others in the background
Just checkout the massive sizes
Lids have a G2G
My pals
Another perspective
Me, wandering among the ruins (check the UGLY yellow house poaching on the ancient property)
Two little birdies sitting on a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G
Barabati Fort
The marvel of ancient times, now housed meekly in the hustle-bustle of Cuttack, was said to have contained nine floors. Yes, you read it right: nine. Built in the fourteenth century by the Ganga dynasty, the fort consisted of solid walls, entry gates and a moat all around the perimeter. Now, all you can find is the arched gateway, a huge mound yet to be unearthed and the pillars of buildings around the mound.
Having missed the fort due to a tight schedule on the earlier trips, I was determined to raid the fort on my crazy steed, along with other members of the group. It turned out that none except Pinak were free, so we went off on our own. Taking the shortcut through Nandan Kanan, Cuttack felt nearer. Once we entered the area of the fort, we could see more activity at six in the morning than in our city at ten. Kids and some adults were involved in sports activities in the park inside the fort. Parking out bikes, we went off into the enclosure and climbed to the top of the mound on stony steps. Once we were there, the view to either side of the mound was a recap of the history lessons at school. Compared to out earlier venture, this place was loaded with rows of pillars eaten away the forces of nature. The top of the mound had a structure of sandstone that looked like the top of the nine-storied structure history speaks of. The area around the mound had pits containing columns of the smaller buildings around the palace. The small enclosure was the reflection of a majestic past that is scattered around us as we eat and breathe each day. From the top of the mound, you can also see an old mosque built by a nawab during Aurangzeb’s regime. Baba Bokhari dargaah is another structure that lies adjacent to the palace ruins, near a small pond. Exhausted with the climb (and the new riding gear I was in), we sat down at the highest spot and enjoyed the view around us, before the sun started beating down on us. We got to the sharp face of the mound for another view, and then headed back to the bikes.
Next was hunger-time, so we headed to the nearby Barabati stadium and had a healthy dose of dahivada-aaloodum. Now that we were full, we rode a little into the city to find an old church that we saw from the Ring Road earlier. After asking around, we left the bikes and strolled down a narrow path with quarters on both side and ended up near the church. The Church of Epiphany had be closed down in view of communal violence in the state, so all we could do was peek inside the colored door-panels and wonder what beauty lies inside. Coming back to our bike, I felt saddened that though the city has a lot of history, yet lack of interest from the tourism department has suppressed the glory. Another tour into history at present times comes to an end, as we head back to Bhubaneswar.
Beside Nandan Kanan
Village-folk starting their busy day
Biker against the Sun
Renovation in progress...it looked much better earlier
Our Breakfast joint
The Gate and the Moat bridge
Baba Bokhari Dargaah
Steps leading to the top of palace ruins
The remains of who-knows-what
That's the top of the nine-storey palace
The surrounding converted to a park
The Church of Epiphany
The deserted corridoor
Looking at the Mahanadi...again
Dhauli
Anyone around Bhubaneswar who says they haven’t visited Dhaulagiri, also known as Dhauli, evokes a mixed emotion within me. People complain that Bhubaneswar is a boring place, with malls you could count on your finger tips and movie halls not worth a visit. What they seems to be forgetting is Bhubaneswar is a city better known for its cultural heritage, and all other things that have spawned around are recent additions. The town is just waking up to a big change brought about by IT companies and the numerous educational institutions.
The Dhauli hill is located on the banks of the Daya River, which is fabled to have turned red during the Kalinga war from the blood of the soldiers slain. The modern day Dhauli bears rock edicts sculpted by Ashoka and an ancient elephant sculpted out of rocks, the most ancient structure in Orissa. Of recent, a white peace pagoda has been built by Buddhist associations, which can be seen from far away. The recent trip that I undertook was not the first, and definitely not the last. It was meant to look at the older structures in Dhauli and the banks of Daya River, where the battle was fought.
I had plans to capture the Dhauli at sunset, so I started at an appropriate time. However, something else had caught my attention in Wikimapia and it was nearby, so I thought of paying a visit there first. The sun, about to set beyond the paddy fields along the river, was a marvelous sight. I was unable to locate the place where I meant to go, so rushed back to Dhauli to catch the sunset. Delayed due to my off-target trip, I barely caught the orange ball going down against the trees. As planned, I drove up the hill just for the fun, and then back down, taking a right on a path leading to the banks of Daya River. The off-roading brought me to a place where the river was turning away from the path. The sandbanks were on the other side of the river, so I had to be content by taking snaps from my side.
On the way back, joining the road down from the hill, the bike glided smoothly for some time before coming to a halt near the park at the bottom. This was the place that contained the rock edicts and the elephant sculptured in rock. A huge tree (banyan??) stood inside the gates on one side; the other side had stairs leading to the edicts. Climbing, I notice bottles of booze lying strewn along the path, reminding me of a somewhat similar attitude displayed in Shishupalgarh. Since it was getting dark, I did not venture deep inside the beautiful park that lay in front of me and captured the elephant carved in stone.
Dhauli Hill is witness to the change in millennia, two to be exact, from the violent past to the present, where it has become a center for attraction. The battlefield is now a fertile place for the villagers and the river serves them for the daily needs. Riding along the banks of the river, I have always felt electricity in the air, something that I couldn’t account for. The bunch of tourists and locals visiting are satisfied by glimpses of the river from the top of the pagoda; if you want the true experience, take a ride along the river and you’ll know what I mean.
End of day for farm workers
The Orange Ball (barely visible) and Daulagiri Stupa
The Silver Ball on the other side of the road
The rear-view of Dhuali
Banks of Daya River
The path goes on, but I return
The Elephant captured in stone
The HUGE tree
The Search Continues…
These are just a fraction of the glimpses of history that I have planned. For a scholar, the search is endless; for a rider, it ends with the road. And there’s still a lot of road for me to satisfy my wanderlust.
. Another chapter has been completed in this search, but will not post as I see the thread is not gathering much attention here.
. After coming back to highway, I saw a couple of Yezdis in front of a roadside auto repair shop and got interested in a chat there itself. Knowing that none of the two were for sale, I headed back to BBSR, as I was late for seeing off my girlfriend. Sending her off with a large bouquet, I glided slowly towards my room for putting back some of the parts on. After that, a shower and off to the office!!!
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