Junagadh

Decoding Gujarati cities, chapter 2

Over the years I’ve evolved. As a person, as a corporate employee, as a reader, writer and more importantly as a traveller. My early days of travel were limited to whatever the elders would say and wherever they took me.

With some bit of financial freedom and voting rights, I explored a bit on my own and then more with friends. When I moved to Pune post marriage, my travel game went in pro mode. I had too much time at hand once the office was over and this is when I moved on from Googling ‘10 places to visit in xyz’ or asking for recommendations from friends.

Google maps became my ultimate travel partner and together we explored a lot. Robert Frost would’ve been so proud of me for taking the path less travelled. I would just open maps, follow any random highway and meticulously zoom in and out to find the perfect place which could catch my fancy. I had mastered this art long back and it helped me a lot during my stay in Gujarat.

During one such exercise, I had the zoomed out map of Gujarat and to my surprise I saw a hill in the middle of the state. A hill? That too in the middle of Gujarat? See, I love geography. I can draw the map of India without reference (a bit out of practice but I surely can). I know my topographies and hills in Gujarat were only to be found in the northern parts near Mt. Abu, not in the middle of bustling cities! And there it was, the Girnar Hill in Junagadh. Next destination duly unlocked.

Now with the excitement of a two year old who sees cotton candy in a fair, I began sorting my stay and travel. Luckily I found a Vande Bharat train with direct connectivity. My excitement touched an upper circuit (see even my humor has a Gujarati stock trader touch) as I had never travelled in Vande Bharat before. I could feel this trip getting better and better. With travel plans in place I began looking for a decent hotel and what better place to have a good hotel than one that shares its boundary with the railway station. Click Hotel did click with me and with just four days left to travel I was not letting this go.

In between all this, while I was discussing the travel plan with my brother he remembered that his friend Kamal Khanduri was also in the city and I can ask him for any help while in the city. And boy did he help. Who gives the keys of their scooter for the whole extended weekend to the younger brother of his colleague whom he hasn’t even met once? He did. So very grateful to him for all the help he provided. He also helped me figure out travel plans and good food options the city had to offer. It made my travel so much easier. Thank you so much bhaiya!

And soon the day of departure arrived and I boarded the train. Because of the late booking, I got the middle seat. Not the most preferred one but you don’t get everything you wish for anyway. I was hoping to meet interesting people but the one on the window seat was sleeping and he did that for the whole journey. I thought people who did an MBA after B.Tech wasted an opportunity (don’t look at me please) but here was this guy on the window seat with no interest in the world within or outside the train. With the next seat empty, I was heading for a non-conversational journey of five hours. However, I saw a guy occupy that seat just two minutes later when the train halted abruptly after moving for a min. I could see that he was the reason for the momentary break of the train.

He settled in and few minutes later, the tea arrived. The instant mix was weird in both sight and taste! And that’s what made us start talking, a bad tea on a premium train. Turns out this guy with roots in Kerala, blossomed in Gujarat with his schooling and college in the state and now due to his job in sales domain has travelled to more than 20 states! And he was in my hometown just two days back. What are the odds! The more I travel, the more I find these coincidences. The world is indeed small!

His travel experiences made my travel easier and it was now time to deboard.

The moment you get down at Junagadh station you travel back in time. You’re greeted with decades old clock tower and walls which have seen more life than you can imagine.

Railway station has a Malgudi Days vibe to it

The hotel was just a minute’s walk away and the check-in was as smooth as my train journey. I met Kamal bhaiya and got the keys of his scooter. I had some work to attend to at office, so did my homework and got ready to explore the Bhavnath Mahadev Mandir. I reached just in time for the evening aarti which was simple, unhurried and very peaceful, exactly how aartis and temples should be. No one was jumping queues or in a hurry to wrap things up and go back. Peace, as it should be.

Bhavnath Mahadev Mandir

On the way back I remembered bhaiya telling me that there is a special kaadha / tea which is loved in the city. I found one soon on a roadside cart and it was indeed tasty by any kaadha’s standard. Had too many herbs in it that I could remember but the taste and potential health benefits made me like it.

The main attraction in the city is the Girnar ropeway which is apparently the longest in Asia. The ropeway leads to the top of Girnar hill which holds great religious significance. It has a Shakti Peeth, temples of Baba Bhairav Nath and Dattatreya and scores of Jain temples too. The place has to be special if it houses temples from multiple faiths. There are two ways to reach to the top, one is the ropeway and the other is by foot after climbing thousands of stairs. So obviously I bought ropeway tickets online.

There are two types of people in this world. Ones who know where they are moving, they know where their step is landing, where the body is moving, the relative position of the person next to you and are mindful of the space and then there are idiots. One such person was just behind me in the line to board the ropeway. She was with her family who were way more excited than your teenage version when you got the first night out permission. The whole time we were waiting for our turn she would bump into me repeatedly. Okay I get it I am of average height and maybe she was used to seeing her 6 feet brother and father and uncles but clearly I wasn’t invisible. It happened once, okay, perfectly normal in such situations. Twice, still okay. Thrice, okay this is annoying a little. The fourth time, I turned back and asked her to be careful. But guess who loves consistency? Her, since she bumped into me 11 times in 10 minutes.

And I was praying so hard that please don’t make me sit with this family in the cable car. Please! But it turns out the Gods and Goddesses who I was to meet in a few minutes had just gotten their popcorns refilled.

Some basic etiquette: if you are in a shared space hundreds of feet in the air, do not stand up while the cable car is moving. Also, do not invade the personal space of strangers. Guess who violated both?

That same girl’s selfie stick was everywhere. Above her, in front of my face, on the floor, in the sky, outside of the cable car (don’t ask me how). And obviously they had to have their Vogue photoshoot while being inside the moving cable car. When her father stood up to make that perfect pose, the fellow next to me said very politely, ‘Sir please sit down, it is not safe.’

Guess his reply?

‘Are you scared?’ Are you fucking kidding me?

‘No. I am not scared but you should not stand in a moving cable car. This is a potential risk.’ replied the guy. Thankfully that guy understood.

They took more photos than we had in my wedding, and I was happy that they had zero interest in the temples. Finally, peace was upon me.

The first temple you visit is the Ambaji Maata Shakti Peeth. You pay your respect, seek her blessing and come out thinking hey this was easy. I can easily visit the other two temples, enjoy the view from top of this hill and relax. And you’re absolutely wrong.

When they say that the ropeway takes you to the top of the hill, they’re partially correct. It does but to visit the other two temples you have to climb around 2000 stairs one way. On seeing the map, my right knee cried in preemptive pain.

I reached Ambaji temple in the centre and moved right. Notice the change in elevation and the steps needed.

But I didn’t come so far to not visit the temples. Yes the climb was daunting and my partial ligament tear did make it difficult. But I had my knee cap ready, I didn’t have any other plan for the day and there was no one to judge me. I could literally climb and descent like babies. And that’s what I did. Took 4000 baby steps and did the whole circuit. There were idiots along the way but there were more helpful people. That felt good!

Views from Girnar Hill

On the way to Dattatreya Hill you have a resting place in between where you can eat the prasad made of simple ingredients — boiled rice, dal and sooji halwa. When you’ve climbed thousands of stairs and questioned your decision multiple times that prasad feels heavenly. However, don’t get carried away and eat too much. More you eat, more difficult the way back becomes. Lighter stomach equals easier hiking.

The way back was peaceful, bought prasad, checked ten times if that family was anywhere near me in the ropeway’s line. They weren’t. I let a sigh of relief, only to be sat alongside 5 mawa loving folks who very casually spit the mawa out from the cable car when we were stuck in the middle due to a power failure.

I complained to the authorities once we reached the base. The hill holds great religious significance, and that felt like the least I could do.

They say it is the journey, not the destination, that matters. Good sir, I beg to differ—at least on this ropeway.

I reached my hotel, ate and went to explore the old city.

Junagadh was a princely state which like Hyderabad wanted to join Pakistan. Priorities? So the city still has a lot of old buildings which bear that time’s architecture and it is beautiful.

Couldn’t visit the museum since it was undergoing renovation but let’s appreciate these gorgeous buildings.

The vintage architecture

I still had time at my hands and was looking for places to explore. With evening almost there, most other places were already close for visit. And that’s when my trustworthy Google maps showed me an ice cream parlour by the name Rangoli. Once I reached there, much to my habit, I narrowed down on the Green Guava flavour since that was the only one I hadn’t tried.

I have been an advocate of trying out new food items and trust me when I say this — please go out of your comfort zone because you end up with something like this beauty.

heavenly!

One bite and you’re transported back to the days when you used to buy guava from the streetside vendor, ask them to slice it into four and add that special masala. That heavely taste disguised in the ice cream. I ate two scoops of ice cream with the expression similar to that of Katrina in the Maaza ad. Didn’t care if the shopkeeper would’ve judhed me, it was SO DAMN GOOD! Day made. Shit, I want one now. Can someone bring it for me if you’re visiting from Gujarat? They give you the masala in a packet if you parcel the ice cream. Please don’t forget that.

After tasting heaven, I set out to see other historical monuments the city had. I had no clear plans. Just time and the luxury of an Activa at my will.

But there was something else other than the monuments which caught my fancy — the Junagadh Jugaad. I have seen enough Jugaads in my maternal hometown and village but this one was different. The ones in my village used the Kirloskar gen set to power the vehicle but this one used the diesel engine developed by Royal Enfield. Yep, not kidding. Royal Enfield made diesel engines for a brief time back in the days. The biked never really kicked off but folks in Junagadh re-used it to carry goods. The low end grunt and torque made it easier to pull weight with ease. Gosh I was in love with the city!

The Jugaad with Royal Enfield's diesel engine

The last day was reserved for the Uparkot fort. The pride of the maharaja of Junagadh. The fort is well maintained and houses an operational water pumping station and water storage areas, multiple watch towers, a separate palace for the queen, cycling tracks, defunct cannons, museums and beautiful views of the city. I had so much fun exploring it on the rented bicycle.

Glimpses of fort

I love museums and forts and anything that is historical significance. Give me an engraved rock and tell me its story and you have my attention. Things that have stood the test of time will always be worthy of my time. You could sit on any of the benches along the walls of the fort overlooking the city and stare at it hoping that this will help you find answers to your unresolved questions. The sweet chirping of birds will make you lose sense of time until the sun is above your head hinting you to go back before it gets too late.

Since it was my last day, I returned the scooter back and he was kind enough to drop me at the hotel. Before boarding the train, I took a box of Kopra Pak (coconut halwa) from the station. This was recommended by the person at the hotel reception.

I though I had enough of the uncivic sense of the people but nope. While waiting for the train, a kid of around 10 years of age casually threw a bottle of coke on the tracks while the dustbin was right behind him. I looked at him in disbelief and showed him the dustbin, looking for an answer to the why which rested on my face. I then asked the same from his parents and all they could offer me was an awkward smile.

The train arrived and I found myself sitting next to a calm and composed person. Turns out he was from Delhi and had visited Somnath temple since he had a day or two to spare on his visit to Vapi. We got talking and he asked me what the city had to offer. I gave him a quick tour of the city. The topic somehow shifted to automobiles and he proudly told me about his factory which manufactured valves for car and bike engines. His journey from being a commerce graduate to a manufacturer and a fan of automobiles. We talked about cars for a very long time. He told me about the dreams he had realised, I told him about the ones I am yet to. He told me he had a medical condition that made alcohol and chocolates extremely bitter and he didn’t had any. And I just had tons of questions on this. My faith in the saying that it is the journey that matters and not the destination, was restored because of him. We talked about new locomotives, how EVs will eat his business up and how much he loved diesel engines.

All this while I couldn’t help but notice his stoic voice. He had such a calm personality. It felt like talking to a person who does metro announcements. Clear, unhurried, and stoic with beautiful voice and articulation! No wonder he was a successful businessman.

I could’ve listened to him for hours. In between our discussion I get a call from my wife, Shristy Priya and I wanted to tell her everything about my day. I would’ve but the group of ladies behind me had other ideas. Remember I told you that Gujaratis are a loud bunch? They were the perfect representatives. They talked as if everyone in the coach was deaf and was having problem in understanding them. At one point it became so unbearable that I stood up, turned towards them and shouted ‘Main baat kar lun apni biwi se? Waise hi hazaaron kilometer dur h wo, shanti se baat to karne do bhyi.’ [Translation: ‘Can I please talk to my wife? She is thousand kilometers away, at least let me talk to her in peace!]

I am not a loud person. I don’t like loud people in general. I don’t like shouting for no reason, that too in public places. But the distance got the better off me and I shouted at them. I later apologised but they seemed to understand. I guess, even with difference in language, the language of love and longing is understood across.

Once the call got over, they again got back to talking shouting. Because why not?

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For a city that has seen empires rise and almost took a bad decision, Junagadh felt surprisingly gentle. It gave me temples and stairs, irritation and kindness, history and ice cream, often in the same afternoon.

I returned with aching knees, a lighter head, and the comforting reminder that travel is rarely about places alone. It’s about the people you sit next to, the stories you borrow for a few hours, and the flavours that stay longer than planned.

Junagadh may not shout for attention, but it stays. Especially if you’ve had the green guava ice cream.

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