The travels of Bengalis in the past
Sumana Dam
(Continued from the last part)
The author Yadunath Sarbhadhikari set out again towards a new destination. From Vrindavan, he first traveled to Choumuya (Choumahan). There, the eastern side of the road was under the Company’s rule while the western side was under the rule of various kings like Bharatpur and Jaipur. The kings who retained their independence had to pay the Company tolls for bringing items like salt, opium, cannabis, charas, and jaggery into their states. To ensure that no goods could be transported without tolls, the Company had set up a checkpoint here. He reached Ballabgarh after passing through villages like Sawa (?), Kushi (Koshi), Hordel (Hodal), and Parwal (Palwal). Ballabgarh was under the rule of the Bharatpur king, and it had a fort and a palace. The king was building a new road from the city to Delhi. From there, he traveled to Faridabad and stayed overnight at the Badshahi Sarai. After traveling five krosh from Faridabad, he arrived in Delhi.
Entering through the Kabuli Gate, he visited Lal Dighi and other notable places but hesitated to go inside when he saw Company soldiers stationed at Lahore Gate and Delhi Gate, unsure of the local rules. Eventually, after informing the gatekeeper that he had come from Bengal to travel and had a strong desire to see Delhi, he was granted entry. He then explored the Nawab Khana and the market. At the Diwani Aam’s gate, he encountered guards and, after much persuasion, was shown the throne and other places. Exiting the fort, he saw the Jumma Masjid, other mosques, markets, especially the Batrish Market, and noted the affluent people traveling in carriages, palkis, horses, elephants, dulis, and dolas, with music and dance happening in various places.
The next day, he continued his journey to his next destination. He reached Thaneswar (Thanesar) via Panipat and Karnal in four days. This place is famous for the Kurukshetra pilgrimage and the battlefield of the Kauravas and Pandavas. Circumventing Kurukshetra involves covering eighty krosh or visiting eighty-four holy sites.
The author visited the Thaneswar Shiva temple, Jyotishwar Shiva, and bathed in Lakshmikund in Thanesar. He mentioned that the bricks from the Chakravyuh, where Abhimanyu was killed, still exist. There is a kund (pond) where Bhishma was laid on his bed of arrows, known as Bhishmakund. Arjuna, while Bhishma was on his deathbed, extracted Ganges water from the earth with an arrow and gave it to Bhishma. A well called Ban Ganga was created at that spot. At Karn Khera, Karna used to bathe and donate gold daily. Lakshmikund is the place where Shri Krishna created a reservoir for the horses of Arjuna's chariot during the Kurukshetra war. The area has temples dedicated to Lakshmi, Narayan, Shiva, and Kali.
This kund is a significant Hindu pilgrimage site. Emperor Aurangzeb attempted various methods to eliminate this pilgrimage and eventually built a fort and mosque on top of the kund, with soldiers tasked with preventing Hindus from accessing the water. Recently, the king of the Deccan, Amritray, fought against the emperor and freed the pilgrimage site. He then returned to his homeland after handing over the state to the Sikhs. From then until the time of Ranjit Singh, the region was either a Hindu or Sikh state before coming under British control. There is no longer a risk of the pilgrimage site being lost, and efforts are underway to restore it.
The soil of Kurukshetra, when it rains, looks like blood. The pilgrimage site called Asthipura is where the dead from the battles are cremated, and Kurukula widows also die there. The Chakar Tirth is where Krishna left his Sudarshan Chakra to ensure no weapons would be carried into battle. Duryodhana's camp was near Duryodhana Tila. Besides visiting these pilgrimage sites, the author explored the city of Thanesar, noting that the streets and drains were all paved with bricks. He saw the remnants of the old fort, which had good stonework but was now mostly ruined. From the tower, one can see all of Kurukshetra.
After spending some time in Kurukshetra, he traveled to Pipli, Sahabad, and then Ambala, where British military encampments were present. Soldiers were being trained in the parade ground. This encampment had three local infantry battalions. He then traveled through Rampura (Rampur, Punjab), Sirhind (Sarenda), and the military encampment of Lasker (Sarai Banjara) to Ludhiana (Ludhiana, Punjab). Here, woolen garments were manufactured and sold. It was a large city with magistrates, courts, post offices, and medical facilities. From Ludhiana, he crossed the Sutlej River and reached the fort of Ranjit Singh in Firozpur. There was a military camp here. He then continued to Faguwara city, Harila (?), Hoshiarpur (Hoshiarpur), and arrived in Bahadurpur, where he saw Guru Nanak’s seat. The author now planned to proceed to Jwalaji (Jwalamukhi, a pilgrimage site located in present-day Himachal Pradesh).
(To be continued)
In this episode, the period of the diary is from 20th Magh 1262 (3rd February 1856) to 20th Falgun 1262 (4th March 1856).
Dear Reader : Your feedback matters! Please take a moment to leave a comment and share your thoughts on this post. I'd love to hear from you!
No comments:
Post a Comment