A TRIP TO VIZAG AND ARAKU

TRAVEL

                                                                                                                               

        

                                                                                                                  

                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Priyanka Koch

Regional Institute of Education

  A Constituent Unit Of NCERT, New Delhi

Email Id-priyankakoch43@gmail.com

Away from the hustle-bustle of everyday life, to spend some time amidst nature to rejuvenate my mind I decided to plan a trip to the “City of Destiny” Visakhapatnam which has many names to its credit of being a port city, a city that nestles a large number of temples, etc. Being interested in south Indian temple architecture, I always had an inner urge to visit some of the south Indian cities to be mesmerized by the resplendent art forms belonging to the Dravidian school of art.

                                   I started the journey from Bhubaneswar railway station on the 6^th of  July  2019 at about 9.30 p.m. It was a 6 hours journey to Visakhapatnam. We had so many places to visit but somehow we had to plan it for a three day trip due to our academic assignments. Indian railways provide for you the best travel experiences. I would rather say if you want to know India better you must travel by train. For our trip somehow we could manage to have some sleeper class tickets. I somehow tried to push through the rush of passengers to reach my berth. By the time I boarded my berth, I could feel the sweat drops trickling down my face and I was perspiring. There were already some other people in my berth with their luggage. Somehow after a long line of arguments, I got my assigned place. I rarely sleep during journeys. This is because I don’t want to miss the rare opportunities of meeting people, getting to know them, make new friends, have some novel experiences. Added to this are the picturesque sights of verdant valleys and lush greeneries, fields, the sights of the rural landscape. I have the habit of carrying either a short story book or a novel from one of my favorite writers during my journeys sometimes to divert my fear of mind due to the turbulences I get to experience in a flight journey or when I don’t have anyone to ramble and babble, I feel like keeping to myself. Books have thus always been my best company. For this journey to Araku, I had a copy with me from one of my favorite authors Amitav Ghosh. His newly published book Gun Island is something that I decided to carry with me for the journey. Gun Island introduced me to a very different picture of Bengal where I traveled through the mangroves of Sunderbans leaving India to Venice and then back to India. It was a very different kind of experience. With the only light available I tried to flip through the pages with the start of the train. I shared the cabin with three of my other friends. We reached Vizag at about 4:30 a.m in the morning. There was still time to board our next train to Araku which was a duration of three hours by train. We decided to freshen up and spent the next hour on the railway platform.

                                           Araku valley is a hill station in the city of Andhra Pradesh. Nestled amidst greeneries it holds the credit of having lush coffee gardens, tribes, waterfalls, Borra caves, tribal museums, etc. We boarded the train at about 6.30 a.m in the morning. This journey from Vizag to Araku gives one the memories of a lifetime. The train passes through more than 150 tunnels till one reaches Araku. When one is lucky enough he gets to see beautiful waterfalls. The best time to visit Araku is from September to February. I was very excited and the moment I boarded the train I wanted to have a jig. The joy of meeting tribals working in the coffee gardens was something  I eagerly awaited for. I was humming the lyrics from the Dhimsa songs which I knew. Every time the train would cross a tunnel the youngsters would whistle and the outburst of joy was apparent in their shrill whistling. Looking down I could see the tribal people engaged in their fields. It was a bit cloudy with a light shower at intervals. The drifting clouds floating by touching the hills transcended me to another world.

                                   We reached Araku at about  11:30 a.m.There was a slight drizzle and we rushed quickly to our hotel. We freshen up and prepared for our first destination. Borra caves  also known as Borra Guhalu are located on the east coast of India. Every day many visitors throng this cave located in the Ananthagiri hills of the Araku valley. They are one of the largest caves in the country and have many legends associated with it. There are many stalagmite and stalactite formations in the cave.

         Refreshing ourselves with fresh coconut juice we decided to leave Borra caves. One gets to have the taste of smoked meat which is available at the small shops outside the cave. All the way long to Borra caves one can find wayside stalls selling sweet corn, ripe jack fruits, tribal products, and coffee bottles. Coming back we decided to spend some time strolling amidst the coffee gardens. The aroma of coffee from the wayside shops was floating around. I had coffee which was deeply rejuvenating.

                            We next got down at the tribal museum. The tribal museum at Araku is home to many tribal artifacts which includes some of the agricultural implements, the depiction of ceremonies, festivals and way of life.

               The coffee museum at Araku describes the origin of coffee through pictorial depiction. In the shops inside the museum, one gets to savor the taste of different materials made from coffee like chocolates.

         Tired after the hectic schedule we returned back to our hotel. The next day morning we returned back to Visakhapatnam. We boarded a bus for our return journey. It was hard for us to leave the splendid beauty of the valley. Removing the glass of my window seat I could see the small houses with sloping roofs under the toddy trees.

                 We reached Vizag at about 9 a.m.I was very inquisitive about what Vizag had to unfold. Refreshing for some time in the hotel we hired a cab to explore Vizag. Our scheduled destination first for the day was Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha temple, Simhachalam. It is located above a hilltop. From the hilltop, I could clearly see the scenic view of the city. The  Temple is dedicated to Vishnu. It is a temple with a big Gopuram.

Some of the other places we visited include Kailasagiri.It is a hilltop park in Vizag. It was a very beautiful view. I  purchased some malli flowers for my hair. These flowers have smitten me to have them in my bun. These flowers either in orange or in white are common in Visakhapatnam with young girls and married women tying them in a knot to their hair. One could have a clear picture of the city with hundreds of boats ready to set sail. Above I could see an Indian Air Force helicopter patrolling. One could even go for rope climbing as well.

                          There are a lot of sea beaches. We explored some of them. Vizag is also famous for the INS Kursura which is a submarine preserved by the Indian government in Vizag. We also visited the air force museum.

At Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha temple. Backside the temple stands tall with the Gopuram.

              

The next afternoon we had our return journey back to Odisha. As we had time so we decided to see one more beach. Sitting in the stairs I lost myself in thought for some time. The vast expense of the sea for a moment turned me into a poet. A million thoughts were running in my mind. These few days spent amidst green valleys and virgin beaches settled among the lovely Eastern Ghats gifted me with some beautiful 

               Coffee plantation at Araku

moments. The viridity of the breathtaking valleys, ropeway adventure makes Araku a tranquil point for vagabonds. We returned back carrying with us beautiful memories of the port city. This sojourn to Vizag gave me memories to preserve for a lifetime. We reached Odisha at 9.30 p.m. It was a journey worth remembering.

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                          The train to Araku passes through verdant valleys and scenic landscape