Sir,

This refers to KBG’s Abracadabra titled “From Here to Eternity: A Pilgrimage to Introspect!” in Star of Mysore dated Oct. 1 and 2. The problems you (KBG) faced in Kashi and Ayodhya are more self-inflicted.

You needed a good tour planner (you could have done it by yourself like we did) and local guide (optional).  My wife and I did cover all these places and our experiences were wonderful. I am an octogenarian and an NRI with deep roots in Mysuru.

1. We went to Kashi a few years back when they were demolishing old buildings to make a path to Ganga. Special puja ticket was about Rs. 500 and we had a good darshan.

We rented a boat for the ride in the evening and it covered a well-managed ‘Ganga Aarti’ also.  Like you, we were scared about the pollution of Ganga and heard stories of dead bodies floating.  It is all history now.  Still, we don’t expect people to drink untreated Ganga water, but it is good for a holy dip.

2. We went to Prayagraj during the Kumbh Mela from Kashi by train. From train station, we had to go to Tent City. Kumbh Mela was very well organised and we enjoyed it.  My only concern is that Allahabad has thousands of buildings which are more than 100 years old and we did not see much upkeep.

3. We went to Ayodhya during this January, 2024.  We knew the temple was not complete, city was not ready for big crowd and amenities will be minimal. We took a direct flight from Bengaluru to Ayodhya and it was comfortable. We booked a hotel near the temple. It did not have all amenities, but was new and comfortable.  Ram Temple was just 5 minutes walk!

On the internet, we booked a time slot for darshan and took a printout.  No one cared for that printout and the darshan was very easy (less than 20 minutes including leaving your slippers and go through security).  Since it was easy, we had Ram Lalla darshan twice. Arrangements within the temple complex were very good.  Crowd outside the temple on the main street was like Mysuru Dasara. 

However, the crowd was mostly rural, religious, well-behaved and no fear of any kind.  Temple authorities were distributing free food to all devotees. Lata Mangeshkar Circle and Sarayu River bank were well-maintained. We spent 2 nights and then took a direct flight back to Bengaluru.

 We wish your future pilgrimage tours will be enjoyable like ours.

– A.R. Char, USA, 3.10.2024

You can also mail us your views, opinions, and stories to [email protected]