Life and Lies of Bhangarh

The milestones, the kilometers that have gone,

Excitement and smiles from dusk to dawn,

The ruins that have lost the charm through ages,

A history unwritten in the dark of pages,

The eyes are delusional and beauty is obsolete,

From mile to mile, another Journey we complete.

My fellow mates would never approve of this troublesome adventure we had couple of days ago, never mind I am sure Robert Frost would turn in his grave after having his rather amazing poem interpreted in such a mannerism which he would in his senses never approve, well much to his discomfort and to our excitement we did what he said and landed up in the middle of nowhere.

I have never really prized my inability to find roads but then that’s how we enjoy with the uncertainty principle , if you know me properly I have never really found out a way but eventually I get to my destination, but of course there are diversions and detours but then what's life without a few twists and turns (my driver would disagree on this) and plus it’s not every day that I take my Innova to 150 km/hr, next Reliance and Airtel would boast of their 3G and what not, but to be entirely honest with you , nothing of that sorts really work , out there in the open you are on your own , your brain is your 3G and your eyes your map , one wrong turn and you can find yourself in serious trouble . Once again I’d like to mention that trouble had followed me everywhere be it France, Germany and now finally India but I somehow manage to get out and this time I got a little help as well primarily from Sid , I can’t exactly say he was of much help but at least he kept us entertained for a bit .

Starting with the trip finally, I must warn you not to trust Google maps ever in your life when you are in India, it nearly got us mauled at our respective places, so we started late and got stuck again in traffic and at random construction sites which didn't really help us, starved and bored we eventually decided to make a quick stop at 80th milestone to Jaipur which offered some relief to our perturbed souls as we were already very late but we were determined to make it to Bhangarh at any cost so we continued our way, next we took a turn towards Dausa. I have traveled a lot on Indian roads and I can assure you that a SH or a state highway is pathetically built and is more like a make-shift concrete road but to my surprise it was one of the finest roads I have seen in my life (not in comparison to the German Autobahn), anyways my off-roader was soaring at unexpected speeds and after 5 minutes we would have to stop to ask for the way and to out actual surprise this time we were lost because the highly literate (!) people told us to continue on the same road for 20 odd kilometers and then we actually traveled 100 kilometers like that and lost a lot of time, it would be a sin if I don't mention the sights and the hills there, the rays of the sun kissing the clouds and the shimmering effect creating mirages on roads adding to moment , after getting exhausted and really worried we finally found out the way and this time it wasn't 20 kilometers , it was 15 (one would think that we are all bunch of retards crying for 5 kms but trust me, you would as well).

The sun was at the hilt and the climate wasn't really the best but we were really determined and then it was there, the Bhangarh ruins stood in front of us , only the looked much less horrific as compared to their descriptions on Aajtak and random blogs . Bhangarh , one can debate is a ram-shackled shack from a distance and I would think twice before entering the premises at night,  it’s one of those places you have seen in those ridiculous horror shows on TV which tell you not to mess about such places , I won't totally agree to whatever is written on the internet about such places . We had traveled about 310 kilometers on a useless national highway, an amazing stretch of state highway and then no roads at all. When our patience was finally about to give in, we spotted the board. For namesake though , the Archeological survey of India keeps the "monument" in one piece (well at least they try to , but shameless lovers never really understand that by writing names on the grey walls their love doesn't become immortal , all they do is just ruin one of the few remaining monuments). We got down and entered the fortifications of the ever so dangerous ruins, it is about 1.6 km walk roughly to the main ruins, and the road is flanked by what used to be a market, dance halls and a few temples in and around the vicinity. The first few 900 meters is a straight road which finally leads to a big arch of a gate through which you make your way to the royal gardens where you can spot a monkey or two sitting around sunbathing , the remaining leg of the trek is divided into a steep climb (which is actually very steep) and the rest by broken stairs and hidden passages to the main shrine , it took us a lot of effort to climb the main galley only to find bats above us sleeping in peace, it was a very good idea indeed not to use flash there or we would risk a few lives for sure (or maybe a few faces ). Then my friends got so engrossed in clicking pictures especially Sid...after clicking some fantabulous pictures and about 20 minutes I just gave the camera to the models and got lost in the view.

For a moment I closed my eyes and imagined how the place look on a perfect moonlit night , then on an another instant I looked up saw the Aravalli hills mushrooming all over the place , it is not exactly the way one would define beauty, but to me it did make a lot of sense , it’s weird how I appreciate my ability to spot beauty in ruins , maybe sometimes all it takes is change of vision , it’s always easy to find and nurture beauty in good things but it’s very difficult to locate it where you least expect it, Bhangarh similarly is one such beauty lost in the sands of time .

With that thought, another wind blows and it was time for us to bid goodbye to that place but I promised to myself that I would return to this place once again to enjoy the view. I forgot to mention, Abhishek, one of our friends got a cut his hand while posing for a photograph and things went completely turbulent after that. The locals were hell-bent on making us believe that the fort’s ghost did that to him. I don't really believe in that nonsense  but yes from that very moment the road wasn't the same for us , literally , all of us got very late on the way and got home at about midnight , about 210 kilometers and a thousand excuses; later we were at my place , tired and scared , a memory in all our hearts . We won’t forget this trip for a long time.

Like Robert Frost said, we took the road less traveled and that has made all the difference. 

Adios Amigos 
Piyush