[saket77]

It happens a lot of time. It is almost in your own backyard and you have never been there while devotees and tourists around the world gather to experience the divinity & enthralling beauty of the place.

This is Parasnath for us. Merely 200 kms away from home, crossed the place many times as a ‘via point’ without stopping; it was a trip in waiting for long.

The Shikharji/ Parasnath temple Peak

But what do you do before visiting any place? Ideally Google it. Because the era of traveling without any information beforehand is bygone. In fact, in this age, if you are traveling without any blueprint in advance, it feels almost as a shot in the dark, a blasphemy and you feel almost handicapped. I say it because as strange it may sound; there is not much information available on the internet about Parasnath.

For the travel bug that I am, I move around quite frequently but don’t write as much but writing this log becomes a responsibility of sorts so that there is some firsthand information available to the people traveling to this revered place.

First things first, Parasnath hill is the most holy & sacred place for the Jains. It is the highest mountain peak in Jharkhand with an elevation of 4500 ft. Comparing this to Vaishno Devi’s elevation of 5200ft. might give you an idea as to how high it is. The Parasnath peak is theoretically intervisible by direct line of sight on a perfectly clear day with Mount Everest over 450 km to the north and is a part of Parasnath range of hills lying in the eastern Jharkhand region- says Wikipedia.

The hill is named after Lord Parshvanatha, the 23rd Tirthankara. It is that out of 24 Thirthankaras of Jains, 20 got nirvana on Parshvnath Hills. The hills are surrounded by a dense Madhuban forest which lies close to NH-2, the Kolkata-Delhi National Highway or the Grand Trunk road. There is also a Parasnath rail head on the grand chord section making it one of the busiest sections, which is about 17 kms from the hill. This is the information that you can find on Google. Other details that we discovered will come out in course of the story- so keep tuned.

Pardon the ‘keep tuned’ part but being in the corporate gets marketing in your blood.

[saket77]

Coming back to the central characters…a bunch of two eccentric guys traveling together, making way through a road less traveled, sans any information in hand and without any common minimum program is not a circumstance that you would ideally look forward to. But then there was no choice. We were not even sure that we will make it to the top of the hill or not. Heck, we were even not sure that we will return the same day or not!

With the uncertainty of how the day will unfold, we started from Ranchi by 06:15 AM in Satyam’s Ignis. Half asleep navigator in me decided to rely on Google maps. Actually the road I knew which was in good condition was about 25-30 kms longer. Google maps promised a shorter route. Given that the Ignis runs on fossil fuel, that too the most expensive of the lot (petrol), we fell for Google baba…the maps version of it. And we were happy for the first 90 kms.

During this time I observed that Satyam is a fast driver. The average speeds he was clocking was higher than my style of driving. Not that I drive slow; it is just that I do not redline in the intermediate gears like he does. I made another observation. The time he saves by driving fast is neutralized by the time consumed in his smoke breaks. Sorry, I digressed.

Coming back to the praises that I was showering on the GMaps. We took the Ranchi> Gola> Jaina More route as directed by Google. Beyond that, it is the tale of betrayal and infidelity. We blindly trusted it and Google maps guided us to potholed roads, diversions & burnt bridges. We still forgave its sins until it guided us to take an entirely wrong turn and that too in the opposite direction. Unaware of the fact that we were on a wrong heading, we got caught on a railway crossing for about 30 minutes.

Finally the trains passed and we bid bon voyage to the train guards taking advantage of the snail’s pace at which they were moving. The level cross ultimately opened and we moved on knowing little that we are off-course. In fact, ‘off-course’ would be a gentle word. Civilized way of storytelling. It led us astray far away from the target. 180 degrees from where we intended to go.

After driving for about 10 kms on the NH-2, Gmaps suggested a right turn. But we had a problem. I would have thought twice to enter that road even if I was on a cycle & here we are driving a Maruti! This is when we realized that overreliance on Gmaps had taken its toll. It had broken our trust to which we had submitted ourselves since the morning. That was it. The last straw that broke the camel’s back. So much that we disabled the GPS altogether and didn’t turn on for the entire trip. We stopped at a small shop on the NH-2 and enquired about the directions. We should have done it earlier but given the human instincts we are naturally blessed with, we kept discussing about the morning’s tea till the bombers were overhead.

We had travelled some 10-12 kms in the wrong direction but that wasn’t the problem. The real problem was the railway crossing in between. Murphy’s Law ensured it was closed again by the time we were there. Grand Chord rail section is one of the busiest route and we were witnessing practical sessions on it. We lost a total of around an hour in the entire ordeal. Finally, we reached Madhuban forest which is the Parasnath foot hill by 11:15 AM. Without Google Maps.

At the foothills

[saket77]

To reach the summit where the Parasnath temple is located, one has to climb or trek the mountain totaling a distance of around 10 kms on foot. Yes, all by yourself. On your own foot. Sorry, I couldn’t have put it more gently. There are temples dedicated to each of the 24 Tirthankara on the way to the top. For everyone wondering about the 10 kms on (your own) foot, here is a small relief. One has the option to book a litter or a ‘doli’ which is carried by four men. This luxury will set you back in life by 3.5K to 5K in terms of money. To & fro. Something like this:

Some random guy misinformed us that if we take permission from the local police, we can take our car to the top. That was exactly what the doctored ordered. A ‘jholachap’ doctor later we concluded. Driving to the top, in the hindsight, was the best solution for us. We showed up on the local police station’s door for the permission! We introduced ourselves to the officers on duty as good folks. Putting best foot forward in such circumstances is recommended & you must quote your credentials and testimonials, if any. Don’t worry about self-bragging (given it’s true!) But probably all that wasn’t enough. Or better to say that the local administration has barred any vehicle in the mountain road as it was a highly sensitive region with naxal activities. We returned back to the foot hill. Later we realized that the road trail was barely just enough for a motorcycle; leave alone something having 4 wheels. Read on to know how we found that.

We decided to trek, as much as we could. But that obviously was not easy. We gave up after about 1.5-2 kms. Electronic devices that we call phones told us that we have already ‘climbed’ around 85 floors by then. That is more than half of the Burj Khalifa. So, I am guessing that we ascended about 900ft. on foot huffing & puffing. Thankfully there are a few stalls on the way where you can buy refreshments. We gulped a couple of lime water glasses & sat down for some self introspection. Sanity returned and we realized that we need some sort of transport to the top; if we want to summit the mountain.

Me after a 2KM trek!

I told you about that expensive litter arrangement for reaching to the top but there’s an alternative for cash-crunched travelers like us. A bike ride to the top. Costs 500 bucks. But that is not recognized as a legit transport by the local administration. The bike owners are fined every now & then by the local police if they get caught in the act. Of ferrying tourists. But then this isn’t our worry. One such bike rider offered us to take to the top for 500 bucks. At that point, it was a good deal. Still we are Indians by heart and there is not much fun without haggling for the price. Offering good price upfront seemed to be a conspiracy to rob us of that fun. Sometimes I feel there is more pleasure in bargaining than enjoying the end product itself. I derived all that pleasure. Deal was struck at Rs. 400.

We 3 started on the bike. I was happy that at least now we are sure to reach the top. But wait, it looks like the bike rider had saved his part of fun as well. There is a separate mud trail sort of road which goes to the top. This is not the one used for the trek which is a concrete pavement. He started riding like a maniac on that mud trail and we were hanging and clinging to our dear lives on the back seat. I have fair bit of riding experience myself in challenging conditions but his style of riding was something else. I was particularly worried about the front wheel slipping on the mud gravel on the hair pin turns that this guy was taking without any care in the world. In fact I thought of offering him 1000 bucks for riding like humans. But finally the offer that I made was of asking him only to ride little slow minus the 1000 bucks that came to my mind little earlier. He obliged for 1/20th of a kilometer and then he was back to being himself. Stupid that is. Thankfully we reached the top (well almost since you still have to walk a km or so to reach the top) in exactly the number of pieces we started from home. To sum up, it was a 40 minute torture and I hope it was unintended. Definitely not an option for the faint hearted.

But it was a sight to behold. At an altitude of 4500 ft and surrounded by tall mountain ranges covered with lush green forests, you are bound to get spellbound. We made our way to the temple on top gradually on foot. It was cold. Peace was definitely in the air. We felt blessed to have reached the sacred peak. We clicked a few pictures on the peak. What came as a pleasant surprise was that photography was allowed inside the shrine. We made use of this opportunity as well.

[saket77]

At sugarcane juice stall



The inside of the holy Shrine

After we enjoyed our time at the top, now came another herculean task of descending the hill. 10 kms on foot. Yes, one’s own foot as discussed before. Just before starting the descent, we gulped down two full glasses of sugarcane juice at a refreshment stall near the shrine hoping that it will give us some magical powers needed for this long trek.
And one ‘sher’ came to my mind, literally apt to the situation:

khud hi ko karke buland itna chadha wo jaise taise,
Phir khuda ne khud bande se poochha ki ab utrega kaise…

It took us almost 3 hours of a mix of walk on concrete pavement, some trek through the rocks serving as shortcuts, numerous bottles of water and a cup of tea to get us down. Contrary to as what one would imagine, even getting down a hill is not easy. The downward slope that you have to counter while descending puts a lot of strain on one’s thigh & calf muscles. I can tell you since I am writing this with pain in the exact same muscles.

Humans are supposedly the most dominant species on the planet but clearly the memo did not reach everyone. Case in point, we invented the wheel and an engine and coupled them together to call it a motorcycle exactly for this purpose. And this arrangement was available. But apparently we didn’t get the message. But on the flipper side, yes, we could have taken a bike ride down again but then there was no sense of achievement in it. The pain will vanish after a couple of days (plus in addition of a couple of painkillers) but this experience will remain with us forever. That is what probably fueled our long descend on foot. Finally we were at ground level; albeit with cramped legs.

Satyam was feeling very exhausted so I took the wheel on the return journey while he retired as a lazy navigator. Google maps was out of question and I took the route I knew. Parasnath> NH19> NH 2> Bagodar> Hazaribagh> Ranchi. Only 20-25 kms longer but the surface was good. Considering the last leg of 100 kms of our journey was covered in 1.5 hours flat, that too after dark; I think I was not too slow. After my patient driving, the Ignis was showing an average fuel economy of 21KMPL on the MID which I think is great for a 1200CC engine. I poked Satyam many times on this since the MID was hovering around 17KMPL during his driving

More about the Ignis, I found the engine very peppy for both city & highway drives. NVH levels are very good and you can barely hear the engine thrum, esp in the lower RPM band. It is hard to notice any vibrations on the steering or the pedals. Road manners are much more matured than what you expect from a tallboy hatchback. Without a doubt, it is one of the better to drive Marutis on offer today. If you can consider its unconventional looks, it is a fair buy.

I was home just before 10 at night and I did exactly what you expect a corporate person to do after having such a day. Or any day. Sleep.

Finally our long due Parasnath trip was done. Respect to all people who take this enthralling journey to the top; esp on foot. We were particularly amazed by the porters who carry people in the doli day in & out. There are a lot of Jain Dharamshalas that can be booked if you plan to stay; else the town of Giridih is close by where hotels are available.

Hope you guys liked the pictures and the story. Trust this was worth your time. Time to leave you with some closing pictures.

Finally at sea level!

[vb-saan]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Travelogues Section. Thank you for sharing!

[MDED]

Thank you Saket Bhai. Rating the thread a well deserved 5 star. My "nanihal" is in Bokaro Steel City and many times while travelling through train, I would have come across the railway station of Parasnath, but never imagined that this holy destination of Jains behold so much of importance and beauty within it.

I have done SVDK trip many times and never felt fatigued owing to the excellent track and pathway maintained by the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, but at Parasnath, since the ascent has to be done through steps, the journey will surely be a treacherous one. Kudos to you for having completed the darshan. Your travelogue has certainly motivated me to take this trek/darshan, the next time in BKSC or RNC.

[abirnale]

Short and crisp narration but then it ended sooner than I wanted it to :( Especially because I had done this on foot just a few years ago. (Precisely 50 kg lighter and 22 years earlier )

If I recall it correctly, it took me entire day to cover the peaks. We had started the ascend around 3am in the morning and went through all peaks and back to foothill by 3pm or so. We covered all the temples and peaks on foot. The experience is amazing - merely because that kind of energy and adrenaline rush on trek is hardly experienced elsewhere. Unfortunately I do not have any pictures from the trip - those days mobiles were not for us and camera was out of budget! I had taken train from Mumbai - the Howrah express and got down at Parasnath station after almost two days I think and the by bus to the foothill. I had stayed in one of those Dharamshala for the night before returning.

[alpha1]

Enjoyed your humorous style. Thanks to this thread we now know more about Central India - region which is not covered by usual media.

I always wonder why most religious sacred places are atop some difficult to reach hill/mountain.

[PapaBravo]

Wow Saket !! Such beautifully written travelogue. You had me in splits at some points. You should write more TLs.

I have crossed Parasnath hill numerous times, sometimes on roadtrips & sometimes when working near Dhanbad. I have always taken some knowledge about the peak from the local taxi drivers who we hire for our work travels and everytime this hill has intrigued me. Your TL has provided a lot of info on the same.

PS : Your TBHP signature relates to the experience you had in going up the hill.

Cheers,

Pawan

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by saket77

This is Parasnath for us. Merely 200 kms away from home, crossed the place many times as a ‘via point’ without stopping; it was a trip in waiting for long.

We always aim for the most popular / farther destinations but overlook places that are very close to us! This seems like a good workout, seeing the screenshot of your distance travelled and stairs climbed!


Thanks for sharing and keep driving!

Cheers.

[Comrade]

Originally Posted by saket77

This is Parasnath for us. Merely 200 kms away from home.

Thank you for bringing back memories Saket. I did my undergrad (B.Tech) from Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad. A day trip to Parasnath was one of the weekend activities, we students used to undertake. Others included day trip to Maithon dam, Bhatinda waterfalls etc. I would rate this 20km hike as the toughest in my life.

[Anduril]

Originally Posted by saket77

Pardon the ‘keep tuned’ part but being in the corporate gets marketing in your blood.

Loved your writing style.
Nice crisp travelogue. Been to Ranchi few times but hearing of this place for the first time. Thanks for sharing.

[//M]

What a beautiful experience this must have been. The bike ride to the hilltop is absolutely something that I would love to do, even if it means that I would be just perched on the pillion seat.

Me being me, would think a dozen times before attempting to hike up a 10-km long trail.

I am sure the roads are quite great in this part of the country. The Hazaribagh - Bagodar section has always been a pleasurable affair, more so at the helm of a motorcycle.

Originally Posted by saket77

It happens a lot of time. It is almost in your own backyard and you have never been there while devotees and tourists around the world gather to experience the divinity & enthralling beauty of the place.

This holds true for me as well. So many times I have crossed these places, but never had an opportunity to visit the shrine.

[ObsessedByFIAT]

Thank you for your log!

If you are a Jain (and I presume you are, why else would you take all the pains to go there otherwise!) you would already know the importance of Parasnath.

My parents and my wife have all been there atleast two times already and here I am, still trying to prepare myself for the ascend and descend part of it. Seems my wife has made three parikramas during her last visit some 11 years ago!

With your log and excellent pics, half of my darshan is already done!

[Samba]

Short, crisp and a very significant travelogue.

Parasnath is a very popular name, but not many people venture here (barring devote's) and a detailed blog on this place is even lesser. This is a very precisely guided travelogue for people who want to visit this place.
The pictures are equally beautiful.

The only disappointment was, when i was eagerly waiting to see the pics of your Civic, I saw an Ignis! No offence to Ignis owners, it's a lovely car & I do love it, but Civic is my childhood crush!