[Mystic]

We have no international travels for now and I was just wondering if we can do some adventure tour within India. It has always been in my mind for some weird reason to avoid large public gatherings for fear of stampeding etc. This is one of the reasons we avoid going to Tirumala on the most auspicious days of Brahmotsavam even though we are donors and have access to some privileges and it is our home state.

Maha Kumbh mela comes after twelve 12 year cycle kumbhs which means once in 144 years. I am not sure if anyone on this planet had ever witnessed this last time. I told my wife that we should now dare to attend the Maha Kumbh as the exclusive Kumbh app I have downloaded has information which gives some confidence. On further research, I came to know that one crore people attending per day and some 40 crores attending over the complete duration is something hard to imagine on how any city can handle the same.

I was doing my research on teambhp as usual for route map from Visakhapatnam to Prayagraj. For some reason I am not comfortable with this route. Meanwhile my wife said we need to go to Hyderabad immediately for some personal family reasons. I told her that I am comfortable with the route from Hyderabad on to Prayagraj and we decided on the route. Then comes the next question when we are returning back. As I am retired, there is no need to come back by a fixed date and there is no agenda for the tour. We prepared as usual for our long drives with our portable coffee making machine etc and we know the drill as Jimny unlike my other car Crysta has limited real estate and we have special baggage which fits into Jimny for 3 people to survive for multiple weeks long drive.
I asked my mother in law who is 85 years old if she is OK with long drive to north India, she immediately said NO but after telling the route of Prayagraj, Varnasi and Gaya, she immediately said YES. Then she asked by which car we are going as she travelled on many long drives in captain seat of Crysta and she was not able to sleep like in traditional 3 seater at the back. I told her this time we are going in Jimny and she immediately packed her baggage with pillows etc to lie down in the backseat for few hours just in case. For some reason she says Jimny is more comfortable than Crysta.

Day1: Started at 7 am from
Visakhapatnam. We wanted to cover Visakhapatnam to Hyderabad on a single day optimistically but not very sure as all 3 passengers are senior citizens. Fortunately the spirit is very high due to the excitement of participating in one of an event on this planet namely Maha Kumbh. We reached Hyderabad by 5 pm same day. The traffic in the city is crazy as usual to our night halt stay.

Day2: Fortunately, our personal family issue turned out to be good and nothing to worry. We felt this is good sign which brought positive vibes for our next destination. The family obligations delayed our long journey to post lunch which made my plans change as I don't usually drive more than 10 day light hours in a day as I am the lone driver. We had to stop at Adilabad instead of Nagpur for an overnight stay. The route is very scenic with forest etc.

Day3: Started as usual at 7 am from Adilabad without any plan for our next night halt. The route is very scenic with a tiger reserve forest on the way. Surprised to see the highway fenced on both sides so that wild animals don't cross the highway. The only major city I am aware on route is Jabalpur but we crossed that in broad daylight and still have few hours of drive left for the day. I asked my wife to ask ChatGpt for an advise and she spent some time and made sure we are not deviating too much from our Srinagar - Kanyakumari highway for overnight stay. Usually all important towns are located at least 10 kms distance from major highways. We did a night halt at Katni. This city seems to be the largest rail junction in India.

Day4: We started from Katni at 7 am and reached Prayagraj by afternoon. This is when the drama started with traffic. This day being Republic Day, every car we see has a different state registration and looked as if whole India is on the path to Prayagraj. I expected traffic restrictions to Triveni Sangam due to the most auspicious day of 29th January (Mouni Amavasya). But fortunately the special traffic restrictions start only 48 hours before January 29 and 48 hours after. This is kind of scary as it seems cars will not be allowed beyond 30 kms from sangam ghat. Fortunately we just missed this restriction and were allowed to park our car upto 2 kms to Sangam ghat. The last 10 kms to Prayagraj took us 4 hours. This really tests one’s patience to limits. I parked my car near Yamuna bridge amongst a sea of cars in the parking lot. The entrance is controlled by fast tag and is secured and they give a receipt which needs to be validated on exit. We should appreciate UP Govt for making this massive arrangement with temporary iron plates on the ground so that cars don't get stuck. Only VIP cars were allowed on the last 2 kms and for the rest it is a walk. We asked police for help as we have 85 year old senior citizen. I cannot communicate in Hindi properly as my second language is French and my pre engineering education is abroad and never had an opportunity to learn Hindi in Indian school. My wife is a double post graduate in Hindi literature and she is my spokesperson. The police helped for the last 2 kms connection for our 85 year old senior citizen and myself and wife walked. Later we observed that unofficially some local people with pass are giving some rides on their personal scooters and charging Rs 150 per person for 2 kms.

We reached the Sangam ghat at 4 pm and just in time for the last boat ride. There are about 2000 boats to ferry people to the Triveni sangam for a dip to the holy waters. Usually they charge Rs 1000 per person and each boat can handle about 6 people. Life jacket is a must and a lot of special life guards are all around for emergencies. It is sea of people and boats all around and the crowd management is good and never had the feel that safety is compromised.

We negotiated the price of 4.5 K rupees for complete boat exclusively for us and reached the sangam. There is a distinct change in colour of the water where Yamuna meets Ganga. We performed the special puja to the holy rivers and had a dip. (There are a lot of opportunities for people around us to cheat but I am spared because I don't understand their language fortunately). My observation is that everything is done in a very systematic way like clock work by the locals and there is a deep devotion and gratitude amongst all tourists. The manual paddled boat ride is an experience by itself and the boat rider was telling us that they have been in this profession for many generations.

We came to the parking lot and wanted to have dinner as we never had any food for the day due to my wife insisting that we do this puja and dip at sangam without eating. My priority is leave the city ASAP before the mouni amavasya crowd comes in and special traffic restrictions come to effect.

We were stuck on the Yamuna bridge for 3 hours on way out to Varnasi due to some collision. Finally we came out of the city with traffic moving inch by inch. We had finally something to eat after midnight. We stayed overnight in a hotel on the outskirts. All rooms are being charged double or triple of the normal days.

Day5: We started to Varanasi as usual at 7 am from Prayagraj. The journey is supposed to take less than 3 hours but it took us 7 hours. It took us 2 hours for the first 10 kms to exit Prayagraj and 2 hours for last 10 kms to reach our place of stay at walk distance from temple in Varnasi. I think the tsunami of humans at Kumbh are also coming to Varanasi as next destination. We are planning to stay for 9 days in Varanasi as my wife believes that anyone staying for 9 days in this holy city will not have any more births and gets moksha.

It is surprising to see the signboards in Varanasi written in our language Telugu besides English and Hindi. I felt it’s is a great honour. I realised later that there is a huge presence of people from Andhra in this holy place. We had our lunch and dinner at one of the Telugu ashrams where they offer free food and accommodation.

Small break on highway:



Map showing the last leg connectivity:



Yamuna bridge with train crossing:



Ghat entrance:



Big boat only for viewing and not for dip in sangam:



View from our small boat on the river:



View from our small boat on the river:



View from our small boat on the river:



View from our small boat on the river:



Return journey at sunset:



Dip in river after the puja:



Below are some photos from Varanasi, one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabitable cities. Unbelievable sea of humanity (mainly due to Maha Kumbh crowd) and great street food. Many streets are closed and I had a great time moving my narrow bodied Jimny in the narrow lanes as detour competing with two / three wheelers. I think Jimny is best suited for such streets near to the temple.

Had a nice and peaceful Darshan of the Lord. I see a stark difference in architecture between Tirumala and Varanasi. This is my first visit in 60+ years at Varnasi and we grew up visiting Tirumala every year. I also observed huge difference in the way crowd is managed at both places. Both look efficient and effective in their own ways.

We finished our dip in Sangam at Prayagraj and also had Darshan of Lord at Varnasi just in time before the Mouni Amavasya crowds come in.

It seems there is a stampede as per
news below:

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/stor...659-2025-01-29

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Travelogues section. Thanks for sharing!

Going to our homepage today

[Sa!lor]

Nice crisp travelogue, very interesting to know you chose to drive all the way to Prayagraj with three senior citizens.

My parents who are also senior citizens will be visiting Maha Kumbh on 6th February, they are travelling by bus from Ahmedabad to Prayagraj as it is last minute decision and there are no other travel options available now.

Got some helpful information from your travelogue but our only concern now is the news of stampede coming from Maha Kumbh today even though they are visiting after the auspicious snan days will be over I am worried for them now.

[anand_roy]

Thank you for sharing the details. Very helpful indeed.

One query - how are the temporary washroom facilities in the Sangam area?

[Mystic]

Originally Posted by anand_roy

Thank you for sharing the details. Very helpful indeed.

One query - how are the temporary washroom facilities in the Sangam area?

There are washroom facilities everywhere. You can see them in the third photo from top showing Yamuna bridge and the portable washrooms are on right side of photo. In the photo, one can see only 3 washrooms but there are more than 20 in one line.

We have not used them personally so don't know the cleanliness part. We used the ones in the gas station on the outskirts. Also it is a good idea to keep car gas tank full on the outskirts before entering the city as we never know the traffic situation. Surprised to see a queue of cars only on the outskirts gas stations.

Technically there are dress changing / washroom facilities at Sangam but difficult to reach there as one needs to walk on multiple boats. In our case, someone in the boat where our Priest is located made a temporary facility to change wet clothes. The to and fro to Sangam is completed in about 1 to 2 hours depending on how many people are sharing the boat. If you have your own exclusive boat like us, one can be back in 1 hour to the shore.

Originally Posted by Sa!lor

Nice crisp travelogue, very interesting to know you chose to drive all the way to Prayagraj with three senior citizens.

My parents who are also senior citizens will be visiting Maha Kumbh on 6th February, they are travelling by bus from Ahmedabad to Prayagraj as it is last minute decision and there are no other travel options available now.

Got some helpful information from your travelogue but our only concern now is the news of stampede coming from Maha Kumbh today even though they are visiting after the auspicious snan days will be over I am worried for them now.

Don't get too much worried. On normal days, it is absolutely safe. On those special days, such unfortunate incidents may take place due to unprecedented crowd.

[Ninja75]

Could you please share info on hotels/places of stay @Adilabad and Prayagraj

[anivy]

Originally Posted by Mystic

We are planning to stay for 9 days in Varanasi as my wife believes that anyone staying for 9 days in this holy city will not have any more births and gets moksha.

Had relatives, from Vizag, stay for 9 months in Varanasi too (in 2022 or 2023).

[Mystic]

Originally Posted by Ninja75

Could you please share info on hotels/places of stay @Adilabad and Prayagraj

Prayagraj:

Hotel O Krishna Hotel https://www.oyorooms.com/47787/?utm_...&utm_medium=dp

Adilabad:

Hotel Ravi Teja
094944 33233 https://g.co/kgs/bw3CmKm

[cdmanju]

Wow, what a trip! That drive from Visakhapatnam to Prayagraj is seriously impressive, especially with senior citizens along for the ride. Navigating the Kumbh Mela crowds and then heading to Varanasi – you guys are amazing! I'm really impressed with how you handled the detours and made sure everyone was comfortable. Sounds like an epic adventure, with its share of challenges and amazing moments. Thanks for sharing – super inspiring!

[varun_25]

Thanks for sharing your journey with us. It is elevating and pumping in some inspiration. I got myself Jimny a month ago.
I am based in Uttarakhand, and a friend from Bangalore and Auroville wants to visit the Maha Kumbh. I was checking trains but somewhere in my heart, I wanted to do it by road.
Reading through your blog at the right time has further cemented the idea of doing a road journey.

[T.50s]

Ayy that's my city, glad to see you enjoyed your visit and yes there is a very strong Telugu community in Varanasi and from my limited interactions all of them are really jolly and the food they make is absolutely delicious, next time you're in town try going to The Coffee House in Bhelupur and Ayyar's Cafe near Dashashwamedh Ghat.

[sidoza]

heartiest congratulations to you for a successful trip with your family. your travelogue gives me inspiration to drive down from Pune and visit the holy city.

And your daily drive schedule leaves me impressed. Kudos to you!

[Mystic]

Some observations and return journey details of our long drive. We took a different route on way back and visited all important temples on the way. We brought a big can of water from Triveni Sangam to distribute to our neighbours.


1. Prayagraj Maha Kumbh: Our exclusive boat is docked to another boat which in turn is docked to the boat of the priest. We had to walk on the boats which is tricky to reach the Triveni sangam to have holy dip. The priest is doing all rituals and seem to be genuine but there are other people who take advantage of the tourists by forcing to do some stuff which is not needed. One has to be bold and say NO to them. We didn’t visit any temple in Prayagraj due to unprecedented crowd and our priority after Dip at Triveni sangam is leave the city ASAP.

2. Varanasi Kasi Viswanath Temple: Be prepared to walk huge lines that go through very very narrow streets. The main temple has been renovated but to handle the crowd they have no option but make the multi kilometer line go through the various streets. These streets are 10000 years old and hence there is no way any one can make them broader now. Took the help of a wheel chair for my mother in law as traffic is blocked all around the temple for e rickshaws. We were allowed to spend only a few seconds before the lord. One should not close eyes for the few seconds we are given to see the lord but come outside and sit to rewind those few seconds again. No puja is allowed due to crowd.

2. Varanasi Maa Annapurna Temple: This is located on the way to Viswanath temple and there is no possibility to come back to this temple after Lord Darshan due to special security implemented now due to crowd. We were the only people who left the queue to have Darshan of Maa Annapurna and later joined the queue again for the Darshan of Lord. The priest allowed us to touch Maa directly and perform the puja.

3. Varanasi Maa Visalakshi Temple: This is a shakthi Peeth temple on the Ganga ghat. Don't miss this. Not much line but a lot of walking is required to reach this place.

4. Varanasi Kaal Bhairav Temple: one can take e rickshaw to reach near to temple.. To manage the crowd, the police would make one to go through couple of kilometers of line in the narrow streets again.

5. Varanasi Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple: One can take e rickshaw to the temple. Not much crowd. One can finish the Darshan in half an hour.

We left to Gaya by Jimny from Varnasi navigating through the street blockades everywhere with the help of one local to the highway. There is no traffic jam to Gaya.

We stayed in Vishnu view hotel opposite to Vishnupad temple. Completed all the Pitru rituals on the banks of Falgu river as per our specific customs. There are priests available for every one as per their language and customs. One should be careful to identify a proper priest. It is better to take advise of one of your relatives who had already visited Gaya. Donot forget to visit Mangala Gowri Shakthipeeth temple. Huge crowds as the entry is very narrow and only few people are allowed to enter and come back before one more set of people are allowed.

We also visited Bodh Gaya. This place is amazing. There were thousands of monks chanting when we visited. We are not allowed to carry mobiles inside to take photos. I observed that there are 2 sets of monks from Tibet and Nepal sitting separately doing the chanting. We sat under the Bodhi tree and did meditation. The place is highly secured with huge walls built all around.

Our next destination is Jamshedpur for an overnight stay. We never visited any place here as we are tired. I had already visited this place officially in my consulting days to Tata Steel.

Next destination is the Jampur in Orissa to visit Maa Girija Shakthipeeth. We had a nice and peaceful Darshan. It looks like there is Nabhi Gaya here ( similar to our Pada Gaya in Pithapuram).

We left Jajpur to Puri Jagannath temple. It is a very huge temple. Again we saw huge crowd. The crowd is left to have Darshan in the last few feet from the lord and left to help themselves. This created a kind of stampede but nothing bad happened fortunately.

Our last destination on the way is Arasavalli Surya Narayana Swamy temple in Srikakulam before the final destination of our home in Visakhapatnam.

Some photos on our return trip:

Route map:



Jimny fully loaded making the ride very comfortable due to load. HT stock tyres with magic carpet feel on highways:



Vishnupad temple in Gaya:



Bodh Gaya entry:



Hotel at Gaya



Jajpur temple:



Puri stay overnight in this magnificent old building:

[Mystic]

Today marks the end of Mahakumbh event after 144 years of its last happening. The whole world celebrates January 1st every year as the new year because that is time it takes for earth to go around sun in one cycle. Imagine celebrating the unique constellation when Jupiter takes one cycle around the sun once in 12 years and the rare alignment of planets once in 12 cycles and how important is its significance from science and spirituality.


My observation:

1. As per news, 66 crores attended which is half of Indian population and double of USA population approximately. What does this signify in the psyche of people in the present era? People looking forward to experience anything that brings them closer to moksha. This is amazing that such a thinking happening at a country level.

2. The mode of transport predominantly used is road as the rail and air can only bring a limited number of people who had planned months in advance with reservations. Also, the psyche of people owning powerful cars and the present infrastructure of good roads leading from all corners of India especially the highway connecting Sri nagar to Kanyakumari is the reason for huge participation. I have read many travelogues with people covering 1500 kms in a single day with multiple drivers. This is something impossible to achieve in my childhood with ambassador cars and the roads we had few decades back. The present infrastructure has its own share of problems with people becoming overconfident with the powerful machines and carried away by the limits of human endurance by driving long distances without proper preparations like sleep leading to many unfortunate deaths. Adding to the confusion is that in this part of India, driving in the opposite direction is common that people from other parts are taken by surprise with head on collisions.

3. May be in the next Mahakumbh after 144 years, we may have bullet trains or hyperloop making the travel happen in couple of hours from any corner of of India.

4. In my home place also we have been celebrating the Maha Kumbh Abhishekam as a yearly event on Maha Shivaratri and a dip in Bay of Bengal in the morning after staying awake the whole night as per the details below.

https://www.deccanchronicle.com/sout...reline-1863691

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/.../117062259.cms