Our Nashik Shiridi Trip (Part - II)

Our Nasik-Shirdi Trip – Part-II

The road to Nasik is not much enjoyable like the one we took to Trimabakeshwar as lot of settlement and developments have happened in that stretch. We made a short halt at panchvati by 3.00 pm. If you are born there, the place will bring you wonderful nostalgic moments, as so many old buildings with wooden work, dated back to centuries lined up amidst the tar coated narrow hilly roads. We visited kalaram mandir and on the way back to had a brief halt at a chai shop near kala ram mandir. It was a old house converted into a chai shop with all its charm inside. The place was cozy as it had lot of olden day’s woodden pillar and structures and a warm ginger tea welcomed us. The shop was run by a young couple with two benches and tables. It was so soothing to our heart and to our throad. Missed to take a picture of that place. We then started our journey towards, Shirdi – temple of Sai baba.

When we reached shirdi, its already 9 pm and was finding it difficult to get an accommodation as our trip was an unplanned one. After many tries in various hotels, With Baba’s blessings, finally we got a double bed room and all four of us made ourselves comfortable by ordering additional bed which we laid on floor and spent the night there. Food was not so good, but it satisfied our hunger after the tiring journey and the hunt for rest house. Morning got up early and went to the temple, had the Darshan of the Shiridi baba and came out with a satisfied look on our face because we didn’t stand in the long queue as my inlaws were old, the security personnel allowed us to accompany each and take the special senior citizen queue through which we reached the baba’s abode quickly.

Then we started to Shani Shignapur. Whomever vists shirdi, never goes without paying a visit to Shani bhagwan here.  In the village of Shani shignapur, no house has a door. Its their belief that if anyone steals will meet a very bad end. So no fear of robberies or theft in that village is what a localite told us. How nice it would be if our country has its every town like this.

(continued in Part-III)

Padi kolams / Maakolam/Naalu moolai Kolam designs - friday special

Design-6

Rawa Kesari

RAWA KESARI

Its a traditional south indian sweet which is easy to prepare.

Ingridients

• Rawa - 1 cup
• Sugar - 1 cup
• Elachi powder - 1/2 tsp
• Melted Ghee - 1/4 cup
• Orange food colour - less than 1/4 tsp
• Water - 2 cups (this may vary as per the variety of rawa so keep a cup of Hot water ready)

1. Heat a wok, pour a tbsp of ghee, roast rawa till the raw small goes. remove and let it cool.
2. Heat a kadai, add two & a half cups of hot water to it, add the food colour mix well
3. Pour 1/4 cup ghee into the hot water, add the rava slowly little by little while you keep stirring (to prevent form lumps)
4. When it is almost dry and forming just bubbles and the rawa is cooked, add sugar and mix well.
5. Keep it covered for 15 minutes.
6. Yummy hot kesari is ready. You can garnish it with cashews and raisins (optional)

Our Nashik Shiridi Trip (Part - I)

Our Trip to Nasik & Shirdi was a memorable trip to all of us for two things. Let me start with the good one.

This was not a planned trip, decided just a night before. My dear husband, arranged for a car. We packed our short & sweet luggages quickly. Next early morning, we started our trip happily after a hearty breakfast of Hot idlies in sambar and Dosas. Morning was pleasant without much traffic on the road. After we touched the nasik highway, we saw only greenery spread everywhere around us with some small green protruding hills with a yellow flower carpet adoring the greenery.

When we reached the ghats section there was some traffic due to rule breakers taking the wrong side of road for overtaking and got stuck thus obstructing traffic from opposite side for nearly an hour. This made us feel little low but the greenery around us, the different calls of unknown birds became our cheer leaders.

After we crossed upper vaitharana and reached the plains, it seemed like a journey in the heaven. The road was narrow. Greenery spread on both sides. Some places with fields & hardly 10 houses forming a village here & there that too many kilometers apart, with some dishes peeping out the tarpolin roofs. Hardly few vehicles passed by in the entire stretch of the road. No rest place, no  hotels, no shop to get water. Wherever, fields, appear, paddy were spread on the road so that when vehicles run over them, the grain will be separated from the hay. No mechanic sheds or garage for help, if the vehicle broke down. No alternate transportation too only few vehicles (can count with fingers) passed us. The road looked liked its hardly travelled except few bullock carts of the villages. Neverthless, we were enjoying our journey. 

We got a huge relief atlast when the road hit a main highway, which took us to Triambakeshwar temple. The place was very serene surrounded all the sides by hills. The season we went as after the monsoon. We had darshan of the deity, lord shiva in swayambu form. We had a simple lunch of roti, dal, rice and a subzi in a small joint near the temple. Took some shots when suddenly strong wind blew carrying along with it the sand, clouds surrounded and poured for sometime. Then we started towards Nasik.

(continued in part-II….)