Pajaka Kshetra, Udupi, Karnataka

Sri Madhva Acharya

Sri Kunjaru Temple

A house in Pajaka

Sri Madhva's Birth Place - Pajaka Kshetra

Pajaka Kshetra - Madhva Matha/Mandira

Vrindavan & Mathura - Birth Place of Sri Krishna

Vrindavan
It is believed that Sri Krishna was born in Nandagaon and would come to Vrindavan on the banks of Yamuna as cow boy. He has had many legends here.

Vrindavan today has many Ashrams. Every step you can see one ashram.

Beware of the priests
Vrindavan today is a commercial place. The guides do more harm than help. They have tie up with the temple priests especially of the old Krishna-Radha Temple which takes care of the "ladies" hostel kind of set up, the cows and the temple expenses.

In this temple one has to sit and have darshan of Sri Krishna and Radhe. They make you sit while the curtains are closed. They bargain for the money, I mean donation and then only open the curtains for you to see the Lord. How mean! Beware. These priests are no less in begging and coaxing you to shred money. They start with the figure 5000rs!

With the kind of experience we had here, we forgot for sometime about our purpose of visit!

Places to visit
ISKCON temple
Brij Bihari Temple - Old South Indian styled temple
Radhe Mohan Temple - get ready for the massacre
Yamuna ghat - where people take holy dip and can see where Krishna was supposed to have played with his friends.
Vrindavan - People believe that Krishna visits every night here and no one has ventured out to see him.


Things to do
1. Drink the butter milk (with butter and milk cream)
2. Take a round at the Vrindavan
3. Take a boat ride on Yamuna and see the bathing ghats
4. Clap and Laugh loudly. People believe that a person who comes here and laughs will continue that happiness through out his life!


Mathura
This is the place where Lord Sri Krishna had ousted his maternal uncle and ruled the Kingdom.

Mathura is enroute to Agra from Delhi, after Vrindavan.

The Sri Krishna temple complex is very big. The temple closes by 12.00 noon and opens in the evening. Krishna rules. We had been there on August 17,2006 the day after the Krishna Janmashtami was celebrated. It was extremely crowded with the Go-paalakas of Uttar Pradesh.

You can shop here for Sri Krishna- Radhe photos and other religious things.

We did not venture out much as we had had a bad experience in Vrindavan.

In and around Badrinath

Vishnu Prayag

Backdrop of Hanuman Chetti

River Saraswati is only seen here

Auli (Ski Resort)

Beautiful Mana Village

Badrinath - Travel Details

The Route
Delhi – Haridwar – Rishikesh – Dev Prayag – Srinagar – Rudraprayag –Pipalkoti – Karnaprayag - Nanda prayag - Joshimath – Gobind Ghat – Vishnu Prayag – Badrinath - Mana village

Distance To Badrinath from:
Delhi - 518 km,
Haridwar - 321 km
Dehradun 343 kmRishikesh - 297 km
Deoprayag - 225 km
Rudraprayag - 155 km
Karnprayag - 123 km
Joshimath - 42 km (takes 2.30 – 3.00 hours)


STD Codes
Haridwar: 0133
Devprayag : 01378
Rudraprayag : 01364
Karanprayag : 01363
Nandaprayag : 01372
Joshimath: 01389
Badrinath: 01381 (Only BSNL and Reliance telephone works here)


Accommodation
Most of the above mentioned halts have GMVN. There are a string of many other hotels as well. I have heard that during season finding a room could be extremely difficult and better to book before.

Rates: During off season the rates can go down to 300-500 and during season it will go up to 1000rs. Bargaining works. You can also get dormitory. Generally, GMVNs give a dorm free for the taxi driver.


Climate at Joshimath/Badrinath
Winter: Too Cold. Badrinath is anyway NOT accessible. Joshimath/Auli is accessible for Skiing. Obvious that you have to have loads of warm clothes.
May End-June and Oct Beginning: Very Cold. Warm clothes - a must. The roads will be brought back to proper conditions by the Force.
July - September : Pleasant. Carry one or two pullovers. Night's are cold and the hotels provide a thick rajai for you to curl in them. This time being rainy season, the condition of roads are very bad and sometimes risky.


Travel Services
There are many buses that start from Rishikesh/Haridwar to Badrinath early morning by 5.30am and vice versa from Badrinath. It will be better to book them one night before at the least. You can also hire a car/jeep for the travel purpose.


Food
From Haridwar you will find many dhaba’s on the roadside which generally provide Rice, Roti and daal and generally they are good. You will also get modified version of South Indian and Chinese. Try to get food at a smaller dhabha and in a smaller village than a hotel in a major town. Most of the hotels aren’t very clean. All these hotels serve vegetarian food only.


Shopping
Rishikesh
Best place to shop, especially for precious stones, Saligrams, Rudraksh and stuff like that. Woolen clothes are cheap here as well.

Joshimath
You will get good shawls, CDs and cassettes. They said that we could find Saligram, Rudraksh and precious stones here but we could not find much.

Badrinath
I felt that it’s very expensive to buy any precious thing here. Otherwise general shopping can be done.

Sode, Soda, Sonde – Sri Bhootaraja’s Sannidhana

Sri Vadiraja Matha, Sode

Soda/Sode/Sonda is a tiny hamlet in Sirsi Taluk, 17 kms off the town. This is the place chosen by Sri Vadiraja Swamy, pontiff of Vadiraja Math, one of the eight Udupi Ashta Matha’s.

Places to visit here:
Sri Rama Trivikrama Temple
Sri Bhootaraja Temple
Sri Vadiraja Brindavana(Samadhi)
Tapovana (Where Vadiraja Swami meditated)

There are many more places like Swarnavalli Matha, etc to visit, but I have seen only these. All the above three are located very close. The last two are in the same complex.

The temple rituals timings are:
Morning
8:30 Trivikram Devara Pooja
9:00 Vrindavan Pooja
10:00 Bhootarajar Pooja
11:45 Teertha Prasad(lunch)

Evening
6:30 Trivikrama Pooja
7:00 Vrindavan Pooja
7:45 Bhootarajar Pooja
8:15 Teerthaprasad (Dinner)

As this is a very small place, the make-shift hotels near by offer home made food and at their convenience. You might have to go and knock the door to checkout for cup of tea at odd hours.

The temple complex has Chatra /Retiring rooms for a nominal fee. Or one can stay at Sirsi and visit this place.

There are many private run buses from Bangalore to this place, as it’s of religious importance to the followers of Ashta Matha, and also the Swarnavalli Matha.

You want to relish the chirps of birds, lush green surroundings, peaceful atmosphere, just head to this place.