City of All Faiths! (Continued...)

The hotel had arranged for a VIP visit to the Dargah Sharif, shrine of the sufi saint, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishty. It is one of holiest shrines and revered by people of all faiths. The Dargah Sharif is visited by millions of pilgrims who come to seek fulfillment of their wishes. However in the midst of a crowded Saturday, the sanctity of a ‘privileged’ visit was not to be. The approach road to the shrine consists of narrow by-lanes, through which at times only 1 person can pass. In the absence of a proper regulated queue, there was complete chaos at the entrance to the tomb. The long queue for ‘general public’ appeared quite disciplined but certainly a time consuming affair. Nevertheless we sought the almighty’s blessings and came out in less than 1 hour. Upon checking with the escort in the mosque, we were advised that for a more peaceful visit it is preferable to come on a non-holiday or non-festival day at 6 in the morning. Beware of the narrow approach roads to the mosque. Also once inside, the escort warned us to be wary of pick-pockets and to ensure safety of personal belongings, wallets, bags, mobiles, camera etc. We had left our belongings at the hotel itself, hence could not click any photos.

That afternoon we visited the famed Honey Dew restaurant close to the railway station. From the reviews available on the internet, we learnt that the restaurant was a favourite hangout of the students of the prestigious Mayo College. When we entered most of the table were empty, we presumed that since it was past lunch hour. Desperately seeking non-vegetarian food, was the primary reason for actively seeking out this restaurant. And we were not let down. The chicken biryani was delicious, but the honours were taken by the delicious laal maas – it simply melted in my mouth. Thoroughly satisfied with the food and the quick service, we once again came out on the busy and chaotic road near the railway station.



Inside Honeydew Restaurant

 

Chicken Biryani

 

 

Laal Maas

We hailed a passing auto rickshaw and after fixing the fare (Rs. 40/-) hopped on for a ride to Ana Sagar Lake. It was a short ride of about 10 minutes. At 4 p.m. the sun was beating down our bodies. What was surprising was that the lake’s sidewalks were brimming with visitors, mostly locals I thought. A cool breeze greeted us as we neared the water body. And once we reached the water’s edge we were amazed to experience the immense expanse of this man-made lake. I could fairly estimate that it was comparable to some of the more well-known lakes in our country (such as Nainital, Ooty etc.). Looking down at the water greeted me to a wonderful sight – variety of fish, in various sizes and colours could be clearly spotted. Once we were done we realized the superb location of our chosen hotel…it was walking distance from Ana Sagar!


Next Week: Visit To Pushkar and a Round-up of Ajmer before departure