BY PRAGYANSHARMA POLAVARAPU
A VISIT TO BRINDAVAN GARDENS -PART TWO
( 1 )
We now end the technical discussion about the dam and the
garden . We now go to examine the dazzling beauty of the vast and world famous
Brindavan garden. At nights the garden bathed in the glow of coloured electric lights, water fountains and bushes illuminated
in coloured light looks like part of
heaven . People in thousands visit in evening hours coming from the far off city
even in cars to forget the day’s troubles.
The rush of visitors at weekends is heavy. We were told by some passengers that there
were no rains during the previous three
years. We could see on our way to the
dam large sand
dunes in the river .
It was still early in the morning and the time was about 8-30 . There was still
heavy fog . We were near the entrance gate of the giant sized KR Sagar dam and purchased
tickets to enter the garden. The top of the dam which is two kilometers
long ( looking like a wide public road ) is entirely prohibited to public and is used only by the maintenance
engineers. It is protected by armed
gaurds.
There is a viewing bridge on the garden side of the dam. We started
walking on the viewing bridge and could see the dam’s gigantic dimensions. We could
see the long line of the gigantic sluice gates etc from a near range and see
the vast sized lawns and flower beds in
the garden. The lawns and flower beds spread
on both sides of an endless cement concrete water channel constructed through
the centre of the garden like a long straight line dividing the garden into two equal halves. We also saw on our side
(garden side) of the gigantic main dam big stone steps from top of the dam down
to garden level . But they were only for
use of the maintenance staff and prohibited to visitors by barriers. The sluice gates were like a line of big caves
and were operated(opened and closed) automatically depending on the water level
in the main water reservoir on the other side of the dam. The sluice gates possess herculean strength
and through them huge quantities of
water flows from the main reservoir to the garden and to other irrigation
canals that take water to hundreds of thousands of acres of agricultural
fields. The mountain sized high
dam with its long line of sluice gates was awe inspiring and was an engineering wonder.
We walked a long distance on the viewing bridge
and got an idea of the hugeness of dam
and also had a long view of the vast Brindavan garden which got all the water
from the dam reservoir and through the
central cement concrete channel. The gardens were still far away and down below. We walked on the bridge for about 30 minutes to enjoy the grand view and
returned again to the area near the garden entrance. There were two big hotels nearby
as seen from the name boards .But they were not yet opened. We were among the first visitors to the gardens. At the second
hotel they offered to prepare tea for us. One worker went inside and got us
biscuits packets , packets of potato chips and water bottles.
The
garden stretched as far as eye could see
and was somewhat like a giant stair case of flower beds.Through the middle of
the stair case, right from the dam wall
and into the farway distance, there was the wide water channel constructed in cement concrete. The kilometer long concrete
canal was built in a sloping way with three
or four giant steps so that water
required for the garden flowed down it by gravity. Again inside these huge stairs in
the cement channel ,there were smaller stair case sections . All over this
section of stairs in water and a feet
below the flowing water ,a large endless line of coloured electric bulbs were fixed ! When the coloured electric bulbs glow in night
the staircase in the water channel looks so very attractive .
There
was a black stone statue of “ Kaveri Maatha”( mother goddess Kaveri) at the very
start of the cement concrete channel . In
the nights the underwater colored electric lights turn the area into a fairyland. Here is a vast stair case of rectangular gardens. Each garden is as big as
a foot ball field containing many trees and flower bushes. The gardens
stretch on both sides of the central waterway. The garden staff no doubt take special care about every garden bed. At some
places the water columns of the
fountains rising vertically and falling down into the ponds looked like solid
parabolic glass rods! In night times the
colored electric bulbs kept submerged in
water (an engineering feat) transform
the garden into a fairy land. We should note that since all this staircase of
gardens lies far below the water level of the main water reservoir , the gardens get water automatically by gravity flow (automatic flow to the lower
levels ) . At the far end of the garden the excess water perhaps flowed out into to the agricultural fields .
On both sides of the central water channel there
were nice walking paths and beside them there
were little rectangular lawns and flower
beds. I n the distance there was a very
large pond inside the garden. In
it was constructed a system of water
fountains in a circle . A water dome gets created
by the water falling down from the powerful fountains . Coloured lights were
fixed under water . In addition there
was a powerful fountain at center of lake throwing water vertically 50 feet upwards! People come in thousands
particularly in the evenings to spend a few hours roaming in the fairy land to forget
their gardens for a few hours.It was all an engineering wonder. At the far end of this central water channel there is an artificial
waterfall taking water to still lower
level after flowing between dozens of boulders. A marsh like area with long water
grasses developed there attracting a number of water birds in the day time.
My heart felt
guilty because I could not bring my wife and daughters for a night view
of the garden. We could not visit the garden in night hours . Years back earlier
during my training sessions in the Postal
Training College in Mysuru I visited Brindavan gardens twice. Both times we went in evening
hours. This time I had to bring my family only in morning hours because the trip( a free travel plan offered by government to retiring employees) had to
be finished between the government approved dates. When I expressed my extreme pain and unhappiness , my wife and daughters simply laughed it off . They
were really magnanimous.I could not feel easy. We would visit again at a later
time.
( 2 )
The
garden looked wonderful even during the
day hours because of its vast ness and because of its vast greenery of trees
and grassy squares and colorful flowering bushes . We could not but wonder at its vastness . So it was not entirely a disappointment. However ,at the time of our
visit the water level in the high
reservoir of the dam was low but the dozens
of water fountains in the garden functioned
well and were a great sight giving us joy. The
green grass lawns maintained as a giant stair case on the two sides of
the wide central water channel were
a sight to see and wonder. Each was of the size of a foot ball field . The flower
beds of many colors in those lawns were enchanting.So,still we had a most enchanting
view of the garden and It gave great joy
to my wife and two daughters.
But let me call all the above writing only as
an introduction. So far we did not take
a walk though the vast garden complex . First, we quickly walked to the
farthest end because we decided
to see the garden leisurely walking back through the various sections. On
the way we sat twice or thrice to have the
biscuits and sweets which we brought. The beautiful flower beds of different
varieties and the many fountains in
small cement ponds all attracted us and made us stop at every step. It
was bright sunlight all around unlike the earlier fog. The time was only 9-30
morning! My daughters were very happy seeing the vast garden. We sat and roamed
in the garden for nearly two hours. Time flew by as we talked of the art museums etc and the famous silk
emporium we were to visit in mysore city and about our previous day’s unforgettable trip to Ooty. We spent time in the garden for nearly two hours . The weather was cool and
pleasant .
We took lots of photos. We slowly moved from one lawn to
another and from one flower bed to
another .The water columns of some
fountains looked like curved glass rods. We spent time upto 11-30 in the
garden. We exhausted all the biscuits and chips and came out .It was getting hot in the day. We had soft drinks to quench our thirst. After about half an hour a bus arrived and we travelled about 20 kilometres to reach
our hotel . After food and a little rest
we proceeded in an auto to our next
planned destination—the Kaveri emporium.
It was a big government emporium selling gift
items--- costly art pieces, ornaments, sandalwood products etc. Many items
costed 5000/- to 20,000/-rupees a piece. Big items like costly dining
tables,carved chairs etc made of costly black
wood costed 70,000/- and above.
Framed images of gods sculpted in sandalwood and framed in glass
costed 15000/- and above . Even small unframed statues of gods in
sandalwood costed 5000/- to 10,000/-
each!
One Pooja Mandir made of blackwood and
exquisitely carved and about 6 feet high costed rupees 1.2 lakhs. A small bottle
of sandal wood oil costed rs 390/-. We purchased some small items---three tiny statues of gods
in sandal wood, sandal wood oil and agarbathi
packets . We wanted to make some more purchases in the big bazar but we were hungry.
We went to a famed vegetarian
restaurant nearby. Then we started for
another round of shopping . We went to a
big readymade garments shop spread in two
floors and spent half an hour there and after some purchases returned to our hotel
.
It was already 4pm in the evening.It was time
for our return to bengalur to our daugher’s hose after a three day trip to the
beautiful city of Mysuru. We had to hurry again! We decided that we would sleep during the four hour long bus journey to Bangalore . We
quickly packed our belongings and thanked the hotel manager for our long comfortable
stay in his hotel. We took an auto to
the main bus stand and after waiting for
10 minutes we got into a luxury bus to Bangalore which started at 4-30 pm. The
bus was quite good. We were extremely tired after our long trips to multiple
destinations in our three day trip to Mysore and its sorroundings. So no sooner
the bus started my wife and
daughters fell asleep. With great difficulty I too kept myself awake. We
passed through villages and endless coconut plantations. On
the way we had tea and biscuits in a hotel in a big town at about 7-3o. We passed through
Channa Patna, the famous pilgrim centre Nanjangud
and Mandya.
We were fully awake when we entered outskirts
of Bangalore. But it took half an hour
or more to finally reach the city bus station.It was very big and busy. There
were internal underground passages to cross to the different areas of the bus
station complex. We got into a local
bus to Marathahalli. It was about 8-30
pm. It was a one hour long journey to Marathahalli . We reached our daughter’s
house at about 9-30pm .Our son in law had not yet returned frm office . We ordered
food by home delivery from a big hotel nearby as my wife and my elder daughter
were too tired after the long journeys. There was terrible noise of airplanes
overhead as the big airport was nearby. The lights of low flying airplanes, while landing or taking off, were
visible like lorry head lights. We sat
in outer verandah after meals. Soon
our son-in-law came home from his office . We were too tired for any long
chatting as it was 10-30pm. We bid good bye and were soon fast asleep.
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