March 29, 2010
I'm on a train bound for Delhi. I didn't really want to do this but I needed to escape the heat and it's hard to go North from Sanchi without going through Delhi. Actually, it's pretty hard to go North from Sanchi at all. The tracks are busy busy busy but only one Delhi bound train actually stops here. I took a bus to Bhopal to catch a ride on the “go fast, stop nowhere” Shatobi. It's a bit spooky to zip past the town that has been home for the last two days. I see the Great Stupa appear in the distance and as familiar roads and buildings come into clear view a little voice inside cries “Stop! Stop! Help! Staaaaaap!”
But I really did need to get out of there. I had hoped Sanchi would be a place I could pause, catch up with accumulated cruft, and attempt a better landing than I managed on previous megas.
But it didn't work. Sanchi has been so hot that the hours past 10:00am were essentially unusable and Internet access is slowish and expensive. I couldn't even sleep. It is hot until almost midnight and I had to get up at 4:00am so that I could be out doing when that was possible.
I arrived at 8:30am on the bus from Bhopal. I could already tell that, by the time I got my act together, it would be too hot to do anything. I wrote off the day and vowed to be at the ticket office at 6:00am.
I got sorta close. It was about 6:05 when I reached the outer door to the guest house and discovered that I was locked in. For the next ten or fifteen minutes I alternated between noisy attempts to force open the door and looking for another way out. After a non-dreadful passage of time, the manager arrived to unlock the door. I didn't stay and chat. I was been chased by the sun!
Actually, it wasn't so bad. There is more a breeze on the hill among the 2200 year old stupas and there aren't so many as to create any real danger of running out of cool air before running out of sites. Getting to other sites before the baking begins would be tricky and despite being aware of the extra time, I didn't have a viable plan to make use of it.
The stupas themselves are simple but the gateways are exquisitely carved and in amazing condition. They aren't of the same class of Kujaraho but they are relics of a time from which few of their peers survive. The Ajanta caves are nearly as old. The Shore Temple in Mamalapurum isn't too much younger but is it is in far worse condition. So far as I know, no significant structure exists from the time of the Buddha. Sanchi is about three hundred years late and I think that is as good as it gets. Lothal is older, of course, but it stretches the definition of survives. The dry climate must help.
The site is pleasant, peaceful, and nearly empty. No army of school children arrived while I was there. I shared the experience with only a small group of Koreans, and an equally small group of Indians who came late. Judging from the shuttered refreshment stand and empty souvenir shop, I expect it is not so peaceful in the cooler months.
For the next morning, I informed the hotel manager that I needed the gate open at 5:30am and I retrieved the bicycle before going to sleep. None of this getting up early and then waiting for bicycle rental shop to open rubbish like happened in Kujaraho.
I managed 5:40am, which is just as well because it was barely twilight. My goal was the Heliodorus Pillar, 16K to the North if you believe the guide book. I tend not to given the rather poor quality of this section. As expected, the instructions weren't quite right so it took me a little longer than expected. Not too bad, however, and I didn't need a whole lot of time at the site.
I knew before hand that the pillar wasn't much. Still, I was drawn not so much to artistry then what the relic represented. This was a gift from the a Bacterian Greek King in 150BC. It may be the Eastern-most representation of ancient Greek culture. I had hoped for some Greek inscriptions but, while there is certainly writing, I don't see much that looks like Greek. Still very cool.
On the way back, I made a detour at the Udaigiri caves. There are supposed to be 21 caves but, I saw only five and only one of those was worth while. Despite the limited time, I could have seen more, but the layout is very confusing. The “main” entrance has only one small, unimpressive cave. The other caves are further down the road and not visible from the main entrance. I used up most of my time crawling over the hill behind the main entrance looking for monuments that weren't there.
I managed to get the bicycle back by nine, and catch the bus out by just past 11:00am. If Delhi isn't too annoying I will stay a couple of nights and do my catchup here. After that, I am off to Corbet and maybe a brief excursion into Nepal.
Delhi is still pretty annoying but, while it is hot here, it is bearably so. The filth is different this time, though I'm not sure it is any less. No localized smoke. There is also less diesel exhaust because road construction/demolition limits the number of vehicles that can get into the Bazaar. On the other hand, active demolition of building fronts is kicking up a lot of dust. The Indian government is preparing for the Commonwealth Games. They want to widen and beautify Main Bazaar. It is hard to imagine any place as ugly Paharganj becoming beautiful though.
The Nepal plan is off. India has changed the visa rules since I left home. Once I leave India I am not allowed back in until at least two months have passed. The only way around this is to trek to Kathmandu and beg at the Indian embassy for an exception. Much of the point for going to Nepal was to get around the 180 day maximum stay rule. For that, I have discovered a simpler solution. It turns out that my return flight is at 1:30am. All I need to do is go to the airport a bit early and clear immigration before midnight on the 20th.
So the plan is now to stay in India heading further North and deeper into the Himalayas until I need to turn around and head home.