Ep 4 Mahoba to Charkhari to Orai Gorakh Giri parvat | Betel Leaf Farming | Uttar Pradesh Tourism
Hello Friends! Welcome to Visa2Explore I'm your host Harish Bali Right now, we're in Mahoba ..standing 2 KM away from our hotel We've come here to visit a temple.. ...situated on the Gorakhgiri Hill We've Abhishek with us ..who'll help us visit the temple And, you're a reporter Yes Before talking to him, let me share today's journey plan with you We'll stay in Mahoba till around 9:00 AM It's 6:30 AM now Then, we'll go to Charkhari.. ..which is around 25 KMs far from here. We'll be in Charkhari till around 1:00 PM From there, we'll leave for Kalpi Though, the way leads via Orai.. But, from Google Maps, if I found that.. ..going directly will save our time.. ..then we'll go directly Otherwise, we'll go via Orai Our tonight's stay will be in Orai Right! Tell us something about this place Just as Kamadgiri Hill is in Chitrakoot..
..where Lord Shree Rama had stayed So, this Gorakhgiri is also historic.. "Tapobhoomi" (Penance Point) since Lord Rama spent some exile days.. ..at this place as well And here, the leader of Nath Sect, Guru Gorakhnath Ji also did penance here Ok! Are we going up, over there? On this hill Yes, the place is atop this hill Are there stairs? Yes, stairs are made And the ancient jungle trail is also there Come Shall we go? From Shiv Tandav, this place.. ..of Sidh Baba is around 900 mtrs Ok You'll infrequently get rocks en route Then, we'll find a trail ..that will lead us to Sidh Baba Temple Ok There're also tombs of some Englishmen. "Goron ki samadhi" means? During the revolt of 1857, Britishers began running here & there..
Around 5 Britishers came here. ..on this hill. The people who were grazing their cattle here .. called as "Buredi" in Bundeli dialect ..they killed those 5 Britishers here Thereafter, Britishers made tombs.. ..in the memory of those fallen Britishers That flag over there? Yes, which you can see All the rocks you see here..
..are in some form or shape ..as if trying to deliver some message For instance, you can see that front rock.. ..which is in the shape of a tortoise You're very right! That side, if you see over there.. ..that seems to be a robot. Oh, ho, seriously.. We'll see ahead more of the same rocks. Shapes are very unique It's nice seeing the shapes of these rocks Right now, we've reached at.. ..main point of Gorakhgiri Hill First, you catch a holy sight of it Then, we'll tell you about its significance At this place, Sidh Baba's idol is established During penance, a pair of tongs..
which Guru Gorakhnath Ji.. ..used to have is placed here. That lamp placed on the tongs Yes, that lamp is also upon the tongs It is believed that.. ..during exile, when Lord Rama stayed here You can see this place.. that rock with pronounced black marks Here, Maa Sita ji cooked food.. ..therefore, this place is known as.. "Sita Rasoi" Ok! As we're doing our..
..circumambulation The most interesting way was.. ..between two large rocks Earlier, I thought I'd go straight Then, I realized, going straight won't work So, I walked in side-by-side This is the specialty over here You'll get something different to see Moreover, a nice view was visible from there Yes, the view is very nice over there Very nice Thank you, Brother Abhishek.. ..for giving us time. and..
..now our plan is that.. .after going down, Now let us see the cultivation of betel Because betel of this place is famous Betel cultivation here is also famous "Paan Mandi" (Betel Market) is also here ..which opens at 6:00 AM till 8:00 AM Then, we'll go to Charkhari, that's around.. ..25-26 KMs distance from here. Thank You So, we bid bye to you here only Will you stay here or go down? I'll go down So, let's go down together After reaching down, we'll again thank you Ok Ok Ji.. After reaching Mahoba, I learnt.. ..Betel here is very famous Yesterday morning, when I was.. ..having had Jalebi in breakfast There's a betel market nearby So, I wished, before leaving from here.. ..to see the betel cultivation here So, we're told that..
..as we traveled along the road, we'll get to see Betel field periodically You'd stop the car anywhere So, at random, we saw this place. Somebody told us on the road that.. ..we'd walk up a little to see Betel field Let's walk up a little If there's any betel field, then.. ..we'd learn about Betel in detail or at least, we'd see Betel leaf. It is said, Betel here..
..melts instantly in one's mouth. "Desawari Pan" is what it's called here. The presence of Betel Market here.. ..proves how popular Betel here is. Otherwise, there'll be no market here Hello brother ! Hello Is this a Betel field of yours? Yes, sir, it's mine What's your name? My name is Sheetal Prasad Though, before today, we did have..
..seen Betel cultivation but.. ..we haven't seen cultivation of this level It's the first time we're seeing, ..that you've covered from the top Does Betel need a particular temperature? Yes! It's necessary because.. ..this Betel is very normal For its normal make-up, it requires moderate sunlight, moderate winters, ..and moderate heat. It also needs moderate rain Because heavy rain damages Betel plant So, it's best grown in normal conditions Is there a lot of betel cultivation in Mahoba? Yes, it's not of today's times It dates back to Alha-Udal times. You mean to say..
it's not 100-200 years old history Betel's history spans 1000 years Oh, really! Since day before yesterday, we've been in Mahoba. We've not eaten betel even once We've heard about Betel a lot, though.. ..but we've not had Betel by now. Betel leaves are of good quality here It's exported to Pakistan It's also sent to Delhi And whichever city once gets..
Betel leaf from Mahoba They always order Betel Leaf from here That we need Betel Leaf of Mahoba Ok, ji.. Superb! How long does a Betel plant.. .. take to mature? In this case, see.. As its shoot/twig is inserted as a graft. Are you seeing this Betel? When shoot grafting is done, within almost 90 days..
..this plant gets ready. Tell us one thing.. In betel, for instance, Odisha's Paan is famous Paan is supplied from "Jagannath Puri" This way, in how many total.. ..varieties does Betel come? One of our doctors was telling...
..there're 36 varieties in total. That doctor who is with us here ..performing experiments on Betel. For example, Maghai Paan.. I know about all these betel types So, there're 36 such varieties of Betel Of them, one variety is this This is one variety among them Do you have any Betel leaf for taste? Yes, you'll get that There're leaves all around. Take whichever you like Any one Betel leaf.. We've not tasted 'Betel' yet Let's have its leaf then We'll make you eat that Tell us the name of Betel again It's called "Desawari Paan" Do you want leaf? Yes, any one leaf. I'm looking for a good healthy leaf It'll altogether have a different taste You can have this leaf here Then you've same leaf elsewhere in Mahoba You won't get this same taste Really? Yes, I'm telling you.
Taste of desawari leaf you get here.. ..won't be found elsewhere in Mahoba You all, including me, will eat it It's a very unique taste. As I'm chewing the "Paan", its fragrance is diffusing more its taste is enhancing proportionally Great! Right now, you're chewing it, and we're sensing its fragrance Are you perceiving it? Yes Oh, wow! Well, I'm sensing it, but along with me, All my senses got vibrated This is what I'm feeling as of now We, ourselves, don't eat Paan As we work in Betel fields Its fragrance is prevalent all time If we eat this one leaf only we'll sense its fragrance all day. Thanks to you! The best thing I found about you is..
Since, these are your fields.. so it's natural for you to have knowledge But, the kind of detailed knowledge.. that you possess.. ..about all varieties of Paan It's superb! We've two varieties of Paan here One is Bangla Paan 2nd variety is this one Very nice! We won't boast unnecessarily Like our doctors harping on about varieties We don't believe in such talks This Paan is cultivated mostly in Mahoba 2nd type is Bangla Paan Bangli? Which is more famous in Lucknow Ok It is in demand everywhere You can take it anywhere Ok, brother, very nice It's nice talking to you It's amazing to eat betel leaf I literally savoured it Are you from Banaras? No, I'm from Delhi Thank you After travelling 5 KMs from Mahoba, we've come to visit..
.. Vijaya Sagar Bird Sanctuary This part of "Vindhyachal Range" is called.. "Kaimur Range" It's written below.. Kaimur Wildlife Department, Mirzapur Some information is written here about..
Vijaya Sagar Bird Sanctuary The ticket counter is in front of us Let's get a ticket from here Then, we'll visit Bird Sanctuary By the way, the best time to visit.. ..a Bird Sanctuary is early morning Since we went somewhere else.. .. early morning today so.. ..the next best option was to visit it.. ..during the day. So, let's go inside and explore it Amit Dubey Ji is helping us He'll give us information about birds As it's written about peafowl here How many peafowls will be here, approximately? Sir, their number is between 400-500 Ok What is total area of this Bird Sanctuary? Around 281 hectares 281 hectares! Yes, sir It means if one wants to explore around.. ..one entire day will be needed Sir, a total of 5 hours is needed Yes, this much time is needed ..this lake is very beautiful. So, birds must come here to drink water Sir, they keep coming here On that front board, information.. ..about Saras Crane bird is written Can Cranes be spotted here right now? Yes, they are here.
It is said, if one dies in a pair of cranes, ..for natural or any other reason, then.. ..second one too sacrifices their life. This means they'll stop eating, They won't go hunting They love each other too dearly Upon the death of any one of them, it's understood; the other one too dies soon naturally. They always exist in pairs As we're talking to Amit Ji, meanwhile, we got to meet with Range Officer Ravi Ji is standing with us Ravi Ji, tell us one thing that.. As it's a very large lake Is there any other smaller lake inside? Yes, there're a few small lakes inside Birds must drink water in them also Such things are usually kept in Bird Sanctuaries Yes Right, very nice! Tell us something special about it that.. you deem unique in this Bird Sanctuary Migratory birds come here ..
..from November to February. From Sri Lanka and other such nations.. Hmm.. Well, we've come here at a time when.. ..actually, it's not the right time to visit.. ..a Bird Sanctuary It's noon now Well, one should come early morning.. The October-March time is considered best Yes So, if you're planning to visit this place keep these inputs in your mind Rest, I'll like to thank you ..and thanks to you too. Ok, ji Now, we're going from here We'll re-join you in a while From Mahoba, while being ... en route to Charkhari Just 1-2 KMs before, there's one board over here Welcome to "Kashmir of Bundelkhand" "Charkhari" 1st Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Sri Govind Ballabh Pant Ji..
when 1st time came to Charkhari He got too impressed by its beauty Because we get to see lakes here ..and it is said that.. Charkhari's natural beauty is too attractive As he got too much impressed, so he said that.. It seems to be "Kashmir of Bundelkhand" Since then this place is known.. .. by the same name. "Kashmir of Bundelkhand" Let's go ahead in our car We'll join you in Charkhari We've reached Charkhari Right now, Prakash Saxena Ji is with us Hello So, you're a reporter from Mahoba Yes, sir Very nice The best thing is.. .. you took some time today to help us. They'll help us explore Charkhari Your presence makes things easier for us Sir, you've come from far to cover our area It's my duty. Thank you so much.
Give us an introduction of this place. Sir, it's called Mela Ground.. .. where we're standing right now In 1883 A.D., Maharaja Malkhan Singh ji.. ..started this mela (fair) here. ..who was a Bundela King Yes, he was a Bundela King Charkhari was a large princely state He was a piously righteous king Queens here worshipped Lord Krishna They initiated the temple's proceedings here Charkhari is said to be home to 108 temples Ok Idols were brought into all these temples There's one main Govardhan Nath.. ..temple amid the city Lord Govardhan Nath Ji also comes.. ..here for 1 month. He resides in all these ..
..108 temples for 1 month Is this fair held here even today? Yes, this fair starts on 2nd day after Diwali It is a month-long festival On the above, it's written "Royal Theater" It was the Maharaja of Charkhari.. .. who'd named it "Royal Theatre". Legend has it that.. ..in 1926, Maharaja Charkhari.. .. had gone to Calcutta.. ..to see the Parsi Theatre He's fond of watching it His queen hailed from Nepal Both had gone to watch the theatre They liked that so much They brought about the entire theatre, including its artists, writers here On priority, he got this building..
.. built within a few months. Parsi plays were held here Its seating capacity is of 4000 people. 4000 people used to sit here? Yes, King would sit at a height ..along with his queen. The audience including his ministers sat below. The stage was in the front. Here, performances were staged. So, Charkhari was a princely state Post-independence, it got diluted. Obviously, it annexed into our country Where are we going now? There's a lake named Kothi Tal Jai Sagar Lake is located next to it We'll visit both these lakes Tell us one thing This place is famed for its lakes How many lakes are there in total? There're 7 lakes within the city.
And, 7 lakes are above the fort Is there also a fort here? Yes, sir, Mangalgarh Fort Ok... Let's go now. Now, we've come to visit Kothi Tal This large lake you're seeing..
This lake is large in size Water is flowing down to this side too Sir, there's an island at its center. Is this water also of Kothi Tal? Isn't it? Yes, it's of Kothi Tal It must be a very large lake I've seen so many lakes in Mahoba, but.. There're other lakes even bigger than this ..in Charkhari. Is there any lake bigger than this? Yes, sir Ok, Ji Boating is also being done here Yes, boating is also available Why is it called "Kothi"? Actually sir.. That front building of Nepali architecture..
.. which you're seeing from here. It's a State Guest House .. ..dating back to princely times That front building Yes It was used as a State Guest House. that was then called "Kothi" Why is it of Nepali architecture? Because Maharaja's wife was from Nepal Ok, now, I got the point That's why this building.. was built in Nepali style. It was then called "Kothi" So, this place got its name "Kothi Tal" That fort in the front..
What's its name? Harish Ji, it's Mangalgarh Fort. It was built by Maharaja Jagat Singh He was a Bundeli King He got built this Mangalgarh Fort. Ok. Shall we go there then? Right now, it's under patronage of Army Tourists aren't allowed inside. Ok We've seen the fort from outside.
And, the lake we saw at Kothi Sagar ..err, Kothi Tal. This lake is located right opposite that What's its name? Maharaja Jai Singh Judev built it It's Jai Sagar Lake Maharaja Jai Singh Judev ruled in 1860 Got it. As the next generation of.. .. Bundela kings came, they kept on building lakes And, the latter was named after them. Most of the kings would make lakes ..as a part of the water management plan. Very nice Now, let's do one thing Should we have lunch? Yes, sir, we can have lunch Actually, I get hungry as it's 1:00 PM Let's have lunch, sir. Already, we've had a word with somebody We're going to have traditional.. ..Bundelkhand Food in our lunch. So, we're very much excited.
Ok, sir, let's enjoy our lunch Come on To have traditional Bundelkhand Food, we've come to Kishan Ji's home Since we've already talked to him earlier So, he got such a traditional food item... ..prepared for us That's hard to get in restaurants & dhabas Am I saying it right? Yes, of course. Now, what I've understood from you..
Hmm.. I'm going to tell it Correct me if there's any mistake. This is "Maadhe" "Maadhe" A special type of wheat..
.. is used in "Maadhe". Normal wheat may also be used But, there's a proper way to grind it In which, granular part is removed And, fine part like 'Maida' is kept Thereafter, you take a pitcher which he showed us moments ago They put that pitcher on a hearth Then, they prepare a large amount of Maadha As he told me, preparing Maadhe.. ..isn't everyone's cup of tea. A proper skill is needed to do that. Yes, of course Isn't it? So, this Maadha got ready After its preparation, it's chopped into pieces plus, ghee is added into it Is there no sugar in this? No, sir, it doesn't have sugar. Ok Kishan Ji told me it's eaten in..
..the combination with "Channa Dal". which people like the most. And, if you want to enhance the taste, the best way is that.. ..you use red pepper in it So, we're putting some red pepper in it Oh, I've put in more than required Let's take out some black pepper Let's shift it here. No problem No problem See, it's Rasiya In which rice is cooked in sugarcane juice then they added dry fruits in it During its serving, milk was also added. Does milk have no use.. .. when rice is being cooked? No To cook rice in sugarcane juice..
I've never heard about it by now Let alone eating it I've never heard about it As we came here, he quickly made.. ..us taste "Mangodi" It's made of "Moong Dal" This type of "Mangodi" ..is found in many places in India. It's a special item in Bundelkhand Ok, tell us what it is It's chutney What is it made of? Coriander, tomato, garlic Very good Tamarind is also added into it Fantastic! Oh, I thought, you might have started.. ..while I was talking to the camera Please have it And your lunch? I've already had it Ok, you've already had it Maadhe has soaked in ghee & lentil And, along with that.. ..as we've added some red pepper Red pepper ceased the time I'm feeling that.. ..had I got to video-shoot to show you.. ..how "Maadhe" was made. At once, you must have got surprised How exactly are they made? Because moments ago.. ..the pitcher that I'd seen By seeing that, I was visualizing..
how come "Maadhe" was made on it We finished our lunch and.. ..we forgot to eat Mangodi. Please have it. You grind Moong Dal at granular level only You don't grind it to fine particles Yes, it's ground very lightly Yes I think it'll taste best..
.. in combo with evening tea. Yes, it's good for breakfast too Either during morning or evening Do you like to have it for breakfast? Yes, of course. With tea Very good Had you not told me that rice.. ..was cooked in sugarcane juice
Do you know what I'd thought then? Though, I'm getting the taste of.. .. the sugarcane juice But, what is the combination of.. .. sugarcane juice with rice? --Hearty Laughter-- Because, who can think of.. ..having rice with sugarcane juice? Moreover, it's topped with milk Its taste just ceased the time. In merely one bite, I got impressed with Rasiya Do you like it, sir? Yes, very much Kishan Ji, tell us one more thing Say, somebody watches this video & wants..
..let's consider this area That person wants to taste this Rasiya We came to you via our contacts How would a common tourist do it? One heritage is being made here Present MLA Brij Bhushan Rajput Ji He has made it Over there, one will get a taste of.. ..all traditional Bundelkhandi cuisines Planning is underway over there Ok, the items will be included in that menu Yes in that menu Thank you, Kishan Ji Thank you We would rather thank you Because we're very pleased that.. ..you've made so delicious meal for us Otherwise, we won't get chance to eat it It's good that you liked it I liked, or rather, very much liked it.
Liking it is a small expression of feeling Right! Now, within 10-15 minutes, we'll leave And, that heritage place you told us.. we'll make a visit to it once Then, we'll see a few more lakes Would it be fine? Yes, of course. Then, we'll go to Orai By the way, it's already 3:30 PM Earlier, I thought to visit Kalpi first Then, I'll reach Orai It's already 3:30 PM It seems tough to reach Kalpi today Because it'll take us 2 more hours here Ok, great! We'll see you again soon There's one lake opposite..
..Guman Bihari Temple We've stopped to catch its sight Moments ago we're talking that.. ..there're 7 lakes here Out of 7 lakes, this is one lake Its location is very tourist-friendly There's a seating facility.. ..on the bank of the lake. There's a Ghat-like ambiance here Temple is closed now as it's afternoon From here, now let's go to..
.. see that heritage property. A while back we're talking about.. .. heritage property, weren't we? We've come here to see it. Have a look at its facade What is its name? It's called "Deori Darwaja" (Old Palace). How old is this construction? Sir, it's quite old In 1908, Maharaja Malkhan Singh Judev built it It's a very ancient property This old palace is now being..
.. converted into a heritage. ..under the aegis of our current MLA Facilities for tourists will soon be here This means visitors can eat traditional food Yes, traditional food will also be available. They'll also have staying options here ..for both local tourists and foreigners. Many people are interested in.. ..staying in the heritage property. Ok, nice Now, we'd leave for Orai As I checked, it'd take us two hours and fifteen minutes. From here to Orai. We'll try going via Express Highway If you take to Express Highway, then..
..it'll be a little better for you. Your travel will be convenient Though, it shows equal time on both routes There's not much difference Right Thank you Prashant Ji You took the time to show us around. It's nice meeting you, sir We liked your company, plus.. ..the way you showed us the lakes ..and briefed us was praiseworthy Next time, do visit Bundelkhand again Ok Thank You, Sir. Thank you It's 7:15 PM now We've just reached Orai. As our car stopped We unloaded our luggage I've not yet been to my room I'll soon go I thought to finish this episode first ..by bidding bye-bye to all of you. Besides, telling you about tomorrow's program Our tonight's stay is in Orai Tomorrow, we'll go to see..
..the confluence of 5 rivers. Then, we'll go to Kalpi also Both these places are in different directions There's no common route. This plan is upto around 4:00 PM After that, we want.. ..to reach Jhansi by the end of the day If it took us more time to visit Kalpi..
..5 rivers' confluence, then.. we'd stay put in Orai and then.. ..day after tomorrow, we'll go to Jhansi. We've only these 2 choices, because.. ..our return journey is at noon .. ..day after tomorrow. This hotel has a large parking lot Main road is in the front Though, we came from State Highway's side We didn't take to Express Highway Even then, the road was good There's not much traffic on it It took us half an hour extra to reach here Our 30-45 minutes may have been saved, had we come via Expressway Highway I bid bye to all of you here We'll see you again soon Till then..
Thanks for your time
2023-07-12 07:13
