DISCOVERING MY WAY TO THE REAL INDIA

The journey of a lifetime started when ten extremely thrilled and excited students made their way to the railway station only to find out that their train had been delayed by five hours. What we all thought were going to be five very long agonizing hours turned out to be surprisingly fun filled and entertaining where a group of thirteen strangers became well acquainted with each other and started their journey as a team. The thrill of the journey became more real after we all boarded the train. After an all night train journey and the debate on who gets which berth, we all managed to reach our destination Patna in one piece. At the station we were greeted by the group of students from Gramin Foundation and their teacher Mr. Sharma. After that we all got changed and dressed in record time and started on our way to the ruins of Nalanda University. The scenery along the way was breath taking, we crossed many different agricultural fields and each one more beautiful than the other. Going through a canopy of trees and seeing the sun setting on those beautiful green fields was simply amazing. Since we were already five hours late on schedule, we reached Nalanda University after sunset only to discover that it was closed. With our luggage locked in the retiring rooms in Patnas railway station, we all ended up in staying the night in Rajgir. This was our first real chance to get to know the children from the gramin foundation and interact with them. We had some really funny conversations with them and played dumb charades, which we tried to teach them how to play, we did succeed to an extent. After that we retired for the night. Next day we got up at five in the morning and were ready by 7.30 am to start with our sightseeing session. First we went to a nearby temple to

see the natural hot water springs, after which we came back to the guest house to have a really nice and warm breakfast and again got geared up to go visit the ropeway in Rajgir. This particular ropeway was unlike any other that i had been to. First of all most of the ropeways have trolleys this one in particular had single seats. I have never really been afraid of heights but this was something i had never really experienced before, sitting casually while you see steep cliffs passing beneath your feet, it was beautiful but also a bit scary. When we reached the top, we went to visit a Shanti Stupa, more appropriately called A Peace Pagoda is a Buddhist stupa designed to provide a focus for people of all races and creeds, and to help unite them in their search for world peace. It was the epitome of serene beauty, the place was filled with statues of Gautam Buddha in various poses and stages of life. The atmosphere over there was such that it filled your mind with a sense of calmness. After admiring the stupa and the beauty and breath taking view in which it was surrounded, we made our way back to the ropeway and towards the downward journey, thinking about which made me a little apprehensive. Even though i was very scared on my way down through the ropeway i couldnt help but admire the view around me. It was far different from what we expected. Once our feet were back on the ground we made our way to the ruins of Nalanda University. If you can describe the ruins in one word that would be amazing.The site of Nalanda is located in the Indian state of Bihar, about 55 miles south east of Patna, and was a Buddhist center of learning from 427 to 1197 CE. It has been called "one of the first great universities in recorded history."Some buildings were constructed by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka the Great (i.e. Raja Asoka: 273232 BCE) which is an indication of an early establishment of the Buddhist learning center Nalanda. The Gupta Empire also patronized some monasteries. According to historians, Nalanda flourished between the reign of the Gupta king akrditya (also known as Kumragupta, reigned 415-55) and 1197 CE, supported by patronage from Buddhist emperors like Harsha as well as later emperors from the Pala Empire. The complex was built with red bricks and its ruins occupy an area of 14 hectares. At its peak, the university attracted scholars and students from as far away as China, Greece, and Persia. Nalanda was sacked by Turkic Muslim invaders under Bakhtiyar Khalji in 1193, a milestone in the decline of Buddhism in India. The great library of Nalanda University was so vast that it is reported to have burned for three months after the Mughals set fire to it, sacked and destroyed the monasteries, and drove the monks from the

site. In 2006, Singapore, China, India, Japan, and other nations, announced a proposed plan to restore and revive the ancient site as Nalanda International University. As we all made our way back from the ruins, we all had the same thought, one visit was not enough. Next stop on our itinerary was Jehanabad. The road journey from Nalanda university to Jehanabad was bumpy but full of anticipation. This was after all the most awaited part of our journey. At last we reached our destination. As we entered the school, we were greeted by a large number of very excited kids who had been waiting for us for hours.We were asked to distribute ladoos to the kids before they started the presentation they had prepared for us. They had prepared songs, dance and a debate on dowry system ( dahej pratha). The confidence with which they presented what they had prepared was truly remarkable. After the presentation we were given a little insight about how things functioned in their school. Most of the teachers there were students themselves and whatever payment they got for teaching the little village children was invested in their own further studies. Some of the girls from the foundation who had become our friends followed this very principle to achieve higher education. The kind of love and affection they showered on us was really very over whelming. At some point we all thought that we didnt deserve it. We were all very touched by their gesture. We were then asked to give out prizes to kids whose presentation was the best in singing and debating, we were highly honored to receive so much respect from them. After that we were asked to give out notebooks and pens to all the kids before they left for their homes. They could barely contain their excitement at receiving the notebooks and pens. Their excitement and joy was very heartwarming. Once everyone had settled down, we were asked to sit on the floor as our lunch was ready to be served. This was the most authentic experience ever and the food was the kind of home cooked meal we were all dying to have since the last two days. It tasted truly wonderful, i guess we all together changed the definition of overeating. After the very nice meal, we had the chance to meet the superintendent of Jehanabad. We were extremely honored and touched by his hospitality. After the short visit by the superintendent we bade him farewell. We then made our way back to the guest house in Jehanabad accompanied by our friends from the foundation. In the evening we were invited for a wedding in the village. We all got geared for the wedding. The wedding had a different meaning altogether in the village as compared to that in the city. It was not about displaying ones wealth, it was about the joy of

celebrating the union of two people. By the time we made our way back we were truly exhausted and filled with gratitude at the kind of love and affection we had received from these people. After winning our battle with the mosquitos in our respective rooms we all settled for the night. Next day we woke up and got ready for our next adventure. But before that we were given a very nice and delicious home cooked breakfast. Then we all geared up to go visit the famous Barabar caves.The Barabar Caves are the oldest surviving rock-cut caves in India, mostly dating from the Mauryan period (322185 BCE), and some with Ashokan inscriptions, located in the Jehanabad District of Bihar, India, 24 km north of Gaya. These caves are situated in the twin hills of Barabar (four caves) and Nagarjuni (three caves) - caves of the 1.6 km distant Nagarjuni Hill sometimes are singled out as Nagarjuni Caves. These rock-cut chambers date back to the 3rd century BC, Maurya period, of Ashoka (r. 273 BC to 232 BC.) and his son, Dasaratha. Though Buddhists themselves, they allowed various Jain sects to flourish under a policy of religious tolerance. These caves were used by ascetics from the Ajivika sect, founded by Makkhali Gosala, a contemporary of Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, and of Mahavira, the last and 24th Tirthankara of Jainism. Also found at the site were several rock-cut Buddhist and Hindu sculptures. The area was also the setting for the opening of E.M. Forster's book, A Passage to India, while the caves themselves are the site of a crucial, though ambiguous, scene at the book's symbolic core. The author visited the site, and later used it, as the Marabar caves in his book. Most caves at Barabar consist of two chambers, carved entirely out of granite, with a highly polished internal surface and exciting echo effect. The first chamber was meant for worshippers to congregate in a large rectangular hall, and the second, a small, circular, domed chamber for worship, this inner chamber probably had a small stupa like structure, at some point, though they are now empty. After we made our way back to the bottom of the hill where the magnificent caves were situated, we started on the next part of the journey to Bodhgaya. Bodh Gaya or Bodhgaya (Hindi: ) is a religious site and place of pilgrimage associated with the Mahabodhi Temple Complex in Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is famous for being the place of Gautama Buddha's attainment of Enlightenment. Historically, it was known as the Bodhimanda (ground around the Bodhitree), Uruvela, Sambodhi, Vajrasana and Mahabodhi. The name Bodh

Gaya did not come into use until the 18th century. The main monastery of Bodhgaya used to be called the Bodhimanda-vihra (Pali). Now it is called the Mahabodhi Temple. For Buddhists, Bodh Gaya is the most important of the main four pilgrimage sites related to the life of Gautama Buddha, the other three being Kushinagar, Lumbini, and Sarnath. In 2002, Mahabodhi Temple, located in Bodh Gaya, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The place described the word beauty in a completely different way. After a little bit of sightseeing we all retired to our guest house. In the evening when we were all charged up again, we went to the temple again in the evening. The temple looked even more beautiful in the evening light. We then went on a shopping spree. After which we were all finally drained of our energy and we went back to the guest house to retire for the night. Next day we visited the Tibetan monastery nearby and continued with our shopping spree. Then all of us got ready for our road journey back to Patna with heavy hearts. On reaching back we had one last meal together in record time so that we did not miss our train. Then we made our way back to the railway station. After one long eventful night in the train with more disputes and debates on who gets which berth, we reached back home, with memories that we would cherish for life.

Avantika Bagai B.Sc Life Sciences