OUR TRAVELS
Photos of sightseeing enthusiasts
A TRIP ROUTE
INTERESTING STORIES
The earliest records of Polish citizens in India come from the 15th century. Gaspar da Gama, a Poznań Jew who left Poland with his parents in his youth, is considered to be the first Pole in this country. He lived, among others Venice and Alexandria, from which he probably set off for India. There, he met Vasco da Gama, thanks to whom he was baptized and surname, becoming a Portuguese guide in India. He was also to be a participant in the Cabral expedition during which Brazil was discovered. It is also worth mentioning the envoy of King Zygmunt August, Erazm Kretowski, whose stay in India was recorded by Jan Kochanowski in the deputy's epitaph, writing that "... He was where the Dniester rushes noisily, where the Ganges is rolling ...". The first preserved Polish account of his stay in India was sent to Krakow in 1596 by the merchant Krzysztof Pawłowski. In the 17th century, Polish Jesuit missionaries, and later also Carmelites, reached India. In the nineteenth century, the first travelers began to arrive in India on the wave of the pan-European fascination with the Orient. Due to the costs, only wealthy people could afford such a trip, among them aristocrats and poets, e.g. Adam Asnyk or Count Jerzy Potocki. At the beginning of the 1820s, Polish soldiers and exiles from Siberia also arrived in India. In 1933, the Polish Consulate was opened in Bombay, and in 1937, the Indian-Polish Friendship Society was established in India. (www.polonia.org)
IT IS WORTH KNOWING
Following the conclusion of the Sikorski-Majski Agreement, the evacuation of Poles from the Soviet Union began on August 12, 1941. Children were also among the repressed. India was one of the places of refuge for young refugees, and temporary camps were established, among others in Balachadi and Valivade. The history of the settlement in Balachadi is associated with an extraordinary person, the Hindu maharaja of the Principality of Navanagar, Jam Saheb Digvijay Sinhji, who became an advocate for Polish children in India and was the first to propose to establish a refugee settlement near his summer residence. Maharaja was personally involved in the construction of this settlement in which 650 children found refuge. The Indian aristocrat aroused great sympathy among Polish children, he often visited them and participated in the celebrations organized in the estate. He was interested in Polish culture and literature, which was the result of his earlier acquaintance with Ignacy Jan Paderewski. After the end of World War II, in order to avoid the forced return of the orphans to communist Poland, he made an act of collective adoption, thanks to which he could decide on the further fate of the children. When asked by General Władysław Sikorski about the way of repaying for the kindness shown, the maharaja was to answer "In liberated Poland, name one of Warsaw's streets with my name." Currently, in Warsaw's Ochota district, there is a square of Good Maharaja and a monument dedicated to his memory. (ofiary.ipn.gov.pl)
Central India
March 2020
This trip to India was my second, but fully independent. That is why I prepared myself for it with particular care, knowing from previous experiences that in certain situations you can only count on yourself. During the trip, it turned out that not everything can be predicted and sometimes you have to trust strangers.
As a destination, I chose the most attractive places of Rajasthan, Uttar and Madhya Pradesh as well as Hariana and Maharashtra. Unfortunately, the specter of the coronavirus appeared during the trip, and then it was only worse. Three days before the scheduled return, the Indian government closed all museums and historical sites, and our airline canceled flights. The fact that I couldn't visit the sights of Delhi and Armitsar anymore was nothing compared to the inability to return to the country or kick me out of the hostel by the panicked owner. But luck was finally good for me and I got on a special flight. But those were emotions !New Delhi
New Delhi is a real colossus that includes as many as seven historic cities. Successive conquerors abandoned one city and built a new one nearby. As a result, there are over a thousand historic buildings scattered throughout the city in the capital today. Unfortunately for me due to the coronavirus, I could only see the wonderful Lal Kot complex and several other sights through the fence, which was even an interesting experience.
Agra
There are many wonderful monuments in Agra that can catch the attention of every tourist. Most of them were built in the period when the city became for some time the capital of the Mughal empire. Red Fort, Sikandra or the tomb of Itimad Ud Daulah made a great impression on me, but all these wonders are overshadowed by the Taj Mahal. The mausoleum is simply phenomenal, and I was lucky to admire it in beautiful, sunny weather.
Keoladeo National Park
Watching animals always gives me peace of mind and allows me to rest after the hardships of sightseeing. This was also the case this time, during a visit to the Keoladeo Ghana National Park, which is one of the most important migratory bird reserves, honored on the Unesco List. Taught by experience from Costa Rica, this time I hired a professional guide who searched for different species of birds and showed them to me in a telescope.
Fatehpur Sikri
Unesco-listed Fatehpur Sikri became a ghost town shortly after completion. One of the reasons Akbar, ruler of the Mughal Empire, left his capital was the lack of drinking water. Everything here is monumental, and the masterfully crafted red sandstone ornaments make you dizzy. I remember the image of Diwan-i-Khas with a central, exquisitely decorated stone column.
Varanasi and Sarnath
Full of pilgrims, Varanasi is the holiest city of Hindus who believe that death in this place gives the best chance for moksha or salvation. It's not easy for a Westerner to get around here, and I only had one day for that. In the evening, I attended the wonderful Hindu Ganga Aarti ceremony, the next day greeted the sunrise with a boat ride on the Ganges, and finally visited Sarnath, the site of the Buddha's first sermon.
Khajuraho
The Hindu temples in Khajuraho are famous all over the world for their reliefs depicting erotic scenes. Recent studies have shown that they are only a small part of the sculptural decoration of the complex dedicated to Siwa and his wife Parvati. The artistry and precision of finishing the details as well as the size of the temples are simply breathtaking, and Kandarija Mahadeva is the best example of this.
Sanchi
When I decided to visit Sanchi, it turned out to be quite a logistical challenge. Fortunately, the overnight train from Varanasi solved the case and the journey with friendly Hindus was a very pleasant experience. The stupa itself, on the Unesco World Heritage List, made an amazing impression on me. Extensive decorative motifs and sophisticated iconography relating the history of the Buddha is simply stunning.
Bhimbetka - rock drawings
The archaeological site of Bhimbetka lies off the beaten track and very few tourists arrive here. Maybe that's why I caused such a sensation in the small town of Obaaidullaganj when I was looking for transport. To my surprise, I was helped by the Hindus by offering a free ride. Rock drawings depicting humans and wild animals are not very impressive, but when I realized that they were created thousands of years ago, I gained respect for them.
Caves of Elura
The temples of Elura, carved in basalt rocks and caves, are among the greatest achievements of rock architecture in India. While visiting the grottoes dedicated to the Buddhist, Hindu and Jain religions, I raised my head or stared at niches, searching for figural compositions and admiring the precision of details. However, I was truly stunned by the Kajlasanatha temple, which represents the sacred mountain of Kailasa, the seat of the god Shiva.
Aurangabad and its surroundings
There are not many attractions in Aurangabad itself, while in the north-west from the city lies Daulatabad, the most picturesque fortress in Maharastra. Visiting it stuck in my memory especially, because the painstaking climb through the forts up to the citadel at the very top of the Balakot Rock almost gave me a heart attack. A nice touch at the end of the day was a visit to the Bibi Ka Makbara mausoleum built on the model of the Taj Mahal.
Bombay
Mumbai is probably the only city in India that disappointed me. The capital of the state of Macharashtra is a real juggernaut on which to move around is quite a challenge, and in addition, I have found renovations of several main streets. Visiting the famous Dobi Ghat laundries and Dharavi slums only depressed me, and the only nice memory was a boat trip to Elephanta Island and admiring Hindu rock temples from the 6-th century A.D.
Jaipur
Jaipur is called the pink city because of the color of the buildings, which are lined with sandstone in this color. The most recognizable monument is the Hawal Mahal, i.e. the Palace of the Winds, whose monumental facade allowed the ladies of the court to observe the everyday life of the city. However, I was most impressed by the Jantar Mantar, an astronomical observatory built in the early 18th century by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II.
Your comments:
