Lost in my spring garden

 January , February and March are the months of the flowers in India. We have a small garden but enough to have all the flowers that spring has to offer . I step out of my house ,onto the grass and  lose my way among the beds and the trees. I kneel down to say hello to one of my  favourites , the marigold, the non fussy,cheerful friendly ,generous  soul. .It has been  planted to form a border for the lawn and it so enthusiastically does its picket duties with smiling joyousness. The smaller ones lie low in their yellow-orange  and golden-brass  As I circle the garden , I look down and return their smiles and nod in agreement when they seem to tell me that planting the nasturtiums in corners was a good idea. The orange nasturtiums , so close to my heart , creep merrily and spill over  on the grass  . They have even climbed up the lampposts in the corners. I planted them around the mango and peepal  ,daring them to encircle the huge trees. They took up the challenge and not only do I have an anklet of nasturtiums around the trunks,they have also managed to climb up ,winking at me to say if the money plant can climb up and grow so can we. The nasturtiums and marigold with their intermingling yellow and orange hues will last long. As cheerful as they are,they are also hardy ,revelling in the yellow sunshine. 

I tear myself away from these generous flowers ,only to stumble on the calendulas. Yellow again, but then yellow is the colour of this season for me. Bright sunshine and so very Indian . Slightly taller than my "gendi ' or the marigold edging ,they have flowered in profusion .As I bend down, to caress them,I spot several varieties ,the simple to the double petalled. Suddenly I find a tickle on my nose and look upto see the Margarit,another yellow , laughing and beckoning me. Its tall ,thin stem bends down to reach to the other ones ,all the time its shapely pale yellow petals spread cheer. The flowers are similar to the calendula but the leaves are smaller and fine . Its difficult to come out of these yellow  beds ,catching the sunshine and being one with the sun. 

Poppy

I manage to find my way out of this ,only to be stopped in my tracks by the very waiflike yellow poppy.Light and sheer they appear like butterflies flitting in one place .I planted the red poppies too .In one of the beds these are just behind the yellow ones and the two look gorgeous together .But in another corner,there are only red ones,some with a cluster of petals and some single petaled. But before the red can consume me ,I see  white poppy ,with a delicate blushing tinge of red .And the pink one next to it creating a lovely sequence of a red ,pink and white poppy with tinges of red. What a happy feeling it is to see the red too. And there there were the Salvias. Almost the same height as poppy but with denser leaves and a column of flowers.The red seems to have a matte finish. Salvias form a backdrop bed for the garden .They are solid flowers,whereas the yellow iris in the adjoining bed seems to be there and not there .Small yellow they were the first to flower and the first to have seeds.So its time to let the pods ripen and save the seeds for the next season.
These are the flowers in profusion . I find my way out of this Golden delight to gaze upon the flamboyant Gazanias . They are showing off their bright colours . Bright yellow,creamish yellow,pink ,mauve,lilac all vying for attention and forcing me to look their way .They are some of the most beautiful and striking flowers,bold and brash , needing Good light for them to open out to the world. Evenings I can see them , petals folded fast asleep! Next to them is the Cineraria,no less eye catching. The larger ,ones this time are mostly purple but the smaller or the button sized ones are in many different hues.White,pink, purple ,they are just like a big cluster of small buttons ,near the ground ,looking up at me with a baby innocent look. After the unicoloured marigold,calendula and margarit,the other flowers are all in various hues bunched together.The multihued cover on the ground is breathtaking. I love the dog flower ,the colours not as bright as the Gazania or Cineraria,but the bell shape  shape so unique ,each stalk having several small flowers on it. Lower down is the Dianthus,again in  myriad colours mostly a deep pink with white zigzag edges ,some in a deep shade of red ,some lavender too ,but all with ends shaded a lighter colour .The dianthus looks dainty,lacelike ,and very fragile.A similar looking flower but on close observation very different is the iceplant. A hardy succulent,,in pink  and white , this opens up in the sun and nods happily at the world ,short stalked barely lifting above the ground.

Dogflower 

Phlox and the guava tree 

The purple ,violet, fuchsia,magenta riot continues as the monkey faced pansies join in the fun. The hybrids are bigger with their fan shaped petals but the local variety is impish with its simian smiles.the velvety texture of the petals makes me want to caress them .But the Pansies are a little restrained ,unlike the petunias which flower with such exuberance  the whites,the pink and the purple and a crimson or two, abound ,growing with wild abandon everywhere. No sophisticated elegance for them.I have them wherever I want a large area to be covered.The flowerbed under the window sill,in planters ,in hanging baskets and where have you.Non demanding and long lasting,they are the hardiest of the winter flowers and will continue to flower till late April.The sturdiness of the Petunias is offset by the tiny Candytuft ,the dainty looking white blanket that grows swiftly and has covered the ground. It will grow again next year even if I dont plant more seeds.So undemanding and giving . I move around ad reach by Guava tree in the garden.Its so well placed and gives some shade so I can place a chair and sit down under it ,with not too much sun and not too much shade. The foot of the guava tree has the Phlox ,the star shaped flowers hugging  it and nodding their heads happily.They look like a bunch of children playing in the park ,in shades of pink,purple,red and white .There are two flowers which I have not been able to identify ,one is a bigger starshaped too,in colors of red and pink .the other is white ,cream and orangish-red . The chrysanthemums were the first to flower and wither,the heralders of all things beautiful. The white snowball had grown well,and so had the small
     How impossible it is to get out of this luxury .I lie on the grass ,looking hungrily all around,trying to save these images before the heat withers them and before the rites of passage make the flowers dry or become fruits. I am going to save the seeds for the next year . But there is more to come from this treasure spot.Near the walls are the Hollyhocks and the Dahlias.The hollyhocks blossom a little late,but I know they will continue till May .White ,soft pink and darker ones ,they form a lovely backdrop to the craziness of the smaller flowers.The Dahlias ,of course with their huge flowers ,the plants bending under their weight seem to look down on everything else in the garden.While the hollyhocks are ready to play with all others,the Dahlias maintain a stately, statesque stance,proud but charming.
While the trees are shedding their leaves in the spring,the flowers are all in bloom .Is it a wonder that I have stopped going inside my house ,but roam around in my garden like a lost wanderer,weaving in and out of the happy flowers, a caress here, a sigh there, a fragrance calling me from a corner , a nod from another. But I have company.Its the butterflies which I see ,delighted ,flitting from flower to flower.And the birds chirping ,singing,picking at seeds and having a party. The squirrels running on the grass trying to remember where they hid their nuts and I presume playing hide and seek .
Oh how the earth laughs in flowers.(Emerson)
I hope some day to meet God, because I want to thank Him for the flowers. ~Robert Brault

Inside Ram territory in Chitrakoot

       Its probably the only district claimed by two states . A river separates Chitrakoot in Madhya Pradesh and Chitrakoot in Uttar Pradesh. And why not?  Chitrakoot , literally  translated to mean the hill of many  wonders is the haloed place where Ram,Sita and Lakshman spent the major part ,almost eleven and a half years of their 14 year exile.

  About 120 kms  south east of  Allahabad on NH76  , it was going by the  google map a 2hrs 7 mins journey. But that did not take into account that NH 76 is a forgotten Highway , just a two lane road ,with little rumble strips,a busy railway crossing just after Naini  and twists and turns when it reaches the Vindhya ranges.It took us a good four and a half hours to reach Karvi . The road took us past wheat and mustard fields,the Gangetic plain slowly giving way to the rocky Vindhya terrain .

We met  our guide ,Tripathiji ,at a Government guest house .Tripathiji is a local government official who very kindly agreed to take us around this holy place .His dhoti clad bulky frame with a befitting red tilak on his forehead was in sync with the ambience of the place.  .He would narrate  the history of the place with all the reverence due to the legend  of Ram and Sita,interspersed with Ramcharitmana quotes. Though it was almost one in the afternoon and we were hungry we were advised to visit the Ramghat first. Ramghat is on the bank of Mandakini ,the place where Ram alongwith Sita and Lakshman first   resided in a small cottage or parnkuti  built by the tribal inhabitants of the forests. .A flight of steep steps leads us to a  temple  built at this site by the king of Orissa . This is also the place where Bharat met Ram to take him back to Ayodhya .Each small area of this place is linked to some activity of Ram's exile.

Ramghat is also the place where Tulsidas had the darshan of Lord Ram . A small statue on the banks of Mandakini  is installed at the place. Like all temple towns,the place is dotted with temples associated with the stay of Ram here and small shops sell the usual things,diyas,Ramayan, Ramcharitmanas,incense holders .The river has people taking a bath with religious fervour. A huge banyan tree is said to have been inhabited by Hanuman.

Ramghat 

It was about 2in the afternoon  and we stopped for lunch at Kamadgiri Bhavan ,just about  100 mtrs from Ramghat.The food was good,vegetarian thali .The place also offered lodgings for the devout.  A quick lunch and then it was time  to move to Gupt Godavari. about 20 km from Ramghat .The road was narrow and in a very bad condition.We did twists and turns , the vehicle just about managing to be kept straight.Its a pity that the Government does not do anything to improve the conditions of the roads despite their beig a steady stream of pilgrims. The weather had become rainy and when we reached the place ,it had become slightly slushy.Nevertheless we got down and had to walk some distance a narrow 

At Gupt Godavari 

path lined with the uual shops.Interestingly some of them were selling herbs,said to be sourced form the vast forests of this region. Some were calling out names like Sanjeevini and other herbs for the skin !The Gupt Godavari is a rivulet which runs through two caves in the mountains and forms two tanks .A huge crowd had lined up for entry in the cave. The entry to the cave was between two overhanging rocks .Different legends are associated with this place.The main story relates to hoe Godavari wanted to come and meet Ram during his exile,but because she was young,her father the sea,allowed her to come here in the form of an underground rivulet.

Sati Anasuya Ashram 

A visit to the two caves does not gtake much time and we come out to find a slight drizzle.On the advice of Tripathiji ,we move to Sati Anasuya Ashram. A little more than 6 kms ,the appraoch to this ashram has dense forests on both sides.The narrow road becomes busy with traffic as we approach the place.In fact a jam like situation is all set to be created as the road is really to narrow for both sides of traffic and the devotees on foot. A couple of cares and vehicles parked on the side lead to the confusion. The Ashram itself is on the banks of Mandakini which has its source in the Vindhya ranges .The story of Anasuya,wife of Atri Rishi and how she did  'tapasya' to bring the river Mandakini to this region is famous.So are other stories about her faith,all depicted in the temple built by a sadhu sect at this place.The place is serene ,the river barely flowing ,forest on the other bank,a mountain in the background and people taking a holy dip. There is also a smaller temple said to be the original home of Anusuya. 

It was getting late now and with the rains and an overcast sky ,not really a good day for visiting a basically rural place.As it is we had just one day to visit Chitrakoot.Tripathiji,our very respectful guide was unhappy with this shortest of visits.A place where Ram lived for 11 years needed more time .There were about 99 places associated with his exile and we were not doing justice to this place.

So we were on our return journey and on the way we stopped at Kamadgiri temple.This is said to be the original Chitrakoot hills ,from which the town takes its name.Kamad,another name for Ram is the reigning diety here .Thanks to our guides Connections and the word VIP which slipped easily off his tongue,we had a close darshan of the temple and our own samll pooja.The temple buitl in the mountain has a small parikrama of about 5 and half kms.We,of course did not have time for that.Maybe Shri Ram will call us another time to perform this parikrama. 

Till then we said goodbye to this place full of the echoes of devotion to Ram,Sita and Lakshman and it seems as if their lives are still being played out,in the folded hands of the pilgrims and the stories being narrated by the local people.They consider themselves  blessed to be in a place where the Lord spent so much time as an ordinary mortal. 

Boats lined up at Ramghat 



Goswami
Tulsidas