To The Abode of Peace

We left Bangalore on Sunday morning in our taxi driven by Mr Mahaamed and as well as having to cope with everyday Bangalore traffic, the Bangalore International Marathon was in progress so we had to avoid runners along the city streets as well.

Bangalore is a typical large Indian city but it's reputation as the Garden City holds some merit as we passed by stunning parks and gardens on our journey north to the village of Puttaparthi, some 160 kilometres away. The outskirts of the city were lined with the by now, usual assortment of stalls, markets, bazaars and truck repair shops, often just a group of mechanics serviceing Tata trucks on the dirt beside the highway. Workcover would have a fit!

The usual Indian road insanity was still present but now after two weeks we were almost immune to it. Close shaves as we passed autorickshaws and trucks, also heading north, and trying to avoid oncoming traffic, were by now par for the course so we settled back and enjoyed the view.

Bangalore is on a plateau and as we descended gently to the plains we passed many villages with masses of people all heading god knows where, but all seemed to want to walk across or along the highway and we honked and tooted our way through, taking some amazing video along the way.

After an hour we stopped at a roadside cafe for a drink and leg stretch and it seemed this was a popular place with the taxi drivers as it was busy with Indians and foreigners in the garden restaurant. In the distance we could make out large hills to the north and this was where we were headed, into the State of Anhdra Pradesh, one of the driest states in India.

Soon the market gardens gave way to acres and acres of grape farms which we were surprised to hear, supplied table grapes not those for wine. Still, alcohol in this country is not as popular as at home although you can always find a coldie when you need one.

At one point we both detected the familiar scent of eucalyptus trees as we passed by large stands of gum trees with their distinctive leaves and bark. It was a small and welcome reminder of home some 9500 kilometres away.

As we headed further north we passed by the large hills which were an amzing collection of rock and boulder strewn outcrops, perhaps 300 to 500 feet high, quite a sight and nothing like we'd ever seen at home. Some of the hills had temples built onto in into the sides and we were quite amazed at the architecture and ingenuity of the culture that built them.

As we entered Anhdra Pradesh the countryside became drier and more sparsely populated but every mile of the roadside was under cultivation of some sort. Rice, barley and vegetable farms looked out of place in this dry area which looked a lot like the Gunnedah/Quirindi/Werris Creek area of NSW. Small villages appeared every few miles and heards of goats, tended by what looked like a family of mum, dad and the kids appeared regularly along the way.

About 48 kilometres from Puttaparthi we turned off the main road and headed for a large range of mountains in the distance. More arid country and sparse dry farms and villages but as we passed by them, groups of kids would wave at us, as kids do on a Sunday afternoon in the country.

The first sign that we were approaching Puttaparthi, Prasanthi Nyilliam, The Abode of Highest Peace and the home of India's holy man Sai Baba, was a solitary Beech T200 propjet standing on the apron at Puttaparthi airport. Soon after, the spectacular architecture of Sai Baba's Super Specialty Hospital came into view and it was then that we knew we had almost reached our destination.

The poutskirts of the town of Puttaparthi were like any Indian country town, a mad collection of autorickshaws, people, dogs, cows, trucks and other assorted objects all trying to get somewhere... as yet we'd been unable to establish just where ANYONE in this country was going!

Soon we passed under the archway that announced the town proper and it was busy busy. We reached our hotel The Sai Renaissance and checked in. It's not 5 star but had all the mod cons and the beds were ok for a change. Price per night? $40 for the two of us with breakfast included.

We were eager to catch up with some friends already in Puttaparthi and get the drum on what was what in this busy community so we headed for the ashram of Sai Baba. Strict security at the Ganesh Gate but once you entered, there was a kind of calming peace about the place and very different to the hustle and bustle of the streets just metres away in the town. There were lots of people, obviously from all different countries, but they moved about with a reverence and calm purpose which was refreshing after the madness of the Indian cities we had seen so far.

A group of about 2000 devotees were still seated on the floor of the mandir, which is where Sai Baba gives darshan (literally, "viewing of an important person") and they were chanting Indian bhajans which were just sublime. We wandered about the grounds of the ashram, walking between the accomodation blocks and canteens amongst the carefully tended gardens with wonderful scents from flowers and incense drifting through the air.

Looking for a way out of the ashram, we came across a group of people down a side street. They were chanting the Sai Baba Arathi (devotional song) and we quietly asked what was the purpose of the gathering... "Oh Baba come out very soon", was the answer from one man, and within minutes a car pulled up about 50 metres away and Sai Baba appeared. We'd been in town for less than an hour and we'd already see the man people queue for days to see.

We left the ashram and walked back to our hotel where we decided on a quiet night after dinner in the hotel restaurant. An empty, or near empty restaurant is often a sign of bad stomach things to come visiting in the night but despite there only being one couple and a single Indian man there we decided to give it a go. I asked the couple, who happened to be from kent in England, about the food and they told me in six years of coming to this restaurant they hadn't had a problem. So, we dived in and sampled some of the local dishes and happy to say, no problems so far.

We expect to be here for about a week so we'll post some photos and add to the blog as we go. Puttaparthi... a very interesting place and some very interesting and different people here. Let the discovery continue.