he Road Trip

Though it was Dusshera we had decided to work as there as little time and much work to be accomplished while Tor Inge was in India. We didn't even want to lose a day and so the holiday was turned into a working day for all :)

However, Tor Inge had different plans. He had heard Pushkar talk about the Dussehra Palki in his ancestral village and so as we started the day, he immediately suggested that we take the second half of the day off and travel to Aundh for the palki procession. This was all music to our ears and all four of us took off in right after lunch to explore something extremely traditional, yet completely new to most of us.

An old woman at the railway tracks just outside the city

The road journey took us about three hours and we reached just in time to witness the palki moving through the lanes of the town. Most of the trip was on the mundane Pune-Bangalore highway till the point where we took a left turn towards Aundh just before entering Satara. The road after that is quite beautiful with greenery all around. The traffic is not much and the roads are actually quite good. The area gets extremely beautiful just before entering Aundh, with Banyan trees lining the main road on both sides.

Aundh and its history

Before I go in to the details of the Palki and other experiences in the day, let me talk a little about Aundh and its illustrious history. Aundh was a princely state which was also the first to join the Indian union after independence.

Yamai devi temple in the village

Its a small village located in Satara district, but its quite unlike most villages you will come across. The village is extremely clean and looks almost empty. The houses are generally old and in a surprisingly good state. And best of all, the people are extremely friendly. I went around doing some amazing street photograph (all with permission) and just about no one refused to be clicked, in fact they very happy with my camera :)

The last king of Aundh was a rich and learned man, and spent as much time with worldly affairs as much as he did with arts. The Shri Bhavani museum is a great example which showcases his art collection. Also the ample art present at the Devi Yamai temple in the village shows how important art was to the previous kings as well.

In its heydays the town had a population of more than ten thousand, but there are only about three thousand residents here. Most migrated to Pune areas now.

Legend of Yamai Devi

There is a very interesting history about how the town got its name. The Yamai Devi is the most central and binding element of the village. She also has two temples - one in the village and the other one on top of the hill close by. The Devi was known as Ya Mai (come mother in Marathi) and hence the name Yamai. The legend goes that she killed an asura (demon) Aundheshwar right outside the temple in the village, and that's how the village got its name. Yes, that's true - Aundh is named after a vanquished Demon! Quite a story :)

Yamai devi temple on the hill-top

The Devi Palki

We were in the town to attend the Dussehra Devi palki, which is quite a procession. It starts at the Yamai devi temple in the village, goes around the village and comes back to the temple. The village elephant (yes the village has one!) leads the procession and the Queen in her car makes the tail end.  In between, there are also two white horses who also dance as the procession moves ahead. Villagers can both be a part of the procession, or just wait outside their homes to pay their respect to the Devi.

The Palki on its way...

It's also a day when everyone cleans up and decorates their homes. You will find stunning rangolis outside each home, with young girls running around with colours and trying to out-do each other :)

Its a great idea to follow the palki back to the temple and spend some time there. The interiors of the Yamai Devi temple are rather impressive (no photography allowed there) with oil painting from Ramayana and Mahabharata adorning the walls. All of these were done in the late 19th century by the king himself.

On Dussehra day the whole temple is also lit up with oil lamps. Though we missed it, I am sure the sight would be breathtaking. Its a huge structure which gets lit up, and apparently its one of the biggest in the country.

An old woman looking after the passage of the Palki...

However, I did feel bad both for the elephant and the horses who were made to dance to the tune of blaring music on the loudspeaker. I find us humans always exploiting these poor animals for such religious processions and in my opinion all of this should be banned. Just because things have been happening in a certain way does not mean they should always continue that way.

Things to do

While you are in Aundh, there is much that you can do. Here is my list:

1. If its Dussehra, its a must to participate in the Devi Palki
2. Climb up or drive up to the main Yamai Devi temple. Its about fifteen minutes drive from the village, or you can climb up using the steps (about 45 minutes or so). The view from the temple is amazing as its the highest point in the area - you can see the village below, and also green fields all around. The ancient temple on hilltop also has some beautifully carved idols which should not be missed.
3. Shri Bhavani museum is another prime attraction of the village and it is located on the drive up to the hilltop temple. It has some original paintings by the legendary Indian painter Raja Ravi Verma as well as the famous 'Mother and Child' sculpture by the artist Henry Moore. 
4. If you are more adventurous, you can also request the mahavat for an elephant ride :)
5. And finally, I think its a great place for street and people's photography - friendly and smiling people make for great images here :)

Two faiths | Two friends

I love her subtle smile :)

How to reach?

The best way to reach Aundh is to take your own private car. There are buses available from Pune but not too many. Its much better connected to Satara which is also the closest major bus-stand and railway station.

If you traveling from Pune and hungry, you can stop at the multiple eateries all through the road. There is also Cafe Coffee Day on the way!

Here is a map in case someone needs help:

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