Shegaon ? A modern age Wonder

Travel blogging is one of my favorite topics to write on after Cricket & Politics. Finally got a chance to explore this domain courtesy my recent Shegaon Trip. ?Came today to Mumbai after a day in Shegaon so a perfect time to jot down the experiences of Shegaon which are still fresh in my memories.

After booking 3 Tickets for Shegaon on 20^th September, Finally after two months, on November 20^th the day of departure arrived. I, my Aai & Baba left for Shegaon by Vidarbha Express Third? AC compartment. Well, the point of mentioning AC is that since I am a regular Sleeper Class traveler a difference traveling from Sleeper Class to AC is huge. Because Sleeper Class is more of a general class here as we have people all over the compartment carrying some tickets as an identity to get into the Reserved Compartment.

People Sit on the door, some even occupy the floor of the train which creates lots of issues for passengers who have reserved tickets. On the positive side, people in sleeper class are very friendly and like to interact with their co-passengers. However, at most times co-passengers in 3 Tier or 2 Tier AC are generally a reserved lot. They hardly interact with other passengers and if by chance you talk or laugh loudly with your friends or a family member they give you a weird, ?angry look.

And the Journey began from Mumbai to Shegaon

We boarded a 19:05 Mumbai ? Gondhia Vidharbha Express from Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus & our journey to Shegaon began. One disadvantage of being a youngster is that you always have to contend with upper berth no matter it is AC or Sleeper Class. So I had to deal with one & at times it really gets suffocating with windows & doors closed & you are absolutely unaware which Station has come & left. To my luck, I had a great mix of co-passengers. We chatted for sometime after dinner so my date with the upper berth was reduced by few hours. 5 hrs to be precise.

At 4 AM Shegaon Station arrived & Me, Aai, Baba with around 10 to 12 people alighted at Shegaon. Even though it was early Tuesday morning there were lots of Autos crowded outside station which made sure that every commuter had an access to Auto & thus reached the destination on time. Since it was Tuesday, and November month when usually there are not many Holidays around the crowd was comparatively less & as a result, we were lucky to get a room for 3 at ?Bhakt Niwas?, the accommodation complex provided by the Gajanan Maharaj Sansthan.

Why Shegaon can be called a Modern Age Wonder

As soon as you enter the accommodation complex of ?Bhakt Niwas” you will be fascinated by the attractive building structures. Discipline and cleanliness? are the two major points on which Sansthan emphasis so you can experience both during your stay at ?Bhakt Niwas?. Right from booking your room till you check out there is discipline in everything. There are several Sevaks i.e. volunteers all around the ?Bhakt Niwas? who will guide you constantly & at times can use stern words if you break the rules of the Sansthan. Sevaks sweeping the premises at regular interval is a common sight. ?There is a ?Prasadam Hall? at ?Bhakt Niwas? which serves Prasad & other food items at concessional rates. Medical-Aid is available everywhere in the Niwas.

Around 8 in morning, we left for Darshan of Gajanan Maharaj Samadhi at Temple which is just a few minutes away from Bhakt Niwas. If you are a Tea Lover or Addict then Shegaon is a place you will love. A lot of roadside Tea Stalls are to be seen which serve excellent Tea. The secret lies in the milk, which is of high quality & is the specialty of the region. ?Alyacha Cha? or ?Adrakwala Chai? is an absolute treat. So after having few glasses of Tea I along with my parents proceeded towards Temple.

As you enter the temple premises, once again the cleanliness and discipline of Sansthan are to be seen. Sevaks are present everywhere right from footwear stand to guiding you to the Samadhi Sthal. ?Since it was a Tuesday, We got Darshan in around 5 to 10 minutes, once you take the Samadhi Darshan you go towards the Ram Mandir & Hanuman Temple which is just above the Samadhi Sthal. The architecture there is simply awesome & sitting there for few minutes is a divine experience.

If you like to read ?Pothi? (A holy book for Hindus), there is a big hall in the temple premises where you can read the ?Pothi?. Many Devotees do ?Parayan? i.e. they read the entire Pothi of Gajanan Maharaj which takes around 4 to 6 Hours. Another striking feature is the ?Mahaprasad? Hall. Prasad starts at 10 AM daily & it is properly served to you by Sevaks. It usually consists of a Bhakri, Bhaji, Khicdi & Sheera. Sevaks serve you Prasad on a plate & you can then occupy tables & chairs set up in a hall where you can sit and eat your Prasad. Everything is so well managed that even if there is a crowd of more than a thousand there is no chaos, no confusion nothing.

A striking point to note is that in Shegaon Prasad is served 365 days a year that too both in morning & evening. And till today everyone who comes to Shegaon is never deprived of Prasad. With 2 Bhakris, a vegetable Rassa, Khichdi & Sweet it?s just like a lunch or dinner. Gajanan Maharaj Sansthan does these activities regularly through donations given by Bhakts. Gajanan Maharaj Sansthan Shegaon engineering college is managed by Sansthan & have been providing quality engineering education to many since 1983. Apart from Bhakt Niwas & Engineering college Gajanan Maharaj Sansthan is engaged in various social activities in & around Shegaon.

Sansthan?s another major initiative is ?Anand Sagar? which has become a major tourist attraction over the years. Well, another Blog will be needed to write about ?Anand Sagar?. In short, Anand Sagar area is developed by Shri Gajanan Maharaj Mandir Sansthan on about 350 acres of land as Spiritual as well as an entertainment center for devotees coming to Shegaon. Sansthan also runs free bus service from Bhakt Niwas to Anand Sagar. Also, there is a Free bus service from Shegaon Railway Station to Bhakt Niwas Sankul. Roads in Shegaon which are managed by Sansthan are in top class condition.

And the journey to Mumbai began

So after taking Maharaj Darshan, having Prasad & resting for few hours in ?Bhakt Niwas?? we once again went to Mandir & took Darshan of Maharaj. After having evening snacks we checked out from our room at ?Bhakt Niwas? & went to ?Shegaon Station? for our journey towards Mumbai. If you are a foodie you cannot miss the ?Shegaon Kachori?. And the patent one is available at ?Sharma Kachori Center? which is situated just opposite Shegaon Railway Station. After enjoying a couple of Kachoris the return journey began to Mumbai by Amravati Express.

So Shegaon is a place where everyone should visit once & you will surely agree as to why I term it as a modern age wonder.