This came across to me. The trip to heaven of the world, the beautiful Igatpuri left me spellbound. The weather was very pleasant when we started our journey in the morning with a fresh outlook on anything which might come upon us. This was the month of July, one of the best months to visit Igatpuri.
Planning- We booked an Innova for four of us. It cost approx. Rs 4000 for the car and the driver we hired. We planned to leave by 6 am from the national park and return to Mumbai by 7-8 pm.
We all met by 7 am and headed via NH160 which was the fastest route though had some tolls. The greenery & music we played took me off. It started drizzling as we neared our destination. The beauty of the mountains extending far above what the eyes could see. The great beauty beckoning & enthralling.
At 11 am we reached Vipassana Dhamma Giri gate which was splendid and enthralled us to the core. It was a huge golden gate, awestruck by its hugeness. Dhamma Giri, meaning ‘Hill of Dhamma’ is one of the world’s largest Vipassana meditation centers. We went inside the center and rested on the aasan (mats) provided to us. They played a video of the 10 days rigorous course Vipassana conducts. The morning chants & prayers touched the soul and gave a mystical feeling to the place. Then we had a brisk & invigorating walk amidst nature to the main entrance of the meditation center. We all rested down on the green benches and my other three friends started meditating as well and doing stuff I couldn’t understand. Then came an awkward question by one of my friends on why I did not meditate on which the other friend promptly replied that she fears hearing her mind. I was shocked and wondered what did it mean and what was the context in saying this. This line of hers was in my mind and not able to figure out why.
Then we stopped for lunch at a Dhaba and ate delicious parathas and lassi. It costed us around Rs400 for the food.
Then we moved to Bhatsa River Valley, where we clicked amazing pictures according to poses googled by me. The lush green grass and the flowers around took our breath away. We sat down near the lake and try to get through the peace midst the humdrum in our minds. I was still baffled and struggling to know whether I feared listening to my mind.
We headed back to Mumbai around 5 pm and had a sense of tranquility all over. We reached Mumbai (National Park, Borivali) around 7 pm.
The place was a complete paradise. The beauty is still stuck in my mind..
