Varanasi -> Prayagraj -> Lucknow (13.4.25)

Bird’s eye view:

Around 350 kms once again. National highways in UP are good. One can cruise on without strain. We were on NH30 most of the time, and there was a stretch from Prayagraj to Lucknow that was practically devoid of traffic. Makes one feel downright nervous, you know. We left today at 7.15 am and reached our hotel in Lucknow at 3.30 pm. Not a bad stint, though the morning weather was unsettling. But first things first.

Leaving Varanasi (7.15 am):

Sunrise over the Ganges was there in riotous colours and we had front-row seats, sitting on the open terrace sipping earl gray. Yesterday’s road-tripper couple joined us there, and together, we ushered in the new day.

We were leaving at 7.00 am, as usual, in order to get onto a quick start (which implies an early finish too, which I love). Our homestay owner had kindly packed breakfast for us, so that we could have it on the road at any time of our choosing. It is these personal touches that endear homestays to us, and add dollops of sentiments to our travels.

Half an hour out of Varanasi, as we were travelling towards Prayagraj, the wind started picking up, dust started to dim the daylight to a haze, and we could see gusts of wind shaking trees and billowing dry rubbish all around. A few minutes down the road, rain started hammering us. We were rather flummoxed, as there had been no warning on this on the net. It went on for the next one hour, and, what is more important, for the next 50 kms. We thought we would outrun the dammed thing before that. And speaking of outrun, all cars were doing their zippest in this aspect, with their speedometers stuck to 80, rain or no rain. Anyhow, temperature dropped by 7-8 degrees at least, and it became downright pleasant. We had hoped for less sun when wandering around at Prayagraj, but this took the cake.

Visiting Prayagraj (9.30 am):

I chucked in this minor detour on our trip, since we had missed visiting Prayagraj during Kumbh, and well, sangam is sangam, whether four planets are lined up or none. As we approached the sangam site by car, we could see some remnants of the tent accommodations still there. We had expected the sangam to be fairly deserted by now, Mahakumbh having milked the maximum number of devotee-flow possible, but there was quite a crowd, more because it was a Sunday, I guess. 

Before we nosed into the throng, we parked by the side and investigated what our hostess had packed for breakfast. Puri-bhaji, no less, and in such quantities that we were sure that we were sorted for lunch as well. 

We parked our car near the Kila Ghat, not the sangam itself, from where the boats going to the mid-river sangam spots leave. But as luck would have it, the same storm that had cooled our fevered brow a while ago, had left waves and winds in her wake, so that the river police had now stalled all boating till further notice. Undaunted, we took an auto to the sangam place (2 mins away) and walked down to the fenced off river portion that had been made especially shallow for bathers. I mean, it was just knee-deep, bro. Determined bathers and dippers were forced to wallow about like beached whales, blowing Ganga water from their mouths. Although the free flowing water at mid-river was pretty clean, the fenced off portion was not, as you well know what happens when human beings gather joyfully at public places. But hats off to the old mothers and fathers who waded carefully into the water, holding tightly onto the hands of their grown-up children, who had been kind enough to make one of their remaining humble dreams come true.

Panna wanted a dip. She was not carrying a change of clothes. Could that be an issue? Of course not! She did her bit of hair-wetting and ended up drying her clothes on her body as we drove for four hours to Lucknow.

Reaching Lucknow (3.30 pm):

NH30, and then the Lucknow-Kanpur road, brought us smoothly to our hotel, which we had chosen in such a manner that tomorrow we could leave the city quickly. This meant that we were not at the heart of the city (or the stomach of the city, given the number of gastronomic suggestions that our combined cousins were giving us). But we did not mind it, since we had covered Lucknow thoroughly earlier, and in this trip, it was more of a night halt than a tourist highlight.

Our hotel Maa Kripa International, belied the name and turned out to be a smart business hotel with spic and span rooms. Since it was designed for banquets, spaces are huge, including the parking lot. And all for 2800/-. We were happy. In fact, even this part of Lucknow, with its wide roads and low traffic, was quite different from the jostling streets of old Lucknow.

After a short snooze, Panna decided that Lucknow could not pass us by without we (ie she, since I do not partake) putting inside one generous helping of the famous Tunday Kabab. We located a branch at Dubagga (the main one is in Aminabad) around 15 mins from our hotel, popped across and did adequate justice to the special galouti kababs, I sticking to roti and daal maharani, which I love by the way. Bill? Less than 400/-.

Thus ended today’s journey. Tomorrow we travel northward to Nanakmatt reservoir near Khatima, the foothills of the Himalayas.

Photo credits: Panna Rashmi Ray