Gulbarga Gacchami...

This March, I had a chance to go to Gulbarga, a city in North Karnataka. Gulbarga, in poetic Persian meant 'The land of flowers and petals'. It is 200 km away from Hyderabad and 623 km north of Bangalore and I went there for attending a seminar organized by the University of Gulbarga. We reached there on an early morning by train. I was 1053 km away from my home in Kollam and this was the farthest I have been.

I was excited!

The seminar organizing committee member collected us from the station and took us in an auto to the venue and reached the hostel by 5’o clock. I was thrilled and didn’t sleep, while the others went to. As the Sun started its voyage in the east, I took my camera and set out for a walk. It was little wintry outside. Near to our hostel was the University Ladies hostel and I saw some girls going for jogging. They were beautiful and it was a pleasant sight to be true. I walked all the way through the University road and saw different Departmental buildings. The whole University stood in about 200 acres. The sun was picturesquely intensifying between the trees and my camera eyes clicked it without contemplation. There were also other older people who were out for their morning walk. The weather conditions slowly changed and slightly started to show its bitter face. 

It started to be hot and dry. 

Gulbarga has a highly versatile climate where the temperatures varied from 7 degrees in the winter to 48 degrees in the summer. It was midsummer and the heats were at its zenith. Later I just enquired to the University students for a nearby place to visit. One of them showed me the Buddha Vihar which was seen as a white marble dome about 2 km from the University building. It was recently built and inaugurated by our president Prathibha Patil and His Holiness Dalai Lama. As planned, I set out for an evening walk. This was not a wandering, like I did in the morning. I had a target, The Buddha Vihar and that truly makes a great difference. Thoughts about my Guru and Buddha flickered through my mind. It was twilight and the white dome became bigger and larger as I walked closer. 

Everything seemed picturesque! 

I saw for the first time in reality, a different face of beauty of Her. I deeply breathed as I walked. Though the day was really hot, the slow winds were hot and dry, the air seemed fresh to me. I entered the Buddha Vihar. Again for the first time, I was seeing such a big Vihar, much bigger than the Sree Narayana Guru Vihar at Varkala. It was neatly and orderly maintained. Near to the entry steps, I saw statues of Dalai Lama and some other people, as if they are marching towards the Mandir. I was feeling very thirsty after walking 2 kilometers and asked the gardener who was cropping the way-side bushes as he pointed to a big pot kept under a neem tree. I dashed to the pot and gulped down two glasses of water. Contented, I entered the Mandir. 

Really, it was gorgeous!

It was a big dome and sounds really echo for many seconds. The cealings were colorfully decorated with marbles and at the other end of the entrance I saw His statue. I walked nearer. Bhajans were played through a CD player. I saw the statue of Budhha, as of sitting in half Samadhi with His eyes half closed. Nearby to the statue, a lamp was lit, some agarbathis were kept burning, a photo of Dalai Lama and a chair which He sat during the inaugural function. I gave my pranams and prayed. I then came out and went downstairs to the meditation hall, where too, was a statue of Buddha and some children were reading a scripture and it sounded like: Namo buddham sharanam gacchami. Namo dharmam sharanam gacchami. Namo sangham sharanam gacchami… I was obsessed hearing the word ‘Gacchami’ and just wanted to know its meaning. 

‘Gacchami' got into my tongue.

I just wanted to Google it and thought will see to it on my way back. There were cushions arranged in front of the statue to sit and meditate and in one of them I sat and slowly closed my eyes. Thoughts were coming in between of the word ‘Gacchami’ and all, but I meditated for some time and got up. I came out of the hall and went around the Mandir and meanwhile I googled the word on my phone and came to know that ‘Gacchami’ meant ‘I GO’ in Sanskrit. I saw the pictorial Sun, now behind a gateway and was clicked to memory. I came to the front of the Mandir, gave my last humble prostrations and came down having rejuvenated, my mind still on the Statue. It was late dusk and was getting dark. I thought of His life and slowly walked back to the hostel, contented. 

Thanks for reading…

Prayers to the Almighty, to give us all, a happy and contented life…

Have a beautiful time….