Nagarjunakonda, A Trip to Remember

Nagarjuanakonda

This year in Hyderabad, we planned our customary trip to Nagarjunasagar with a difference that it was going to be a day trip. Due to time constraints and various other problems we couldn’t get away for more than a day. Therefore, we decided to book a couch tour with Telangana Tourism. These tours are available only on the weekends. Information  in the Telangana Tourism brochure, and also given by an office staff member included exactly what I was looking for: a visit to Nagarjunasagar dam, Ethipothala, and a boat trip to Nagarjunakonda. I was excited, but wanted to make sure before booking that it was correct information and we were going to be on the right tour. Further inquiry revealed that the Ethipothala was not part of it and the brochure we had was old. The reason given was that since Andhra and Telangana split, Ethipothala was removed from the tour because it is in Andhra State whereas our tour was in Telangana State.And our tour would only include Nagarjunasagar Dam, and Nagarjuna konda Island which houses a Bhuddist Museum. We  settled for what they were offering and booked the tour on Non A/C couch, with a tremor, for Saturday, January 26 for a much needed get away, at least, for one  day. We were not given assurance that the tour will go unless more people book. They needed at least 15 people and there were only 10 booked at that point. But later we got a call informing us that the tour was on as planned.

We left home at 7:30 in the morning by car with Maqsood and Shaheen, my brother and sister-in-law, to the designated pick up area from where the couch was to leave at 8:30. Everything went well, we left on time. The travel through the built-up city area was slow because of the traffic. After an hour’s drive we stopped at a local breakfast place and had south Indian breakfast for which they allotted 30 minutes but it was more than that before we left. We got our real start from there although the bus stopped for about 10-15 minutes for a comfort break. It took us a total of 4 hours to get to Nagarjunasagar where we stopped for lunch at Vijay Vijar Resort which overlooks the Dam. There was hot buffet lunch. Since nothing was mentioned about the lunch when we booked, we packed our lunch; therefore, decided to eat that. After lunch we decided to take some photos before we headed out for our next stop, Nagarjunakonda.Nagarjunakonda used to be a prosperous Bhuddhist town 1700 years ago. Now it is Island in the middle of Nagarjunasagar lake. A man-made lake emerging from the dam and is named after a Buddhist scholar Nagarjuna, who lived there in 2^ndcentury AD.

After lunch we headed out to the boat launch station,which was about 15 to 20 minutes’ drive from Vijay Vijar. There was a ticket booth with two windows from where the tickets were being issued; one for the boat ride and the other for the museum entrance. It cost Rs.130/head for the boat ride, and Rs.30/head for the museum. It was a beautiful area, overcast skies were not photo op. friendly but perfect for hanging out there enjoying the surrounding beauty. We were supposed to line up to buy the ticket but 200 people were milling in a crowd pushing and shoving each one with an aim to be the one to buy the tickets and be on board first to get the best seat. However, Feroz, the young man who came along to help us, managed to buy the tickets and we were told to head out toward the boat launch station which meant very long but beautiful walk. We could see a double decker boat approaching the shores of the reservoir to pick up the passengers.

On the way to the boat

When the boat actually anchored, the hell broke loose, people were ready to jump on board from wherever they were.  A man came out screaming at the unruly crowd to move far away to make room for people who were about to disembark before they would allow the waiting passengers to board.  People either didn’t understand because they didn’t speak Telugu, or showed total disregard to what they were asked to do. fortunately, those who were leaving the boat were not fazed by the unruliness of the crowd.

When the boarding started, no one enforced a Q system, or any organized system of boarding; therefore, several people were trying to get in at the same time through sheer muscle power. There was no trained staff to bring some kind of order, while that was going on.  Some of the older boys jumped over the rails and looked very happy with their escapade. But even in chaos there was progress and everyone was on board in surprisingly good time and settled down.

Path from the boat launch station to ferry and back

Many with good seats had a winning smile. Everyone in our group also found seats. And to me the idea of cruising on a large sizzling body of water is always a unique, magical, and even religious experience.  But as awesome as I feel under normal circumstances, I am equally terrified if the weather becomes threatening with rough waves which are whipped up by force of wind and rough water tossing  us around. But this was a beautiful, short cruise and I was excited that we were on the upper deck and that was enough as long as I could stand in a spot to take pictures. But even that turned out to be difficult because most of the young people lined up along the rails with no room to spare, and zero consideration for those other passengers who came on the cruise for the same purpose as they did.

In spite of the overcast skies and other difficulties I already mentioned, I managed to take some pictures of gorgeous views of the Krishna River, the Dam, and the approaching island.

Dropping point at the museium

It took us 50 minutes to get to the Island. We disembarked and walked to the museum which is 500 m from the dropping point. We got to the museum and checked out the collection of stone tools, relics, and carvings narrating the story of Buddha for half an hour of the time allotted to us by our tour operators. On the way back to the boat we reached an incredible looking tamarind tree around which a concrete bench was built. Because it was a cooler day. We were able to sit around the tree and had snacks and drinks which we bought from a stall right in the vicinity, If a hot day, we could have fried an egg on it.

Then we walked back leisurely to the boat and were among the first few passengers to return which meant we would be the ones with winning smiles for grabbing the best seat in the houseIt was not long before the boat was ready to move, and also the clouds were ready to lighten their weight. We saw a few drops and hoped soon skies will clear and sun will shine. Wrong! we didn’t know that the drizzle would turn into a deluge in matter of minutes. My prime seat from where I refuse to move -which is embarrassing looking back-became impossible to hold on to because the rain was coming with full fury.  Soon we realized that we were not just getting sprayed, but getting drenched not because of the open sides but we were standing on the covered upper deck which had a tattered removable top shelter. We were as good as on an open boat with rain pouring through the top.  There were altogether 200 passengers and I believe half of us were on the top. We all had to move to the lower deck causing a very dangerous situation worse, and seemed like it had all the element of disaster in the making. There were no life vests, and no staff, or very negligent staff whose total absence was deeply felt, at least, by us. I would say that the boat was not lake worthy, because the captain was driving the boat, in a heaviest downpour I have ever seen, without even windscreen vipers. Some passenger saw that someone was using a squeegee in place of vipers to clean the wind screen. For 50 minutes of the boat run, it was in danger of capsizing because of grossly uneven weight.distribution. Within 20 minutes from the start someone came and shouted everyone to move toward the front, because the back of the boat was getting heavy as everyone was coming down to the lower deck to escape from rain. Then again after another few minutes someone came again asking people to move to the right side of the boat. The crowd was so lackadaisical that they had to be coaxed by some other passenger into moving to the other side.

I took strength from the attitude of people who were being helpful on the boat. I felt that they must be used to these type of situations and must do this more often without ever having any serious problem. For them it was a Republic day outing. Women were dressed up to the hilt as if they were going to a wedding, or to a religious festival which they celebrate with utmost fervor. And the  kids thought it was the best fun time ever as they pushed through the crowd to run back forth pulling and coaxing their parents to go with them. I guess if you want to tread the footsteps of locals in a downpour, go on the boat to Nagarjuna Konda. It is where the families come to let their children play, and fun aficionados come for cruise and sit with a rare abandon come what may.