Why should you go on a solo road trip?
India's tallest monolithic statue, Dr. Zbigniew Religa, SuperteamDAO and meeting Deydos
gm 👋 Prado here
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Essay of the week - Road trip to Shravanbela Gola
A few weeks ago, a wise man asked me “When was the last time you went on a solo trip?” I replied, “It’s been more than 6 months.”
I told myself that the first thing I’ll do after finishing the commitments in hand is to go on a road trip. At least a couple of days away from everything.
I finished two weeks at Superteam Hacker Hostel (check out the aftermovie)
It took me 6 more days to complete all the commitments in hand (Finances and stuff)
But the time has come. I decided that I’ll go to Shravanabelagola. It has India’s tallest monolithic statue and lots of history about Jainism.
I also didn’t want to wait for the weekend. It was Tuesday morning and I said let’s just leave now.
It’s drizzling outside, Should I ride in a weather like this?
It’s a 3-4 hour long ride. 150KMs.
Will my 7-year-old Activa bike be able to take the journey?
The only way to find out is by doing it.
I slept at 2.30 AM and woke up at 7.30 AM. Took a shower, packed my bags and just l left. People actually tried stopping me (It’s raining outside, you don’t even have a rain gear) That’s when it hit me. I have to do this.
I left my home at 8.30 AM and it took me more than an hour to reach the border of BLR. I stopped for breakfast and it started raining heavily. I wanted to give up. It would’ve been easier for me to drive back and go to sleep.
I kept on. Drove while it was raining.
I was halfway there and took a break.
Reached Shravanbelagola at around 2.30 PM. Took a few more breaks in the middle but finally reached. Had lunch at a local restaurant (great food) and then checked in.
This place is called a Dharamshala. It was off-season so it’s just me and one more family in the whole building. It cost me ₹335. I was like what. I thought they are giving me a dorm bed. They gave me a whole room with 4 beds in it. I slept like a king that night:)))))
I freshened up, took a 20-minute nap and left for one out of two places I wanted to visit - Chandragiri Hill.
I’ll go deep into the history of Shravanabelagola and its significance. I learned about them as I was exploring them.
Chandragiri Hill
This was the hill where two great humans died:
1. Chandragupta Maurya (India’s one of the greatest king) and
2. Bhadrabahu (Spiritual teacher of Chandragupta and the last monk of undivided Jainism)They both died on the hill after fasting to death as per the Jain practice of sallekhana
Chandragiri Hill has 14 temples.
While coming down from the hill I met a few local kids who were sliding down the hill. I joined them. Check out the reel I made
Day 2 - Vindhyagiri Hill
This hill has 620 steps to the top and at the top is the temple which has the tallest monolithic statue - Bahubali
I got curious after going to the top and started doing some research on the history.
Here are a few things I learned about the history of Bahubali:
Bahubali was the son of Rishabadeva (the first Tirthankara of Jainism)
He meditated motionless for 12 years in a standing position (I don’t think this was/is possible) some texts say he did it for a year. He did it for so long that plants grew around his legs.
But why though? Why meditate for so long?
His father was a king and he had distributed the lands to his 100 kids. Bharata got Ayodhya and Bahubali got modern-day parts of Maharashtra and Telangana.
98 of their brothers had given away all their possessions and went on to become a monk and follow their father.
Bahubali and Bharata fought and Bahubali won.He felt really bad and gave up all his possessions and wealth. He became a Jain monk and took up meditation to atone for his sins and attain omniscience. (Kevala Gyana).[1]
(Omniscience means a state of knowing everything)After a year-long (or 12) Bharata had come to him and worshipped him. This then destroyed all 4 types of karma and Bahubali finally attained nirvana.
The statue was built in 993 CE (around 1000 years ago)
Every 12 years, Mahamastakabhisheka happens.
I’m looking forward to going to Shravanbela Gola in 2030.
Anyway, after the main hill, I went to a few more temples in the town. Ate food at their bhojanshala which was completely free and then left the town.
I made sure I took enough rest at every place I went and had tea or their special drink.
On the way back, It only took me 2 hours to reach Bangalore’s border and it started raining… So I checked the maps and IKEA was a km away. I’ve been to an IKEA in Italy but not the one in India. I said let’s do it.
Spent a couple of hours in IKEA and then an hour in traffic on the way back home.
It was two incredible days.
Why should you go on a solo road trip?
Go away from your comfort.
Being in a place where nobody recognises you has a different kind of feeling of freedom.
Do hard things.
Learn something new. Do something new.
Don’t expect anything. Let the experience shape you.
You stop feeling everything.
You go with the flow.
Activate DND. It’s the most beautiful thing.
No work, no notifications, no social media, nothing.
Just eat, drive, experience something new and make new friends.
Ask yourself, when was the last time you went on a solo trip?
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10 things from the InterestingRoad.com
1. I watched this video on Instagram of an artist’s exhibition. Read the comment too.
2. Something from my Twitter👇
3. interesting website of the week: quickqr.art to create QR art.
4. What’s a dead giveaway that someone is smarter than they let on? Reddit thread
5. Interesting Human of the week:- Dr. Zbigniew Religa, a renowned heart surgeon (Read this incredible thread)
Interesting Fact: The patient (Tadeusz Zitkevits) lived for 30 years after the procedure. Tragically, he passed away in 2017, outliving Dr. Religa, who had given him a new lease on life but succumbed to his own mortality in 2009.
6. Question of the week:- “What are the 5 things that feel like play to me?
7. Picture of the week:- It was a great two weeks with SuperteamDAO members.
8. Current read: The five people you meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
9. Meme of the week:- there were memes on the Titanic submarine and then were memes about those memes.
10. Quotes of the week:
'How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are? ' - Satchel Paige (Baseball legend)
(Tweet this quote)“Trees don’t hang around with the grass even though they started from the same place.” Anon.
(Tweet this quote)If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?
(Tweet this quote)
Check out some of my previous newsletters:
Diderot Effect (Read)
Life’s Lines of Closeness (Read)
How far did Elon Musk go to fulfil his curiosity? An untold story (Exclusive)
Cathedral Thinkers (Read)
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Personal Announcement 🚨
I met Deydos after 4 years and spent a great time with Karteek.
In This Together,
Prado
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