The Mahabharata Secret by Doyle Christopher C

Author:Doyle, Christopher C [Doyle, Christopher C]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9789383202317
Publisher: Om Books International
Published: 2013-10-25T18:30:00+00:00

25

Day 8

The Patna-Gaya Highway, Bihar

Colin looked out of the window of the Nissan X Trail they had hired at Patna, the Capital city of the state of Bihar. They had decided to set up base at the Asoka Palace Hotel in Patna after arriving earlier in the morning. Two hours ago, they had left Patna and were now driving down to Gaya.

‘One kilometre to Bela,’ he announced as they passed a milestone. He glanced at the roadmap of Bihar that lay open on his lap. ‘From Bela, we turn right, off the highway.’

‘I’ll be glad to reach the place.’ Vijay shifted in his seat as he drove. Colin was in the passenger seat next to him, while Radha, Shukla and White were in the backseat of the X Trail. The drive had been tiring. The road was a two-lane highway and in poor shape. With alarming frequency, it would degenerate into a mass of potholes and cracks, making it difficult to maintain a good speed. Even when they did manage to speed up, Vijay often had to slow down as they passed through villages that would keep popping up on either side of the highway. Occasionally, they would have to stop for a tractor-trailer or bullock cart that emerged from the dirt paths that snaked away from the road and through fields on either side.

A signboard announced that they had reached the town of Bela and the car slowed down to a crawl as Vijay manoeuvred through the mass of bicycles, push carts, bullock carts, cycle rickshaws and motorcycles that thronged the road.

Cows and stray dogs mixed freely with the traffic and people and Vijay had to use the vehicle’s horn liberally. He popped his head out of the window and hailed a hawker selling bangles.

‘Where do we turn for Barabar?’

Though the question was aimed at the hawker, four men standing nearby gathered around the car, and began arguing about the best way to reach Barabar.

Vijay waited, patiently, as they discussed the merits of each route.

Finally, one of the men gave him directions, nodding his head all the time as if to reassure Vijay about the accuracy of his advice.

Vijay drove off only to stop a few metres ahead to validate the directions he had been given.

Relieved to find that they had been guided correctly, he followed the directions and they soon found themselves on the road to Barabar.

The road from here was rough and bumpy; mostly potholes and dirt. They had been warned, at Patna, about the state of the road beyond Bela, which had led them to rent the X Trail.

Forty-five minutes later, jolted and shaken by the ride, they arrived at the site of the caves. The landscape was bleak and barren; desolate scrubland with large rocks and boulders strewn around as if thrown there in anger by the hand of a giant. Clumps of straggling trees dotted the scene which was dominated by the hill.

Even as they approached, they realised that Barabar Hill was a misnomer.

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