What’s up guys! So, my family and I just got back from an absolutely insane road trip across India. The main goal? To finally finish visiting all 12 Jyotirlingas and the 4 Bada Char Dhams. Over the whole journey, we logged around 5,000 kilometers, full of crazy early mornings, legendary street food, and some seriously mind-blowing stuff.
🛣️ Day 1: The 1000+ km Beast Drive (Mumbai to Jabalpur)
We started on May 1st, and honestly, Day 1 was pure madness. We dragged ourselves out of bed at 2:00 AM and were on the Samruddhi Expressway by 3:00 AM. We pushed ourselves to the absolute limit and crushed over 1,000 kms all the way to Jabalpur in just 12 hours! My parents packed a ton of food beforehand, which was literally a lifesaver because there are zero food stalls on the highway yet. It was a brutal day of pure driving, but it was an epic way to kick things off!
🛕 Day 2: Detours & Meeting Monkeys in Ayodhya (Jabalpur to Ayodhya)
The next day, we had another long drive up to Ayodhya, but we took a little detour to Prayagraj to see the Triveni Sangam. This is where the Ganga and Yamuna meet the mythical, invisible river Saraswati. The Maha Kumbh happens here only once every 144 years, while a regular Kumbh Mela happens every 12 years, which is wild to think about.
We reached Ayodhya around midday and lined up for darshan at the new Ram Mandir by 5:00 PM. I was expecting total chaos, but it was honestly so smooth and organized—no stampedes at all, and the phone and shoe counters were super efficient. Afterward, we watched the Saryu Nadi Aarti and grabbed dinner at this place called “Udupi to Mumbai” right opposite the temple.
Pro-tip: We visited Hanuman Garhi around 8:00 PM. The lanes leading up to it are super narrow so it always feels packed, but going late at night meant we didn’t get sandwiched between random people. Also, the entire city was literally filled with monkeys. It felt so perfect because, obviously, there’s no bigger bhakt of Shri Ram than Hanuman ji!
🌅 Day 3: Entering the Ancient Zone (Ayodhya to Varanasi)
Next stop: Varanasi (aka Banaras, aka Kashi—it literally has three names and each one has its own history!). Varanasi gets its name from the two rivers it lies between: Varuna and Assi. It’s one of the oldest inhabited towns in the world, and trust me, the vibe here is totally zoned out, colorful, and spiritual.
We spent our first evening at the newly built Namo Ghat. A lot of tourists don’t really know about this spot yet, so we got front-row seats for the Ganga Aarti. Honestly, it felt like a total dream come true because I’ve always wanted to see it in person.
🚤 Day 4: Boat Rides, Maggi, & Too Much Food (Varanasi)
We woke up at 4:00 AM to hit the Kashi Vishwanath temple for the Brahma Muhurat (the early morning holy hours). Leaving by 4:45 AM meant we beat the massive crowds and had a super peaceful darshan for my 11th Jyotirlinga!
By 6:30 AM, we hopped on a boat to explore the 84 ghats of Kashi. We sailed past Manikarnika Ghat, where they do the last rites. It’s intense—the funeral pyres burn 24/7, 365 days a year, and the fire literally never goes out. We also saw Dashashwamedh Ghat and Meer Ghat, which has this famous Shiva wall painting that everyone uses for their Instagram stories (obviously had to take a picture too). The iconic Shiva wall painting was painted as part of a massive street art project to beautify the city’s ancient lanes. It’s arguably the most Instagrammed wall in Banaras! Oh, and we literally ate Maggi on the boat, which was amazing.
After that, the food tour began. We hit up Ram Bhandar for Varanasi’s famous aloo kachoris and jalebis (SO YUM). Then we did a quick sightseeing break at Sarnath to see the Buddha Stupa and Ashoka Pillar, and even watched how they weave authentic Banarasi saris on actual machines. In the evening, we hit up Kashi Chaat Bhandar for the famous Tamatar Chaat and an actual Banarasi Paan.
🕉️ Day 5: Dodging the YouTube Scares (Varanasi to Deoghar)
We drove to Deoghar to visit Baba Baidyanath Dham—which would complete my 12th and final Jyotirlinga! Honestly, we were terrified of this temple because we saw YouTube videos of people aggressively pushing and climbing over each other just to touch the Jyotirlinga.
We reached in the evening and pulled a pro-move: we waited until after 7:30 PM to go inside. The crowd completely cleared out! No pushing, total peace, plus we got to see the evening Aarti. Cool fact: it’s one of the rare places where a Jyotirlinga and a Shaktipeeth are right next to each other, and the tops of both temples are physically tied together with a red silk ribbon called a Gathbandhan (which symbolizes the eternal bond between Shiva and Shakti). God was definitely looking out for us.
🚙 Day 6: The Long, Boring Drive (Deoghar to Balasore)
We were supposed to stay the night in Kharagpur (West Bengal), but things didn’t look great there, so we decided to just keep driving and pushed all the way to Balasore. It was just a really long, boring driving day to get us closer to our final destination: Puri.
🌊 Day 7: The Final Boss & Ancient Mysteries (Balasore to Puri)
We reached the Konark Sun Temple around 10:00 AM, took some cool photos with the giant stone chariots, and learned about the history. Then we drove into Puri and got a hotel right on Marine Drive.
By 3:00 PM, we were at the Blue Flag Beach. It was my first time seeing the Bay of Bengal! The sand is totally different from the Arabian Sea beaches in Mumbai—it’s like quicksand and doesn’t hold any impurities, which is why the water looks so clean and blue. We grabbed some quick dosas and idlis at Vithal Kamat and headed to the Jagannath Puri temple by 7:00 PM.
The line took about two hours. Up until the entrance, everyone was super chill. But the last 10 minutes? Once you enter the main room and see the three giant murtis, people go absolutely wild and start pushing like crazy. You just have to keep your calm.
When we walked out, I got so emotional because we had officially finished the Bada Char Dhams and all 12 Jyotirlingas! But get this—the mysteries I read about online are 100% real. The flag on top of the temple was literally blowing against the wind (physics experts say the temple’s massive height creates crazy wind tunnels that force the flag backward!). Also, there were zero birds flying near the structure, and no matter what direction you look at the Sudarshan Chakra from, it looks like it’s facing you perfectly due to a crazy optical illusion. Ancient Indian science is just on another level.
🏁 Days 8 & 9: The Journey Home (Puri -> Nagpur -> Mumbai)
The next day, we started the long drive back. We managed to get from Puri all the way back to Nagpur in a single evening! My dad drove the entire time and honestly, the man is a superhuman because he never seemed tired. I’m so proud of him.
The next day, we took the Samruddhi Expressway back from Nagpur and rolled into Mumbai by 3:00 PM.
5,000 kilometers later, the marathon is officially done! Absolute trip of a lifetime...
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