I just went through a post of a reputed memebr from this community, which caught my attention. As a newbie, I liked the idea, so I immediately thought, why not? I will post a walking experience as and when possible here
I am a newbie on this site, so I am not fully conversant with the ropes, so I will use the tags as I saw in some posts on this community.
This place is Lakshagriha, which is not far from my hometown, so I can reach there within half an hour by bus.
The description of this ancient place, Lakshagriha at Burnava, comes from the epic Mahabharata, the war story between the Kauravas and Pandavas.
The tunnel from which the Pandavas came out safely after the fire in the Lakshagriha is still present in Barnava. People come from far and wide to see this tunnel. Incidentally, Lakshagriha was built by Duryodhana, the Kaurava King, as part of a conspiracy against the Pandavas.
The Tunnel
The Lakshagriha is constructed using lac, which means a resinous substance produced by the lac insect, used to make varnish, shellac, sealing wax, dyes, etc., which catches fire too fast. The Pandav brothers were intentionally made to stay in this house built with lac. Hence, this place was named Lakshagriha, which literally means, "the house of lac".
The Town
There is also evidence of this tunnel there. The Hindon River is a rainy river that originates from the mountain range of Saharanpur district. People from various parts of the world come to visit this place as a historical monument, but because of Covid-19 situation, there are very few visitors.
Duryodhana, the Kaurava king, had conspired that when the Pandavas would stay here, this house made of lac would be set on fire, so all inside would be burnt to death. However, the Pandavas came to know about this conspiracy and escaped safely through the secret tunnel.
This tunnel originates on the banks of the Hindon River. Barnava, in Baghpat district, was earlier known as ‘Varanawat’.
According to historians, the tunnel built in Lakshagriha originates on the banks of the Hindon river, located some distance from here.
Photographs taken by me a few months ago
Thank you for reading