During my childhood days, any travel to pilgrimage site, we always look out for dharamshala. Those were the days, when hotel culture only meant for affluent people. There were no other means of affordable accommodation and a common man always prefer to stay at the pilgrimage shelter. The name "Dharamshala" literally translates to "rest house for pilgrims." Such shelters were built near pilgrimage sites to provide accommodation for travelers. They provide affordable rooms at a cheap price. With change in time, people prefer to stay in luxurious hotels . But these "dharamshala" still exist to carter the needs of many individuals who does not afford the hotel luxuries.
"Dharamshala" can be translated to English as a spiritual dwelling or sanctuary, but its common usage refers to a pilgrims' rest house or hostel. The word literally means "House or place of Dharma" and is a compound of the Sanskrit words dharma and shālā.
These days whenever we plan to travel, we first look out for reasonable hotel. But we forget to lookout dharamshala. These dharamshala has now grown into a better stature that provides good facilities at much reasonable cost than hotel. They were big building set up that accommodate multiple person. During my Puri visit, I found out that Doodhwala Dharamshala is quite a popular choice among the pilgrimage.
side view of doodhwala dharamshala
Situated hardly few Meter away from the main Jagannath temple, finding a room in this building is always challenging. The building remain a main attraction in the roadside. It appears to be an old building from the British era. It is a popular and recommended stay for those looking for a simple and affordable lodging close to the temple.
On my next trip to Mayapur in Kolkata, we stayed at a hotel. But after visiting the popular Mayapur temple site we found the big dharamshala option inside the temple compound. It was a huge building and named Conch building
The "conch building" in Mayapur is a guest house that provides lodging for the large number of pilgrims and tourists visiting the ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) headquarters. Its name is a reference to the conch shell, a sacred object in Hinduism, and it is located centrally to offer convenient access to the main temple and other facilities within the complex.
As a guest house, it offers various room types and amenities for visitors, such as air conditioning, Wi-Fi, and filtered water at a reasonable price. Again on our next trip to Amritsar, we opted for a luxurious hotels. It was only after reaching there we found out about the various affordable dharamshala. The most popular being Saragarhi Sarai. On my first look the building appears to be a royal "Grand Leela" 5-star chain of hotels.
The sarai is a memorial to the 21 Sikh soldiers who fought in the Battle of Saragarhi in 1897. The sarai is popular for its convenient location near the Golden Temple and as an accommodation option for pilgrims and tourists. It offers hotel like accommodation at a nominal price.
I have been to three different places namely, Puri, Kolkata Amritsar and spent a lot in our accommodation while there are cheaper option available. It is advisable to check out on these lodging and accommodation option before planning a trip to any pilgrimage location in India. Situated near to the pilgrimage site, they offer facilities at a nominal price and may reduce your conveyance cost.
In good faith - Peace!!
