2022 is an
year when travel agencies and tour operators all around the globe again started
their advertisements on tours to different places, after a dull and lull spell
of silence due to the spread of covid disease. Journeys were always a passion
for me. So was for my husband too. There wasn’t a need, therefore, to dig and
hide my travel ambitions at any time.
A travel
through the heights and valleys of the great Himalaya had been a dream for us
for long. Though we could see the Himalaya at close quarters earlier during our
journey to Kulu, Manali and Sreenagar, the eagerness to have a journey touching
the soul and heart of the Himalaya remained a distant dream in our minds. It is
then that we noticed the ‘Char Dham Pilgrimage’ tour announced by the Vivekananda
travels. We decided to make use of this opportunity for a group tour to the
Himalayas, contacted the agency’s Kannur office and got ourselves also included
in it. It has to be a 14 days tour to cover Haridwar, Hrishikesh and the four
temples at yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badarinath, which are
collectively and popularly known as Char Dham. We booked our trip about two
months in advance.
As we were
aware of the hardships and strains in undertaking such a journey through difficult
terrains in our old age with a lot of trekking expected, we had begun our
preparations well in advance. I was 63 and my husband 70. We started a daily
walk of about six kms covering frequent ups and downs on a selected road of
that nature. We had the woolen cloths ready. And we procured a few portable
oxygen cylinders to use, in case we fall short of oxygen in the heights.
On May 18th,
our journey started. We flew to Delhi from Calicut airport. Before proceeding
further, let me tell you a little about the four dhams, as I understood.
The
four dhams or temples:-
In the eighth
century, during the period of Adi Sankaracharya, there were four holy temples
which were of very high importance. They were the Badarinath temple, presently
in Uttarkhand, Rameswaram temple in Tamilnadu, Dwaraka temple in Gujrat and
Jagannathpuri temple in Odissa. Badarinath temple is believed to be in
existence right from the Satya yuga. The deity in Rameswaram temple is believed
to have been installed by Sri Rama himself in Tretha yuga. Dwaraka temple is
believed to have come into existence in the Dwapara yuga and Jaganathpuri
temple came into being in Kaliyuga, which is the yuga presently running. There
is a belief in Hindu religion that a person, who gets darshan in these four
temples built in the four different yugas, at least once in his /her life time,
will get salvation from all the sins. These four temples are also known as the
big four temples. Badarinath temple was the only one left out for us in this
lot. I would like to emphasise here that it is not for getting any salvation,
but it is for the thrill of running through the Himalayas that prompted us to
take up this trip.
However, the
Char Dhams which we were to cover now are different from the above. Presently
the Char Dhams denote the four temples that are at Yamunotri, Gangotri,
Kedarnath and Badarinath; all of which lie in the Himalayan valleys of
Uttarkhand state. We were also to cover some other temples too nearby them. All
the four temples are on the banks of holy rivers running down the Himalaya.
Yamunotri temple in Uthara Kashi is on the bank of river Yamuna at its starting
point, so is Gangotri temple on the bank of river Ganga near its starting
place, Kedarnath temple is on the bank of river Mandakini and Badarinath temple
is on the bank of Alakananda. These rivers have been prominently mentioned in
our Epics and Vedas. Many devotees go by walk to these temples for darshan and
blessings. The Char Dham pilgrimage is considered as the most pious pilgrimage by
many people. The present Char Dham pilgrimage is different from the big Char Dhams
mentioned earlier, and is therefore called the small Char Dham pilgrimage. It
is believed and considered that the darshan at Badarinath is equal to the darshan
of Vaikunda or the abode of Vishnu. Some tour operators announce a two dham
pilgrimage now to include only the temples at Kedarnath and Badarinath. The
belief is that a darshan at these two temples alone strengthens one’s body and
mind and purifies the soul. So much said to show the importance of this
pilgrimage among the believers and devotees of the Hindu religion.
The
first day of the journey:-
We started our
journey in the early morning at about 4 AM on 18th May from our home at
Kuthuparamba. The flight to Delhi from Calicut airport was at 9.30AM. We had
arranged a taxi car to take us to the airport, the travel of which would take
about three hours. In spite of the heavy downpour and clogged water on the
roads, our driver was very careful and reached us in time at the airport. A few
of those who were to travel with us were already there and we got acquainted
with them. We had three baggages. One was full of woolen cloth and the other
two contained our usual dresses for fourteen days. We had kept our portable
oxygen cylinders in our hand baggage. We were a little worried whether these
would get security clearance, but we could explain its necessity and there was
no problem in carrying it in our hand baggage. After check-in and security
clearance, we were at the gate much before the scheduled time for boarding. But
the weather was bad and the flight got delayed by one and a half hour. It
started at 11AM and we reached Delhi by 3 PM. It was terribly hot at Delhi.
Members of
the travel group who came by flight assembled outside the terminal, near the
exit gate. We contacted our tour guide and he made arrangements for our
shifting to the hotel booked for our stay for the day. It was at Apra deluxe
hotel at Karolbagh in New Delhi. Many who travelled by train had also reached.
There were about 45 of us. One specialty with Vivekananda travels is that they
have their own cooks to cook food for the lot so that people get the taste of
their own homeland. There were two guides. After food, we were given a briefing
on the programme for the next day. Coffee would reach our room at 3 AM and we
were to start our journey to Haridwar at 4AM. We all returned to our rooms for an early
sleep so as to be ready for the journey as scheduled.
Towards
Haridwar:-
We started at
4AM on the next day. The pilgrims, one after the other, recited prayers known
to them. Sometimes together, they indulged in singing devotional songs. The
weather was good. The sights outside were pleasant. Our breakfast was packed
and taken by our canteen staff. At length, when it was time for it, the bus
stopped near a hotel where they would allow us to take outside food. After the
breakfast, we proceeded further. The history and culture of our villages and
cities are entangled with a lot of myths and beliefs. It is possible that every
country will have such myths and beliefs entangled with their culture,
especially when religion plays an important role in their lives. Leaving the hustle
and bustle of the city, we have now entered the villages of Utharkhand.
Children wearing uniform were walking along the road. There were agricultural
lands on both sides of the road. In some places we could find big trees with
full of flowers.
By 10 AM we
reached Haridwar. The journey to the four dhams starts from Haridwar.
Therefore, Haridwar is known as the gateway to the land of God. Verbally,
‘Hari’ means Vishnu and ‘dwar’ means gateway. Haridwar is on the banks of the
river Ganga. It is from Haridwar that the Ganga starts in its full form, after absorbing
all the small streams that join it in the course of its rushing down from the
Himalaya.
The belief
goes that Haridwar is specially holy because this land is blessed by the foot
prints of Lord siva, Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu. ‘Kumbhamela’ is the main
festival celebrated in Haridwar in every 12 years. The story behind it goes
like this. The pot of elixir obtained on churning the ocean of milk by the
Devas (Gods) and Asuras (Demons) was tried to be taken away by the demons where upon, Garuda, the bird used
by Lord Vishnu as his vehicle, managed to get it back from the demons and flew
away to save it from them. While flying with it, few drops fell at a place in
Haridwar, which is called the ‘Brahmakund’. Another story says that Jayanthan,
the son of Indra carrying the pot of elixir happened to have rested there for a
while and while carrying it again, few drops have fallen there. “Kumbham’ means pot. ‘Mela’ means celebration.
The fall of elixir at the place is celebrated every 12 years. May be, in other
places where ‘kumbhamela’ is celebrated could also be on the reason or belief
that some drops of elixir have fallen there too. But why is it celebrated only
once in 12 years is also explained in the myths. Jayanthan has taken 12 heavenly
days to carry the pot to heaven, the period which corresponds to 12 earthly
years. There can be other stories too behind all these. Whatever it is, many
devotees participate in the Kumbhamela celebration everywhere.
The most
sacred bathing ghat in Haridwar is Har-ki- Pauri. Ghat is a place where there
would be steps to go down to the river and take bath. ‘Pauri’ literally means
foot print. Har denotes Hari or Vishnu. So, ‘Har ki pauri’ literally means the
footprint of Vishnu. Har-ki-Pauri is a place where Lord Vishnu is believed to
have set his foot down. Some believe that it is Hari-ki-Pauri. Hari is Lord Siva and therefore, Lord Siva
has set his foot there. There are many ghats on the banks of river Ganga. Many
people were taking bath in the river. We too had carried our dress for a bath.
We took our bath near ‘Har-ki-Pauri’. After bath we roamed along the banks.
There was a huge statue of lord Siva on the other side of the river from where
we stood. For the devotees, Ganga is not just a river. They call it Mother
Ganga. In the evening, there is an offering of lights with oil lamps to mother
Ganga. This worship of Ganga takes place every day evening. Har-ki-Pauri is
also said to be built by King Vikramaditya in honour of his elder brother
Bharthru Hari, who always indulged in meditation at this place.
There was time still for the lunch. Meanwhile, we decided to visit the Mansa Devi temple. In the evening, we have to come back to the Ganga to witness the ‘Aarathi’.
Mansa Devi
temple is on top of the Bilwa hill of the Shivalik mountains. Cable car
facility is there to reach the temple. From the river bank, we went by
autorikshas to the cable car base station. There were many devotees climbing up
the hills by foot also, to reach the temple. But we preferred to avail the
cable car facility. Mansa Devi is believed to be the daughter of Lord Siva. The
belief goes that the Devi responds to the prayers and needs of the devotees. To
fulfill their wishes, the devotees can tie a colour string on any branch of a
tree here, and after their wishes are fulfilled, they come back and untie them.
There was a rush of devotees here too. We could see a lot of coloured strings
tied on the branches of a tree near the temple. After having darshan, we stood
in the queue for our return cable car trip.
It was time
for lunch. After lunch, we returned to our rooms for a short relaxation. Later,
we readied ourselves to go to the river to witness the ‘aarathi’. In the
evening, it was a colourful Ganga with the sky showering its different colours
down on the river. It was a very pleasant sight. The ‘Ganga Aarathi’ started
right at 6 PM. Ringing bells, blowing of conch, chanting of manthras and
singing of bhajans filled the air. People were totally absorbed in prayers and
offerings. At Har-kPauri, the temple priests have started the offering of
lighting with large oil lamps. People began to float the lighted lamps with
flowers in small cans in the river. Loud prayers hailing Mother Ganga were
heard all along the banks. Our minds were filled with a rare devotional
experience.
After the
prayers were over, we, the members of our group, assembled near a clock tower
as planned earlier. There was enough time for us to go along the bank and enjoy
all the scenes. The day was over and we returned to our rooms. After food, the
guide explained to us that we would be moving to Barkot on the next day. The
roads would be narrow and there were hills to climb and therefore, the guide
said, we would henceforth travel by two small buses instead of the big bus we
were travelling. The journey would start at 4AM and we retired to our rooms for
an early sleep.
Journey to
Barkot:-
Next day, we
got up early morning itself. We are now to climb up hills. Lord Ganapathy is believed to be the remover of
all hurdles in one’s way. Therefore, one of us broke a coconut in good faith by
praying to Lord Ganapathi. Thereafter, we started our journey. Two small buses
were ready to carry us instead of the big one. From hereafter, our team got
bifurcated into two groups. The buses carried us through Dehradun, the winter
capital of the state of Utharkhand. We could see some great educational
institutions like the Doon school where our former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi
was once enrolled. After leaving behind Dehradun, the bus continued its journey
to Mussorie. The outside sights were pleasing. The road to Barkot, after leaving Mussorie
behind, was quite narrow, curvy and thereby dangerous. The bus was going slow.
The mountains on one side looked as if they are touching the sky. The heights
of it were sometimes filled with greeneries and at other times filled with
black rocks.
We could see
deep valley on the other side of the road. The roads looked like ropes with
which the big mountain has been tied with. Here and there, we could see police
out posts. Even a small negligence on the part of the driver can lead to big accidents.
Our driver was careful and drove slow. By 9 PM, we reached Barkot. It was a
small town from where you can see the big mountains and deep valleys. The place
looked beautiful. A hotel was arranged for our stay at Barkot. As usual, after
our dinner and a small briefing on our next day programme, we reclined in our
allotted rooms. Everyone was tired after the journey, and wanted a rest badly. Next
day at 3 AM we were to start our journey to Yamunotri, the first dham of the
four.
Yamunotri
darshan:-
On the next
day, everyone was ready by 3 AM and got inside the bus. It was too cold. People
wore thick woolen sweaters and monkey caps. Even so, we could feel the cool
breeze slowly penetrating into our body. There were a lot of vehicles before
and after our bus forming a long line. After an hour of our journey to Yamunotri,
the police stopped us. There was a landslide ahead, blocking the road to
Yamunotri. We were left with no choice, but to come out of the bus and enjoy
the sceneries outside. The sights were pleasing. The work to clear the road
block went in vain for a long time and it was decided that we go back to the
hotel for the day and try the next day by which time we can hope that the road
would get cleared. The guides arranged for five jeeps instead of the two buses,
so that small vehicles could go even if the road is narrow. The jeeps failed to
come in time on the next day. We had a long wait before the jeeps came and
finally when they came, we started again our journey to Yamunotri. In the
beginning, we could see the homes of people living in the valley and their
agricultural lands. As we proceeded, the sights were only of mountains and deep
valleys. The road was very narrow. We could see the landslides at some places.
Here and there we could see rocks and mud fallen on the road. Some JCBs were
being used to remove them. From the valley, the road goes around the hills on
its way upwards. There were warning boards at many places that the rocks are
likely to fall down and so one should be careful of that. On one side it was rocky
mountains with the threat of rocks falling and on the other side it was the
deep valley to where a slight slip of the vehicle can take us to. In the depth
of the valley, we could find the river Yamuna flowing. It was a very risky
travel. We could see two cars and a mini lorry fallen below in the valley. That
must have happened days ago. Suffice it to say that we heard the sad news of a
bus plunging into this gorge just four days after our return; an accident in
which 25 devotees got killed.
After
covering a distance of few more kilometers, we reached sayanchatty. Chatty,
literally means village. Sayanchatty was a beautiful small village on the banks
of river Yamuna. Further travel of about six kilometres took us to Hanuman
chatty.
Hanuman
chatty is a famous place. The belief is that it was here that Hanuman decided
to teach a lesson to his brother Bhima to suppress Bhima’s ego. Bhima was on
his way in search of the flower ‘sougandhika’ to satisfy and please his beloved
wife Panchali. Hanuman put his tail across to block the way of Bhima. Hanuman,
who is living from the ‘thretha yuga’ and Bhima who happened to be in the
‘Dwapara yuga’ were brothers; in the sense that both were the sons of the God
of wind. Bhima could not move the tail a bit and finally recognized the
greatness of Hanuman and sought blessings from him. It is believed that this
incident happened at Hanumanchatty and hence its name so.
Further
travel brought us to Jankichatti. In the journey to Yamunotri, the vehicles go
only upto Jankichatti. There were people selling camphor and woolen cloths on
the road side. There were people selling rain coats too. The smell of camphor
helps to overcome the deficiency of oxygen at heights, we were told.
The Yamunotri
temple lies at a height of 3293 meters (10804 feet). It is a climb of seven
kilometers from Jankichatti. Most of the climb is very steep. Lack of oxygen
makes one easily tired as one goes up. We were in possession of portable oxygen
cylinders and the rain coats. Portable oxygen cylinders were available in the
roadside medical shops too.
We could find
a lot of horses with their men standing near the pathway to the Yamunotri.
There were steps for the steep climb. The horses will take you on their back
and climb up the steps. Another choice was dolly wherein you can sit inside a
hanging chair and four people would carry you and climb up the steps. There
were also people who would carry you in a basket on their back and climb up themselves..
The rates were different and were subject to negotiation and bargaining.
Carrying the devotees up was a livelihood for many people over there.
There were an
endless flow of devotees and each of them chose their own option. Many were
going up by walk also, with the support of walking sticks. Sticks too were
available for buying. It was, indeed, a very difficult task for the aged like
us to climb up the steps. The steps were sometimes going up and at other times
down. The excretions of horses along with the rains make the way slippery too.
The horses, dollies and the people go up and down a path of about two metres
width like the movement in a busy market. One side of the path is the rocky
mountain with the rocks often projected towards the path and the other side is
a deep gorge. Those who go by walk or on horse have to be careful that the edge
of rocks doesn’t hit their heads during the journey. Many devotees consider it
as pious to climb all the way up by foot.
Our option was to go by the dolly. We arranged two dollies, one for me and one for my husband. Four people would carry each of us up to the Yamunotri temple, the first dham of the four.
On the way,
there were places to rest, where the carriers would put us down and relax for a
while. There were also hotels and tea shops on the way. There were toilets too
on the wayside. The carriers were to be fed with whatever eatables or drinks
they want on the way, apart from their carrying charges. The charges were
exorbitant, but still we didn’t put up any arguments considering the hard task
they have to put up with to make us reach at the top. Those who carried us were
very co-operative. I was very tired. Two of the carriers held me and helped me
to reach the temple. I could gather that lack of oxygen was the real cause of
my tiredness and I started breathing in oxygen out of the portable cylinder I
was carrying. After a while, I got relieved from my tiredness. Once the
devotees reach near the temple, they forget all the difficulties they had to
undergo to reach there and indulge in prayers. There is a hot spring pond
called ‘suryakund’ here. The water is very hot. Some of the devotees tie a
little rice in a cloth and hold it in water for some time. Before long, the
rice would get boiled and is offered to the Goddess in the temple. Near the
‘suryakund’, there is one ‘Yamunakund’ too wherein the water temperature is
brought down by mixing with cold water. There was separate bathing place or
‘ghats’ for men and women. People take bath here, before the Darshan at the
temple. Many people just wash their feet, hands and head and consider it as a
bath to avoid crowding over there.
It is
believed that Yamuna is the daughter of the Sun God. There is also a belief
that Yamuna is the sister of the God Yama, the master of death. River Yamuna is
much associated with Lord Krishna too. The banks of Yamuna were the play
grounds for Lord Krishna and his play-mate Radha.
We entered
the Yamunotri temple and had the darshan of the Goddess. The main idol is that
of Yamuna Devi in beautiful black marble. The face was in an angry posture.
Nearby was an idol of Ganga Devi too in white marble, the face of which looked
very peaceful and pleasant. There was
also a small idol of Yamuna Devi in the centre of both, which would be taken
down the valley to another temple for worship, when the main temple gets closed
during winter season. River Yamuna actually starts from a glacier, further up
from the temple. After the Darshan, we came out and started our journey back. It
started raining and we wore our rain coats. We sat in the dollies that were
waiting for us, and the young men carried us down. The rain stopped as we
reached down the valley. We could find our jeeps parked in the parking area and
sat inside, waiting for others also to join us. Some in our group had preferred
to climb up by walk and yet some others by horse. We later heard that two of
them had fallen from the horse back. But fortunately, they didn’t get injured. When all in the group reached back, our
vehicles started the journey back to Barkot. All were tired, but none slept due
to the fearful road conditions.
We were to
travel in the night itself to Uthara Kashi, as we had already lost a day and
wanted to cover up that. Our buses were waiting at the road junction that leads
to Uthara Kashi. We were tired and there was nothing to see outside in the
night. So we took the opportunity to sleep inside the bus till we reached
Uthara Kashi.
Next day
morning, at about 5.30 AM, we reached Uthara Kashi. It is a small town on the
banks of River Bhageerathi, in the valley of the holy Varanavatha Mountains.
River Bhageerathi was running very close to the hotel where our stay was
arranged. After a bath and the breakfast, we got ourselves ready for our
journey to Gangotri, the second of the four dhams.
The
journey to Gangotri:-
Gangotri temple is second in the list of the four dhams. By 7 AM, we started our journey from Uthara Kashi to Gangotri. There was drizzling without any interruption. On the wayside we could see sheeps and horses moving along. There were also dogs with long hairs, looking almost as big as sheeps. Our bus left behind the village scenes and moved forward. At a junction, it turned to the road to Gangotri. The road was narrow and often our bus had to wait at sides for the vehicles coming against to pass through. Work on the road is going on. We could see land sliding at different places.
There were
police to control the traffic. We could see River Bhageerathi flowing down in
the valley. Water streams coming from different parts of the mountain joined
the river. Curves and danger sign boards were frequently seen. The snowy white
tip of the Himalaya, as if it wore a white silky garment, was coming closer and
closer. The fear of the possibility of rocks falling on the roads, as warned
frequently on the sign boards, was lingering in our minds. JCB was at work in
many places. The bus was very slow, while it negotiated steep climbs. The road
went sometimes up and sometimes down. We could see apple gardens and pine trees
along our journey. After crossing the river Bhageerathi at one place, we
reached a place known as Lanka. So, there was a Lanka in India too. There were
beautiful flowers with different colours seen in the valley. Being a border
area, there were military camps and military vehicles also plied on the road.
Vechicles with devotees were going up in a line, as also vehicles with devotees
who completed the darshan were coming down too. By 6 PM, we reached Gangotri.
The bus got parked in the parking place. The temple was at a walking distance
of about one kilometer now. Unlike as in Yamunotri, there was no long steep
climb to be covered on horses or other means here. We walked towards the
temple. There were shops on the sides selling woolen cloths, handicrafts and
flowers and other materials for offering at the temple. I felt the weariness
due to lack of oxygen here too, and the cylinder I carried helped me.
It was almost twilight when we reached the temple. It was time for offerings at the temple. People were standing in queue to have a glimpse of the idol there. The ringing bells and the loud chanting of hymns created a devotional atmosphere. When our turn came in the queue, we also entered the temple and had the darshan. We paid our reverence to the Devi. It was the Mother Ganga., the Mother of Bhishma, the Mother of rivers that flowed down from heaven and got caught up by Lord Siva on his head. All these thoughts went through my mind when I looked at the idol. After paying obeisance before the idol, we came out of the temple. Our darshan at the second dham also got completed. We entered the temple of Lord Siva nearby. The idol of Nandi and Sivalinga were inside it. After paying our obeisance to Lord siva too, we came out. River Ganga starts from a glacier much above, but we could see the start of the flow of its water from nearby. Upto its start there, it was only a path of snow. We stepped into the river and washed our hands, feet and face. There were devotees singing songs and dancing rhythmically in ecstasy in the temple premises. People were worshipping Ganga under the guidance of priests with flowers and lit oil lamps. We spent enough time in the temple premises. There was a big yellow sculpture near the temple which depicted King Bhageeratha worshipping Lord Siva who has his hands raised to untie his thickly tied hairs to receive River Ganga flowing down from the heaven. The sculpture of the river, Lord Ganapathy and Goddess Paravathy are also encrypted on it.
From the
temple premises, it was a beautiful sight around. Mountains touching the sky on
one side, River Bhageerathi flowing with its rhythmic sound and the Gangothri
temple looking illuminated in the twilight were a feast to our eyes. Everywhere
there was the rush of devotees. Some collected Ganga water to be carried to
their homes. It is said that Ganga starts at Gangotri. But, infact, it starts
18 kms further up from a glacier named Gomukh. Gomukh literally means the mouth
of a cow; maybe that is the shape of the glacier over there.
After the
darshan at the Gangothri temple, we went back by walk to our bus which was
parked far away and not at the place where we were dropped. It was a three
kilometers walk to the bus. We travelled back to Utharakashi. By 1 AM only, we
were able to reach our hotel at Utharakashi. All were tired. After food, everyone
went to sleep only to be ready again at 5 AM next day for our trip to Sitapur,
enroute our journey to Kedarnath. Sitapur is the base camp for proceeding to
the third dham, the Kedarnath.
Towards
Sitapur:-
It was 6 AM
by the time we got our baggages loaded in the bus and started for Sitapur. The
first temple we visited was the Viswanath temple at Utharakashi. The morning
worship was going on in the temple, when we reached. It is believed that this
temple is built by Parasurama. Later in 1857, it was re-constructed by the
queen of Thehri. The Siva-linga here is of a large size. There were idols of
Parvathi, Ganapathi and Markendeya too. Markandeya is believed to have sought
refuge before Lord Siva here to save himself from Kaala, the God of death. The
belief goes that lord Siva saved Markandeya from the onslaught of Kaala.
From the Siva
temple, we went straight to the Sakthi temple where the deity is Parvathy.
There is a very big trident (‘thrisool’) here. It was wrapped in red silk
cloth. We were told that the bottom of the trident could not be located so far.
Belief is that it goes down to the world under earth and is struck on the head
of ‘Kaaliyan’, a venomous snake which was pushed down there. The metal alloy with
which this trident is made of could also not be identified. There is a lighted
lamp near the trident which remains lighted for more than 400 years, said a temple
priest over there.
After Darshan
at these temples we got inside the bus. We bought an oxygen cylinder and other
medicines we felt could be of use from a nearby medical shop, before boarding
the bus. It was drizzling still. The atmosphere was cloudy and dark.
Our journey
to Sitapur continued. Some of us got watts-app messages that the rain fall is
strong in Kedarnath along with snow fall and therefore no one is being allowed
to go to Kedarnath from its base camp at Sitapur.
Our journey
was through the villages of Utharkashi. There were cultivated fields, schools
and playgrounds in the valley. The rain and clouds were not congenial to our
journey. After going further, we reached the Thehri dam and its reservoir. The
dam is built across the Bhageerathi river. The rain began to recede, clearing
the atmosphere. The bus stopped in a small town where there were shops,
schools, hospitals and petrol pumps. The name of the town was Srinagar. It was
a different Srinagar than the one in Kashmir. This town is situated on the
banks of river Alakananda. Those who wanted to buy medicines or fruits got down
from the bus. Some who wanted to take cash from ATM too got down. The bus has
stopped near a fuel pumping station, so that enough diesel could also be
filled. It was getting dark by the time we left Srinagar.
After a
travel of another four hours, we reached Sitapur. Our stay was arranged in JP
Palace hotel in Sitapur. After food, we reclined in our rooms for rest and
sleep. The journey next day to Kedarnath was to start at 5 AM.
Journey
to Kedarnath:-
Next day
morning, we found that the rain has almost stopped and the atmosphere was
clear. We heard that the restriction to travel to Kedarnath has been withdrawn.
A few of us were so tired and sick that they preferred to stay back at the
hotel, skipping the trip to Kedarnath. The breakfast and lunch for the day were
packed and given to us. We were to carry a pair of dress too, as our night stay
would be in tents at Kedarnath. Along with it, we carried our washing kit and
medical kit in a small hand bag. All our other luggages were kept locked in a
room at the hotel as we would be returning to the same hotel after our
Kedarnath darshan.
It was a 29 kms
journey to Kedarnath from where we stayed. It was all hills upto there. The
buses cannot go up at all. Small jeeps could take us only upto Gourikund from
where the distance to Kedarnath would be around 20 kms. This distance will have
to be covered either by walk, or on horse, or by dolly or with the help of
other strong carriers who carry people in a basket on their back and climb up.
We were
wearing one woolen inner dress, above which we wore our normal cotton dress.
Above the cotton dress, we wore two sweaters, one over the other. Again, above
the sweaters we had an inner jacket and on it an outer one too. The woolen
stockings, shoes and monkey caps completed our dress. We were ready to fight
the onslaught of cold weather at the top which may fall to minus 2 or 3 degree
Celsius. With a bag containing the breakfast and lunch for the day and a pair
of dress and washing materials; we came out of the hotel. There were many
devotees who were determined to climb up all the way by foot. The jeep service
to Gourikund was controlled by police. We had to stand in a long queue after
about a walk of one km to avail the jeep facility for the next 10 kms to
Gourikund. There were people who broke the queue by cunning the police. There
were many shops on the sides selling camphor and necklaces of ‘Rudraksham’. It
is said that smelling camphor is a solution to overcome the weariness caused
due to lack of oxygen. We already had the camphor packet and three portable
oxygen cylinders with us. So, there was nothing left for us to buy. Walking in
the queue, we crossed a bridge across the river Mandakini and reached the place
where the jeeps park to carry the devotees to Gourikund, under the control of
police. There were people who managed to get a seat in jeep without the police
seeing them. Even for a pilgrimage, some people adopt nefarious ways and cheat
others. It took a long time for us to reach Gourikund, as the road was narrow
and has to give way for the jeeps that were returning from Gourikund. There
were many people too on the road, who go by walk, up and down. Finally, we reached
Gourikund by jeep.
Gourikund is
a bathing place for the devotees who desire it. There were many who were taking
bath here. It is believed that Parvathi has undergone rigorous penance in this
place to get Lord Siva as her husband. Our guide told us that there is a temple
about one km from here, where the deity is Ganapathy with his head cut. The
story of Lord Siva cutting the head of Ganapathy for blocking his way is
popularly known. Later when he knew that it was under the instructions from
Parvathy to stop anyone coming home, Lord Siva replaced Ganapathy”s head with
one that of an elephant.
After
reaching Gourikund, we started our walk. There was a helipad from where service
to Kedarnath is provided. We had requested in advance to our agency to book the
helicopter journey for us, but they could not get its tickets. It was to be
done by online booking. But the site was never available, they said. Later we
came to know that fraudsters manage to get the tickets in bulk and sell them in
black with the connivance of the concerned officials. All games are played on
the pilgrims. Dolly was our next choice. When enquired, we came to know that
dollies are to be booked a day in advance, unlike its ready availability while
going to Yamunatri. We had a little trekking practice and so we decided to walk
slowly. It was enough for us to reach the temple by evening. We have the food
with us and there were resting places on the way. When it was time for the
break-fast, we sat near a shop and had it. Along with it, we had a hot tea from
the shop. Sipping it, we watched the continuous flow of devotees up and down.
It was very cold. After walking one km further, we reached a place where horses
were available for ride. But for booking the horses, we have to give the license
number of the horseman. When we enquired with them, we were told that they had
already given the number to some others. In nutshell, the horses were not
available to fulfill the requirement of all the devotees. As such, we decided
to continue our walk upwards. Many in our group had resorted to walking like
us. The road width was a little more than the width of road to Yamunotri. Even
so, there was a heavy rush on the road with people, horses, dolly men and
basket carriers going up as well as coming down.
We continued
our walk. We had to be very careful while walking, lest we can get hit by the
horses or the dollies. One side of the road was rocky mountain and the other
side deep valley. There were fences on the valley side. Toilets and medical
facilities were available at every 500 mtrs distance. Even though water was
available, the toilets remained unclean. There were resting places too for the
devotees to relax after a length of walk. Small streams of water, running down
the mountains, were seen frozen.
We walked a
distance of about 8 kms. I started feeling weariness due to lack of oxygen. I
used the portable cylinder with me, and got relieved of the weariness. We were
tired and it was very difficult to walk any more. We looked out for other
options. There were only basket carriers available. The arrangement is that the
basket man will carry a devotee in the basket tied on their back and climb up.
It was a very difficult task for them, but strong men take up this job for a
living. We were hesitant to hire their service because of the manual labour
involved for them, but there was no other option before us to reach the temple.
So, we hired three basket carriers. We were ready to pay whatever they asked,
considering their manual labour to carry us. We didn’t argue on the charges as
we felt sympathy on them for carrying us. Three basket holders were hired. Two were
for us and one for the bags that we carried. They started the climb with us
sitting in the baskets on their back. Between them, they changed hands to adjust the weight to carry. They would stop at places for whatever
food and drinks they want for which we are to pay .At places where it is either
comfortable or very hard to carry, we would ask them to put us down so that we
can walk along with. Even while walking such, they supported us to climb by
holding us close.
The walk,
along with the intermittent rest, continued. There were shouts of people
hailing the lord of Kedarnath. We were nearing the Kedarnath temple. The
unforgettable moment of darshan at Kedarnath was about to come. The sun which
spread golden colour above the hills began to hide behind the clouds. The hills
were now totally covered with snow and shined in golden colour with the light
of the setting sun. Even though it was very cold and we were tired too, the
thrill of reaching Kedarnath filled our minds with a new vigour. And finally, when we
reached Kedarnath, it was dark already.
Kedarnath is
at a height of 3583 mtrs above sea level. The temperature would always fall
below zero degree Celsius. It was very cold over there. With our bags in our
hands, we stood in the long queue for getting darshan. Tired we were, but we
didn’t want to postpone it for the next day. River Mandakini flows nearby. When
our turn came in the queue, we entered the temple.
The belief is
that the temple at Kedarnath is built by the Pandavas, after the war. It is
also believed that later Adi Sankaracharya, in the eighth century, got it
re-constructed. The temple is built with granite stones. Inside the temple,
against the statue of Nandi, the Siva Linga stands in the form of a pyramid made
of white marble. The top shape is that of a projected portion of a bull on its
back, which is called ‘poonja’. The legend goes that Pandavas were in search of
Lord Siva to get salvation from him of all their sins and went to Kailasa, the
abode of Lord Siva. But, Siva didn’t want to appear before them and so went
from Kailasam to Kedarnath. He took the shape of a bull and tried to hide
himself among the bulls grazing over there. Bhima could recognize Siva and went
near him. Lord Siva then tried to go down the earth in the guise of a bull and
Bhima tried to raise him up. What his hands could grab was the projected
portion (‘poonja’) on the back of the bull. This portion changed over to stone
when Bhima touched it. Later when Pandavas built the temple, this stone was
installed and worshipped as the deity. The legend goes on that Lord Siva was
pleased with the Pandavas upon their reverence to him and gave them complete
salvation from all their sins. When Sankaracharya rebuilt it, the shape of the
Siva-Linga remained the same. It was Sankaracharya who decided the rules and
regulations for the temple which are followed even know. Accordingly the priest
would always be a person from Karnataka. Inside the temple, there were
sculptures on the wall, of Panchali and all the Pandavas encrypted beautifully.
After the darshan, we came out of the temple.
The place of
‘samadhi’ or the place where Sankaracharya left his body and liberated his soul
to reach the heavenly abode, was near to the temple premises. A newly built
statue of Sankaracharya is also there. In the extreme cold, we came out of the
temple premises.
The members
of our group had no way to come together and everyone was his own guide. After
coming out of the temple, we called our guide over phone to know where our stay
is arranged. The guide came and took us to a building. It
was like a dormitory with accommodation for 15 people together. The beds were
double duckers with one above the other. Toilet facilities were available. It
was only a stay for one night at Kedar. We had our food in a nearby hotel and
set out for our sleep. Most of the inmates had cold, cough and sometimes fever
too. While sleeping, I woke up hearing a lot of commotion around. One member in
our group had breathing trouble due to lack of oxygen. I gave him one cylinder
which I had with me and that made him to sleep well. There was a helipad near
our place of stay. We were aware that tickets cannot be obtained in the proper
way. There were middlemen to manage tickets.
In the
morning next day, we decided to have one more Darshan at Kedarnath temple. It
was a clear bright day. Impossible it is to adequately explain the beauty of
the glittering golden snow covered mountain tips that provided an extremely
beautiful background to the temple and its premises.
In the
extreme winter, when the temple gets closed, the idol is brought down the
valley to a temple at a place called Hukkimatt, where it would be worshipped.
It is heard that in the deluge of 2013, there were a lot of losses at Kedar.
However, a big rock that came down from the mountain protected the temple by
positioning itself as a wall behind the temple. The rock is still there behind
the temple.
We started
our return journey from the temple. Many who decided to walk have started in
the early hours itself. We have to come down about 20 kms. This time we could
get the horse ride. Upto the place where horses would be available, we availed
the service of basket lifters. Riding on the horse was not an easy task. When
the horse steps down, we have to lean back to maintain balance. There were
provisions for the horses to drink water on the way. We could see some dead
horses on the way. Those must be dead due to weariness or lack of enough food.
We do not know what happened to the riders on them. While riding on the horse,
one has to be careful against any bulging rock hitting the head. The sitting
had not been comfortable and our whole body was aching. By 4 PM, we reached
back at Gourikund. Again we had to stand in queue for the jeep ride which is
controlled by the police. After the jeep ride, there was another walk of two
kms. By 6 PM, we reached our JP Palce hotel at Sitapur. Even though in a group,
our going to the temple and coming back had to be individually in one’s own
time and mode of travel. We were totally tired.
After bath and dinner, we reclined to our beds for a sound sleep. The
next day was our journey to the fourth dham, the Badarinath.
Towards
Badarinath:-
Next day,
early morning itself, all had the breakfast and were ready for the journey to
Badarinath temple. The guide told us that on the other side the mountain which
we could see from the hotel, there is a ‘Triyugi Narayana temple’. It is a
Vishnu temple. There is a fire pit over there which is kept burning all the
time for many years. The legend is that it was the place where Lord Siva
married Parvathi in the presence of Lord Vishnu.
Everyone
boarded the bus and we started our journey to Badarinath. After a lot of
climbing up and climbing down through hairpin curves, we reached Guptkashi.
Viswanatha temple in Guptkashi is well known. It is almost in the same shape of
Kashi Viswanath temple. Lord Siva and Parvathi are the deities. There is a
water pond in front of the temple which is called ‘Manikarnika’. Two different
streams of water fall in this pond. One is said to be from the river Ganga and
the other from the river Yamuna. We washed our hands and feet in Manikarnika
and entered the temple for darshan.
There is a
legend on why this place is known as ‘Guptakashi’. The Pandavas reached
Himalaya in search of Lord Siva to pray for salvation from all their sins. But
the resentment of Lord Siva on the doings of Pandavas during the war remained
in his mind and he declined to appear before the Pandavas. The story goes that
Lord Siva hid himself here to escape from the Pandavas seeing him. Why Lord
Siva took to this hide and seek game before the Pandavas, instead of taking a
stubborn stand is not known. May be, at heart, he was soft to the Pandavas. It
is believed that the Pandavas constructed this temple at Guptkashi in reverence
to Lord Siva.
The next
temple to go was Thunganath. This is considered as the highest temple of Lord
Siva. The climb to it is very steep. Later, we went to the Hukkimatt temple
where the deity at Kedarnath would be brought down for worshipping during
winter. Kedarnath temple gets closed for six months during winter.
We could see
the confluence of rivers Mandakini and Alakananda during our journey again.
This confluence is known as ‘Rudra prayag’. Further down, we reached Karna
prayag where the rivers Alakananda and Pindar join together. The bus stopped
there for the people to see this place well.
Legend has it that Karna of Mahabharatha got cremated here in the
presence of Lord Krishna. Karna wanted a place for his cremation where no one
earlier had been cremated and accordingly, this was the place Lord Krishna
found suitable. Many unfortunate incidents in the life of Karna went through my
mind. Some in our group collected differently shaped stones from the riverside.
Our journey continued.
We were heading for Peeppalkotty. This was our stopover on our journey to Badarinath.
We were to stay there for the night. All were tired due to the continuous
journey for days together. We reached Peeppalkotty in the night. The stay was
arranged at Vinayaka hotel over there. After bath and dinner, we retired to our
rooms to be ready for the next trip. Most of us had cold, fever and body ache.
What we needed urgently was rest and sleep.
Next day early
morning, we took bath and got ready for the journey. We were to carry dress for
a day in our hand as we would be staying at Badarinath.
The bus
started its journey first to Joshimatt, on the way to Badarinath. By 9AM, we reached
the Narasimha temple at Joshimatt.
Narasimha,
the deity here, is the fourth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. We were told that, in
winter, the deity at Badarinath would be brought to this temple for worship as
the temple at Badarinath would remain closed. After the winter, it would be
again taken back to Badarinath. After darshan in this temple, we again got
inside the bus. As we proceeded, we reached Vishnu Prayag where the rivers
Dhouli Ganga and Alakananda join together. The confluence of rivers is called
prayag. There is a temple here with Lord Vishnu as the deity. After visiting
this temple too, we boarded the bus once again.
Between the
high mountain and the deep valley, the bus moved through the narrow road. The
driver had difficulties in taking the bus forward. At one place, everyone has
to get down for the bus to roll up. The journey continued through the difficult
terrain. After a while, we reached a place known as Hanumanchatty, which is
different from the Hanumanchatty that we went earlier. Here the name came
because it is believed to be from the mountains here that Hanuman collected the
elixir of life to cure and revive Lakshmana who was wounded badly in the Lankan
war between Rama and Ravana.
We were
nearing Badarinath. It was getting colder. The journey was hard. There were
many vehicles to Badarinath, carrying devotees from different places. By noon,
we reached Badarinath. We could see the temple and the long queue of devotees
to the temple, from the bus itself. Our stay was arranged at ‘Paramarth
Nikethan’, a retreat near the temple. Taking our handbags, we went to our
allotted rooms. By the time the food was cooked and served, it was 3 PM. Many
among us went straight to the temple and occupied their place in the queue. I
and my husband were so tired and unhealthy that we decided to take rest and
have darshan only on the next day.
After the
rest and a sound sleep, we became active again. At 4AM we started from our room
to go to the temple. It seemed that our body got adjusted to the cold outside.
Since it was early morning, we thought that we won’t have to stand for a long
time in the queue to get darshan. To reach near the tail end of the queue
itself, we had to walk about a km. As we stood in the queue, we found that the
queue began to be longer and longer in no time. Devotees were pouring in. Some
cunning devotees were found to break the queue and enter in between. It took
three hours for us to reach the temple and get darshan.
Badarinath
temple is situated between the Nara-Narayana mountains on the bank of the river
Alakananda which starts from Alakapuri. Lord Vishnu is the deity. The deity
looked as if it is made of silver. The chief priest here is called ‘Rawalji’.
It is learned that Adi Sankaracharya has particularly specified that the chief
priest should be one from the Brahmin family of North Kerala. We visited the
Rawalji’s room and had his blessings.
The
architecture at the entrance of the temple was beautiful to see. There were
beautiful sculptures inside the temple too. There is space inside the temple
for the devotees to sit down and do their worship. There were deities of
Ganapathy, Goddess Lakshmi, Kubera, Naarada, Garuda and the four-handed
Narayana inside the temple. It is said that Budhists entered the temple in the
sixth centruary, took the deity and threw it in river Alakananda flowing
nearby. Sri Sankaracharya, who came to know of it through his mental power
recovered the deity from the river and again installed it in the temple. The deity
in Badarinath is in the posture of ‘Padmasana’.
The air was filled
with the sound of loud chanting of the devotees and hailing of Lord of
Badarinath. After Darshan and a round of the temple we came out. On the bank of
Alakananda, there is a place called ‘Brahmakapalam’ where people can perform
rituals of ‘balitharpanam’ or offering of food to the departed souls of their
dear ones, for their salvation from the cycle of births and deaths. The place
is known in that name because it is believed that Lord Brahma himself exists
there. We also participated in doing the rituals. There was a priest to guide
us in chanting the ‘manthras’. The rice for the ritual was brought from the
temple. Those who want to do the rituals, sat down and did the same according
to the guidance given by the priest. While doing so, I remembered my parents
and grandparents. The moments spent with them went through my mind. I was in a
special mind set then. The rice balls offered for the departed were later taken
by us to be put in the river Alakananda which carried them away. When I did
that, I had the feeling that the souls are departing away, leaving me alone,
and I felt very sad.
Our visit to
the fourth dham also got completed.
After the
rituals, we went back to our room. All were ready for our next trip which was
to Manna, a border village. We boarded the bus.
The
trip to Manna:-
Manna is
about three kms north of Badarinath temple. It is a border village between
India and Tibet. It is known as the last village of India on that side. Ladies
here make a living by doing handicraft work and spinning woolen cloths.
Vehicles are not allowed inside the village. The bus stopped near the entrance
to the village and we went in by walk. The weather was very cold. We could see
the woolen cloths and caps kept for sale near the sideways. Walking further, we
reached the cave of Ganesha. It is believed that Ganesha wrote down the Mahabharat epic as dictated by the sage
Vyasa by sitting in this cave. Near the
cave, there is a Ganapathy temple too.
Inside the
cave, there is a rock which looked like a book shelf with the books neatly
arranged. This looked like the work of nature itself. After paying our
reverence to Ganapathy, we walked further forward. I felt the breathing trouble
again due to lack of oxygen. I kept walking by smelling the camphor packet
which I carried.
As we moved
further forward, we found tea shops near the border displaying them in
different languages as the last tea shops on the Indian side.
A little away
from these tea shops, there is another cave. It looked as if made of neat piles
of rocks stacked one above the other. This is the cave of Vyasa from where he
dictated the epics to Ganapathy. We went inside the cave. There inside, was a
statue of Sage Vyasa. It is written over there that this cave is 5326 years
old.
We continued
our walk through the bank of river Saraswathi. After flowing down through the
rocky mountain with loud noise, the river becomes calm and joins with river
Alakananda. This confluence is called Kesava prayag. There is a temple of
goddess Saraswathi nearby.
There is big
rock forming a bridge across the river Saraswathi. The top of it is now
concreted. There is a legend behind the rock bridge too.
The story
goes that it was Bhima who put this rock across the river Saraswathi for
Pandavas to cross, in their final journey for salvation and heavenly abode.
This bridge is now known as Bhimphool meaning the Bhima bridge.
There were
military camps on the border. Even when the temples in the heights get closed
and the idols get shifted to other temples in the valley, our soldiers remain
in the camps braving the cold, in tents suitable to the environment, guarding
our country.
Our next aim
was to reach Joshimatt, the first matt built by Sri Sankaracharya. This is
built in the eighth century. It is believed that Sankaracharya has undergone
rigorous penance here. There is a tree called ‘Kalpa vriksham’ near the Matt.
The tree is said to be about 1200 years old. The entrance to the Matt looked
very old. Near the entrance there is a sculpture of Bhishma who lay on a bed of
arrows.
The present Sankaracharya was there in the Matt. Inside one room, there is a Siva linga along with the usual Nandi. We sat for a while inside the Matt, had blessings from the present Sankaracharya and came out of the Matt. A Hanuman temple, Siva Parvathy temple and a big statue of Lord Siva were also there in the premises of the Matt. On the way back, there is a Lakshmi Narayana temple too. We entered the temple and had the blessings from the priest over there.
We entered
the bus, and our journey now was to Peeppalkotty. After reaching the hotel, we collected our baggages
which were kept locked in a room. Next day we were to return to Delhi through
Hrishikesh and Haridwar.
Towards
Hrishikesh:-
This was the
last day of our tour programme. It was going to be a long journey back to
Delhi. We covered the holy confluences of rivers at Karna prayag, Rudra prayag
and Deva prayag on our journey to Hrishikesh. Most of us in the group were
unhealthy due to the tedious journeys and adverse weather. As we approached Hrishikesh,
the weather began to change from cold to hot. By 4 PM, we reached Hrishikesh.
Getting out of the bus, we walked to the banks of the river Ganga and reached
near Lakshman Joola. There is a belief that Lakshman Joola was the place where
Lakshmana built a hanging rope bridge to cross the river. The banks of the
river were full of people. Many were taking bath in the Ganga. We crossed the
river in a boat and visited Gita Bhavan. The walls of it were encrypted with
the verses from Gita. There was a beautiful garden in front of the Bhavan.
There are separate temples for Rama, lakshmana, Bharatha and Satrughna. It is
believed that Rama, Sita and Lakshmana stayed in Hrishikesh once. A little away
from the Lakshman Joola, there was the Ram Joola too. The quiet flowing Ganga,
its banks filled with people and the colourful setting of the sun were a sight
to see. Ganga Aarathi started at 6 PM. We crossed the river again to come back
to the bus. It was a splendid sight we had of Hrishikesh in that evening. We
bid good-bye to Hrishikesh and boarded our bus. Now our journey is to Delhi
direct through Haridwar. We had our dinner in a hotel on the way.
It was a long
journey back to Delhi. By 3 AM next day, we reached hotel Apra Deluxe in
Karlolbagh of New Delhi. This was the hotel from where we started the whole
journey. Members of our group started leaving according to their time schedule
for flight and trains. Our flight was only at 5 PM. We were together for 14
days. Everyone bid good-bye to one another. We started our preparations for our
return to home.
The journey
through the heights and valleys of Himalaya is over. The journey through the
confluences of rivers is over. The four dhams and many other connected temples
had been toured by us. The beauty of Himalaya when looked from Kedarnath was still
lingering in our minds. It was golden during the sunrise and sunset, and silvery
at other times with its frozen snow tips. The tour was a dream come true
experience for us. As I conclude this, I feel that I have travelled once again all the way.
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