Monday, August 17, 2015

Badri_Vishal -- भगवान विष्णु की तपोभूमि !!

The memorable visit to heavenly "Sri Badrinath Dham" !!

Sri Badrinath Dham, Narad Kund, Iron Bridge to cross the Alaknanda (left) and in the background the Narayana Hill

 (Continued from last blog "Jai Kedarnath")

Morning view of Chopta, Uttarakhand

            We got up from the bed the next morning. It was cold. But the scene outside was fascinating. There was a deep valley full of dense forest on the other side of the road and beyond the valley was a range of high mountains on which white snow was spread. On this side of the road was our rest-house which was on the rising slope of another mountain. There was a path going up full of steps some distance away from us. We saw some horses and horse owners near it. I inquired about it from the hotelwala who in return asked me "Will you go to the Tungnath Mahadev. It is up this path. You may go on foot or on horses". Then he told me that this is one of the "Panch Kedar". It is the place where the tail of the bull (Who was in fact Mahadev) had fallen. Neither we knew about it before coming to Uttarakhand nor had we planned it beforehand. So we said "Namaskaar to Tungnath" from this place only. 

Rocks hanging above the road ahead of us
on the way to Sri Badrinath Dham, Uttarakhand

           This place "Chopta" was a very beautiful and peaceful location on the hills amid the forest. The population as a village was not visible to us. There were only a few rest houses and shops along the road. Even without the religious purpose, this place is quite suitable from the health point of view. Away from the killing heat of plains, the pure mountain air fills one with energy and freshness. 

               The street dogs here were of some different breed with more hairs on their bodies to save them from cold in chilling winters. What drew our attention was a wide metal collar around the neck of the dogs that was more loose on the head end than the shoulder end. They said that the hyenas and the leopards from the surrounding jungles come in the night and take away their pets holding them by necks. These collars save the pets. 
Meandering road on the hills, way to Badrinath Dham,
Uttarakhand, India

                 After we got fresh, we took our breakfast and left this beautiful place in our vehicle. For a long time our vehicle passed through a dense reserved forest in which we did not see people except in a few vehicles moving on the road. After a long journey through the forest, we were on NH 58. NH58 is alongside the river Alaknanda. About 11 AM, we were in Joshimath where there was a long queue of vehicles on one side of the road. It was due to the administration which was clearing the coming vehicles from Badrinath which was large in numbers. When waiting in the vehicle in the queue, we saw many boys selling items like asafetida (हींग), Shilajit, etc. and they were asking in every car window. We thought it to be fake, so did not buy. This Joshimath is the place where God Badrinath's idol is kept and worshiped in
A bridge over River Alaknanda near Vishnuprayag
 in Uttarakhand, India. 
winters after the doors are closed in Badrinath Dham. About half an hour of the wait was over and we moved forward slowly gaining altitude. As we neared, the temperature began to fall but the sky was clear and the sun was bright. We saw ice melting on the roadside hills and the cold water coming out beneath them. We were kind of enjoying the journey but a diesel car ahead us was leaving dark fume out of its exhaust pipe. It did not give sides for a long time. At least visitors in such places should keep the environment clean. 
Alaknanda River coming from Badrinath and 
the road alongside that has many bends to go up the hill

            The vehicles reach Badrinathdham directly, no need of on foot journey or horse riding. We saw numerous vehicles parked here. Compared to Kedarnath-dham there is more open space here, so more developed. I asked my family to wait in the vehicle at a place and went asking about our "Panda ji" (priest) Sri Jawaharlal Bhatt. I saw a restaurant and a good market. I had to spend about half an hour time in moving and searching for him. I was getting my breathing fast even going up a few steps. Later I thought that it was due to less oxygen in the air at this altitude. Pt Bhatt was a very
Melting ice and thin waterfalls on the way
to Badrinathdham, Uttarakhand, India
gentle person. He came to our vehicle with me and took us to park it at a place. Then we came with him with our luggage to a "Dharmshala" of a trust that was like a good hotel. It was on the side of the river Alaknanda, the open space and the railing were on the river side. Standing here we could enjoy the fast current of Alaknanda on the rocky bed. On the just opposite side of the river, we could see the "Kund" (Pond) of hot water that is also called the "Narad Kund". Devotees were having a bath in it. Bhagwan Badrinath's temple was also visible that was at a level about 20 - 25 ft higher than the Narad Kund. About 100 ft downstream was the steel truss footbridge through which people were commuting.  
A frozen stream on the hills near Badrinath,
Uttarakhand, A small glacier. 

            We were hungry so went with "Panda ji" to a restaurant and took our meal. Now we wanted a darshan of Bhagwan Badrinath. "Panda ji" took us to the temple. There was a long queue of devotees. We had a darshan from the gate of the temple and got Tulsi-dal as "Prasad". The Tulsi-dal here were of a different variety than we see at our home. Now "Panda ji," told us to take a rest for an hour or two, then we shall go for evening "Aarti Darshan" before which we could have a dip in the "Narad Kund". We did so. "Narad Kund" is open from all sides except there is a shade over it. Only gents go into it. A few feet away is another "Kund" for women which is enclosed. Perhaps the water sources of both the "Kunds" are linked. I entered in the "Kund" but the water  was hotter than I had expected. Standing up to the waist level I wondered how some other people were
Entrance to Vyas Gufa and the multi-layered rock above
that represents Vyas Pothi (The book of Vyas)
 at Mana Village, Badrinath, Uttarakhand
taking the bath. And a "Sadhu" poured a bucket full of "Kund" water over me from behind. He said, "Daro math, himmat kar pani me dubki lo, thik lagega" (Do not fear, have courage and take a dip into the water, it will be ok). One can understand my situation then. Hastily I took three or four dips and came out of it because do not know why I was not getting accustomed to it and was finding the water unbearably hot. Anyway, the hot water made our exertions go away. My family took the dips in women's "Kund" and they said that the water was very hot but not unbearable. They kind of enjoyed it. 
The rock is named Vyas-Pothi (Book of Vyas)
because the layering resembles the pages of
a book and on the right-hand side a board says
"Last tea stall of India" at Mana Village,
Badrinath, because beyond this place is the
 Chinese border 

              We went to the temple for "Sandhya aarti darshan". They sell three types of tickets for this "Darshan" and in limited numbers. These three are "Swarn aarti, Rajat aarti and Tamra aarti". These ticket holders are only allowed inside the main temple and accordingly "Aarti" by their names are performed using golden, silver, or copper plates. They are allowed to sit in this order too, Golden at the front and brass at the back. Due to the limited numbers, these tickets are all sold in the morning itself. Devotees ask their priests in advance to purchase the tickets. Since we had reached here a few hours ago without informing our priest, no tickets were available. But our priest Pt Bhatt ji arranged tickets from another priest whose client did not turn up. These were tickets for "Rajat aarti". We stood in the queue.  

Fiercely flowing river Saraswati has cut deep gorge in the hill
near Mana Village, Badrinath, Uttarakhand

               This difference in tickets creates arrogance in some people's mind as I saw. A lady ahead of us asked many other ladies about their tickets and replied that she holds Golden Aarti tickets. We smiled at ourselves. The "Aarti darshan" was really worth visiting. We could see the idols only a few feet away. The priest conducting this "Aarti" described the idols and we saw the "Aarti" being performed. It was one of those moments in our life that we would never forget. We returned to our room to see the temple, river, and mountains. Before taking dinner outside we did some marketing. 
This big rock across river Saraswati is said to be placed by
Bheem, the Pandava. So it is named as "Bheem-pul"

               In the morning we got up early, took a dip in the "Kund" and stood in the queue after about 150 devotees. About after one and a half hours, we got our chance to enter the temple where there was a huge rush. We hardly got the "Darshan" for a few seconds in which the priest took our "Thali" of worship for an offering and returned it in a super-fast manner. When out from the main temple we paid our "Namaskar" to other god idols in the courtyard of the temple. Our worship was over. Our Panda ji took us near the ghat of river Alaknanda and told some stories from "Puranas" about the place. He said that the two mountains on both sides of Alaknanda are "Nar-Narayan", avatars of Vishnu who fought for a very long time with "Sahastrabahu" and defeated him. At the
River Saraswati flowing to meet River Alaknanda
at the confluence ahead
very place where the temple is situated, once God Vishnu started "Tapa" (penance - तपस्या). When the heavy snowfall began His wife Goddess Lakshmi took the form of a tree of zizyphus fruit (बेर का वृक्ष) behind Him and checked the ice falling over Vishnu. So God Vishnu completed his penance without any hindrance. After he opened His eyes and saw the work of Goddess Lakshmi, He thanked Her and said that from Now onward this place will be known as Badri-nath because Badri in Sanskrit means zizyphus fruit (बेर का फल). We paid donation to the Panda ji who also asked for a certain amount that he would take when vising at our residence in next January. We agreed but he too like Kedarnath Dham Pandaji got it written in a copy. 
We saw this "Pahadi-Jharna" on the return journey from
Badrinath, Uttarakhand

 As I have said earlier that Badrinath Dham is one of the four Dhams of Hindu religion established in four corners of India by "Adi Shankaracharya". He was the great pundit of Vedas and Puranas and he was the person who united the Hindus earlier divided into different sects. These four Dhams he established in four corners of India are for devotees to visit and get acquainted with the cultures of different regions. To further strengthen the bond among Hindus he also established the convention of appointing Head priests in each of the Dhams from distant regions. For example, the head priest in Badrinath Dhams temple can only be appointed from South India. The selection of priests is also a very difficult process. A person having some special marks (related to God Vishnu) by birth is selected, trained, and educated as the successor to the present priest. These pieces of information were given by our Panda ji.  

On the roadside, we saw this big ice chunk
 that had become like a tunnel due to melting
of ice underneath, Back from Badrinath,
Uttarakhand 

              Panda ji suggested that before leaving we should visit "Mana" village about one km ahead. "Mana" is the last Indian village before the Chinese border. It is a village of the "Bhotia" tribe and vehicle plying road ends here. He showed us the "Ganesh Gupha"(Cave of Ganesh) and "Vyas Gupha"(Cave of Vyas). It is said that Maharshi Ved Vyas composed "Puranas" and Ganesh wrote them at this holy place. Ganesh had only one condition that Vyas should speak continuously without a halt to which he agreed. Near the "Vyas Gupha"(Cave of Vyas) there is a big rock different from others. It has numerous thin layers like a bunch of pages in a book. It symbolizes the "Puranas" composed by Maharshi Ved Vyas. They have written on it as "व्यास पोथी" (The book of Vyas) 

Dangerous road at a place back from Badrinath, Uttarakhand

             Near here is a river known as "Saraswati" which is short in length because few hundreds feet downstream it meets "Alaknanda". But it crosses the way to "Satopant" near the origin of "Alaknanda". It is the very way to the heavens (Said in Puranas) through which "Pandavas" along with Dropadi and a dog went. Draupadi was not finding herself able to cross the river "Saraswati" because it falls with great speed here and has cut deep gorges in the rocks. So Bhima placed a big rock across the river as a bridge. It is called Bhima-pul (Bridge of Bhima). Now a small temple of Saraswati has been built near here. 

At Devprayag is the confluence of River Bhagirathi (Right
with clear water) and River Alaknanda (Left), Ahead they
flow as River Ganga

          The hills around do not have trees, only some herbs and grass grow here. Among these herbs is the variety of "Tulsi" that grows here and its Tulsi-dal are used in offerings to Baba Badrinath. Pure air that was slow, freshly scented and cool filled us with new energy. The surroundings are so lovely that one would like to sing the common lines composed by some local Muslim,

पवन    मंद  सुगंध  शीतल   हिम  मंदिर   शोभितम् 

निकट गंगा बहती निर्मल श्री बद्रीनाथ विश्वम्भरम्। 

(This means that the master of the world God Sri Badrinath is in a temple that is among snow near Ganga and slow, scented, and cool breeze blow here)

           After seeing all these we took some tea, thanked Panda Ji, and left Baba Badrinath Dham. We were fortunate that the visit to all three Dhams we wished to visit was complete. 

A Shiva temple and big Shiva statue at Devprayag,
Uttarakhand

               By the evening we reached Karnprayag, here we decided to take a night halt. The next morning we started our journey back home. Via Rudraprayag and Srinagar, we reached Devprayag. Among high hills, two main rivers Bhagirathi and Alaknanda have a confluence here, after this place the river is called Ganga. We stopped our vehicle here and walked up to the "Sangam". Sprinkled some water over us. A Pandit ji came and read some Mantras for Tarpan and we offered water to Pitars. Devprayag is a holy place from ancient times. Tarpan to Pitars has its own importance here. 

Manasa Devi temple at the top of a hill
at Haridwar, Uttarakhand

               The Kumbh Mela that is arranged now every 12 years at Haridwar was earlier used to be held here. However, due to a lack of open space, it was shifted to Haridwar. The crystal clear water of the Bhagirathi River and the turbid water of Alaknanda create a lovely scene here. A slim variety of fish comes in numbers to eat the grains offered in Tarpan. By noon, we reached Haridwar. It was a full moon day and a large number of devotees were having a dip in Ganga here. We took a dip at Har ki poudi and went to worship Manasa Devi temple by rope-way. When we left Haridwar the sun was going behind the "Manasa" hill and satisfied to the core we reached back Faridabad by the night, from where we had started our journey a week ago.   

A Shiva Statue in Haridwar,
Uttarakhand

             For those planning to go to these Dhams should avoid the journey in the rainy season because the danger of landslides increases manifolds and travelers get trapped. I would suggest planning a journey in the month of May when the doors open for worship, as we did and it remained a hindrance-free journey.       

           
                  Arial view of  Ganga at Haridwar
                 & roapway

            Though People also go to these places on package tours by bus and they complete it in a time-bound manner, I prefer such tours by taxi or cab. This allows me to have my own control over the journey and enjoy it more.

                       By describing the journey of Gangotri, Kedarnath Dham, and Badrivishal Dham I have relived the joyful and memorable moments. 

===<<<O>>>===

INDEX






































Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Jai Kedarnath - बाबा केदारनाथ की जय !!!

Baba Kedarnath Temple, Kedarnath, Uttarakhand


Continued from last blog Gangotri Dham, Uttarakhand in Himalayas ! 

        Next morning at "Dhauntri" we got fresh, took our bath and had breakfast at 8 AM and started for Kedarnath dham. Since the route was long and we would have reach at our destination by the evening, so "Darshan"/worship was not possible that day. That is why we took our breakfast, otherwise we would have remained empty stomach for worship as had done in "Gangotri Trip". 
Back Waters of Tehri Reservoir,
Uttarakhand

          Though we had the route map given by "Hotel-wala" at Hotel Vijayraj, Uttarkashi even then we asked and inquired about the safe and good route to "Kedarnath Dham" from local people and got ahead. Next came Lambgaon where we stopped for a while to have some good tea. We were now accustomed to hilly roads and mountains and enjoying the journey. Our road was parallel to the river that was behind the guesthouse where we had stayed last night. We crossed this river once. The stepped farming sight on the hilly slope was new for us. After many hours drive in the afternoon we reached "Rudra Prayag". In fact, it is the place where two important rivers "Mandakini" and "Alaknanda" join together and go ahead by the name of "Alaknanda". Near the sources of these two rivers are two important pilgrimage sites "Kedarnath Dham" and "Badrinath Dham". Since the sources of rivers happen to be near peaks of hills so are these two places which we had to visit. The aerial distance between these two places is about 60 km only but due to the location on two different peaks, the road route is many times more. "Rudra Prayag" is the place from where one may take the route alongside the Mandakini River to reach Kedarnath Dham or take the route alongside the "Alaknanda" River to reach Badrinath Dham.  

The bridge we crossed en-route Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand

            It was late afternoon and we were feeling hungry. We could not find a good place for lunch at "Rudra Prayag". So we drove ahead on the road alongside the "Mandakini" river. A few kilometers ahead we found a good roadside "Dhaba" where we took lunch and then for 20 minutes saw the river, and hills surroundings to ease out the tiredness of sitting continuously in a moving vehicle. Between the "Rudra Prayag" and here we saw a place on the road which was repaired after the damage by a landslide. We saw such sights at other places too. On this road, we passed a few places where rock projections from one side of the hill were just a few feet above us while on the other side, it was open down the slope to the river. The slopes of Himalayan hills are prone to landslides because the rocks are mostly fractured and fissured. In geological terms, the Himalayas are the young mountains and are in the process of stabilization by erosion and landslides. In many places, they seem to be a mixture of stones, boulders, and rocks which in the rainy season get weak and can cause landslides. Fortunately, we were traveling in the month of May when such risks were minimum.
Mandakini and the road between two
mountains

           For me the most attractive and memorable thing in the journey between "Rudra Prayag" to Gouri Kund was the water and flow of the holy river Mandakini. The crystal clear water was so inviting that I hardly stopped myself from going down to touch and drink it. 

Hills, Mandakini River, and step farming en-route
Gaurikund, Kedarnath, Uttarakhand

    Next, we passed through a village named "Agastmuni". "Agastmuni" is a place from where helicopter service for Kedarnath Dham is available. We saw a chopper at the helipad. Here I saw buildings, on the roof of which car was parked. How? Because the roof itself was at the ground level (Road level). These buildings were between the road and the river. Its two or three floors (The whole building) were below the road level. In fact, at a glance, one may miss completely that there was a building.
Helicopter at the helipad near
Agastmuni, Uttarakhand

           Then we crossed the famous Ukhimath which is the winter seat of Baba Kedarnath. In winter when snow covers the Kedarnath Temple, the doors of the temple are closed and a movable idol is brought to a temple in Ukhimath where He is worshiped throughout the winter.  

          As we were driving ahead gaining elevation, the hilly roads got more and more winding. Near Kalimath we came to a road that was around a valley that made the road in the shape of a big V. We entered one tip of the V-road and saw vehicles moving on the other tip of V-road, the aerial distance within 500 m but we were to reach there by covering a distance of about three kilometers. The weather ahead was changing as we gained elevation. The light was getting dim as the sun had ready to set. The forest on the hills was getting dense too. Near Sonprayag and ahead we saw water seeping from the hills and flowing over the road at many places.

Journey on Horseback to Kedarnath, Uttarakhand

               The road up to Gaurikund was well motorable then because we had visited there many years before the 2013 cloud burst and flash flood tragedy. It was the terminal place for motorable roads. Ahead was about 13-14 km path on which only pedestrians or horses could move. Gaurikund was packed with visitors and their vehicles. There were some shops and some guest houses but all were full. We too did not want to stay here because the next morning we had to worship at Kedarnath and this long movement on the hill would take time and would be tiresome. So we decided to move on. On foot journey was not possible for us, so we decided to go there riding on horses. The horse owners were along the path up to some distance. We were advised to buy a raincoat each because on the hills above it could rain anytime. Though we could not believe them then, purchased raincoats for each of us that were just enough for once or twice use. At a place beside a shop a clean tank of water about 20' x 15' was there and a priest there was saying that it was the Gaurikund and you may take a bath. It was going to be late so we did not stay there and went ahead. After the shops, there were many horse owners asking to get a ride. We talked to them and took four horses, one for each of us. 
Snow-capped peaks near Kedarnath, Uttarakhand

               This journey on the horseback was going to be a memorable one for each of us. For one thing, none of us ever had ridden over horseback, I had once but that too in my childhood. The second thing was that our first horse riding was going to be on such a hilly path not on plains. The winding and steep slope of a five-foot wide path which was with steps at some places looked dangerous. Mandakini River was now a thin river with much less water than we had seen at Rudraprayag and was flowing on a congested path between two very close hillsides that were nearly vertical. It was flowing on the right side of the path many feet below while on the left was the vertical side of the hill. The horses tended to walk very close to the hillside which was dangerous for us because our legs might get hurt between the horse and rocks. We were careful and time to time asked horse owners (घोड़ेवाला) to keep them in the middle. 

              The scenes of thin lines of waterfalls at many places were awesome on the hills. At a place, we felt the falling drops of water on ourselves. Me and my daughter were enjoying the horse ride but not my mother and wife. They were a bit scared and mother's horse got bent to one side on walking. After about half the journey we came to a place known as Rambara. Here the horse owners (घोड़ेवाला) took the horses for feeding because they were tired. We too needed some refreshments, so had coffee and snacks. After half an hour's rest, we again moved ahead on horses. And now came the use of our raincoats because it started to rain. It drizzled for about 15 minutes. 

Path and shops in front of Kedarnath Temple, and lovely
snow-capped peaks in the background

             By the time we reached Kedarnath, it was about 9:30 PM and full dark. The horse-owners (घोड़ेवाला) stopped about 200 feet before a small culvert at the entrance to Kedarnath village. My mother's legs got weak due to less blood circulation during the hours of riding a horse. She was unable to stand on her feet herself after getting down the horseback. I held her by the shoulders and walked with our baggage to a building called "Maharashtra Mandal" and asked about a priest named 'Pt Manoj Jee'. These names were suggested by our relative who had visited here last year. People there asked us to wait for a few minutes. Though it was the first half of May when in the plains of India heat was at its peak but at such height it was so cold, We saw stalks of snow on the building sides. These were cleared a few days ago. 

Nandi and entrance to Kedarnath Temple, Uttarakhand

           He came after 15 minutes. He was not happy because we had reached here so late. It was 10:00 PM, but then he arranged for food and our stay in a nearby building. My mother was extremely tired. For her "Pundit Jee" arranged a glass of hot milk. I pressed her legs to give her some relief. There were extra blankets in the room. We each covered ourselves with two blankets to keep us warm. Soon we fell asleep. 

              The next morning "Pundit Jee" arranged two buckets of hot water for a bath. Soon we got ready and reached the Kedarnath Temple with "Pundit jee". There was a long queue of devotees. After more than one and half hour wait in queue, we could enter the temple. The temple built with heavy stone blocks is impressive. The entrance to the temple is in a hall in which statues of Pandavas are there on the walls. There were some "Sadhus" and "Yogis" here. We saw a "Hathyogi" here who had not sat for the last 10 years. Inside in the sanctum we saw and worshiped the "Jyotirlinga of Kedarnath". The linga here is quite different in shape. It is in the shape of the back of a bull with a hump. The story says that angry Shiva in the form of a bull hid here. One of the Pandava brothers Bheem came in his search here and dismembered its limbs and head and threw them in different directions. The body of the bull remained here. Finally, Shiva came in his own form, then could only Bheema knew that the bull was Shiva himself. Repenting Bheema fell on Shiva's feet asking for His forgiveness. Finally, Shiva forgave Bheema and established Shivalinga at all the five places where the limbs of the bull had fallen. These are known as "Panch Mahadev". The Shiva linga in the shape of the body of the bull was established as "Kedarnath Jyotirlinga". Near "Chopata" where the tail of the bull had fallen it is called "Tungnath Mahadev". Near Kathmandu the head of the bull had fallen, it is known as "Pashupatinath Mahadev". There are other two Mahadevas at different places. 
Lovely scene at Kedarnath, Uttarakhand

        Since the bull had got injured, so here application of "Ghee" (Clarified butter) on the Linga has got main importance to give relief on the wound of the bull. People offer Bael leaf (बिल्व पत्र) made of silver to the Linga. 

          After worship, we felt our feet numb with cold. We were barefooted for two hours in this cold. The campus too was pitched with stone slabs that had got very cold. Some Sadhus had made fire with wood to keep them warm just beside the temple. We could not stop ourselves to go there to get some warmth of fire. Took some pics near Nandi Idol outside the temple.

"Samadhi Sthal" of "Aadishankaracharya" behind
Kedarnath, Temple, Uttarakhand

              Next, we went to see the "Samadhi Sthal" of "Aadi_Shankaracharya" that was behind the temple. There was one other place named "Temple of Bhairav Nath" where some people visit. But our Pundit jee did not encourage us and we too were tired. So returned back seeing the snow-capped mountains all around. He took us to a small hut where on the ground in a six-inch dia hole water was full to the edges. He said that it is called "Amrit Kund" and it never gets dried. We all had a few drops of "Amrit Kund" water and Pundit Jee gave us a small bottle filled with it to take home. 

Small Bridge just outside Kedarnath
Temple village

            Worship was over and we felt satisfied and blessed. Pundit Jee took us to a nearby hotel where we ate ''Parantha - Sabji". Now it was time to get permission to leave.  So I wanted to give him "Dakshina". But he said that he is building a guest house here for his "Yajmaans" from Bihar and the Jharkhand area, so he needed more money and he would come to our residence next year. I agreed but he got it written from me in a copy. I saw some other people's commitments written in it too. He noted down my address and phone number. Even then I gave him some "Dakshina" and left the village with our baggage. In fact, it is the tradition that when the doors of temples of "Kedarnath" and "Badrinathdhams" close at the dawn of winter (October and November), these priests return to their respective villages in Uttarakhand after a long stay at these holy places. After the "Makar Sankranti" in January they go to the residences of their "Yajmaans" in different parts of India and collect the committed donations. After two months of their visits they come back to their villages.  
'Om' and 'Samadhi Sthal' written on the rock just
upstream the bridge at Kedarnath, Uttarakhand

             We crossed the Mandakini River on foot that was like a hilly Nala here through a small iron culvert. Near the upstream, we saw a rock on which written were "ॐ" and "साधना स्थल". Ahead was a piece of land that was more or less plain and a number of horse owners (घोड़ेवाला) with their horses were waiting for customers. At this very place, we had reached last night riding horses. Again we took horses and started our journey back to "Gaurikund". Downward journey on horses seems more scary. At noon we reached "Gaurikund" and got to know that the main Kund was nearby. We saw it and sprinkled a handful of water over ourselves. My mother insisted on taking a dip in the Kund and she did so.

Crowd of Horses at Kedarnath,
Uttarakhand

           After some shopping, we came to our vehicle and started our next journey to "Baba Badrinath Dham". We took lunch at a place and continued the journey with the help of a map and information from locals. The journey through the Himalayas is so enjoyable.
A helicopter flying over the Mandakini
river valley at Kedarnath, Uttarakhand
By the evening we reached in zone that had more dense forest and less population. At about 7 PM we reached "Chopta" village and decided to night halt here. In a small lodge on the road, we stayed. There was no power here and people said that this area is not only protected but environmentally sensitive too. So generators are not allowed. There was a solar lamp in the room that soon got down. So we lit a candle and went to bed after dinner in the cold night.
Gaurikund, Kedarnath, Uttarakhand

(These journey details are from many years before the "Kedarnath cloud burst and flash-flood Tragedy of 2013". When we saw the destruction on TV in 2013, it was really heartbreaking. Nowadays perhaps vehicles do not go up to "Gaurikund" due to heavy damage to roads ahead of Sonprayag) 


next part of our journey to "Baba Badrinath Dham"...... in coming blog. Visit at following link:-

===<<O>>==

                        

INDEX






































                                          

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)