Tuesday 14 June 2022

MY PILGRIMAGE TO THE FOUR RENOWNED TEMPLES

 

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.


 The story goes that King Bhageeratha belonged to the Surya dynasty and underwent severe penance to bring back to life his forefathers who were dead and remained as just ashes, and would come to life if Ganga from the heaven flowed down over their ashes. The strong current of Ganga falling directly on earth could damage it and so Lord Siva decided to receive tits flow on his head first, so that it won’t be much harmful when it falls on earth after that. Ganga is called Bhageerathi at its starting point in view of this legend.

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.

--------------