Valley of Flowers (Photos by Chinku)

We had read about Valley of flowers and did not want to miss it at any cost. We reached Govindghat—the place from the trekking to the valley starts—early morning. We carried the necessary food, clothes for an overnight stay at Gangria and enough water. Unlike Kedarnath, there were no shops on the trekking path. And only two villages are there on the way. So it is better to carry all the necessary items from the base itself. Chinku, who was enthusiastic about finding new trekking paths, lost his way at one point and for an hour or so we could not communicate with him at all. I panicked. He was back finally with some bruises that happened while climbing up the rock.

We walked along the banks of the wild, but beautiful, Alaknanda. Like Kerdarnath, the first few KM were easy going but then the trek became too steep to climb up. The only tourists we met on the way were a Sikh family and they were returning from a visit to Hemkund Sahib Gurudwara. At some point we were even too tired to talk. It was a never ending trek! Finally, late in the afternoon we reached. Only one hotel was open and we got some rice and dal to eat. And it was a feast after that long trek.

The Valley of Flowers is just 3 KM up from Gangria. This stunning Valley was introduced to the world by Frank S. Smith, a botanist by profession in 1935. We started our trek to the valley early morning. The weather was very chilly and windy. But this time I was some what prepared; few warm clothes and a woollen cap and two pairs of trousers too! We were the only people on the breathtaking trekking path. No ponies are allowed here and that protects the sanctity of the area. We walked through a broken bridge and a hanging bridge over the river Alaknanda which runs passionately. It was beautiful to walk through the not so well laid pathway looking at the flowers and early birds. Unfortunately, the season has not begun. The first flowers were just coming out. However, at that moment the whole valley was ours. We sat on a rock watching the stunning enormous peak and down there the glacier where Alaknanda begins. The ethereal beauty! Time stops here!

We started back to Gangria, once again through the beautiful pathway. To make it gorgeous, the sun was playing hide and seek through the wild trees. We stopped in many places; this time not because we were tired but wanted to stand still and enjoy the serene atmosphere – far away from the maddening crowds. We were in a trance. And I want to come here again, when the whole valley will be blanketed with flowers. Krishna collected a bottle of water from the untouched river and I am preserving it as a treasure now.

We were back in Govindghat; this time not by walking but on a pony. Different experience- we – Chinku and me enjoyed enormously after the initial discomfort. But Krishna was yearning to get off the beast! And next day back to Haridwar and a night train to Delhi

So that was the end of our trip!

Badrinath (Photos by Chinku)
Our next destination was Badrinath. Joshimath is the ideal place to camp to go to Badrinath and the valley of flowers. We took a jeep to Gupt Kashi, another one to Rudraprayag and a bus to Joshimath. We were in Joshimath by the evening. Now I have got used with the stomach churning rides through the hills. We checked into a small place called Morning Calm Hotel opening to a huge parking space cum playing ground. When we reached there at least three teams were playing cricket in different parts of the ground and the small children looked the most serious ones. I happily watched their gestures; surely, they were highly influenced by the TV.

The mutt set up by Adi Shankara was adjacent to our hotel. We visited the mutt, the cave where he lived and the kalpavriksh under which Shankara meditated. We were told that the shiv linga in the cave was formed out of spatika - ice hardened over the years and does not melt now. People from all over India come over here to get the blessings and they worship the kalpavriksh (a mulberry tree wrinkled with age) too. I picked up one leaf and kept it carefully in my purse. Just for the memory. Not only Adi Shankara, I too visited the place!

We waited for the jeep to Badrinath for quite a long time. It was a special day for us: Chinku’s results came. He did not disappoint us. To Badrinath, you don’t have to trek; it is accessible by road. Thanks to the Indian army and the Sino-Indian border only a few kilometres from the shrine. You just walk across the bridge over the holy river, Alaknanda, to reach the temple. We were welcomed there by a hail-storm. Chinku found his black jacket covered by the snow very fascinating and he wanted me to take a photo of it. My hands were frozen; we were not prepared for such a cold weather. And his request was rejected. There is a hot water spring near the temple. It saved us from the freezing cold.

We visited the ‘closed’ Badrinath temple, abode of Lord Vishnu. This was the place where God Vishnu came to meditate after being reprimanded for indulging in worldly pleasures. It was nice to know Gods also get punished once in a while. The temple will be open within a couple of days. Interestingly, in Badrinath temple, the pooja is performed by a Malayali priest, who will come all the way from Kaladi, Kerala during the season. It seems this arrangement was made by Shankara himself.

On our way to Badrinath, we had seen the men from BRO (Border Roads Organisation) removing the debris of a major landslide and we had to stop there for an hour or so. But while returning, the place was very much motor-able; hats off to BRO, they are doing a great job in Uttarachal! We were back to the hotel late in the afternoon.
Next is Valley of Flowers: no Gods and Goddesses; just nature!

Kedarnath (Photos by Chinku)

Gowrikund is the base (this is the last point one can reach by bus or cabs) before trekking to Kedarnath. From Uttarkashi to Gourikund, it is long route through Srinagar, Rudraprayag and Gupt Kashi. It was, indeed, an adventurous trip for us, watching our mini bus negotiating the steep hilly road (in some places, not even proper roads due to landslides). We were the only tourists in the bus; others were the people who lived there; in the hills. They mostly slept or talked to each other loudly in Garhwali. Even the conductor of the bus joined them. The Chamba region is beautiful with the peepul taal (peepul lake) in the back ground. Its water appeared greenish blue from the bus. One can feel the shrinking forests on the way. May be the mammoth landslides are nature’s fitting reply to human greed.

Our 12 hours journey from Uttarkashi ended in Gowrikund in the evening. We got a clean, freshly painted room in the Behl Ashram Guest House for a reasonable amount. Season is yet to start! As the name indicates, the temple at Gowrikund is dedicated to Gowri (Parvathi), wife of Lord Shiva. The myth is that Parvati meditated here for a long period to get Shiva as her husband. Indeed, this is a nice place to meditate; having a reason or not. The green blanketed mountains, wild flowers and the misty air. The nature is in abundance here! A serene ambience! Another major attraction in Gowrikund was the gharamkhund (the hot water spring). That was a delightful discovery; in the cold weather a bath in the steaming hot spring water (which has medicinal values too). The tiredness from the long journey left us within minutes. And later on, Krishna became obsessed with the gharamkhunds.

After a good night’s sleep, we were ready for our trekking, early in the morning. We stored biscuits, dry fruits, water and few aloo paranthas packed from the nearby hotel. (We had arranged for that the previous evening itself). The people there advised us to take ponies, but we decided against that. We were prepared for the climb; at least that’s what we thought at that moment. We had trained ourself, for this, walking along the Thiruvanmiyur beach-- 7 to 8 KM-- every day for a month before we started our journey. We thought we were tough enough. The first 5 KM was fun. We were chatting and enjoying the weather as well as the glimpses of the snow capped mountains. And rested here and there!

People were setting up their shops for the season which will start shortly. There were few tea shops already open. Soon we realised that climbing up the hill is not a joke and we were not prepared. We felt the strain of the climb; our heart beat became erratic at times and we had some breathing difficulty in that altitude. We took breaks too often. Sometimes our legs refused to carry us though the mind wanted reach the destination. We asked a local as to how the climb ahead was? He said steeper. That dampened our spirits for few moments.

But then we did see people (the porters) were carrying heavy and unwieldy stuff on their head and walking ahead of us. We thought of their endurance and they inspired us to complete the task. Somehow we reached Kedarnath. And it was worth the walk.

The Temple was closed. I knew that we had missed the sight of the Jyothirling. However, I peeped through a hole on the door and tried to communicate with the God. We visited the Samadhi of Adi Shankara adjacent to the temple. After establishing the four mutts in the four corners of the country (mind, he walked to all these places in times when transport and communication facilities did not exist), he died here; not before constructing the Kedarnath temple. The temple is an architecture marvel, situated in the periphery of the snow hugged mountains.

We three sat there under a shelter to protect us from the drizzling and had the last few pieces of the Parathas. We were surrounded by mountains and eternal silence. While walking down to Gowrikund we discussed about Adi Sankara and wondered how he could have travelled through these difficult terrains in the short span of his life. Though I belong to Kerala (and so did Adi Sankara), I realised how little I knew about Sankara. I must read more about his Advaita philosophy!

Uttarkashi(Photos Chinku)

We took a share taxi from Rishikesh to Uttarkashi (this part of the world is also known as Dev Bhumi- the land of Gods) which is approximately 150 KM away from Rishikesh. The name Uttarkashi reminded me of the devastating earthquake of 1991 that killed hundreds and caused extensive damage.

On the way to Uttarkashi, we could glimpse the snow capped mountains. It reminded me the days we spent at McLeod Ganj, the abode of Dalai Lama and his Tibetan followers; this is where I saw the snow hugged mountains for the first time in my life. We sat on the lawns of Chinar lodge sipping endless cups of tea, in the pleasantly cold weather; far away from the muggy summer of Chennai. I was engrossed in the beauty of the snow -- far beyond the pine trees, forgetting the world around. Well, there was hardly a “world” around us.

But this time, I could not enjoy the mountains as much as I enjoyed in McLeod Ganj. The hilly roads and the hairpin bends made me feel sick and withdrawn. On the way, in a small restaurant, we lost one of our cameras; thank God not with many photos. I must say that we left it there and forgot to pick it up while leaving. I am not sure if I must say that we lost it!

We reached Uttarkashi in the evening. This is the connecting place to Gangotri and to Gaumukh and that’s why we are here. The famous Shiva temple on the banks of Bhagirathi is the major attraction of the pilgrims. Uttarkashi is warm in the day and tolerably cold at night. Season had not begun. So we got a decent accommodation for a reasonable amount at Gangaram’s lodge. Gangaram is a typical guy whom you may meet in one of the tourist places. Unfortunately, Gangram was not very market oriented person. Though he has an excellent piece of land on the banks of Bhagirathi, he could not capitalise that. His rooms do not face the river; but bathrooms did. He dutifully informed us that we can see the river Bhagirathi from the bathroom. However, I was not very keen to spend an unusually time in the bathroom! Even if it was to enjoy the magnificent river! However you can do that while taking a bath, which is needless to say a pain since there was no running hot water.

But you can just get out of the room to watch Bhagirathi flowing proudly showing the blue pristine beauty amidst the rolling stones. We sat under the banyan tree, near the temple, for hours watching the evening river. There were few sanyasis who lived on the banks and in a temporary shed attached to a temple. They sat silently smoking. Well, they were in a different world. Mystic world!

In Uttarkashi, we visited the Viswanath Temple. The myth says that Parsuram, the great Muni built it. This is a small shrine except for the deity- a huge Shiv Linga. We could pray to the God from close quarters since there were hardly any visitors; thank God, the season was yet to begin.

We retired to bed early for we had to start early in the morning to Gangotri.

Gangotri

I was very excited about the Gangotri trip where I can meet Ganga in its purest form. We planned to walk up to Gaumukh. Reaching Gangotri was not at all difficult. Just 5 to 6 hours journey from Uttarkashi. The beauty is that we travel along the banks of the Bhagirathi. The Gangotri is famous for its temple; one of the chardams. We reached there around 11AM and had aloo paranthas (that was the only thing available) with pickle for break fast. There were only few shops as the 6 months season was yet to start.

Gaumukh (cow’s mouth or face – the largest glacier where Ganga originates) is 18 KM up the hill trek and we were advised against climbing up since the path way in some points were affected by landslides and the workers were still fixing it up. And you may need a whole day to reach up and return. We were not prepared for that. So we walked up a few kilometres from Gangotri on way to Gaumukh and returned.

We visited the temple which is dedicated to Goddess Ganga.

The weather was so unpredictable here. It was sunny when we reached; but within two hours cold wind began to blow accompanied by rain. We froze. So decided to get back to the base; Uttarkashi.

Rishikesh (Photos by Chinku)

We reached Rishikesh in the morning enjoying a share auto ride. Of course I watched the ‘balancing act’ of carrying so many persons in a three wheeler with some nervousness. Rishikesh is famous for water sports like river rafting; but we decided against that since we had only few days in hands and we were keen on reaching the Himalayas, our real destination. Like everyone, else we walked towards the Ram Jhoola and across the hanging bridge. I must confess that I am scared of hanging bridges and seeing a massive crowd on the bridge made me dizzy. So I did not enjoy the view of the Ganga from the bridge; just hurriedly crossed. Temples across the river were too crowded to seek blessings; so walked ahead to Laxman Jhoola, the next hanging bridge. It was a pleasant walk in the not -so -hot morning sun and we had a bath in Ganga at Rishikesh also. I noticed that the Ganga was quiet and gentle here. Chinku sitting on a rock, threw a small stone into the river ( I think all boys do that to watch the ripples), but a local guy protested; “she is our mother, don’t do it”. I felt the local sentiments towards the holy river -- she is not just another water body. A quick lunch (early noon) at a small little place near the bus stand and we were ready for our next destination -- Uttarkashi.

Well, I am back from a long hiatus. I was into a spiritual journey to the Himalayas – actually on the Gangetic trail part I, starting from Haridwar, Rishikesh to Uttarkashi, Gangotri, Kedarnath, Badrinath and the grand finale at the valley of flowers. Am back now.

Haridwar
Photos by Chinku

Our spiritual passage began from the holy city, Haridwar. We took the Jan Sadabdi express from Delhi in the afternoon and reached Haridwar late in the evening. Har ki Pauri is the main area and THE road unmistakably led to the Ganga; the holy river. We were there just after the Khumb Mela and got to see the remnants of the Mela, the largest religious congregation on earth.

A journey to Haridwar was one of my dreams and all of a sudden it became reality. Here the Ganga flows fervently; before my eyes, carrying the burden of civilizations. I was glued to it; in the mystic twilight; and plunged my feet into the cold water. The water looked muddy; but how does it matter. People come here to wash away their sins, get blessed and search for solutions. And me? I don’t know!


The bathing Ghats are secured with chains that are fixed to the metal pipes so that the devotees take a dip safely in the gushing water. Spirituality with safety! I could see people from different parts of the country, different age groups, speaking different languages; but all of them were chanting mantras eulogizing Ganga, the mother. She looked pleased too watching her devotees offering flowers to her in leaves and also the diyas lighted up. All these were to please her!

And there were the men, wearing a certain uniform so that they looked like officials, approaching the pilgrims, invoking their religious sentiments asking for money and offering special blessings in the event they paid!. They pitched it at Rs.101 and went on reducing the price to as less as Rs 10. The rates go down as the Maha arti is nearer in time. Well, I did not give any money. I think the mighty Ganga did not need money from me. Some people threw money into the Ganga and there were children of lesser Gods collecting that money wading through the knee deep water, daring the cold and the current.

Haridwar is famous for the ritual called Maha arti and we too witnessed to it. Maha arti takes place in the evening, day after day, with the priests holding as many lamps as they are near before the temple devoted to Gangama. People throng the banks to watch the arti; the whole thing lasts a few minutes. Well, it was a visual treat, I must admit. The air filled with chanting of mantras by the thousands of devotees gathered there from across the country, the colourful sky and the fragrance of flowers they offer; all these together created a surrealistic ambience. Surprisingly, I too became part of those unknown faces and sat there in a trance. Humility!!

And as we walk back down the same road, lined up with shops on both sides selling food, clothes and all such material needs of the people and also those selling video recordings of the maha arti or devotional songs. The cycle Rickshaws adventurously negotiated through the crowds while the motor bikes blasted rushed through blowing loud horns irritating those walking. Added to the chaos, the (holy?) cows too were easily finding their way through the crowd. People’s lives and livelihood in Haridwar are very much dependent on the pilgrims who throng here day after day and throughout the year.

Rishikesh, our next destination is just 25 KM away!


How to reach there: All trains bound to Dehradun pass through Haridwar. It is 250 KM from Delhi.These trains go to Rishikesh too. The Indian Railways operate a passenger train between Haridwar and Rishikesh too. A short distance of just 25 KMs.