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 The hilly roads and the hairpin bends made me feel sick and withdrawn.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.