Final goodbye at JoshimathSurveying the route to VALLEY OF FLOWERS
The exotic flowers
Prerna at the holy lake at 14,400ft
Two Brahmin sikhs at Hemakund sahibTitanic pose at the Himalayan cliffs
In high spirits at Himalayas
Alaknandha travelling with us
View from the vehicle
In high spirits at Himalayas
Alaknandha travelling with usView from the vehicle
TRIP TO HIMALAYAS –
DATES – 18TH TO 24TH
TRIP MEMBERS - Self (Rama ) , Venkat , Ravi , Raghu, Prerna,
Rama kant ( Ravi’s friend)
ROUTE OF THE TRIP - DELHI – RISHIKESH – JOSHIMATH – GOVIND GHAT-
GANGARIA – HEMAKUND SAHIB/ VALLEY OF
FLOWERS.
16th from Chennai - Departure in Tamil nadu express (16th night ) – 20 hrs travel – Self,
Venkat, Archana & Vaageesh
18th Delhi - Arrival at Nizamudin Delhi at 6.30 a.m . Ravi had come to receive
Us.Left Archana and Vaageesh at Noida in her sister’s place. By 9.00 a.m reached Sanskrit Vidhyapeet guest house at south Delhi. Left the luggage bound to Delhi stay, at Guruji’s place. Had bath & lunch . Raghu & Prerna came after lunch. ( They had come to Delhi the previous night itself) . Left for the railway station- New Delhi to catch the Jana Shathadhi . Ravi came directly from the hearing. Reached Haridwar at 7.30 p.m It was the day of Kavadias and hence heavy rush at Haridwar. Got a taxi with difficulty at Rishikesh and reached there after 10.00 p.m. Checked in at the Jaya Ram Ashram booked by Ravi’s friend Rama Kant.At Rishikesh we were joined by Rama kant – a lawyer from Haryana – Rothak. There it was a comfortable Ashram type of accommodation. Had dinner of rotis, koftas, dalmakani and rice brought from outside a Rajasthani dabhha by Raghu & Venkat.
19th - Nextday after a fitful sleep, got up early at 4.00 a.m to get ready for the transport to Joshimath. Reached the hill bus sand before 5.00 a.m. There was a continues drizzle. The bus left at 6.00 a.m. It was a 22 seater bus. It was a winding path along the mountains. Had breakfast between Rishikesh and Devaprayag – ( meeting point of Bhagirathi issuing from Gomukh & Alaknandha,above Bhadrinath). There were number of important prayags enroute. `prayags’ are meeting places of two rivers. Next prayag was Rudra Prayag ( meeting of Alaknandha and Madhakini, arising above Kedarnath). Next was Karna prayag ( meeting point of Alaknadha with Pidari Ganga ) . The road went all along Alaknandha along the route of Bhadrinath and we reached Joshimath at the ht of 6400 ft and 280 km from Rishikesh by 6.00 p.m – A full 12 hr journey along the mountains.
We were booked in Gharwhal Mandal Vikas Nigam (a state goat’s guest house). We halted for the night there .After a good bath and food at the guest house itself, took to bed.
20th - We got up early and got ready leaving the guest house by 6.30 am to negotiate the 20 km route by road from Joshi Math to Gavinda ghat and start early the 14 km trek from GavindaGhat to Gangaria.
It had heavily rained the previous night. As we moved along the hilly 20 km route and reached the bridge over Alaknandha near Vishnu Prayag, half way along the route, we found number of land slides from the mountain fallen in the road below and blocking our further journey. A couple of them of very severe magnitude blocking the road completely.
We had to decide at this point the course of action to take whether to go ahead or get back. We decided to prune the luggage in order to go ahead by foot. 40% of the luggage we separated and send it back to Joshimath with the driver of the vehicle we were traveling in. With the rest of the luggage made in pack sacks tied to our back we decided to move ahead by foot.
In two kms further as we walked ahead we found a gigantic land slide. Prerna and Venkat with out much ado crossed over the land slide. However it was difficult to negotiate for me. Ravi ,Raghu, Rama Kant and myself were on the starting side of the land slide and Prerna & Venkat on the other side.
After half an hr of deliberation, I plucked courage to cross over to avoid further confusion. Then everybody followed suit along with the luggage.
Govind Ghat was still 5 kms away. Luckily I could get a motor bike ride from a good Samaritan, the pillion rider got out of the bike giving me a place. He left me at the Gurudwara in Govind Ghat. Very soon Prerna & Venkat also got a motor ride.(5 km ) to Govind Ghat. However they halted at the other end of Gurudwara resulting in confusion of not able to meet one another for nearly one hr.Finally Venkat could locate me in all the crowd,din and rain with great relief . (It was like a lost and found case as in films). Ravi, Raghu & Ramakant were not fortunate to get any motor rides and they had to trudge the 5 km mountain road along with the luggage.
It was 12 `0’ clock by the time we all of us reached and met one another at Govind Ghat which is the base camp for the 14 km trek to Gangria.
The trek is a stiff and steep one, forewarned by others and told to be ready with a good stamina. We had planned an early start. However the land slides had delayed the climb by clear 6 hrs. It was mid afternoon now. We had to decide whether to stay back at Govind Ghat for the day or to go ahead. However Govind Ghat was jam packed with stranded people, as it was the junction point to Bhadrinath also and there too the route was blocked by land slide. Hence we decided to go ahead. First we appointed a pittu ( coolie) to carry the luggage in the `tokri’ in his back..
By 2.00 p.m we were ready for the climb after having food. After climbing up for a km or so I decided to take a horse mainly for the time factor, as it will be impossible to climb up the mountain by evening ( which is the ideal time to climb up ). In a few kms further Venkat & Rama Kant also employed horses to carry them. While Ravi, Raghu & Prerna were daring it by foot alone. However riding the horse was no cake walk. It gave a great feeling of insecurity ( for a novice rider) especially when horses negotiate the mountain path with its edgy climbs and slides down. Also the back gets increasingly sore with all the bumps.
By the time we reached the top it had become pitch dark. We had to show the way to the horsess with our torches. It was giving a real eerie feeling.
Ravi , raghu and Prerna also had to negotiate a real stiff climb up in the late hrs. We were happy finally to reach the destination at Govind Ghat at Devalok hotel at 8.30 p.m which was really feeling like Deva lok after all the trials. We thanked our horses and horsemen for bringing us up safely and paid them handsomely.
We had done a 4000ft climb in 14 kms from Govind ghat. The night we retired after dinner at the hotel room.
21st – TRIP TO HEMAKUND
The horse riders, myself, Venkat and Rama kant decided to opt out of the steep Hema Kund Sahib climb. It was a 6 km climb, to ascend a 4000 ft. Gangria was 10,000 and odd while Hemakund was 14,000 and odd ft. We were told the climb was a formidable one.The only way to go up was by horse. Already with sore legs and back we did not dare another climb when we have to have our energies preserved for valley of Flowers ( a climb again). However the young blood, Ravi, raghu & Prerna geared themselves up by 6.30 a.m. We were down praying for their good climb and stamina.
In the mean while after resting ourselves for a while we went and booked for us three huts at Garhwhal Mandal Vikas Nigam of Gangria. Here the accommodation was exclusive and facing the hills and not in the market place as in Dev lok.
It was 6.00 p.m by the time the three some returned from Hemakund. We were told the climb was real stiff one with almost perpendicular climb at every turn. Hats off to them they did splendidly such a climb inspite of having done the 14 kms the previous day as well the mountains are rarified at 14,000 ft.
After their return we moved to Garwhal Mandal. However the after math of two stiff cimbs at such an altitude slowly started catching on them. Initially Ravi felt exhausted with strain and lack of oxygen. He decided to skip dinner ( perhaps also due to the Solar eclipse which was entering the skies next day morning.)
Raghu was in good spirits initially. He had a good dinner. But late in the night he complained of breathing trouble which put him in out of gear the next day.
Prerna ( touch wood was the one who sailed well with out any hitches. We were told she could climb easily like a deer/ mountain goat.Her strain was minimum. The training undertaken by her before the trip like walkathons, jogging, joining with marathon trainees at Cubban park – Bangalore must have paid dividends as well and not putting the extra pounds in the body which everybody else were carrying on them.
DATES – 18TH TO 24TH
TRIP MEMBERS - Self (Rama ) , Venkat , Ravi , Raghu, Prerna,
Rama kant ( Ravi’s friend)
ROUTE OF THE TRIP - DELHI – RISHIKESH – JOSHIMATH – GOVIND GHAT-
GANGARIA – HEMAKUND SAHIB/ VALLEY OF
FLOWERS.
16th from Chennai - Departure in Tamil nadu express (16th night ) – 20 hrs travel – Self,
Venkat, Archana & Vaageesh
18th Delhi - Arrival at Nizamudin Delhi at 6.30 a.m . Ravi had come to receive
Us.Left Archana and Vaageesh at Noida in her sister’s place. By 9.00 a.m reached Sanskrit Vidhyapeet guest house at south Delhi. Left the luggage bound to Delhi stay, at Guruji’s place. Had bath & lunch . Raghu & Prerna came after lunch. ( They had come to Delhi the previous night itself) . Left for the railway station- New Delhi to catch the Jana Shathadhi . Ravi came directly from the hearing. Reached Haridwar at 7.30 p.m It was the day of Kavadias and hence heavy rush at Haridwar. Got a taxi with difficulty at Rishikesh and reached there after 10.00 p.m. Checked in at the Jaya Ram Ashram booked by Ravi’s friend Rama Kant.At Rishikesh we were joined by Rama kant – a lawyer from Haryana – Rothak. There it was a comfortable Ashram type of accommodation. Had dinner of rotis, koftas, dalmakani and rice brought from outside a Rajasthani dabhha by Raghu & Venkat.
19th - Nextday after a fitful sleep, got up early at 4.00 a.m to get ready for the transport to Joshimath. Reached the hill bus sand before 5.00 a.m. There was a continues drizzle. The bus left at 6.00 a.m. It was a 22 seater bus. It was a winding path along the mountains. Had breakfast between Rishikesh and Devaprayag – ( meeting point of Bhagirathi issuing from Gomukh & Alaknandha,above Bhadrinath). There were number of important prayags enroute. `prayags’ are meeting places of two rivers. Next prayag was Rudra Prayag ( meeting of Alaknandha and Madhakini, arising above Kedarnath). Next was Karna prayag ( meeting point of Alaknadha with Pidari Ganga ) . The road went all along Alaknandha along the route of Bhadrinath and we reached Joshimath at the ht of 6400 ft and 280 km from Rishikesh by 6.00 p.m – A full 12 hr journey along the mountains.
We were booked in Gharwhal Mandal Vikas Nigam (a state goat’s guest house). We halted for the night there .After a good bath and food at the guest house itself, took to bed.
20th - We got up early and got ready leaving the guest house by 6.30 am to negotiate the 20 km route by road from Joshi Math to Gavinda ghat and start early the 14 km trek from GavindaGhat to Gangaria.
It had heavily rained the previous night. As we moved along the hilly 20 km route and reached the bridge over Alaknandha near Vishnu Prayag, half way along the route, we found number of land slides from the mountain fallen in the road below and blocking our further journey. A couple of them of very severe magnitude blocking the road completely.
We had to decide at this point the course of action to take whether to go ahead or get back. We decided to prune the luggage in order to go ahead by foot. 40% of the luggage we separated and send it back to Joshimath with the driver of the vehicle we were traveling in. With the rest of the luggage made in pack sacks tied to our back we decided to move ahead by foot.
In two kms further as we walked ahead we found a gigantic land slide. Prerna and Venkat with out much ado crossed over the land slide. However it was difficult to negotiate for me. Ravi ,Raghu, Rama Kant and myself were on the starting side of the land slide and Prerna & Venkat on the other side.
After half an hr of deliberation, I plucked courage to cross over to avoid further confusion. Then everybody followed suit along with the luggage.
Govind Ghat was still 5 kms away. Luckily I could get a motor bike ride from a good Samaritan, the pillion rider got out of the bike giving me a place. He left me at the Gurudwara in Govind Ghat. Very soon Prerna & Venkat also got a motor ride.(5 km ) to Govind Ghat. However they halted at the other end of Gurudwara resulting in confusion of not able to meet one another for nearly one hr.Finally Venkat could locate me in all the crowd,din and rain with great relief . (It was like a lost and found case as in films). Ravi, Raghu & Ramakant were not fortunate to get any motor rides and they had to trudge the 5 km mountain road along with the luggage.
It was 12 `0’ clock by the time we all of us reached and met one another at Govind Ghat which is the base camp for the 14 km trek to Gangria.
The trek is a stiff and steep one, forewarned by others and told to be ready with a good stamina. We had planned an early start. However the land slides had delayed the climb by clear 6 hrs. It was mid afternoon now. We had to decide whether to stay back at Govind Ghat for the day or to go ahead. However Govind Ghat was jam packed with stranded people, as it was the junction point to Bhadrinath also and there too the route was blocked by land slide. Hence we decided to go ahead. First we appointed a pittu ( coolie) to carry the luggage in the `tokri’ in his back..
By 2.00 p.m we were ready for the climb after having food. After climbing up for a km or so I decided to take a horse mainly for the time factor, as it will be impossible to climb up the mountain by evening ( which is the ideal time to climb up ). In a few kms further Venkat & Rama Kant also employed horses to carry them. While Ravi, Raghu & Prerna were daring it by foot alone. However riding the horse was no cake walk. It gave a great feeling of insecurity ( for a novice rider) especially when horses negotiate the mountain path with its edgy climbs and slides down. Also the back gets increasingly sore with all the bumps.
By the time we reached the top it had become pitch dark. We had to show the way to the horsess with our torches. It was giving a real eerie feeling.
Ravi , raghu and Prerna also had to negotiate a real stiff climb up in the late hrs. We were happy finally to reach the destination at Govind Ghat at Devalok hotel at 8.30 p.m which was really feeling like Deva lok after all the trials. We thanked our horses and horsemen for bringing us up safely and paid them handsomely.
We had done a 4000ft climb in 14 kms from Govind ghat. The night we retired after dinner at the hotel room.
21st – TRIP TO HEMAKUND
The horse riders, myself, Venkat and Rama kant decided to opt out of the steep Hema Kund Sahib climb. It was a 6 km climb, to ascend a 4000 ft. Gangria was 10,000 and odd while Hemakund was 14,000 and odd ft. We were told the climb was a formidable one.The only way to go up was by horse. Already with sore legs and back we did not dare another climb when we have to have our energies preserved for valley of Flowers ( a climb again). However the young blood, Ravi, raghu & Prerna geared themselves up by 6.30 a.m. We were down praying for their good climb and stamina.
In the mean while after resting ourselves for a while we went and booked for us three huts at Garhwhal Mandal Vikas Nigam of Gangria. Here the accommodation was exclusive and facing the hills and not in the market place as in Dev lok.
It was 6.00 p.m by the time the three some returned from Hemakund. We were told the climb was real stiff one with almost perpendicular climb at every turn. Hats off to them they did splendidly such a climb inspite of having done the 14 kms the previous day as well the mountains are rarified at 14,000 ft.
After their return we moved to Garwhal Mandal. However the after math of two stiff cimbs at such an altitude slowly started catching on them. Initially Ravi felt exhausted with strain and lack of oxygen. He decided to skip dinner ( perhaps also due to the Solar eclipse which was entering the skies next day morning.)
Raghu was in good spirits initially. He had a good dinner. But late in the night he complained of breathing trouble which put him in out of gear the next day.
Prerna ( touch wood was the one who sailed well with out any hitches. We were told she could climb easily like a deer/ mountain goat.Her strain was minimum. The training undertaken by her before the trip like walkathons, jogging, joining with marathon trainees at Cubban park – Bangalore must have paid dividends as well and not putting the extra pounds in the body which everybody else were carrying on them.
PRERANA`S NOTES
Relevance of the Place
(Source: Internet)
“The high altitude Lokpal lake, known as Hemkund ( 4329 mts.) lies in heavenly environs. A steep trek from Ghangharia leads one to this spot in about four to six hours. It is an important pilgrimage for both Hindus and Sikhs, as well as for people from other faiths. There is a Sikh Gurudwara and a Lakshman temple built on the bank of the lake. Encircled by seven snow clad peaks and their associated glaciers, it reflects its surroundings enchantingly on its crystal clear serene waters. The glaciers from Hathi Parvat and Saptrishi peaks feed the lake and a small stream called Himganga flows out of this lake.
As alluded to, in the holy Granth Sahib, Guru Govind Singh, the tenth Guru of the Sikh faith had meditated on the bank of this lake in one of his earlier births. It is widely believed among Sikhs that Guru Govind Singh introduced the features now universally associated with Sikhism. On 15th April 1699, he started the new brotherhood called the Khalsa (meaning the pure, from the Persian word 'Khales') an inner core of the faithful.
It is believed that Lakshman, the younger brother of Ram, meditated by the lake and regained his health after being severely wounded by Meghnath, son of the demon Ravana, during battle. Despite its ancient connections, Hemkund/Lokpal was discovered by a Sikh Havaldar, Solan Singh and became a major pilgrimage centre only after 1930”
Travelogue:
On the 21st morning at about 7.30 we- Me, Raghu and Anna with the porter (akin to Indiana Jones and the porter as per Raghu) started for our destination, Hemkund Sahib. The distance from Ghangharia was 6 km and no way did it look simple.
The route was as very steep and constantly upward sloping, with every few of steps we took we were at a higher altitude, it was interspersed with slopes and stairs. One could feel the higher altitude when our heart beats suddenly went up every few step. However, one could not miss the beautiful scenery of streams meandering here-there-everywhere, some unique flowers (giving us confidence that Valley of Flowers too will be in bloom and we were not too early into the season) and some very colorful and beautiful birds. The walking technique we soon discovered was to take very small steps and to keep at it for 15 – 30 min without really anticipating how far we were from the Gurudwara - forgive me for being philosophical – but I cant help but compare this to some of the tough times that we might face in our lives, where we just need to keep putting in our efforts even if the results aren’t in sight.
The route was, as expected full of pilgrims and of all ages – little children (on pittus), the younger lot was a lot faster and enthusiastic and then there were the older lot – some on horse backs and some trudging along the path doing the ‘paath’ (chanting – waheguru- which means wonderful god). It was obvious that it was their faith that was the sole reason for them to undertake this journey.
Anna was coming with Lokraj while me and Raghu were walking a few paces ahead. Every 30 min we had get together for our small breaks - when we would appreciate the scenery (As we were moving up we could feel the clouds around us), take pictures and regain oxygen & glucose levels in our body to start walking again.
We wanted to reach the gurudwara before the ‘Ardas’* @ 12 Noon and myself and Raghu sped along continuously for the last hour of the trek, with only breathing breaks. On reaching the top we bought head caps and directly headed for the sarovar (hemkund). Sitting on the edge of the lake one could feel in complete harmony with nature- with the 7 peaks surrounding the lake , a lake that was green / blue at the same time and with the falling reflection of each of the peaks – the feeling and the energies one might feel within oneself were overwhelming.
There is a sudden seizure of all thought and one can just be without any questions/fears/anticipations.
Raghu and Anna both took a dip in the lake and I had to make do with washing my feet and face. The water obviously was freezing. The feeling after taking a dip in the lake was one of a flaming heat surrounding the body, everything outside the water was fiery hot the moment they had come out of the water. Obviously it didn’t last long and theye had to quickly dry and wrap ourselves in clothing again.
We then attended the ‘Ardas’ and sat for some time in the gurudwara – the gurudwara generally shuts down by 3 pm because its too cold to stay up and even while we were there we were given blankets to wrap around ourselves. While in the gurudwara we were explained the relevance of the place and how we were true fortunate to have made it here despite all the difficulties we might have faced.
We then visited the Lokpal temple which is adjacent to the Gurudwara. , got some Prasad and started our journey back as the clouds were descending on us. Anna reached down in an hours time while we took our own sweet time. I was finding it tougher to do down hill than uphill, there is more stress on the toes and calves.
* Ardas is a Sikh
Sikh is the title and name given to an adherent of Sikhism. The term has its origin in the Sanskrit ' "disciple, learner" or ' "instruction"....prayer that is done before performing or after undertaking any significant task; after reciting the daily Banis (prayers); or completion of a service like the Paath , Kirtan
Paath or Path, from the Sanskrit patha which means reading or recitation, is, in the religious context, reading or recitation of the holy texts....
Kirtan is call-and-response chanting performed in India's devotional traditions.. When this chanting is done as a private meditation it is called japa but performed congregationally with instruments, and often dancing, it is called kirtan or sankirtan ....(hymn-singing) program or any other religious program. In Sikhism Sikhism
Sikhism , founded on the teachings of Guru Nanak and ten successive Sikh Gurus in fifteenth century Punjab region, is the Major religious groups organized religion in the world...., these prayers are also said before and after eating. The prayer is a plea to God to support and help the devotee with whatever he or she is about to undertake or has done. The Ardas is usually always done standing up with folded hands. (Source: www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Sikhism )
22nd DAY OF VALLEY OF FLOWERS
The day was to start late in lieu of the solar eclipse which was looming large in early hrs of the day . The time of the eclipse was from 4. 30 a.m to 7.30 a.m. Hence we got out of our sleeping chambers only then in search of hot water and bath.
By the time Raghu reported to be under weather and Ravi was involved in his ritual of Japa ( additional ones due to eclipse) . Thus it was 9.30 a.m when we started to move to Valley of Flowers after a breakfast of cornflakes and milk.
The Valley of flowers was a 3 km climb from Gangria along the road branching to left side. The right one was leading to Hemakund mountains while the left to Valley of Flowers.
It was a 3 km most pristine route along the most picturesque Himalayan mountain ranges with beautiful water falls at every turn and gurgling waters of mountain streams lacing our way all along. The horses were prohibited in the trail. Which was making it calm and clean like we would expect a mountain trail to be.
The climb of course was a stiff one but due to romantic surrounding the strain was not felt.
We had carried packed lunches as there are no shops enroute.
After the 3 km climb , then the glacier born valley starts ,with exotic alpine flowers all along the way with the glacier born stream ( an artery of Alaknandha). Its really a pristine sight in the lap of Himalayas. We had to restrict our journey to the 3km climb and a small part of the valley as we had to return back along the route before the sunset.
Hence at 2 `0’ clock we called a halt to forward movement , had our packed lunch of puris and Alu and started the rest of the journey back.
All along we could spot many exotic flowers. However the flowers are tiny, delicate and bloom at different time periods. Hence the flowers were not like carpet as the name denotes. To spot all varieties we may have to spend more time and trek into the valley for 25 kms. Some foreigners were doing it.
Reaching back to our 2nd base camp at Gangria by 6.00 p.m . The evening was still young ,hence we went to see a projector film show on Valley of flowers in the near by NGO run, Eco development office. It gave us deeper insight as to how the valley of flowers came about.
It was accidentally discovered by a British mountaineer in 1931 and later developed as a tourist spot.
23rd
After resting the night next day we started early by 7.00 a.m to negotiate down the 14 km route to Goving Ghat. We were determined not to employ horses and get again a sore back.
The climb down was also a good stiff one, especially after a while the shoes pinching in the ends. The slowest walker ( myself) was taking 1 hr for a km of climb down. Thus after 10 hrs of climbing down and taking brakers for drinks , breakfast, lunch etc by 5.00 p.m we cou;ld make 11 kms ( others keeping pace with me) of climb down. At that time we were told we had to reach the base by 6.00 p.m as gates to joshimath may get closed. Hence for the 3 km route I took a horse, while others literally sprinted and reached the base camp in an hrs time. Later telling good bye to Lok Raj ( our pittu coolie of 4 days – a sweet fellow from Nepal) and paying him 2k for the 4 day job, we took a Sumo and hit the road and civilization and returned back to Joshimath from Govind Ghat by 7.30 p.m
We checked again in our cozy Garwhal Mandal Vikas Nigam.
The trip was still to continue at Joshimath.
It is the seat of Sankaracharya. One of the 4 prominent maths established by adi .
Shankara. Myself , Raghu, Venkat and Prerna got ready and went to the math at 8.30 p.m
As luck would have it the main Pujari was about to close the main temple. We were there just in time. We had dharshan there of the present Shankaracharya and Lalitha peedam near by.
Later the Pujari out of the way took us to see the Akshya Varsham ( a mulbury tree) of 2500 yrs old where Adi Shankara meditated. We had to go along some steep steps in the rain to reach the tree . Then under the tree was the cave in which Adi shankara had meditated for 5 yrs. We were shown that also by considerate Pujari. And we could sit in the cave and ourselves meditate for a while. We felt blessed.
After returning from Shankara math we had our dinner at Garwhal Mandal and retired for the night.
24th We started from Joshi math at 7.00 a.m in the same Sumo which dropped us the previous day.
It was an 8 hr journey to Haridwar with break for lunch etc we reached Haridwar by 5.15 p.m. Raghu and Prerna got down in the station to catch the Shatabdi to Delhi, while we went to Garwhal Mandal to spent the night at Haridwar..Ravi was to leave by 9.30 p.m to Ludhiana toget Archana & vaageesh back.
We had 3 hrs of time. Hence we rushed to HarikiPodi a km and half from the hotel which was near the station.
We reached the ghats just after the arathi . However the evening was still lighted and we put our flower filled arathi also in the water. Then had our bath in the swirling waters of the ghat. It was a refreshing feeling. Ravi, Rama kant and Venkat could do their Sandhya abulations too in Ganga.
Then we had dinner of puri and Veg topping it with one good glass of lassi for dinner & returned to the Ggarwhal Mandal. Ravi rushed to the station to catch his bus to Ludhiana. Myself , Venkat and Ramakant after spending a good restful night left to Delhi and Rothak next day morning.
That ended our trip to Himalayas – A tumulus action packed trip leaving us a rich experience with the mightlayas.
Relevance of the Place
(Source: Internet)
“The high altitude Lokpal lake, known as Hemkund ( 4329 mts.) lies in heavenly environs. A steep trek from Ghangharia leads one to this spot in about four to six hours. It is an important pilgrimage for both Hindus and Sikhs, as well as for people from other faiths. There is a Sikh Gurudwara and a Lakshman temple built on the bank of the lake. Encircled by seven snow clad peaks and their associated glaciers, it reflects its surroundings enchantingly on its crystal clear serene waters. The glaciers from Hathi Parvat and Saptrishi peaks feed the lake and a small stream called Himganga flows out of this lake.
As alluded to, in the holy Granth Sahib, Guru Govind Singh, the tenth Guru of the Sikh faith had meditated on the bank of this lake in one of his earlier births. It is widely believed among Sikhs that Guru Govind Singh introduced the features now universally associated with Sikhism. On 15th April 1699, he started the new brotherhood called the Khalsa (meaning the pure, from the Persian word 'Khales') an inner core of the faithful.
It is believed that Lakshman, the younger brother of Ram, meditated by the lake and regained his health after being severely wounded by Meghnath, son of the demon Ravana, during battle. Despite its ancient connections, Hemkund/Lokpal was discovered by a Sikh Havaldar, Solan Singh and became a major pilgrimage centre only after 1930”
Travelogue:
On the 21st morning at about 7.30 we- Me, Raghu and Anna with the porter (akin to Indiana Jones and the porter as per Raghu) started for our destination, Hemkund Sahib. The distance from Ghangharia was 6 km and no way did it look simple.
The route was as very steep and constantly upward sloping, with every few of steps we took we were at a higher altitude, it was interspersed with slopes and stairs. One could feel the higher altitude when our heart beats suddenly went up every few step. However, one could not miss the beautiful scenery of streams meandering here-there-everywhere, some unique flowers (giving us confidence that Valley of Flowers too will be in bloom and we were not too early into the season) and some very colorful and beautiful birds. The walking technique we soon discovered was to take very small steps and to keep at it for 15 – 30 min without really anticipating how far we were from the Gurudwara - forgive me for being philosophical – but I cant help but compare this to some of the tough times that we might face in our lives, where we just need to keep putting in our efforts even if the results aren’t in sight.
The route was, as expected full of pilgrims and of all ages – little children (on pittus), the younger lot was a lot faster and enthusiastic and then there were the older lot – some on horse backs and some trudging along the path doing the ‘paath’ (chanting – waheguru- which means wonderful god). It was obvious that it was their faith that was the sole reason for them to undertake this journey.
Anna was coming with Lokraj while me and Raghu were walking a few paces ahead. Every 30 min we had get together for our small breaks - when we would appreciate the scenery (As we were moving up we could feel the clouds around us), take pictures and regain oxygen & glucose levels in our body to start walking again.
We wanted to reach the gurudwara before the ‘Ardas’* @ 12 Noon and myself and Raghu sped along continuously for the last hour of the trek, with only breathing breaks. On reaching the top we bought head caps and directly headed for the sarovar (hemkund). Sitting on the edge of the lake one could feel in complete harmony with nature- with the 7 peaks surrounding the lake , a lake that was green / blue at the same time and with the falling reflection of each of the peaks – the feeling and the energies one might feel within oneself were overwhelming.
There is a sudden seizure of all thought and one can just be without any questions/fears/anticipations.
Raghu and Anna both took a dip in the lake and I had to make do with washing my feet and face. The water obviously was freezing. The feeling after taking a dip in the lake was one of a flaming heat surrounding the body, everything outside the water was fiery hot the moment they had come out of the water. Obviously it didn’t last long and theye had to quickly dry and wrap ourselves in clothing again.
We then attended the ‘Ardas’ and sat for some time in the gurudwara – the gurudwara generally shuts down by 3 pm because its too cold to stay up and even while we were there we were given blankets to wrap around ourselves. While in the gurudwara we were explained the relevance of the place and how we were true fortunate to have made it here despite all the difficulties we might have faced.
We then visited the Lokpal temple which is adjacent to the Gurudwara. , got some Prasad and started our journey back as the clouds were descending on us. Anna reached down in an hours time while we took our own sweet time. I was finding it tougher to do down hill than uphill, there is more stress on the toes and calves.
* Ardas is a Sikh
Sikh is the title and name given to an adherent of Sikhism. The term has its origin in the Sanskrit ' "disciple, learner" or ' "instruction"....prayer that is done before performing or after undertaking any significant task; after reciting the daily Banis (prayers); or completion of a service like the Paath , Kirtan
Paath or Path, from the Sanskrit patha which means reading or recitation, is, in the religious context, reading or recitation of the holy texts....
Kirtan is call-and-response chanting performed in India's devotional traditions.. When this chanting is done as a private meditation it is called japa but performed congregationally with instruments, and often dancing, it is called kirtan or sankirtan ....(hymn-singing) program or any other religious program. In Sikhism Sikhism
Sikhism , founded on the teachings of Guru Nanak and ten successive Sikh Gurus in fifteenth century Punjab region, is the Major religious groups organized religion in the world...., these prayers are also said before and after eating. The prayer is a plea to God to support and help the devotee with whatever he or she is about to undertake or has done. The Ardas is usually always done standing up with folded hands. (Source: www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Sikhism )
22nd DAY OF VALLEY OF FLOWERS
The day was to start late in lieu of the solar eclipse which was looming large in early hrs of the day . The time of the eclipse was from 4. 30 a.m to 7.30 a.m. Hence we got out of our sleeping chambers only then in search of hot water and bath.
By the time Raghu reported to be under weather and Ravi was involved in his ritual of Japa ( additional ones due to eclipse) . Thus it was 9.30 a.m when we started to move to Valley of Flowers after a breakfast of cornflakes and milk.
The Valley of flowers was a 3 km climb from Gangria along the road branching to left side. The right one was leading to Hemakund mountains while the left to Valley of Flowers.
It was a 3 km most pristine route along the most picturesque Himalayan mountain ranges with beautiful water falls at every turn and gurgling waters of mountain streams lacing our way all along. The horses were prohibited in the trail. Which was making it calm and clean like we would expect a mountain trail to be.
The climb of course was a stiff one but due to romantic surrounding the strain was not felt.
We had carried packed lunches as there are no shops enroute.
After the 3 km climb , then the glacier born valley starts ,with exotic alpine flowers all along the way with the glacier born stream ( an artery of Alaknandha). Its really a pristine sight in the lap of Himalayas. We had to restrict our journey to the 3km climb and a small part of the valley as we had to return back along the route before the sunset.
Hence at 2 `0’ clock we called a halt to forward movement , had our packed lunch of puris and Alu and started the rest of the journey back.
All along we could spot many exotic flowers. However the flowers are tiny, delicate and bloom at different time periods. Hence the flowers were not like carpet as the name denotes. To spot all varieties we may have to spend more time and trek into the valley for 25 kms. Some foreigners were doing it.
Reaching back to our 2nd base camp at Gangria by 6.00 p.m . The evening was still young ,hence we went to see a projector film show on Valley of flowers in the near by NGO run, Eco development office. It gave us deeper insight as to how the valley of flowers came about.
It was accidentally discovered by a British mountaineer in 1931 and later developed as a tourist spot.
23rd
After resting the night next day we started early by 7.00 a.m to negotiate down the 14 km route to Goving Ghat. We were determined not to employ horses and get again a sore back.
The climb down was also a good stiff one, especially after a while the shoes pinching in the ends. The slowest walker ( myself) was taking 1 hr for a km of climb down. Thus after 10 hrs of climbing down and taking brakers for drinks , breakfast, lunch etc by 5.00 p.m we cou;ld make 11 kms ( others keeping pace with me) of climb down. At that time we were told we had to reach the base by 6.00 p.m as gates to joshimath may get closed. Hence for the 3 km route I took a horse, while others literally sprinted and reached the base camp in an hrs time. Later telling good bye to Lok Raj ( our pittu coolie of 4 days – a sweet fellow from Nepal) and paying him 2k for the 4 day job, we took a Sumo and hit the road and civilization and returned back to Joshimath from Govind Ghat by 7.30 p.m
We checked again in our cozy Garwhal Mandal Vikas Nigam.
The trip was still to continue at Joshimath.
It is the seat of Sankaracharya. One of the 4 prominent maths established by adi .
Shankara. Myself , Raghu, Venkat and Prerna got ready and went to the math at 8.30 p.m
As luck would have it the main Pujari was about to close the main temple. We were there just in time. We had dharshan there of the present Shankaracharya and Lalitha peedam near by.
Later the Pujari out of the way took us to see the Akshya Varsham ( a mulbury tree) of 2500 yrs old where Adi Shankara meditated. We had to go along some steep steps in the rain to reach the tree . Then under the tree was the cave in which Adi shankara had meditated for 5 yrs. We were shown that also by considerate Pujari. And we could sit in the cave and ourselves meditate for a while. We felt blessed.
After returning from Shankara math we had our dinner at Garwhal Mandal and retired for the night.
24th We started from Joshi math at 7.00 a.m in the same Sumo which dropped us the previous day.
It was an 8 hr journey to Haridwar with break for lunch etc we reached Haridwar by 5.15 p.m. Raghu and Prerna got down in the station to catch the Shatabdi to Delhi, while we went to Garwhal Mandal to spent the night at Haridwar..Ravi was to leave by 9.30 p.m to Ludhiana toget Archana & vaageesh back.
We had 3 hrs of time. Hence we rushed to HarikiPodi a km and half from the hotel which was near the station.
We reached the ghats just after the arathi . However the evening was still lighted and we put our flower filled arathi also in the water. Then had our bath in the swirling waters of the ghat. It was a refreshing feeling. Ravi, Rama kant and Venkat could do their Sandhya abulations too in Ganga.
Then we had dinner of puri and Veg topping it with one good glass of lassi for dinner & returned to the Ggarwhal Mandal. Ravi rushed to the station to catch his bus to Ludhiana. Myself , Venkat and Ramakant after spending a good restful night left to Delhi and Rothak next day morning.
That ended our trip to Himalayas – A tumulus action packed trip leaving us a rich experience with the mightlayas.
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