Prologue
I don’t exactly know when this idea occurred to us – my wife
did a lot of surfing on the net to check out options on the “Chardham Yatra”……
a must do for any Hindu. We had a few constraints also – should fit in with our
leave schedules, easy on our Father who would make this journey with us, as economically reasonable as possible,
something that we could remember, recollect and rejoice in, much after we had
completed the trip….this was a typical exercise in project management.
The idea of the yatra was given a thumbs-up by an
overwhelming majority, and the “to do now or not to do now” stage was easily
crossed. We were now into the how’s , the when’s and the where’s…..we decided
that Kedarnath would be the destination, following the path of the Ganga up and
down. We decided that we would do one “dham” at a time, so that we could enjoy
the experience to the full and also fit it in with our leave schedules. We quickly zeroed in on a tour operator who
gave us an itinerary that was close to what we were looking for, and the type
of comfort we were looking for in terms of travel and stay, considering that Appa(Father)
was also travelling with us.
At this point, I have to digress a bit, to pause in wonder
and admiration at the zest for life and the enthusiasm of this person at age 83
!! His passion for travelling is unmatched; he has been with us on a grueling
10 day trip to Egypt, among other places, and matched us in enthusiasm and energy in
visiting a host of places there; and as
a matter of fact, he took over the arrangement of the things that we were
supposed to take with us on this trip (warm clothes, etc…)….no question that he
was an integral part of this “expedition”. His interest and involvement in this
whole exercise, from conception to completion, left us in awe, and we wondered
whether we would be as fit and enthusiastic about this when we reached his age….I
doubt it !!!! It is our good fortune to have accompanied him on this trip!!!!
So, the plans were set, the logistics arranged, and the trip
at this point looked something like this:-
Day 1 – Chennai to Delhi to Haridwar. Stay overnight at
Haridwar, and watch Ganga aarathi at Har-ki-pauri.
Day 2 – Haridwar to Guptkashi via Devprayag and Rudraprayag.
Camp at Guptkashi overnight.
Day 3 – Guptkashi to Gaurikund by road. Trek up to
Kedarnath. Overnight stay at Kedarnath after darshan.
Day 4 – Morning darshan. Trek down to Gaurikund. Meet up
with the rest, and drive down to Rudraprayag. Overnight stay at Rudraprayag.
Day 5 – Visit the confluence of the Mandakini and
Alakananda. Drive down to Rishikesh. Visit Sivananda ashram, Lakshman jhoola,
Ram jhoola, and watch the Ganga aarathi on the bank of the Ganges. Overnight
stay in Rishikesh.
Day 6 – Rishikesh to Delhi to Chennai.
Day 1 – Chennai to Haridwar
We reached Chennai by the 23rd of May, and found
that Appa had already packed all essentials, and we had to only add our clothes
to the baggage. That was quickly done and we were all set to leave by the 0650
Jet Airways flt on 24th morning to Delhi enroute Haridwar on the
first leg of our journey. Appa had even booked the Fastrack call taxi for 4am
on 24th, well in advance…..we had 2 experienced Project Managers and
one qualified Project Manager on board….I was naturally a bit apprehensive. Appa
was awake by 3 am, and was sartorially ready, even before we woke up….Oh, oh!!
I thought….here we go….However, after a few customary sparks flew, prior to
departure from home, we were off to a peaceful start, and our first objective -
check-in 90 min before flt departure –
was achieved with ease.
Flight departed Chennai on schedule, and, after groaning
about the quality of food on Jet Airways (I am told that I did most of the
groaning; well, in such a democratic gathering, I had no choice but to agree;
moreover, I had attended a PSBB gathering the previous evening/night, so I was
understandably in a majority of one), we touched down in Delhi T3
terminal…..truly of international class. But a long walk is involved to reach
the baggage area. We were a little concerned that Appa had to make a longish
walk down. But he rubbished it and led us down to the baggage area, where we
duly collected all our bags…..why is it that we always get our bags last??? And
this in spite of not being the first to check in…..always a source of wonder to
me. However, this is besides the point.
I was already in touch with the driver who was supposed to
pick us up at the airport…..Rajinder Negi, who, over the next 6 days, became a
good friend, companion, and guide, having done this stretch several times
before. We were bang on schedule, much to Appa’s delight, and to our relief,
and the mood in the car, a Toyota Innova with 4 seats, was positively jovial
and in good humour.
We left Delhi at around 10:30 am. The distance to Haridwar
is 233 km, and I thought we could do it in 4 hours. But Negi informed me that
the road was not very good, 2 lane for quite a bit, with 4 laning work in
progress, so the 7-8 hr drive was understandable. It was also about 42 deg C in
the shade, but, in the comfort of the Innova, we hardly felt a thing. Also the
joy of being off on a long-overdue holiday cum pilgrimage trip also helped.
With one pitstop for lunch at Haldiram’s on the way, we made
good time inspite of the awful roads, a couple of stops for the inter-state
tax, and a road block, or should I say a bridge block, with an overladen lorry
breaking an axle ontop of a bridge. There was a phenomenal traffic jam, and
with the customary resourcefulness associated with our drivers, Negi quickly
found out an alternate route which would bypass the bridge, and we could be on
our way. This had only two problems, as we later found out – other drivers were
as resourceful, and the road or path was a single track offroader, with traffic
on both sides…..After a 30 min squeeze through the traffic snarl, we got on to
the highway (?), and were on our way.
The route takes us from Delhi, into UP via Ghaziabad n
Meerut, into Uttarakhand, or “Dev bhoomi”. Inspite of the heat, dust and
phenomenal traffic, we could sense a sacred aura in the very air that we
breathed, and we gasped in awe as we glimpsed our first sight of the Shivalik
mountain range, which is at the very foothills of the mighty Himalayas….We felt
goose pimples all over as we took in this atmosphere, the very root of Indian
and Hindu culture…..What a way to start off…
We reached Haridwar at 6pm, catching our first glimpse of
the mighty Ganges, as we drove in. We were informed by Negi that this was the
peak of the pilgrimage season, and it was bound to be crowded. We were told
that the cars were to be parked in a common parking lot, well away from the
banks of the river. We were booked into a hotel on the river banks, close to
the place where the Ganga aarathi was usually performed – this place is called
Har-ki-puri, or the steps of Lord Shiva, who along with Lord Vishnu is supposed
to have visited the Brahmakund here during the Vedic times. This is also the
place where the Ganges leaves the mountains and enters the plains.
Our hotel on the banks of the Ganges (Hotel Ganga Lahari),
afforded us a great view of the Har-ki-pauri. After a quick freshen-up routine,
we made it to the place where the Ganga aarathi occurs. We found a good place
where Appa could sit comfortably, and, after instructing him to wait till we
came to pick him up, went onwards to the exact place where the aarathi was
supposed to be conducted. We were accosted by one of the “sevaks”, who told us
the story of why this place is sacred….During the churning of the ocean in the
Kurma avatar, for nectar or Amrit, a lot of poison was generated. Lord Shiva
came to the rescue of the Devas by taking the poison, but he held it in his
throat, hence his throat became blue, because of which he was known as
“Neelkant”…..once the nectar was obtained, the Asuras somehow got hold of
it….the worried Devas prayed to Lord Vishnu, who came in the form of Mohini,
and tricked the Asuras into giving him the nectar. After this He gave the
nectar to Garuda, who took it to Heaven. A few drops of nectar spilled on the
way, and Brahmakund in Har-ki-pauri is one of the places.
Ganga aarathi is performed daily in honour of “Mother”
Ganga, the goddess of purification, who cleanses us of all our “impurities” or
sins. The aarathi ritual is awe-inspiring, and the belief with which the locals
pray, is to be seen to be believed. We returned to the hotel with a sense of
inner peace and contentment, mixed with awe at being in close proximity to the
might Ganges. All in all, a great start !!!
(Check Day 1)
Day 2 – Haridwar- Rudraprayag-Guptkashi
We woke up early in the morning and went down to take a
customary “dukki” in the Ganges. Appa led us down to the river, and, by jove,
the water was so cold, it felt like freezing over. But after the initial
feeling of cold, it gave us such a freshening feeling, that we were now ready
to hit the road again. We packed up, and moved to the car, and started the 210
km drive via Rishikesh, Devprayag and Rudraprayag, upto Guptkashi which nests
at a height of 1319m, a part of the Shivalik range. The story behind this place
is that the Pandavas, after the Kurukshetra war, were guilty of sins of
fratricide, and were advised by Lord Krishna to meet Lord Shiva and seek his
forgiveness. Lord Shiva was annoyed with the Pandavas, and refused to meet them
at Kashi. Rumour has it that he disguised himself in the form of Nandi and hid
at Guptkashi. There are two temples here of Lord Shiva in the form of a bull.
Our route took us via Devprayag, where the Bhagirathi joins
with Alakananda to form the main Ganges river, and Rudraprayag, where Mandakini
joins Alakananda. The force of these streams of water is amazing, and the
valleys in which they flow are deep; the road is a continuous ascent after
Rishikesh. Awe-inspiring sight. With so many landslides occurring during the
rainy season, the Uttarakhand govt has a continuous task of upkeep of the roads
and bridges…..the roads are narrow, and it takes an expert driver to drive
along theses roads. Fortunately, we had one such, and even he had his hands
full navigating these winding roads.
At Guptkashi we camped (literally) at a camping spot called
Camp Nirvana. High up in the Shivalik ranges, and camped on a hill-side, we had
a feeling of peace and expectancy, looking forward to the day ahead. At this
point, we quickly took stock of the situation to decide the further course of
action. Appa was definitely not going to do the trek (if you talk to him, he
would have said otherwise), and to add to the confusion, our tour operator
informed us that helicopter bookings could be done only from Guptkashi. We checked
with the Camp manager, who informed us at first that all helicopter operators
were full up, and no seats were available. We were disappointed, but asked him
to try for 2 seats somehow – we asked Negi to accompany Appa, as we were not to
happy with his travelling alone ( Appa is an amazing person, he said he would
take care of himself, helicopter or no helicopter, and would wait for us in a
hotel at Guptkashi till we returned…..I have met very few people in my life as independent and as unassuming and
self-effacing). However, to cut a long story short, our persistence paid off,
we got a couple of seats on “PINNACLE AVIATION”, and all was well. We therefore
decided to split ourselves into 2 parties, Janaki and I hiring a jeep upto
Gaurikund for the trek, and Appa and Negi with the car to the helipad. We
agreed to catch up on the mobile during the day regarding each one’s
whereabouts and where to meet.
That decided, we decided to have an early night. Dinner
first, though. At the dinner spot, they had a TV too, which was playing the
“eliminator” match of IPL5, between CSK and Delhi Daredevils. Huge support for
Delhi, obviously, there. To my delight, CSK thrashed Delhi, and entered the
finals. Great !!! I went to bed in high spirits…..
(Check Day 2 photos)
Day 3 – Guptkashi –Gaurikund-Kedarnath (narrative 1 by
Janaki/Ravi team)
An early morning start was forecast (4 am to be precise);
the helicopter team had a chopper at 6am, and if all went on schedule, should
return to base after the darshan at Kedarnath (along with the chopper tickets,
we also bought 2 VIP darshan tickets, so that the could finish darshan, and get
back on the next chopper to base – every 30 min, there is a flt). Accordingly,
they left first, and their story is recorded later in this section.
We took a jeep to cover the 25km drive up to Gaurikund, from
where the 14 km trek to Kedarnath starts. The jeep arrived just after the other
party left, and we loaded our luggage (2 backpacks and one travelbag consisting
of woolens, 2 sets of clothes, gloves, monkey-cap, camphor, medicines etc), and
set off. We covered all of 7 km in good time, and were looking forward to
starting the climb by 8am, and, judging by our physical condition and the
weather etc., targeted 5pm for arrival at Kedarnath. It is a lesson which most
of us learn in time, that we go to God’s abode only at his will and command,
and at his speed. After the 7th km, we were ensnared in the mother
of all jams, with vehicles lined up the
mountain, as far as the eye could see !!! The enterprising driver of the jeep,
who also doubled up as a traffic regulator, told us that the pilgrim crowd up
the mountain was phenomenal, and due to paucity of parkin space at Gaurikund,
for every 100 vehicles coming down, 100 vehicles would be allowed to go up (by
Govt rule). We settled ourselves down to wait, but as time wore on, began to
despair whether we would reach the foothill by evening.
After an interminable wait (read 6 hours), we were in the
batch of 100 vehicles to be allowed to go up, and reached Gaurikund at 10.30
am. Gaurikund is the place where Goddess Parvati, bathing in the kund (pond)
made Lord Ganesha and installed him as a
guard. Lord Shiva, who chanced to come there, was refused entry and in a fit of
anger, killed Lord Ganesha. This angered Godedess Parvati. Finally, Lord shiva
placed an elephant’s head on Lord Ganesha and brought him back to life.
We wended our way through the narrow alleys to reach the
spot where the trek starts. Enroute, we decided to get ourselves some
mountaineering equipment to aid us in the climb – a stout stick each, raincoats
(they told us it could rain/snow in the evening!!!!), gloves….we hired a sherpa
(Prithviraj) to accompany us, more out of moral support than anything – he
finally ended up carrying a bag of ours, as he told us that 1 bag each was
about what we could take (he’d sized us up pretty much by then) by ourselves,
and we had 3. We were now at an altitude of 1982m above sea level, and the
temperature was around 30 deg C.
We started the trek at 1130am. There is only a single trek
for going up and coming down. The path was filled with people on foot, people
on mules, and people on dolis (carriage
lifted by 4 able-bodied men), moving on both sides. It was with great
difficulty that we were able to navigate through this pandemonium….thankfully
the weather was holding up, and there was no rain/snow…..as yet, warned
Prithviraj, who, having assessed our poor climbing skills, was now cajoling,
now threatening, now jokingly willing us up the slope, and it was a steep
ascent. Janaki informs me that she had done a study of the Kedarnath trail on
the internet, and through friends, and said that after 7 km uphill, the track flattens out, but
there is limited oxygen at that height. Apprehensively looking up, we pushed ourselves up the slope,
stopping now and then (to Prithviraj’s exasperation)for a drink of water or
glucose. There are shops lined upon either side of the path, hawking their
fares, from foodstuff and water and beverages, to mule-hire, and doli-hire.
We got to Rambari (halfway between Gaurikund and Kedarnath)
at about 3 pm. Prithviraj broke for lunch, and we just sank down at a teashop,
and told him we’ll wait for him to come. We took stock of the situation, and
decided that at our current rate, we would reach Kedarnath by around 7-8 pm,
too late for today’s darshan!!!! Provided the weather held, of course!!!! The
saving grace, or so we thought, was the plain track welcoming us ahead….how
wrong we were. If anything, it became steeper and more difficult to climb. At
4pm, we stopped and had a council of war….it was travel by mule or nothing…..so
we hopped onto a mule each, while Prithviraj continued on foot…..Negotiating
the mule and the path, while keeping an eye on the breathtaking scenery (we had
already had our first glimpses of snow capped peaks, glaciers….) was a tough
ask. The mule has a mind of his own, and invariably picks a path either very
close to the mountainside, where there are jagged edges of rock which you think
would smash your knee caps, or very close to the other side overlooking the
gorge or valley, a sheer drop. But they are nimble and sure footed, and ensure
that while you have a nerve jangling ride, no physical damage. But it is quite a
painful one…..and there are rules, such as to lean forward on a climd, and lean
backward on a descent…..Occasionally after a peaceful climb/descent, the mule
decides to test whether you can take a faster pace, and breaks into a trot…sometimes
he plays truant…..all this is quite painful. But what with all this holding on
to dear life, you forget the painfulness of the ascent, and, lo and behold, we
were in sight of the Kedarnath temple with the snow covered mountains in the
background, by 1630 hrs…..great going indeed.
It had gradually cooled down, and was fairly cold when we
reached Kedarnath. After thanking Lord Shiva for bringing us safely up, and in
record time too, we discharged the mule, and, with Prithviraj, set off in
search of our hotel, so that we could quickly wash up, and go for a darshan.
Our hotel was located right next to the temple, and after checking in, went to
check out regarding darshan timings. Prithviraj, meanwhile, went to spend the
night with his colleagues, promising to come back at 715am next morning, for
the return trip. We managed to contact a priest of the temple, who came to our
room to book us a darshan/pooja at 4am next day, at the sanctum sanctorum. He
then took us to the Samadhi of Adi Shankaracharya just adjacent to the temple,
where we meditated for some time, and recited the Bhaja Govindam (whatever we
could remember). There was a massive queue for the evening darshan, stretching
to about 2-3 km (reminded me of the Tirupati queues), so we decided to get back
to the hotel and retire for the day. By this time, the temperature had dropped
down to single digits – around 8deg C at about 7pm. We were now at a height of
3542m above sea level.
Continuing the story of Guptkashi, the Pandavas eventually
caught up with Lord Shiva (now in bull form) at this very place. Lord Shiva by
his celestial powers, created an army of bulls, so that the Pandavas could not
find where he was. Lord Yudhisthira, the eldest Pandava, realized that this was
a maaya created by Lord Shiva, and instructed Bhimasena to grow in stature and
spread his legs apart, thereby allowing the bulls to pass through. He knew that Lord Mahadeva would then have to make
his presence felt. And so it happened. Lord Shiva, burrowed through the earth
at this point. The linga at the temple sanctum sanctorum is svayambhu, in the
form of a bull’s hind parts. It is said that Viswakarma the celestial sculptor
himself, built this temple under the guidance and directions of the Pandavas.
There is a statue of Lord Yudhisthira inside the temple just outside the main
sanctum.
After having arranged for the pooja, we then had dinner. The
great thing about this visit is that, all through our journey in the “Dev
Bhoomi”, we had pure vegetarian bhojan, with no trace of onions and garlic.
Hotels serve this type of food everywhere. So we had no diet probblems. There
was a change of water everywhere, and the temperature change was slowly having
its effect on us. When we retired for the night, the temperature had already
dipped below 0 deg C !!!!
(Check Day 3 photos)
Day 3 – Guptkashi –Sitapur-Kedarnath – Sitapur (narrative 2
by Appa)
After a night in CAMP NIRVANA, we left early in the morning
for the helipad in Phut (that’s the name of the place). Ravi & Rani had
already left for Gaurikund for the trek up to Kedarnath. Negi was to accompany me on the
helicopter to Kedarnath and back.The
helipad, and the small booking office on top of a hillock, was buzzing with
activity with milling crowd of tourists gheraoing the few harassed officials
booking and regulating the flights for departure with a single helicopter with
a pilot and 5 passengers per trip.
We got seats on the 4th flight, courtesy of the
CAMP NIRVANA manager. Each trip takes exactly 7 minutes travel each way and 3
minutes for loading and offloading/loading of passengers. IF “ As soon as the chopper landed, doors were
opened, and the passengers were literally yanked out and pushed towards the
exit area, with the engine running and the rotor blades in motion. Incoming
passengers were then hustled into the chopper, and the chopper took off again.”
ENDIF.
Watching all this loading, take-off, land, unload sequence
reminded me of my flying dayswhen we used to fly Gorkha soldiers from Barwara
in India to Pokhra in Nepal…..come home for a chat and a cup of coffee to hear
more of those stories…..Our turn finally came. Negi was allotted the co-pilot’s
seat in the cockpit, and I was pushed into my seat by the helpful attendants!!!
Off we went, winding up the Shivalik mountain range. The view on either side
was breathtaking, to say the least.We could see the trekkers on the winding
path below us. On one side the mountain rose steeply as if to say….No fear,
here I am for support. On the other side, the land fell away in deep abyss…..At
eye level were the mountains, with
vegetation changing rapidly as we gained height….
We touched down exactly 7 minutes after we took off, at
Kedarnath, and the reverse process of unloading started. Before I could even
straighten up after reaching terra firma, the chopper was gone. We were at once
surrounded by hopeful Pandas (pundit/guide) and doli walas. It was quite cold
up there, and the lack of oxygen could be felt. With Negi by my side, we
started off at a good pace towards the shrine, and the crowd in that small
place had to be seen to be believed.
Arrived close to the temple after the typical tourist
enquiries for direction, we got down to business – we collected a pooja plate
of offering to the almighty each, and got a panda to guide us. He was a young
chap, strong and able, and guided me through the crowd, with Negi on my other
side. We somehow reached the sanctum sanctorum where the Lord is manifest in
the form of a rock shaped like a small hillock. I made a spectacle, with my
walking stick and two aides, but there was such a crowd that nobody had the
time. I stood at the back and worshipped the Lord, while Negi and the panda
were in the front. This done, we struggled back to the entrance, where we thanked
NANDI.
The Samadhi of Adishankara at the back of the temple evoked
deep emotions. After paying our respects to SANI bhagawaan, we headed for the
helipad, and the same IF-ENDIF sequence occurred in reverse. Negi got the car,
which we had left parked at the helipad in Phut, and we headed for Gaurikund to
seek lodging, and await the return of Ravi and Rani the next day. WE got stuck
in a traffic jam hardly 5 minutes later. The next 30 minutes were spent in a
start-stop routine, during which time we learnt that a) The road was being repaired, and b)
Traffic was so heavy at Gaurikund that only 100 vehicles could move either way
at a time. WE were now at SITAPUR and saw no improvement in the traffic, so we
decided to halt in Sitapur. WE had passed a guest house (Uttaranchal guest
house) , so we turned back and headed 5 miles to the hotel. We found, thank
God, that rooms were available, and checked in at 4 pm. Thanks to the cellular
age, I was able to send an SMS to Ravi/Rani about my safety and whereabouts.
The traffic situation being the same the next morning, we
decided to stay where we were, and we duly informed the trekkers about our
location, and settled down to wait for them.
Day 4 – Kedarnath-Gaurikund-Rampur-Rudraprayag (back to Ravi’s
narration)
Our day began at 3 am, with hot water for a bath in the
freezing cold !!! After a freshening bath, and a cup of hot tea, we were ready.
At 345am, the pundit arrived, and we went to the temple for our darshan. Being
in the very presence of the divine, at that height and in those mountains, was
a very special feeling, which is a little difficult to put in words….We could
only count ourselves blessed to be able to make it up there to see Him, and
feel the presence of the Divine in our being…..The pooja and darshan took an
hour, during which we put our forehead on the svambhu lingam and prayed
fervently to the Lord. After darshan of Parvati, we then came out, and had more
hot tea….It was still bitingly cold. Then back to the room, and we packed up and
got ready for breakfast, and then the descent to Gaurikund.
Wise now from the climb, we decided beforehand to do halfway
on foot and halfway on mule. We started off at 8am, and reached halfway point
by 1030am, on foot. After a break, while Prithviraj had his lunch, we got onto
the mules, and started the descent to Gaurikund. The descent was more painful
to the body, and I had the misfortune of copping a playful and disobedient
mule, who would often take it into his head to trot off for considerable distance,
and then lay back his ears and refuse to co-operate with his owner. All in all,
I was visibly “shaken”, by the time I reached base camp. So was Janaki, the
descent affecting her more than the climb. We reached Gaurikund and hopped off
the mules at about 1230pm. From that point till the bus stand took us another
hour, we had a tough time negotiating the heavy crowd, but eventually made it.
We bade a fond farewell to our “Sherpa”, who grudgingly told
us that we had not done badly!!! This perked up our sagging spirits, however,
we could not contact Appa, as there was no signal. On the way we had talked to
him, and found out that he and Negi had a good darshan, and were safely back on
terra firma, and at a hotel in Rampur, about 13 km from Gaurikund. We hung aroung
and eventually got a bus which took us to Sonprayag, about 5 km from Gaurikund.
Here we were stuck, as vehicular movement was restricted because of the jam
uphill and downhill. We hung around for about an hour in the now unbearable
(compared to Kedarnath) heat n dust, and finally managed to hire a Nano to take
us 8km to Rampur for a princely sum of Rs. 800…..On the way, we contacted Appa,
and located the hotel where he was staying in….We eventually joined forces with
them at 5pm, and transferred to our vehicle, and reached Rudraprayag by 7pm.
(Check Day 4 photos)
Day 5 – Rudraprayag-Devprayag-Rishikesh
Our stay at Rudraprayag was at Monal Resorts, and was the
best we had stayed in so far. Or maybe we were just too tired….we just crashed
out and slept the sleep of the dead, and woke up at 7am next day. We had
breakfast, and hit the road….we stopped at the confluence of the Mandakini and
the Alakananda……as beautiful a sight as you’ll ever see. The Mandakini waters
are green in colour till the point at which the rivers join, and Alakananda
continues it course downhill to Devprayag, where it joins with the Bhagirathi,
from which common point Ganges starts. Rudraprayag is situated at a height of
895m above sea level.
We continued our drive downhill, and stopped at Devprayag to
catch a sight of the confluence of the Alakananda and the Bhagirathi. Devprayag
and Rudraprayag are part of the “Panch Prayag” – the 5 confluences forming the
river Ganges eventually at Devprayag. A beautiful sight, indeed !!!
We reached Rishikesh at about 2pm, and headed straight for
the “Lakshman jhoola” which was on our way to our hotel. It is said that
Lakshmana, brother of Lord Rama, crossed the Ganga using jute ropes at or near
this point. Another legend has it that Lakshmana shot arrow after arror to make
a bridge to enable Lord Rama to cross the Ganges to do penance to Lord Shiva
for having killed his bhaktha, Ravana. There is a temple at the entrance to
Lakshman jhoola, depicting the brothers doing penance to Lord Shiva. Here is
also the famous Rudraksh vriksha or tree, from which grow the rudraksh seeds
used in the Rudraksh mala.
Rishikesh is also the place of sages. It derives its name
from the hair of the many sages or mendicants who came to do penance here. This
place is famous for its Rudraksh malas, spatik stones, yoga/meditation, and of
course the Ganga aarathi at the Triveni ghat is a sight to behold. We checked
in to our hotel, made Appa rest, went out for a quick lunch, and then headed to
the Shivananda Ashram, which is the seat of the Divine Life Society. We spent
some time in the meditation hall, and headed to the Ram jhoola, crossed it and
headed for the Ganga aarathi at the Triveni ghat. The aarathi here is a more
well-advertised version of the one in Haridwar, and you can catch this on the
Sanskaar channel on TV.
We headed back late, after the aarathi, picking up some
mementos to remind us of the trip, apart from the wonderful memories. We had
dinner at the hotel, and went to bed, our pilgrimage per se having ended on the
bank of Maa Ganga, where it started 5 days ago.
(Check Day 5 photos)
Day 6 – Rishikesh-Delhi-Chennai
Early next morning we went to the Ganges to wash our feet,
prokshana, and collect water for our elders back home. Ganges water is
considered sacred, and a dip in the Ganges is considered sacred – washing off
of all sins – as per Hindu mythology. But one look at the river banks in the
plains (Rishikesh, Haridwar, Varanasi etc), and one sees the amount of waste
which people dump into the river.Even a sacred river like the Ganga, can
stomach only this much, and its time people woke up to the environmental damage
being done. Already, the Uttarakhand govt is doing its best to create an
awareness amongst people to keep Ganga maiya clean and free from waste.
With this somber thought in mind, but with many a happy
memory, we left Rishikesh for Delhi enroute to Chennai.
Check Day 6 photos
