ONCE IN A LIFE TIME PILGRIMAGE

After attending a marriage in Hyderabad on May 10th, we started our pilgrimage to uttaranchal. We reached Delhi on May 12th at about 1.00 a. m because of the delayed Jet airways flight. We had to catch a flight from Delhi at 5.00 a. m on May 13th to go to Jammu to go Vishnvodevi up in the Jammu hills. We reached Jammu in the morning and the taxi was waiting for us to go to Katra from where we have to go to the Vishnodevi temple by walk, or pony or dolly or helicopter. We chose helicopter which took only 4 minutes. From the helipod, the temple is about a couple of kilometres. We need to walk or go by pony ride. We chose pony ride which took about 30 minutes including walking to the sacred shrine. The real thrill one will get is only by walk or pony. We missed that. We had a wonderful darsan and went back to Jammu for over night stay. Few days before we went, there was a threat that they were going to blow the Vishnodevi. Fortunately nothing has happened. Next day on May 14th before we fly back to Delhi, we went to visit Raghunath temple in the heart of city of Jammu. This temple is dedicated to Lord Rama is outstanding and unique in northern India. The other temple we visited was also in the city centre was Ranbireshwar temple. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It has one central Lingam measuring seven and half feet height and twelve other shiva lingas. We can do abhisheka to all the siva lingas! Both the temples are well worth visiting.
The helicopter ride costs Rs. 4000/return for person.
After visiting the two temples, we went to the air port to go to Delhi. We reached Delhi at 3.00 p. m in the afternoon and planned to go and visit Akshardham ( The big Swaminarayana temple opened late last year).
Akshardham (if you remember I did send some beautiful photos couple of months ago) is a unique complex of Indian culture in India’s capital. It was set in a vast 100-acre site. It beautifully showcases Indian art, wisdom, heritage and values of our sanatana Dharma. The focal point of the entire complex is the grand Akshardham Monument, built of pink stone and white marble. IT IS CLOSED ON MONDAYS.
Apart from the different monuments about 20 of them, I liked Bharat Upavan, a cultural garden comprises about 22 acres of beautifully cultivated and aristically designed lawns, trees, plants and shrubs. The garden displays about more than 60 bronze statues of India’s great men, women and children whose lives inspire all to nobler heights.. The view of Aksjardham from here is majestic. One should not miss the Sun chariot and the Moon chariot with its 16 deers. At 7.30 p.m there will be a musical fountains for about 20 minutes which was divine and serene to finish the day. PLEASE DO NOT MISS.
If you want to see the whole area, it would take about 3 hours. Fortunately there were wheel chairs. We got a wheel chair and my good wife’s wheel chair skills she learned when I was ill 7 years ago were very useful at Akshardham.
You can visit www.akshardham.com to know more about this excellent delightful place.
On May 15th, after breakfast we started our journey to Uttaranchal, the newly formed state a few years ago whose capital city is Dehradoon. We selected Tayota quails even though we are just two people, as we were told that it is the most suitable vehichle for those roads up on the hills. Our destination is Rishikesh which is about 250 kms which took about 6 hours. We had been Rishikesh and Haridwar before about two years ago. At that time we were not able to witness the evening Arthi at River Ganga and also we could not visit some parts of Sivananda Ashram. You should not miss to visit Sivanada Ashram. There is samadhi of sivanada, near the excellent library with full of devotional books and magazines. There is a Bhajan hall, very good book shop where you can get books, dvds etc. There are also various articles used by Dr.sivanada were on display. It is a delight to view them. Sivananda was a Medical doctor and his original name was Kuppuswamy. There are a few other thigs like Lakshman jula, Sivananda julas or Ram jula. These are the bridges on the river Ganga. Rishikesh is the gate way to go to chardham, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunotri and Gangothri. We had over night stay in Rishikesh and started to Kedarnath on May 16th, after breakfast.
Our next destination was Rudraprayag about 145 kms which took about 5 hours. From Rishikesh onwards the road is up the hills and rather tricky. You can have beautiful sights on the way and you can witness several sadhus walking all the way to Badrinath and Kedarnath in all weathers! Rudraprayag is the junction of the roads to the shrines of Badrinath and Kedarnath. It is situated at the confluence of Mandakini river flowing from Kedarnath and the Alakanda river coming from Badrinath. It is said sage Narada meditated here for several years. Our destination to over night stay is Guptakashi which is about 42 kms from Rudraprayag again lovely vies on the way and the road gets trickier as we go up with water falls. Guptakashi is situated at a height of 1480 meters above sea-level. The pujari of Kedarnath lives in a village near Guptakashi from November to April when the temple is closed for darshan for public.
Our accommodation in Guptakashi was chardham comlex about 2 kms away from Guptakashi on the way to Gaurikund and Kedarnath. It is a lovely site surrounded by snowy hill slopes. There are several huts with theirn own bath and europian toilet facilities. It is so quite, serene with no pollution and you can watch the snowy mountain of Kedarnath. It is a delightful site next morning with Sun rise and there is a priest chanting Mrutyumjaya mantra early in the morning which was a delight. The food is also excellent. The site manager was very helpful and explained the conditions at Kedar and he kindly sent somebody with us to Kedarnath to help me to have a trouble free darsan at Kedarnath which is about 49 kms, 35 kms by road up to Gowrikund and 14 kms by walk, by pony or Palki .
We started on May 16th after breakfast and blessings from the priest to Gowrikund and our journey by car stops there. It is a very busy place with full of cars, coaches, ponys and people with palkies. No space for parking the vehicles, so they have to go to Guptakashi to park the vehicles and come back next day to receive us.
The man that came with us to help me negotiated the palkies for both of us. We need to walk up from where we got down from the car to the place where our journey to Kedarnath starts. We were advised to carry oxygen cylinders in case we get short of breath at an altitude of about 12 thousand feet. You coud get one by paying Rs. 350/ and if you do not use it, they will refund Rs.250 back next day when you come back. We were also warned we could get headache at that altitude, so you need to take some pain killers and you should not forget your usual medication if you are on any. It is advisable to take as little things as possible just for over night stay. We need to take heavy woollens and a rain coat in case it rains on the way. We can get plastic coats for Rs.20/.
Our journey started in palki which is carried by four people two in front and two at the back. If you are a bit obese as we are, the palki is not very comfortable. You have to squeeze your self. We have no alternative. We need to be good with people carrying you for 14 kms high up the hills and a vally of about 12 thousand feet and stones might be falling at any time on the way. It did rain on that day and we had to wear the plastic rain coats. It is very tricky situation. The only thing one can do is chanting Aum namah sivaya hopping that nothing can happen. We went prepared for anything. If something happens on the way to Kedarnath, we prepared for that. But only lucky people get that opportunity. We are not that lucky. It is a delightful journey and difficult to describe in words, the water falls and the sound of the water flowing and people chanting Jai Krdarnath and very good sayings along the way. As you go up, the journey becomes harder but at the same time the hope and anticipation of reaching the shrine can mitigate the hardship. If you go by helicopter , you do not get this thrill and excitement. We felt glad that we went by road. As soon as we reached Kedarnath, it was really very cold. We took our winter coats and sweaters but still felt very cold. The accommodation rooms have no heating but they gave very thick blankets which was not too bad. About 7.00 p. m there is Arthi at the temple..It is about 500 meters from our room to the shrine, The man that came to help me knows people there. So he took us into the shrine to have darshan and we booked for special puja with Abhishekam at 3.00 a.m the next day morning. It was delightful to witness the Arthi in the open cold evening at 12 thousand feet altitude with snowy Himalayan mountains in the background. We went back to the room and had our hot dinner and mangos which we took from Rishikesh and had a reasonable night in spite of the cold and the priest came and woke up at 3.00 a.m to go the shrine. It was not very pleasant I can tell you but with the hope of touching the Jyotirling and to do Abhishekam to the Jyotirling encouraged us to go chanting Aum namah sivaya. Luckily I was given a chair to sit in the shrine near the Jyotirling as it would take an hour and half to get our chance to do puja and Abhishekam. It went very well and felt very happy to be in the shrine in Kedarnath, Just behind the shrine, there is samadhi of Sri Adi Sankara is there. We went there and took a couple photographs and went back to the hotel to get a hot breafast, chapatti and hot curry. In the north, they do not know how to make a good cup of coffee and is better take tea. At 7.00 a. m our palki people came and started the journey back with sun shine. As it is a slop , they take less time to come down than to go up. It took 6 hours to go up and four hours to come down. They do stop several times for tea and breakfast for which they expect us to pay. You have no choice in the matter. Your life is in their hands! While coming down it is easy for them to carry but foe us it is very uncomfortable as they run, you will be jumping up and down with back sore and sore in your bums! While going up, it is rather hard for them and get tired easily. You feel very sad. At the same time there were elderly both men and women, children and some disabled were walking all the way for 14 kms. We were ashamed. They are the real devotees. By the time we were down , our driver and vehicle were ready for us and we returned the oxygen cylinderback and got Rs. 250 back. By the way I had slightly headache up at the Kedarnath and I took a couple of panadal that cured my headache. By 2.00 p. m we were back to Guptakashi for another night’s stay in the chardham camp. That was our Kedarnath trip. By the way the cost for each palky was Rs.3500 return and about two hundred for tea and breakfast and gave another Rs.500 as a thank you for bringing us back safely. The worst part of our trip was over without any accidents and incidents. Thank God for that. IT IS SAID THAT KEDARNATH IS HEART BEAT OF THE MIGHT HIMALAYAS.
JAI KEDARNADH to be contd…