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HIMALAYAS

A SPIRITUAL ENDAEVOUR

SRINIVASA RAO PINNAMANENI

Himalayas –A Spiritual Endeavour

Our Himalayan Tour

I would like to share my experiences during my spiritual endeavor in Sivaliks range of Himalayas.

I am writing this mostly to reminisce my journey. The stretch I have travelled covered only some parts of

Himalayas or Sivaliks from Haridwar –Rishikesh –Devprayaag –Srinagar –Rudrprayaag –AgasthyaMuni –

Gupthkaasi –Sonprayaag -Tiryug Narayan –Kaalimath –Ukhimath –Karnaprayaag –Joshimath -

Paandukeswar. This region is also known as Deva Bhoomi. It took ten days to cover these places. I

visited only few and some of the main places in these areas but there is lot to see, observe, cherish and

lot many souls to be met and experience.

Firstly my choice was to explore Himalayas with no chaos and crowd around, which was one

reason we decided to start during last week of November. During this period it is mildly cold not too

many pilgrims, beggars and shoppers around to distract us while we are chanting or meditating on

supreme soul or enjoying the beauty of nature and mighty mountains. Secondly I had a like minded best

friend and scientist Dr. Krishnamachari who had been to Himalayas for more than thirty times. He has

been to lot of ashrams and met many great souls. I was indeed very fortunate to have him with me and

it was a divine blessing.

We started from Hyderabad and reached Delhi at 9:45 AM. The next train to Haridwar was at

3:25 PM. There was plenty of time to take a break, lunch or even visit a place or two in Delhi. We arrived

Haridwar at 8PM. We decided to stay disciplined during the journey by not offering bribe or throw trash

on the streets and remain as quite as possible etc.


HARIDWAR

Haridwar during evening aarathi


Mansa Devi Temple Bridge with hanging chains

The following day we visited Manasa Devi temple which can be approached either by a rope-

way or by a 30mintue walk up a hill. It is a beautiful view of Ganga from the hilltop. Manasa Devi is

daughter of Lord Siva. From the mountain top she faced south blessing the world. In the temple there

are other deities also and one that caught our attention is Durga Devi from whose eyes we can really

feel motherly love. We spent a few minutes watching the deity and blessed to be served special

prasadam by the priest. At few meters away from the temple is a stand point from where one can have

majestic view of Ganga. Here one needs to be careful as there are monkeys frolicking around.

We started walking down the hill towards Ganga and came across many vendors selling Hing

(Asafoetida). On the banks of Ganges many people and sadhus were offering prayers to Ganga,

conducting rituals and doing Aarathi.

One interesting thing I noticed is a bridge with strong chains hanging into the water. After the

bath/aarathi ghat there are two bridges like this. If anyone during the holy bath happens to slip or gets

swept by the current, they have a chance to hold the chain and get on to the bridge. During high

pilgrimage season there are swimmers here to rescue in case of such accidents. Even if a devotee could

not be rescued at this place he will have another chance to be rescued at the second bridge.

From there we walked around on the banks for a while and took a ride by auto-rickshaw to

Chandi Devi temple which is on the other side of Ganga on a mountain top. Here we went up by

ropeway as there was no other choice. Chandi Devi faces north watching Himalayas. While coming out

of the temple on the left there is a narrow brook towards the tip of the mountain. One need to be very

careful as it is steep on both sides. On the end of the path one can have a wonderful view of Himalayas,

Haridwar and Ganga. Thanks to noble soul who has arranged nice stone slab where one can sit and

enjoy view and even meditate.

The third shrine we visited at Haridwar was Daksh Prajapathi’s temple who is father of

Paarvathi Devi. As per mythology Daksh has insulted Lord Siva during the Homam. Paarvathi who could

not bear the insult jumped into holy fire and committed praan tyaag. Lord Siva who loved Paaravathi got

enraged with unbridled anger and impetuously beheaded Daksh at this very place. So this place has

importance of Daskh, Maa Paarvathi and Lord Siva being present here. In this temple premises I met a

priest at Hanuman mandir who was wearing large amounts of rudrakshas which are very large in size,

number and varieties.


Rishikesh

We reached Rishikesh bus stand around 5pm which is 25km from Haridwar. Along the way the

roads were dirty with tons of plastic waste and garbage. From there we went to banks of Ganga by auto-

rickshaw which is about three miles. As soon as we reached we walked down to the Ganga ghat. It was

amazingly beautiful sunset and river flowing fast and steady. It is so quiet and serene and flow was

heavy but silent. Some yogis were taking their evening bath in Ganga and some were folding their sun

dried clothes and packing to go back to their shelters. As it was getting dark slowly lamps started turning

on in temples, shops and houses on the other side of river which is yet to be visited the following day.

An evening at Rishikesh on banks of Ganga with my Friend Dr. Krishnamachryulu Maringanti


Shivanand Ashram-The Devine Life Society

We slowly walked along the ghat and approached Shivanand Ashram and enquired about our

accommodation for that night. We were directed to an office room where we met few members and

volunteers of ashram who asked us to fill a form asking our details. Also instructions were mentioned

such as to keep the room clean before leaving, maintain silence etc also mentioned is that a two hour

volunteering can be done in the ashram which is a request and not a demand.

I am glad we were offered a room to stay which is quite a walk uphill towards where the major

part of ashram is. We were told that dinner will be served at 7PM. Accommodations were very clean

and the solitude of the Ashram was refreshing. We had fresh bath, soaked used clothes in warm water

as we were carrying few in our backpacks. Not to waste time we walked out to enjoy the ashram

premises as to know about the activities around. There is a kind of open-air theater with good lighting

around, few monkeys were playing around who were never obstructed or disturbed. Have seen few

westerners walking back and forth must be either from meditation, library or volunteering. They are

walking quite as if they are meditating within, only word they uttered while we are close to them is

‘PRANAAM’.

Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj - http://www.dlshq.org/

http://www.dlshq.org/


Swami Sivanand Kuteer at Ganga and above located is Ashram

As I am too hungry we walked towards dining hall leaving our foot ware in shoe racks properly.

It is too cold to walk without shoes. In two minutes one of the volunteers rang a brass bell as a signal for

dinner time. As we entered into dining room on the right there are two volunteers who are wiping the

washed eating plates and drinking glasses, offered us a steel plate and a glass and asked to sit on a straw

mat in order. Very delicious and warm vegetarian food is served, and then the head of the serving team

who seems to be an experienced member and volunteers did some prayer and then asked to enjoy the

food. We were asked if we need some more to have to which we humbly denied as we are full with first

serving.

We were so glad to get such a nice food when we are starving, and started for a walk in the cold

weather around ashram to be more familiar. There is big mediation hall with paintings of many saints

and in the center is statue of Swami Sivanand. It is so quite inside where people come in quietly with

shawls/blankets wrapped around and meditate as long as they can and walk out quietly. Some are

walking in the ashram quietly after dinner along with chanting. After spending about 20 mints we

walked out and then found a book stall having various scriptures mostly ashram related. A volunteer at

the store asked our details and we enquired some details which were answered in short. As a whole the


environment, management, sanitation, serenity etc is impeccable. After a little walk we returned to our

room, rinsed our clothes and hit the bed without wasting a minute.

The following day I woke up early before sunrise and I could feel wonderful breeze in balcony

flowing thru mountains. Within a minute I decided to go out for a walk and enjoy solitude letting my

friend Krishna sleep for some more time. When I got down it is so pleasant with view of great mountains

on both sides and cool breeze and some monks were doing their morning walk. I too started walking

around with wonder and realized that ashram is built on the mountain side with Ganga on the other

side. I found another rear gate of ashram towards mountain thru which I stepped out onto a small road

so quite. I walked about a mile enjoying beauty of the mountains and fresh air. On the way back I met a

person with a huge backpack and stick. He is walking quietly looking at trees, birds and monkeys. We

introduced each other. I asked him ‘where are you from?’ , he said ‘from Toronto Canada’. I asked him

what he came for and what is he doing here assuming he is also a visitor to ashram. He replied ‘I keep

walking along with Ganga and Himalayas, I love walking, I love observing nature and that is my

mediation’. That grabbed my attention with awe, unable to control my curiosity I asked ‘since when you

have been doing this?’ expecting that he would say a week or so. He said ‘I have been doing this every

year for couple of months since seven years’. I am wonder stuck for his passion. Then I realized that I

should let him enjoy the nature and silence. I met him one more time later during our wandering.

We had good breakfast and volunteered in kitchen cutting vegetables. At about 9:30AM we

stepped out to explore Rishikesh. On one side of Ganga there is flourishing business of river rafting and

restaurants which is major cause of mess, dust, honking , unlimited and unbridled use of plastic, filth

also there are hotels, shops and few ashrams which were built long ago such as Sivanand Ashram and

Madhubanhh Ashram. To go to the other side of Ganga there are two suspension bridges (pont de

corde) made of steel ropes and wood called Ram and Lakshman Jhoola. Till 1889 there used be

Lakshman Jhoola made of jute and later replaced with steel. Even now only two-wheelers were allowed

to cross the river.


Ram Jhoola - Rishikesh

While crossing the river on Ram jhoola we came across two young boys on a motorcycle with

bag full of biscuit packets distributing to all sadhus dressed in saffron clothes and slovenly beggars which

is really a great deed to be appreciated, and it appeared to be their daily routine. After crossing the river

to the right there were bunch of temples for Lord Siva and Tathwa yoga saala, Swarg Ashram and

Paramarth Nikethan Ashram etc. Lord Siva’s temple there seems to have lot of history where i had

experienced great peace. We both walked into temple quietly, and sat in a corner; there were hardly

any devotees who left in few minutes. After a while a young lady walked in with all Pooja material,

cleaned the sanctum place and Siva linga (idol) with great devotion and had not even noticed our

presence there. I was surprised at the care she is taking while doing all the ritual, arranging flowers,

applying sandal paste and giving aarathi. She is totally focused towards the lord. After her prayers she

quietly left the place, till then we both were so quite so as not to disturb her attention. She seemed to

be a local housewife and this might be her daily routine even during such winter. Personally I felt great

coming across such devotees. Though there is no vocal communication still I can sense the piousness.

After we stepped out we came across an old man feeding a calf and talking to her as if he is

talking to a well know person, I really enjoyed the scene and the thing is he did not see the calf for few

days and is asking her where she has been. Opposite to the temple I guess it is Geetha Bhavan with

statues of Valmiki, Vasista and other great saints. Unfortunately I could not gather information about

this place. Then started walking on the sands of Ganga collecting some stones and then onto road

towards Lakshman Jhoola. This place is called Muni-ki-reti where government has allocated some land

to few ashrams. I came across about eight ashrams whose members were busy with their rituals and

yogas. At one ashram we saw cows covered with blankets on their back as it is cold outside. We came

across an old temple like structure donated by Maharani Sri Vidyawathi Kuor who is wife of Maharaja

Gopal Saran Narain Singh, Raja of Tikari.


There were many stores selling religious, yoga and music related material. We crossed river back

using Lakshman Jhoola. Then got down walking along the bank searching for nice Saligrams. One can

clearly see how much of Ganga is encroached and constructed huge buildings. There were numerous

advertising boards about teaching of various forms of Yoga. There were many mules carrying stone and

sand for construction purposes. During the season they give ride to pilgrims. We had lunch at Sivanand

Ashram and left for Srinagar (Uttarakhand) same afternoon.

Places I could not visit near Rishikesh:

Cave of Sri Tatwale baba http://ironman.ru/tatwale/ , http://prasuns.wordpress.com/

Vasista Guha: http://shravanam.blogspot.com/2010/01/vasishta-guha-heaven-on-earth.html

Rudraprayag

From Rishikesh we got a shared cab to go up to Srinagar (UK). It costed around Rs.200 per head

which is a very hilly and long drive. On the way we came across Baghiradhi and Alakananda rivers and

their confluence (Sangam). Also passed thru Dev Prayag where a huge hydro thermal power project is

under construction. Also seen some parts of Devprayag devastated during 2013 floods, with huge

amount of sludge filling most colleges and houses waiting to be cleaned. As we reached Srinagar by 5pm

it is dark and we happened to find taxi to Rudrprayag. As it is hard to get an accommodation and not

much to explore we boarded the cab as that was the last ride we can get for the day.

http://ironman.ru/tatwale/

http://shravanam.blogspot.com/2010/01/vasishta-guha-heaven-on-earth.html


1. Landslide near Srinagar 2. Power Project on highly slide prone mountains

Interesting Experience-On our way to Rudraprayag, at one of the mountain areas a young family of

three and an old man had requested for ride to a nearby village. It looks like they trudged quite a bit

from a hamlet which should possibly be on one of the mountains nearby. The young couple and a child

boarded and waved good bye to the elderly person. After moving about few meters, young lady

requested driver to stop for a minute. Immediately she got down and ran towards the old man and

prostrated on her knees in the dirt taking his blessing. Me and my friend were watching this with awe.

After she came back, based on their discussion we realized that he is her father-in-law. For a moment I

thought ‘how many of us do this at least to our parents, if not in-laws, and what have we lost in the

name of civilization’.

Arrived at Rudraprayag at around 8PM. Most of the shops were closed, very few eateries were

about to be closed. It is very cold and is not a season of pilgrimage. After about half an hour we found a

dormitory and had some rotis and carrots. Following day we planned to visit two temples.

One important place for pilgrimage here is temple of Rudranath i.e. Lord Siva. As per mythology

Muni Naarada continously prayed Vishnu or Hari. At one time Vishnu asked Naarada to pray for Siva and

gave Siva Panchakshari mantra. Naarada did tapasya here and he daily performed Rudrabhishekam with

Rudradhyayam which is the reason this place is called Rudraprayag. It was here Lord Siva gave music as

boon to Naarada. Mythology says that Lord Siva has promised to be at this place at all times. Also

Paandavas came here for penance and in search of Siva. Rudraprayag is a confluence of Mandakini and

Baghiradhi. It is also called Vaitarini.


Chamunda Devi temple. The rock (Naarada sila) on right of last set of stairs is where Naarada did Tapasya

During floods of 2013. Compare both pictures to see the height of devastation. Now most part of Naarada Sila is

washed out.

Exactly at the confluence there is temple of Chamundi devi and also a rock where Narada did

tapasya called Narada Sila. This is believed to be one of holiest places of Goddess. As we visited temple

early in the morning, there are no devotees at the Temple and gates were locked. We sat quietly


enjoying the beauty of confluence and mother Goddess. In about 10 mints a saffron robbed

septuagenarian sanyasin came with some water and pooja material. Unlocked, cleaned, performed

morning rituals very seriously as if she is alone and reading out mantras which I am not much aware of.

This took about twenty minutes and then she prostrated to Goddess and to two more old framed

pictures of some saintly personalities. As usual we sat quietly so as not to disturb her. She seemed to be

pious and spiritually very serious. After completion of aarathi she asked us also to take blessings which

we both did immediately. It is so cold out there; she must be inured to this temperature from years.

Once everything is done she quietly sat near the photo frame and inquired our details and how we

happened to be there during non pilgrimage season. With no rush and haste she explained the history of

both the temples, Siva, Chamundi and Naarada sila. Also explained how devastating the floods were and

how the animal life has suffered apart from humans. I can clearly feel her pain while describing. She also

explained that the two personalities in the pictures were her guru Sri Dharmagiri Maharaj and great

guru Sri Kedargiri Maharaj. Guessing what I am about to ask, she said ‘My guru taught me to respect

Guru, Mother and Father and love all’. She spoke very briefly, slowly and very clearly. She asked at least

five times, if we would like to have tea. My friend humbly denied as we do not want to give her any

trouble. Honestly at one point I felt like accepting as Prasad. Thus ended our satsangh early in the

morning, at the confluence, in most sacred temple of powerful mother Goddess with a pious sanyasin.

We were very excited and moved on.

Temples we could not visit at this place:

Koteswar Mahadev temple made of natural caves.

Dhari Devi temple on the way to Rudrprayag, 16km from Srinagar

AGASTHYAMUNI

This is the temple for great saint Agasthya Muni. This is his final abode. Muni Agasthya prayed

Lord Siva here till his last breath at this site. River flowing by is Mandakini. This temple is few meters

away from the main street, approach road is very narrow and dirty. Houses were built on to the streets.

Lack of sanitation is everywhere and can notice that no effort has been made to ameliorate either by

government or Panchayath. There were very few people at the temple. We asked the priest to explain

the significance or history of this site. We were asked to wait in the open area for awhile. After devotees


had left he came to us and explained very clearly about everything in and around but in Gadhwali which

is similar to Hindi. Mythological significance of this site is as follows.

Mount Vindhya contested with other mountains to prove its might and rose above the skies due

to which southern parts of Jambu Dweepa (Vedic name of India) was covered with darkness as there is

no sunlight. Sages and common people prayed Lord Indhra to resolve this problem. Indhra along with

other Gods and sages approached Lord Siva to absolve the crisis. But Lord Siva suggested to take help of

Vishnu and took all these to Vishnu. Vishnu after listening to the whole story said only Muni Agasthya

has capability to tame Mt. Vindhya. On approaching Muni Agasthya and pleading he accepted to

resolve. Agasthya knew that Mt. Vindhya considers him as his guru. Agasthya moved from Varanasi to

Vindhya towards south. Upon sighting Muni Agasthya, Vindhya kneeled on his legs and did salutation by

bending his head. Agasthya said he is going to come back after visiting Siva and till then implored to

remain prostrated as he is. Later Agasthya met Lord Siva who asked to stay at this site and pray for

salvation. So Muni Agasthya never moved out of here till his last breath and Mt. Vindhya remained as is.

Agasthya Muni Temple

This is the major town for hamlets between GupthKaasi (SW) and Rudrprayaag (NE). There must be no

other town on East or West for about few hundred miles. All students come here to attend college from

very far of places and with too much struggle in such an uncertain climate travelling for hours in

extreme weather.


Missed to visit: Basu kaasi, place where Siva took some rest while moving from GupthKaasi to Kedarnath

GUPTHKAASI

From Agasthyamuni we started to Gupthkaasi which is 30Km by shared van. Mythology says

Pandavaas after the Great War Kurukshetra on the advice of Lord Krishna wished to atone for their sins

such as Brahmahatya during the war by seeking pardon from Lord Siva. As Lord Siva is annoyed for the

unjust events of the war is not willing to meet Pandavaas. To avoid Pandavaas Lord Siva left Kaasi and

went incognito as Nandi in Gupthkaasi. Pandavaas very cleverly persuaded Siva who in disguised form of

Nandi. Siva again disappeared and reappeared in five different places with five different parts of a bull

1. Hump- kedarnath 2. Face-Rudrprayaag 3. Arms-Tungnath 4. Stomach-Madhyamaheswar 5. Locks-

kalpeswar. Diety here is called Viswanatha swamy. Also Siva on the way to Kedarnath from Gupth Kaasi

proposed Paarvathi and got married at Triyugnarayan. Such is the importance of this shrine. This is

KedhaKhand of Garhwal Himalayas.


Gupthkaasi Viswanath Temple Dilapidated state of temple entrance

Statue of Bheema who tried to hold Nandi Other side of entrance about to ruin

From the town center where we get down the vehicle temple is about 100 meters in altitude

and need to trudge through narrow and slippery streets. Though this has very high sanctity next to

Kaasi, no care is taken either by government, town or Chardham society and sure funds were being

exploited blatantly. I am very consciously lambasting and this is the outcome of throes I had experienced

as a pilgrim. I am deeply hurt at the state of these emaciated holy places, repugnant atmosphere and

callus attitude of organizers. Only Lord should know where all this revenue is being spent.

Another thing that has disturbed us a lot is posters of a young girl who is missing since the flood

of 2013. It was almost an year and parents could not lose hope and seems like almost every month they

come a put new poster of their daughter. Loved ones could not digest the bitter truth easily. We have

seen this poster almost all over this region.


Picture of Shikha Kukreti who is still missing since floods and parents are hoping for her return

As it is 2PM we need to move on quickly (In this area transportation will stop by 4pm and will

start getting dark by 4:30PM), also month of December is not a season of pilgrimage. Most of rentals,

hotels and lodgings have no much business during this time. Buy the time we came down to town center

there is a only one share taxi that goes to Tiryugnarayan also one last bus to Sonprayaag. Somehow we

managed to get into the fully packed bus to Sonprayaag.


TRIYUGINARAYAN

From Gupthkaasi we travelled via Patha, Sithapur to reach Sonprayaag. Has witnessed huge

devastation, dozens of landslides, washed out buildings, ripped out vehicles. We humans and our

civilization are alone responsible to this. As tourism and pilgrimage increase local businesses

mushroomed and built too many constructions into Ganga, diverting the flow and that alone is the

cause of such a huge destruction. Now locals blame government for not ensuring safety of their

property. In total it is 30km stretch of complete hilly drive. Everyone got down as it is last stop. Driver

said there is no transport now as even they are going to stay at Sonprayaag that night. It is cold out

there and sun is setting behind the mountains. Half of the village there was washed out. All we can see is

few houses and most of lodgings were damaged, few debris of cars and huge boulders in the middle of

the street. In one or two places I can see the firewood burning.

In about twenty minutes we saw a jeep approaching bringing lot of dust with it, luckily it is

scheduled up to Triyugnarayan and driver asked us to get in. I thought he is letting us to sit inside the

jeep or on top of it. For sure we cannot sit on the top as the road is curvy, steep, very cold and most part

is forest. Already there are sixteen people and four kids in the jeep. Driver gave us an option of sitting in

the seats and adults need to take kids on their laps, we agreed. Fun part is outside the jeep there two

people standing on footrest brining the grant total to 24. This reminded of German vehicles carrying

enemy captives of world war in black and white movies.

All four children were of age 7-9. During the travel some were quietly sleeping in our laps. They

were very tired and seems to be their routine. After few mile travel nowhere in the forest one kid got up

and asked to stop the jeep. He paid the fare and jumped on to the road. He started running along a

brook into the wood. I did not see any habitation nearby, guess there must be his house nearby in the

woods on the mountain side. Two more got down similarly on the way and one stayed with us till the

end. It is unimaginable to wakeup dark in the morning, get ready, walk to the road and get a ride to

school which is about 45miles away on a hills route. All the schools have to be closed by 3PM and again

they have to travel all the way. I don’t know where the time and energy is left for these kids to study.

Honestly I felt very bad when compared to the facilities our children have.

We reached Triyuginarayan at about 4:45PM by when sun has set already. There were only five

or six people around who got down the jeep with us. But can see one beautiful snowy peak shining

during sunset (see picture below). Unfortunately we don’t have much time to enjoy as we need to find


shelter and food immediately. This is a small village and another place nearby that can be visited is Gauri

Gufa (cave) which is about 1.5Km walk and about 500 meters vertical. We could not get any history of

this place, it is very hard to locate the place as there is no one to guide us on the mountain. It is a small

dwelling into a rock and is not accessible easily.

Snowy peak during sunset –Triyuginarayan View from Triyuginarayan


Temple of Triyuginarayan Local primary school

After we got down the jeep and all local people disappeared in the dark quickly. Luckily in few

minutes a middle aged person approached and asked if we were tourists and need accommodation. He

offered us a room for Rs.300. Usually during the peak season they will charge at least 1500. Readily we

accepted. He said that he can cook food for both of us as he need to cook for himself too. There is no

hot water and is dam cold. By the time we refreshed he gave some chai and asked us to wait for few

more minutes. We came across one German tourist who is travelling alone and is accommodated in the

same village that night. He seemed to be well prepared to travel in Himalayas. He was reading some

books during free time and spoke very less to us. After a while power is gone so we walked out into

streets with a torch light, once in a while we saw people sitting around fire place and chatting about

their day-to-day drudgery. Sky is so beautiful with too many twinkling stars which we don’t see from low

altitudes. Dinner was served by the time we are back. Next day we got up at 7AM still quite dark, had

bath with ice-cold water, rinsed our clothed and visited the temple. It is so nice to visit temple early

morning, waited till the priest also got ready, he explained the history and importance of this place with

no rush and haste.

This is the place where Lord Siva and Paarvathi got married. Lord Vishnu in Vaaman avthar and

Brahma witnessed the divine marriage. Also said that this place was the capital of Himavanth who is lord

of Himalayas and father of Paarvathi. After Lord Siva left GupthKaasi on the way to Kedarnath, Siva and

Paarvathi got married here. In the temple there is fire place called AkhandDhuni which is a perpetual

fire that has started during the divine marriage.

My friend asked to conduct ‘Sree Sooktham’ for us. We three of us sat around AkhandDhuni and

had some satsangh. Then we visited GauriGuha which took about two hours back and forth. In fact

there is a very narrow walk way to a glacier from behind the mountain in about 20KM from there. We

tried to walk but the path is not even six inch wide and one side is steep mountain and on the other is a

vertical fall of few hundred meters. As it is unsafe we decided to walk back to Triyuginarayan. We

vacated our accommodation during noon and started our journey to Sonprayaag.


SONPRAYAG

When we came to the village center were told that it is 25KM on road and 5km on shortcut that

passes thru the forest. Instead of wasting time on waiting for ride we decided to walk and enjoy the

interiors. Initially we came across about 50 langurs (monkeys), which were starring at us, but did no

harm as we made sure no eatables were visible. It is a beautiful walk thru deep woods and tracts as well.

Only thing we came across is “B.Panth Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development”. After a

long walk the path slowly disappeared and we started moving ahead with intuition as there is no going

back and it is 3PM. We know that we hardly have one hour for sunset. With the help of sticks we started

crawling from under bushes and accelerated. At one point we found a building with huge trees grew

from windows and entrances. Thought of checking what is in there but need to rush out to some hamlet

before dark, not too far we found a river flowing and to our surprise , there is an electric substation

totally blown out. There is only wooden suspension bridge to cross the flowing river.


Bridge made of wood and steel ropes- 1Km from Sonprayaag


Washed out Electric substation, tons of blankets, utensils, suitcases, footware etc.

There is no civilization in the vicinity. There is tons of washed out material around, including

beddings, suitcases, utensils also the river bed containing huge boulders and mud has rose several

meters during flood. There must be lot of pilgrims got buried for sure. It looks like military has picked

only human bodies found and left the rest during the flood-2013. We were worried as we have no place

to stay, not sure what would happen if we walk into ruins of power plant and there is wild life too. After

about fifteen minutes we noticed a man walking towards us with a stick in his hand. We asked his help

for shelter, and he signed to wait. For two minutes he walked around debris and looked at both sides of

the flow. Then he came to us and asked to follow him. On the way he explained the calamity and how

people died. When flood bursted at kedarnath, people at Sonprayaag were informed to vacate and

move on to higher altitudes immediately. So many locals and pilgrims moved out of buildings and ran to

the hilltops, within minutes lot of buildings, hotels, vehicles were washed away. People who ran on to

mountain side got drenched in rain and cold weather. Many people died due to pneumonia as no help

could be reached for days. There were no clothes, food, medicine and even water to drink. As an ancient

mariner said “Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink”. All flood water is red and muddy.

Watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zefnRzFpReU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zefnRzFpReU


1. As seen First floor of the building is buried with rubble 2. Huge Landslide at Sonprayaag

Flood water with rubble and boulders reached to a height of 60feet above normal flow

After a walk of about 1.5km we reached a small village with about fifty houses. Surprisingly this

was the place we passed by on our way to Triyuginarayan. Most of the buildings were washed away,

there is only one teashop open in a ruin and few people around. We had some tea and asked our guide

why he came all the way deep into the mountains where we found him. He said ‘even I don’t know, I

just came like that’ and walked away. At that moment he is our savior. Vasuki Ganga feeds Mandakini at

Sonprayaag. From here I want to go to Gaurikund and Kedarnath walking along Mandakini. But firstly

there is no place to stay at Sonprayaag that night as everything is closed and secondly it takes too long

to walk to Gaurikund and then to Kedarnath as we need to walk among huge boulders. Even locals

advised not to. Sitting on the road side we waited for about 40mints, then a government truck came to

deliver some material, when requested for a ride, driver readily accepted but promised only up to

Patha. As we have no option and in Patha there could be more chances to find accommodation than at

Sonprayaag, we jumped in. Driver is an elderly person and spoke about local places and denied humbly

when we offered the fare.

Patha is the major village comes between Sonprayaag and Gupthkaasi. From here pilgrims can

get a helicopter ride to Kedarnath etc. This is the place where all evacuees of Kedarnath were brought

by air during 2013 flood. Even here there was no sufficient food water and medical aid then. We waited

an hour for ride to move on further and it is already dark, on request the hotelier made dinner for both


of us and we stayed in a lodging there which is all empty. We left Patha on the following day at 7AM

before sunrise to Gupthkaasi.

KAALIMATH

At Gupthkaasi, there is only one jeep available for ride and nothing else. Driver made us wait for

an hour till it is filled with passengers during which time we had breakfast and chai. It is 10:15 AM by the

time we reached Kaalimath. The shortest distance is about 2.5KM max but need to get down and up of

very steep mountains and by road it is about 50KM. On the way down we saw a bus that had slipped

down with passengers during landslide few months ago. Government is repairing roads that were

damaged due to slides and most part is narrow and one way. Except us both all passengers that came

with us were locals to Kaalimath. The moment we got down an elderly person with a small bag and stick

approached us limping. He gave us a pamphlet and said that he fights against animal sacrifice and from

many years he has been travelling all over India asking people to stop animal sacrifice in the name of

God. This is really a very noble and tedious task and I really appreciated his determination and concern

for other beings. We both humbly accepted and said Pranaam. Knowing that we were pilgrims he

mentioned about Kaali Sila which is five hour walk from there. I said we will certainly think over once we

are done with darshan at Kaalimath.

Small suspension bridge made of wooden pieces to cross the river to go to Kalimath temple


Temple of Goddess Kaali (Right) and of Lakshmi and Saraswathi (Ruined, left) during flood

This divine place is Sakthi Peeth of mother Goddess. There were temples of Lakshmi,

Saraswathi, Gaurisankar, Nandi, Ganesh etc. There used to be an eternal holy fire at Lakshmi temple

which got damaged during the flood. Idols were temporarily moved out as reconstruction is taking

place. Huge Pilgrimage will be seen during Navraatris. This temple lies at an altitude of 6000ft from sea

level. As per mythology (in short) there was a rakshasa (demon) who troubled saints and munis that

were doing tapasya. He could not be killed by any because every drop of blood that spills on earth

creates another. So when all saints and Gods prayed, mother Kaali accepted to rescue from this

raakshas. One fine day she killed him and drank all the blood without allowing even a drop to fall on

earth and thus restored peace in Himalayas. You can now see the sword used to kill the demon. As this

place is where mother killed the demon and another place on top of mountain nearby where mother

has first appeared is Kaali Sila, this is Sakthi Sthal. If one interested to know more here is some help

http://kalimath.com/index.php .

http://kalimath.com/index.php


Ruined Lakshmi temple at Kaalimath which also used to have Akahnd Dhuni

We are so fortunate to visit during this non-tourist season, we were able to spend enough time

at every temple and every priest has spent enough time explaining the history and importance. The

same happened here also. Priest here also showed a stone tablet which is expected to be very old and

writings engraved on it are yet to be deciphered.


KAALISILA

After darsan at Kaalimath, we walked back crossing river Saraswathi (also called Kaali Ganga)

with help of suspension bridge made of wooden pieces. We had a cup of tea near the stop and started

to think about visiting Kaali Sila. I asked the shop keeper where, how far and exact approach to this

place. He walked out of the shop few meters away and showed his point finger almost into the sky. I

asked ‘is it on top of the mountain we can see?’, he said if you can see carefully there is another much

bigger mountain into clouds behind it and that is where Kaali Sila is. I have no words for few moments

and we both sat on wooden a bench nearby thinking again. As there is no guarantee that we will either

have blessings or energy or time to visit again, though it is very strenuous task we decided to start right

away. On further inquiry, we were told that ‘it takes five hours at least to reach, and is about 2.5KM

distance vertically, also warned of wild animals during dark and there is only one village on the way and

is the only place to expect some food. After that hamlet there is no possibility that you can see people’.

I am much worried because it is 11:30 AM then, and it takes 5hours to walk, which means it could be

4:30PM by the time we reach our destination sun would set. What if we miss the route? . Within five

minutes we decided to go ahead and asked the store keeper if he can let us keep our bags in this shop

and pick on the way back as it is not easy to climb a slippery mountain with luggage, for which he

accepted. Usually in places like these we don’t have to worry about theft. We purchased some biscuits,

electrolyte powder and two water bottles in a small backpack.

Most of the time path is steep and slippery within ten minutes we are tired and started sweating

in that cold weather causing soporific but we cannot effort to take much rest. I asked a lady some water

at a hut nearby, saving my water bottles. She readily gave us a tumbler of water. I said thank you. She

smiled and said humbly ‘it is just water’. On the way we saw a huge tree whose sap has great aroma.

After about a struggle of another hour we came across three people who are constructing a shelter with

wood. When asked the purpose they said it is for villagers who pass by, to take a break particularly

during harsh weather. We appreciated them and started again. But an elderly person among the three

said ‘Sir, we have some food for lunch, if you don’t mind we can share with you’. It is really a big surprise

for me. Knowing how hard it is to get to this place and work so we humbly denied and said thank you

very much. Honestly I am very touched at their offer and humanity. It took another hour of trudging to

reach the hamlet and meanwhile water with electrolytes helped us a lot.


On Midway to Kaali Sila about 2000Meters from foot of the mountain

As we entered the village, an elderly person inquired if we are going to Kaali Sila. I said yes.

Another person asked if we would like to have some water, we immediately said yes. We were invited to

their house to relax. Within minutes few more villagers gathered around. The elder person who greeted

first came to us with two bamboo sticks freshly cut and said ‘keep this with you as you will need it’.

Person who offered us water arranged nice bed with blanket asked us to relax and introduced him as

Bikram singh. His wife came with a pitcher of water. There is a beautiful orange tree with plenty of

shining oranges in their yard which they call as Malt. Noticing this Bikram singh asked if we like to have

some, with no hesitation I said yes. In two minutes we have ten oranges freshly cut along with a mixture

of rock salt, jeera etc. It tasted so good. People asked our details as where we are from etc. Then a

school master came there, villagers introduced him to us. Bikram came to us from kitchen and said ‘we

have some rice and sabjee cooked in the morning, if that is ok we can serve that, else I can ask my wife

to cook fresh if you have time’. (This reminded me of panegyric what I read in Datta Charitra a while ago

that, while on pilgrimage if food is offered it need to be considered as blessing and not to be denied).

We accepted though we are full with oranges. Lunch was served in five minutes, rice is hard and clod

with flies and people around, but we had it with much appreciation. We can clearly see how the villagers

eke out their lives here. Bikram requested to sleep for sometime before start. As we do not have much

time left, I said we have to reach before it gets dark and started. Bikram offered some more uncut

oranges for us to have on the way. Some people walked along with us for few meters and bid goodbye.

On the way we met few school children standing on the brook side saying ‘Pranaam’ with their palms

joined, heads bent forward and a smile. In return we said Pranaam. But Bikram started walking along

with us and said he is also coming to Kaali Sila with us and guide. I said as we plan to stay there at

Kaalisila tonight and requested him to stay back with his family. Even then he walked with us up to

village outskirts which is the foot of Kaali Sila Mountain and gave us directions to our destination and

asked us to be careful and vouchsafed. He also took a word from us to stop by his house on the way

back and he will be waiting for us. I am really amazed at the affection and culture. We promised and

started to move ahead.

After an hour walk we heard two people coming towards us from the village. These two were

also on pilgrimage to Kaali Sila and were locals to Sivaliks Mountains. By now we are well accustomed to

the situation. Both of them introduced themselves as Mr. Sukla and Prem. Like us when they passed

thru the village they were requested by Bikram to accompany us to Kaali Sila as we were new to this

place. As they both were inured to climbing they are really quick but stopped frequently to comfort us.

We shared biscuits, oranges and electrolyte water, I am glad they cherished a lot. As we were closer to

the destination mountain is very steep and is almost a vertical fall of few hundred meters and we are

infallible and tottering. It is just about to sunset by the time we reached the peak.


Picture of Tungnath and other peaks from Kaali Sila during sunset

While we are taking a small break we met a person who is old and stoic returning from Sila with

a satchel across his shoulders. He too stopped for a break and we asked him some details. Basically he

lives in a hamlet nearby on other side of the mountain. Among few hamlets one person per family visits

the ashram once a week in turns and offer the needs of ashram mainly flour, oils, vegetables etc.

Though they are so poor one should appreciate their discipline and indefatigable devotion. The person

was so humble, slovenly and tantamount to holy person. I saw no expression on his face though he is

doing such a great thing. Below is the picture we took with him


Mr.Sukla, Prem who accompanied us and a local who came to offer grocers to Kaalisila ashram

When we were 200 meters away from Kaali Sila, we were welcomed by two dogs and we are

sure that they must be from Sila which confirmed our proximity to destination. Though my friends were

scared of them I managed to pet and brush them as they are so nice to people and started walking

ahead of us showing the path.

Immediately after reaching we prostrated at the idol of Goddess and then the Sila. It is such a

great experience to watch large number of snow covered mountain pinnacles including Tungnath during

sunset. As we were well informed of saint staying at this place behind temple we walked to his place.

There were two more dogs and their names were Bhallu, Bhaalu, Chotu and Kaalu, of these one is white

in color. These four dogs reminded me of Datta Charitra. Incidentally even Lord Datta Guru will be

having four dogs with him, of which one is white. As we entered the compound we met a person who is

cleaning utensils and surroundings and directed us to an old person sitting on a small pedestal like rock

nearby.


He is in red clothes with a torn rug over. He is an octogenarian with very long hair braided,

uncombed and tied up, must be weighing about 2kg. There is no sign of weakness or age in his eyes. He

sat with back straight without leaning onto anything. We all prostrated and offered Pranaams. He is

quite for few moments observing us and sorroundings. He was looking around the mountains, dogs and

the person cleaning. Looking at the dog that was chained, said ‘he is very notorious and need a lesson’.

Then he inquired from where we are etc. It is so clod there in the open air. We all sat on the mud floor in

front of Swamiji, waiting to listen something from him. Place he is sitting is located so that he can see

many mountain peaks ,also part of the path we climbed up, which means for sure he must be observing

us while we were approaching him. In few minutes the person (Disciple) who was cleaning made hot

Chai for all of us, which I enjoyed as I am very much in need. In north India Swamiji will also be referred

as Maharaj (Great Ruler). He asked about our plan to stay that night. We murmured in low voice ‘not

sure’. Maharaj said there used be another hut which is now demolished by forest officials and locked

two rooms and were now used by officials only. The Hut in which Maharaaj stays has three rooms. He

stayed quiet for some time.


Barkhagiri Maharaj – Kaali Sila

There is box like thing beside him with a piece of rag wrapped around. When he started

removing it, I am watching with curiosity to know what could be in it. Interestingly it is a small cage with

two white mice. He very carefully opened the door and one mouse crawled out quickly onto Maharaj

and started enjoying the freedom while the other remained in. He said those were gifted by a devotee.

After few minutes he let the mice go in as it is too cold out and said to them ‘that is it for the day’. He

again wrapped the cloth carefully so as to keep warm. He quietly got down with the cage and retired to

his room. While going in he instructed his disciple (who introduced himself as Raju Rana) to prepare

dinner for us too. There is still some sunlight as it is mountain top we quickly got up to explore the

surroundings. It is quite a flat land on the peak, with water fountain arranged by government. There is

small garden both for flowers and vegetables. We walked further to have good view of snow peak

mountains and all four dogs accompanied us vey happily. Villages down the mountain were already

covered with dark but the peaks were glowing brightly in light orange and crimson red color. Took some

pictures and washed our self formally with that ice cold water and relaxed. I felt refreshed and not much

tired even after five hour trekking but weather is very cold.

In about ten minutes, we were asked to come into Maharaj’s room. All four of us followed Raju.

We need to bend to get in as the entrance is about four feet in height. It is very dark inside and whole

room is covered with thick layer of greasy black sooth. In the centre there is Dhuni (a fireplace) with

huge logs of wood. We were told that it is Akand Dhuni and it burns continuously all the time. Upper

half of the room is filled with thick cloud of smoke having a very small outlet, only about three feet from

the floor is not covered with smoke. It is very difficult to stand even for few minutes. Swamiji asked us to

sit towards the wall on small pieces of rags and other side of dhuni, Swamiji sat at a height of two feet

looks like his bedding. On one corner there were many idols mainly of mother Goddess, Siva etc. Few

lamps were lit with oil which is the only source of lighting. Raju arranged everything for pooja including

flowers and two oranges that we offered given to us by Bikram Singh.

Raju started pooja/aarathi after he got nod from Maharaj. I am so surprised at the way he is

chanting mantras which I did not expect. All the time he appeared to be uneducated tribal guy who

came to serve Swamiji. One time when he misspelled some mantra, Swamiji assisted and asked to start

from the beginning. When the pooja for Lord Siva started Swamiji picked Dhamarukam from the wall

and started playing till the end. All this process took about forty five minutes, as we are not used to sit

cross legged, struggling to lean, tears were rolling down due to smoke. But swamiji was sitting straight

with no sign of discomfort and he is more exposed to smoke. After pooja, swamiji was given aarathi first

by Raju and then we had too. Swamiji stayed quiet for some time with eyes closed and then he started

explaining the history of Kaali Sila, Kaalimath and mountains around. He spoke to us for at least an hour

very consistently about the ashram, how officials demolished, how he fought with government to save

this place and he is very mad at the officials. He has been sitting in the same place from about forty

seven years with austerity and tapas almost alone in that forest, on mountain peak, in harsh weather

among wild animals. During his talk he gave instructions indirectly which we need to follow. He also told

that from many years he goes down the mountain occasionally only to attend Kumbh Mela and now he

stopped going even for that due to his age. He also expressed his inability to chant mantras continuously


and that was the reason he is taking assistance of his disciples to conduct rituals. Mean time Raju

stepped out. Swamiji explained very clearly where mother Goddess appeared first and from where

Raakshasas came, and from which mountain, direction etc. He said that this place is one Sakthi peeth

and is a very divine place. He briefed his visit to temples in south India etc. We had wonderful sathsangh

with such a great soul. We all four of us were listening very quietly as that is our purpose of visit. After a

pause of few mints he said ‘you must be hungry now, go and have dinner’. We all offered Pranaam and

stepped out.

Kali Sila 2800 Meters high, Swamiji and German disciple walking down the steep rock after offering pooja


It is very dark outside when we stepped out, with help of torch we walked a bit and to my

amazement the sky is too beautiful, clear with billions of twinkling stars. It is something one should

experience and cannot be explained. We are about three kilometers closer to the sky and free from

moisture and air particulate which adds clarity to the beauty. One of our friend said quietly ‘let us go

back’, who later told that he noticed a pair of yes glowing in the dark which must be of a wild boar or

some other animal.

Raju asked us to go into the room next to swamiji’s room. Now Swamij’s room is closed. Even

this is small room too with a dhuni in the center. One side is an entrance and a wooden container where

groceries were stored, on the remaining three sides of Dhuni and the walls there is very small place of

two feet to sit. We total of five somehow adjusted sitting tightly close next to each other. Raju mixed

the flour with oil and water thoroughly and made a huge lump of dough. In parallel he made curry with

potatoes and Soya on the dhuni. Raju is preparing food like a professional chef, after curry is ready he

started heating rothi on iron plate for half minute and then he is putting it on the burning pieces of

wood directly into the flame and at the same time he is making another. After a minute he is picking

rothi from the flame, dust the ash and pile in a plate. We all discussed many topics about nature, nearby

spiritual places, their significance, people to be met, what happened during 2013 floods etc. This is

another satsangh in which we all participated. I can say during whole journey there is no worldly talk

and to our surprise none were tired but actively involved.

Raju also mentioned about another disciple. She is a German lady and is serving her master

Barkhagiri Maharaj, offering prayers to Maa Kaali, do her tapasya, taking care of ashram, dogs and

guests. She was not at ashram during our visit. She has been to Rishikesh on pilgrimage where she got

injured with a deep cut on feet (she travels barefooted) by accident. She is undergoing treatment at one

of the disciple’s house in Ukhimath. Maharaj is very much worried about her, and has expressed his

concern multiple times. Once she is back, she is expected to take care of ashram. We were told that she

sleeps in the third room along with dogs where there is no fire place. Maharaj do not want to leave dogs

out during night as there are wild animals around. Long ago one of the old dogs Bhaalu broke her hind

leg while fighting with a bear. I am not sure how this lady is able to stay in that room without fire and

ventilation. We decided to visit her too at Ukhimath.

After preparation of dinner Raju offered first plate with one rothi and curry to Swamiji who is in

his room. We were served later. Usually one roti per person is very much enough but I had two. All the

time there is water boiling in a dark soothed container which we used for drinking also. Post dinner we

had long chat sharing our experiences, meanwhile Raju had one beedi (kind of cigar). As and when we

felt thirsty we pick some boiling water and sip slowly. Not sure of time but we slept with our hands and

legs furled tightly as there is very little space. My friend Krishna sacrificed more space for my comfort. I

could not sleep well as I am tired, cold and room full of smoke. By the time we got up next day all of us

were covered with thin layer of white ash from dhuni and Raju has started his morning routine, already

taken bath and did his pooja too.


We too washed our hands and legs formally and accompanied Raju to Kaali Sila (rock where

goddess first appeared) as he is going to offer some pooja. It is a very steep big rock, we did not dare to

climb the rock but stood aside. Mediated for a while and enjoyed the sunrise. After cleanup and a cup of

tea we were asked to join Maharaj in his room. We had one more beautiful sathsangh for a while. Dr.

Krishna asked Swamiji what kind of service we can offer. Swamiji said ‘do anything you like, do not ask

me’. The reason for saying so is, usually we draw conclusions or judge on what Swamiji asks. I am so

clear at his thoughtful response. That is the only thing we spoke to swamiji and rest all is listening. He

explained Raju how huge south Indian temples are. OODHI (sacred ash) from Akhand Dhuni and sandal

wood paste offered to goddess wrapped in a paper were distributed to all four of us. Immediately after

coming out of Swamiji’s room we decided to do at least one good deed, and started picking all waste

around and cleaned the garden place. Walked around on the peak a while enjoying surroundings. We

asked Swamiji for permission to leave and took his blessings. He said ‘Good, be careful’. We started our

return journey. Unfortunately there is no bildungsroman available on this saint.


About 150 meters below Kaali Sila (White flag high above)

On the way back we stopped at Bikarm Singh’s house again, took a brief break with

refreshments. Discussed the needs of ashram and offered some money to spend for ashram based on

the needs. Other two friends offered wheat flour as provision to ashram. We returned the bamboo

sticks given to us so that they can be used by other pilgrims. I cherished for their summum bonum.

Offered Pranaam to everyone around and left the village who vouchsafed us. I felt all villagers were

lovely, decent and humble. Reached Kaalimath at around 2PM.

By the time we reached Kaalmath we found the store where we left our bags is closed. There is

a lady owning another store very close by also selling chai. We explained our problem and had some

chai. She also agreed to make dinner for us if we happen to get struck at that place. She started

enquiring everyone on the way about the shop owner who locked our bags in. I am so surprised at the

effort she is putting to get hold of shop owner; in fact she will get business if we stay there that night.

She called her husband and others around to find shop owner and unlock. It is about to sunset and

getting much colder. We don’t know how to thank her and we were just observing her. She really felt

our pain, to me that is Godliness, inwardly I said thank you. For sure I don’t think we can get such

experience in towns. After two hours we were able to take our bags out and after long struggle we

managed to get transport to GupthKaasi but not to Ukhimath where we had to go. On the way we saw a

dead cow near a huge steep rock. Driver told that cows don’t usually slip but must have been chased by

a tiger and pushed to death. Looks like tiger walked down and ate some flesh. After reaching GupthKaasi

again we managed to get last ride to Ukhimath which is all a blessing in disguise. If we miss the last ride

we will be struck till next day around 9AM.


UKHIMATH

Main deity worshipped here is Omkaareswar. This is the holy place where Usha (daughter of

Banasur) got married and is originally called as UshaMath which is now called as Ukhimath. This is winter

home for Kedarnath and Madhyamaheswar or Madmaheswar. Worship is performed to Kedarnath and

Madhyamaheswar during winters while the original temples were closed. This is the seat for head priests

of Kedarnath called Rawals.

By the time we reached Ukhimath, Sun is about to set, we almost went running to temple thru the

narrow streets. Exactly by time we stepped into temple, main priest who was sitting there got up and

asked ‘shall we start evening aarathi?’ as if he is waiting for us to arrive. It is just we both and priest

when aarathi started, we felt very fortunate to be there right on time. Slowly people started coming in who

were all locals. It took about an hour for aarathi and then we requested the priest to explain about deities

and temple which is a memorable experience. By the time we came out it is dark and all locals were

dispersed. Priest suggested a lodge nearby maintained by kannadigas. We need to find accommodation

quickly as no much time is left and then look for food too. We met lodge manager and after giving details

he agreed to provide accommodation for that night. We dumped our luggage in the room and came out

running looking for food. Luckily there is a tea shop nearby whose owner agreed to prepare dinner for

both of us. I know he charged us more than usual but that is only choice we had. We felt quite relaxed

after many hours of tensions. Walked into the streets for some time and reached our lodge. We have

another task of washing our clothes, we rinsed our clothes in water with detergent and hanged on the

ropes outside to let dry. We are so tired and my leg got strained. I could not sleep all night because the

previous day I trekked up to about 2700meters. While climbing the nerve from my ankle to calf to thy and

to my shoulder got strained causing excruciating pain. This is when I realized that I could have used shoe

with a bigger heel and spikes.

The following day we decided to pay a visit to the German lady who is disciple of Barkagiri

Maharaaj. Raju told us that she was given a name “Saraswathi Giri”. As we already got her contact

information from Raju, we walked into the center of Ukhimath and walked about a 1KM to find her stay.

During this search we met a dog on the street which started accompanying us for a long time. While we

are walking the dog with us noticed a pair of foxes and chased them away and left after we reached the

place Saraswathi Giri is accommodated. Unfortunately we could not feed anything to the dog as we were

empty handed then.

We were welcomed by Saraswathi Giriji and introduced us to the lady who provided her the

accommodation. We inquired about her injury and my friend removed the bandage and examined. The

wound is in healing stage but she is bit worried as it took longer than usual and adding to that she is away

from her guru since many days but continued to be nonchalant. We decided to get her another dressing

and visited the place where she was treated earlier. This is basically a small pharmacy store of 10’X10’ in

size and he is a diploma pharmacist, but to that locality he is a kind of first aid doctor too. When my friend

introduced himself as Dr. Krishna, I noticed his eyes widened with perplexity. We made sure all the


medication and dressing is proper. While stepping out Krishna said ‘I am doctor but not a physician’, with

a smile. We all three returned to her accommodation and had nice brief chat. The house lady provided

some tea and snacks. I asked Saraswathi Giriji about her and how she happened to choose this place.

She happened to visit India as a student from Germany when she was about 22 years old on an

educational tour. Also visited many spiritual places including Himalayas. Even after returning back to

Germany her reminiscence made her think over and over and slowly her affinity towards India increased

and decided to visit again. She took a separate Hindi Language course of one year in Germany along

with her regular education. After about an year she flew to India again and travelled along Himalayas.

During this trip she happened to visit KaaliSila and met Barkagiri Maharaj. That is when she felt ‘This is

my place and he is my guru’ and bequeathed all she had back at home and happened to stay for good. It

is almost seventeen years she is here and never been back to Germany. Her family came and tried to

convince with indefatigable effort to take her back but futile. She said that she speaks to her family once

in a while. She narrated her story very calmly and pleasantly. We requested her if we can ship some

basic medicines to Kaali Sila which she can use for the tribals around. We thought to setup a system so

that help can be reached timely and regularly. Thus ended our discussion and stepped out with

pranaams. Then we realized we did not offer any thing to her ,so purchased some fruits also some

additional medicines in iota and visited her again. She felt very happy and politely accepted and while we

are coming out she too stepped out with us to bid good bye. When we three we discussing at the door

step many locals passing by were wishing her with Pranaams and she was asking them about their health

and family in pure Ghadwali language. We both were really impressed at her linguistic abilities. She

wished some people by name and some requested her to visit their house etc. It was a nice experience to

observe her interaction with locals. We left her place with Pranaams again and finally.

After returning to the lodge, we packed all the dried clothes etc and and left Ukhimath by walk.

Now we need to go to Rurdrprayag via kund. On enquiry we found a short cut which is 3 KM and by road

that would be 18KM, as we could not get a ride we decided to take short cut and walk. This is too steep

and dirty but we were able to manage with help of sticks.


Hydro Electric dam - partially washed out with machinery while under construction during floods


Huge crane that was washed out from dam during floods- Kund

After a walk of about two hours we reached a place called Kund or Singoli Kund. This is the place

where road to Kedarnath and Ukhimath/Gopeshwar and Rudraprayaag roads meet. Our plan is to move

on to Rudraprayaag and then to Karnprayaag. We happened to wait few hours for a ride and luckily

around 3 PM we got a taxi fully packed. As we were approaching Agasthyamuni the traffic was stopped

by security. A building on a hillside there is damaged during floods is dilapidated and ready to collapse

anytime so government is demolishing the building which is about 300 feet (picture below) above the

road level and traffic was stopped as a safety measure.


Traffic stopped at Agasthyamuni during demolition of a damaged building

As we need to travel much further and need to move on we alighted the taxi and climbed the

hill from one side and reached other side from behind building and walked to Agasthyamuni. Luckily we

found a last ride to Rudraprayaag from there. After reaching Rudrpryaag again luckily we found another

ride to Karanprayaag we could have got struck if we arrived after even two minutes.


KARNPRAYAAG

It was 7:30 PM by the time we reached Karnprayaag and all transport came to halt. We quickly

started looking for the stay and dinner which took about one hour.

During dinner in a small hotel we happened to see a bunch of taxi drivers drunk and

quarreling. We were quite upset for such a happening. Most of the youth there were taking advantage

of tourism. They learn driving at the age of 18 and buy a taxi on loan. As they start earning money at

such a small age and have no self control, they are getting used to bad habits disrespecting elders etc. As

per my friend this was not the case few years ago. Money from tourism has changed things a lot and

most of the change is not good. From peace to struggle, discipline to addictions, contentment to

greediness etc. Finally managed to find a lodge next to the river flowing with gush. It was too cold, I had

severe pain on the nerve from ankle to shoulder thru my back. It was excruciating and could not sleep all

night. The following day we just used little amount of cold water for bath as no hot water is available.


This is one of Panch Prayaags situated at the confluence of Rivers Alakananda and Pinder rivers

(originated from Pindari glacier). Other four Prayaags (confluences) are Vishnu prayaag, Nandaprayaag,

Rudraprayaag and Dev prayaag. It is believed that at this place Karna worshiped Surya bhagawan for

three years and in later life he was born with Sahaj Kavach Kundals (Inpregnable shield). This place also

attracted swami Vivekananda who visited and meditated for some time. There is also Uma Devi temple

here. I was told by the local priest who is from Hyderabad that Karna did tapasya here in the previous

life to being born to Kunthi and also in later life. Could not visit other few temples around as we do not

want to miss the next ride.

PANDUKESWAR

At Karnaprayaag we got a ride which is destined to go up to Pandukeswar and even we decided

to go up to the last stop. It is a long ride of 120 KM. We passed thru Nandaprayaag, Chamoli, Batula,

Pipalkoti, Tapovan Vishnugad Hydro Power project, rope way to Auli (cliff top), Jyoshimath (had a tea

break), Vishnu prayag Hydro Power Plant, Vishnuprayaag. From Nandprayaag there is beautiful interior

road to Gopeswar which is much closer from Chamoli which we could not visit. There are many

landslides on the way and I observed that there is decline of forests, reasons being washed out during

slide and no effort to regrow which further increases risks of more landslides. Joshimath is a major

center for food and shelter in this stretch and is a major center in that region.

Pandukeswar is a small village and this is last stop for road transport during winter and ITBP

(Indo Tibetian Border Police) will not allow public beyond this point without proper reason. However

few saints walk into deep Himalayas for meditation alone along narrow brooks and mountain paths.

Survival for the locals now a days is mostly on tourism and providing mules to carry tourists across

mountain tracts. Mules here will be having a very hard life during tourism. There were only two tea and

grocery stores open and no lodging was available. Even some ashrams were closed. There is Chinna

Jeeyar swami ashram, but the in-charge there declined to accommodate us and some sathsang was

going on in a temple nearby. We left our luggage at a store requesting to watch and walked towards

temple.


YogaBadri and Vasudeva temple at Pandukeswar with Alakananda and huge mountain behind

This place is named after Paandu Maharaj who is father of Pandavaas. It is said the Maharaj

Paandu did his tapasya during his last days and denounced his body at this place. Here there is

yogabadri temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It is believed that Paandu installed bronze statue of Lord

Vishnu in mediation(yoga) posture. This place is also called Yogdhyana Badhri a winter seat for Sri

Badhrinath (Udhwa) as Badhrinath will be closed from Vasanth Panchami till Vijaydasami. Though we

could not visit Badrinath at least we were fortunate to visit the diety at YogaBadri. There is also

Vasudeva temple in the same complex. Inside the temple there are copper plates carrying very old

inscriptions mentioning about Katyuri Rajas and Panchal Desh. Priests are appointed here from Dimri

community. It is also said that paandavas were also born at this same place. Also towards Badrinath

there is Suryakund on Milam Glacier where Kunthi gave birth to Karna. One need to walk thru very

narrow streets to reach this temple. There is Kuver (Kuber) temple very nearby. I have not seen any

Badri bushes, they must have got extinct. Yogabadhri is one among five pancha Badhris and others being

Adi Badhri, Vridha Badhri, Bhavisya Badhri , Dhyan Badhri, Ardha Badhri, Narasingh Badhri.


We also happened to meet the priest who stays in a quarter within the same complex. He

opened the temple allowing us to make darshan. We had brief discussion with him who explained the

history. Also came to know that at Badhrinath temple there is saint who regularly visits the temple and

once temple is closed he goes deep into mountains and protects his body with nothing. I heard people

talking about his spiritual powers. We walked out and reached main road thru narrow streets. It was

3:30PM and tried to find accommodation before it gets dark, but failed. Then decided to travel back to

Joshimath. In ten minutes we got the last ride of the day to Joshimath and managed to get in though it

is fully loaded. The jeep broke down after few miles from Badrinath. All locals travelling in our jeep along

with driver disembarked and boarded a local open top truck. But as it is too cold and windy we could not

dare to travel in open air and get sick, so decided to look for another ride. After walking for half-an-hour

we realized that it was not a good idea and how risky it is. We reached a mediation center on the way

and came to know it is Vishnu prayaag. There is no one in the center except a watchman. We stepped

into Vishnu prayaag washed ourselves in ice-cold water and stood on the road side looking for a ride. It

is almost getting dark, once in a while there were military vehicles passing by but none has offered a

ride. Temperature started sliding down steeply, and it is too cold with wind chill gushing between huge

mountains. Joshimath is almost 11km on road which is impossible and short cut is two mile also not

possible due to sunset.


Narrow road from Paandukeswar to Joshimath near Vishnuprayaag where our car broke down

As per the locals at Narsing Temple at Jyothirmath, when the hand of Narasimha idol in this

temple breaks, it is expected to be start of pralaya and two mountains (Jay/Vijay) in the above picture

will collapse closing the access to Badrinath. You can find more details below where I detailed about

Jyothirmath.

After a while the watchman who is in his seventies came to us with a thermos flask and two

empty cups and asked if we would like to have some tea. I am so glad and almost jumped and said, ‘with

pleasure’. In this situation we were badly in need of good tea. Usually a cup of Tea costs Rs.20 and no

one will offer for free. I felt very glad and enjoyed tea. While we both were having tea, that old person

started reading a book in that cold weather. I asked him what he was doing. He looked at me and said ‘ I

am reading Bhagawath Geetha’. That is when I observed him, he is so pleasant with sparkling eyes and

humble and I still remember his face as if I had just seen. We felt that he is certainly GOD sent. When

asked he said he is from Rajasthan and is serving the Yoga guru at this place. He also said that he just

follows whatever his guru asked him to do. He came to us with tea when we badly need as if someone

has sent and is totally unexpected for us and is kind of miracle. I asked him what would be our options if

we don’t get a ride, he said ‘you can stay with me with whatever I have’ which gave me some relief. He

accompanied us as long as we were there. After a while we saw a huge truck passing by which stopped

at our request accepted to give us a ride up to Joshimath. We said adieus to the gentleman and boarded

the truck.


Vishnu Prayaag

Truck driver a very young kid in teens, not sure how he got license to drive such a heavy

vehicle in the mountainous routes. We were surprised at his driving skills. He shared his experiences

with us and is very nice kid. He said he is going to Haridwar and is happy to drive us till there as he also

need a company. As my friend Krishna need to return to Hyderabad asap we accepted to travel up to

Haridwar with him. After travelling about eight miles we were stopped near Vishnu prayaag Hydro

Power Plant saying no big trucks were allowed to pass thru Joshimath during peak hours and need to

wait till police give permission. Not knowing what to do, we both were standing on the roadside.

Suddenly a driver with a van belonging to PowerPlant offered ride to Joshimath as is in a rush we didn’t

even have time to inform our driver as he is too far from us talking to others. We decided to get hold of

him when he pass thru Joshimath and mean while visit temples around without wasting time.

JOSHIMATH/JYOTHIRMATH

Its original name is Jyothirmuth whose name slowly changed to Joshimath. Lord Sankaracharya

who visited Badhrikarayana worshiped lord performing penance for five years. He rennovated Badrinath

temple and founded Jyothirmath also called as Uttaraamnaaya muth as it is the northern muth among

the established total four. River Alakananda will be flowing about 500 meters below. Period of repair to

Badrinath temple and dates of establishing Jyothirmath and birth date of Sankaracharya tallies based on

various scriptures such as Shiv Rahasya. It is ascertained that muth was established 2641 years of

Kaliyug. History of Garhwal-Raturi reinstates that Sankaracharya reinstalled the idol of present

Badrinarayan which was thrown into Naradkund by a Buddhist. After construction of Jyothirmath he

handed over the responsibility of worshipping Badrinath to Dandi Sanyasis (who have abandoned all the

worldly attachments). He established four muths and following were the years of establishments

1. Jyothirmath -On Karthik Shukla Panchami in Yudhisthira samvath 2646

2. Sharadamath- On Karthik Shukla Panchami in Yudhisthira samvath 2648

3. Sringerimath - On Phalgun Shukla Naumi in Yudhisthir Samvath 2649

4. Govardhanmath-On Vaisakaha Shukla Naumi in Yudhisthir Samvath 2655

During his five year stay Sankaracharya wrote an annotation on Prasthantrayi, . There is an

immortal mulberry tree sitting under which Sankaracharya performed penance, tells its own tale

testifying this even today. Mr. Wentenent a Bristish expert of forest college Dehradun has described the

tree as two thousand year old in his essay.


Roadway to Jyothirmath from River Alakanada which is flowing at foot hills

Though we have no much time left, we decided to explore shrines around. This is major

center for pilgrims who destined to Badrinath, Guru Gobindh Ghat (very important shrine for

Sikhs), valley of flowers, Tapovan, Auli (rope way) etc. At the math there is also a cave where

Thotakacharya (first acharya of this math) took tapasya. Also I am fortunate to see the Spatika

(crystal) Siva Linga, Sankaracharaya found it in Ganga. It is a great experience to see that Siva

Linga in particular. We were told that many pilgrims used to visit param guru who used to

deliver holy discourse or pravachanam. Even today evening pravachams will be conducted by

both the institutions. Some say that Sankaracharya wrote Sankhar Bhashyam here. Visited

places around where other acharyas did tapasya.


Mulberry (Kalpavriksh) tree, said to be 2500 yr old where Sankaracharya got divine message

There is another temple called Bhavishya Kedar(future Kedar) few miles away, as per local

belief present Kedar will disappear from Kedarnath and re-appear at this place. Also visited the

mulberry tree where Sankaracharya has worshipped lord Siva, now a temple called Jyoteshwar

Mahadev temple is built for Siva. We collected some leaves as prasaadam to carry back home.

People call it as Kalpavriksha or Kalpataru.

One thing that is quite disturbing is there are two institutions who claim to belong to

Sankaracharya lineage. The old monastery is few meters behind the present monastery (

appears to be quite new based on architecture). We happened to visit old monastery also, and

meet guru who is old and quite with very few disciples. He briefly explained the lineage by

showing pictures of other gurus whose pictures are hanging to the wall. He offered us some

prasaadam also. We also came to know that there is another saint who also claims to be

another acharya. This is an unfortunate situation and not good for muth which is one of main

centers of Hinduism.


Jyothirmath –Seat of Sankaracharya, which is said to be old and original

After we got the darshan and blessings of guru at the old Jyothirmath, we walked down

back on to the main street. Most of the people were locals and very few pilgrims as month of

December is too cold. As we know that we need to get hold of the truck which is waiting outside

Jyothirmath to pass thru and any time soon trucks will be allowed to pass. My friend Krishna

agreed to wait on road and get hold of the truck and mean while I can have quick darshan of

Narasimha Swamy at Narsing temple. Within a second I gave my travel back-pack to him and

ran to visit the temple.


Narsingh Temple (Temple of Narasimha Swamy another form of Vishnu) Jyothirmath

Narsing Temple is down the hill thru very narrow streets of the village. I am almost running

while confirming path with locals to reach the temple. In about 20mints I managed to reach the

temple, exhausted and sweating. I am so fortunate that in half minute after I reached, aarathi

has started following which temple will be closed. I witnessed the whole process of aarathi and

had prasaadam and I realized that I has spent half an hour in the temple. Here the idol of

Narasimha Swamy another avathar of Vishnu is made of Saligram. According to Rajtarangini,

king of Kashmir, Lalitaditya has established this temple. One arm of this idol is thin and is said

that it is becoming thinner year by year. Ultimately in Kaliyuga when this arm break, the

mountains Jaya-Vijaya will collapse closing the route to Badrinath and causing catastrophe in the

world. Since the cosmic will not end Badhrinathji will appear in BhavishyaBadhri which is 17Km

from Jyothirmath. During winter Badhrinath will be worshipped at Narsing Temple and I am so

fortunate to have darshan and attend aarathi. Garhi Devi (Durga) temple is located at a distance

of 3km from Jyothirmath. After half-an-hour I realized that my friend is waiting on the main

road to get hold of the truck and for me as well. I started running back in the dark and narrow

roads.


Fortunately no trucks were yet allowed to pass thru the town. Now we are sure that we

have the truck behind but challenge is make sure that the driver stops for us again. We both

were very attentive standing on the street and weather is too cold and most of shops were shut.

After long wait we saw a truck coming towards us and got ready with our luggage, but it passed

by though we ran behind it asking to stop. We were very disappointed. Not knowing what to do

and started looking for an alternative or stay around. In about ten minutes we saw another

similar truck coming towards. To our surprise it stopped in front of us, and door was opened.

Shockingly it Is the same driver whom we are looking for peeped out asking us to get in as he is

not supposed to stop there. I felt like a miracle and even driver was happy to see us again. Fact

is both trucks look alike and belong to same company.

I am very hungry as was running around a lot and spent much time in cold and I expressed

the same. Driver promised to stop at a hotel which he knew well. After about an hour we

stopped at a hotel to whom we were last customers. We enjoyed dinner along with the drivers

of other truck also. Took another tea break after two hours where tea was made in the truck

itself. It is really not easy to sit in a truck that too on the terrain roads. We were ok as were

talking on local details most of the time. Driver also belongs to the same region also showed his

hamlet which is very far from the highway.

At around 2 am, and about 10km before Srinagar (Uttarakhand), there was a landslide and

only one vehicle can pass at a time and rest need to wait. By the time we reached the point

there is truck with broken axle exactly at slide point. It is too dark out there, our driver and staff

in other trucks also tried to move on, but could not as it is too steep on the other side and our

truck is too wide and long. We decided to move back and stay on the road side till sunrise.

Drivers told us not to get down the truck as it is deep forest and this is the area where wild

animals walk down into river for water. After a while driver fell asleep and we both were sitting

quietly in the truck without making any sound as we don’t want our drivers to be disturbed. It

was so horrible to spend four hours silently, could not get down and walk as there is fear of

animals and cold. There is lot of dust as any small vehicle pass by and no one is ready to stop for

us in that forest, possibly they must have felt unsafe. Even the glass door of the truck is broken

and so it is too cold. Only comforter in the truck is given to driver. At 7am we decided to pick

another ride and move on. Mean while some other truck drivers has managed to make the road

bit wider letting small vehicles move. I tried to wake up our driver to say good bye and he is

deep sleep but at the same time we have to leave. So kept some money in his driving seat,

certainly more than regular fare because he did not ask us any. We took another ride to

Rishikesh, hope he will cherish and we were also very thankful to the driver.


Bribe in the train

From Rishikesh we moved on to Haridwar, then to Delhi. From Delhi we could not get train

reservation to Hyderabad. So we went to Nizamuddin station expecting to get one as it is a long

journey. After some struggle my friend managed to get reservation up to Nagpur. We thought

something is better than nothing, had some dinner which is horrible. Purchased some carrots

and muli and boarded the train. As we were approaching Nagpur, requested ticket collector if

we can get any reservation from Nagpur to Hyderabad who promised to arrange. After a while

ticket collector (TC) came to us and asked one of us to come aside to write down ticket for us.

Krishna said he is going to handle as we are very much aware why he is asking to come aside.

Krishna walked with TC who wrote receipt of Rs2200 (approx) and asked to pay Rs.4400 which

means bribe is as much as the fare. As Krishna is aware he said seriously “Sir, I fight for anti

corruption and this comes under corruption and bribery. I might need to file case against you”.

TC was shocked and got up from his seat as if he sat on a pack of springs, with his face faded

away, took Krishna’s hand with both hands and said “You are the kind of people we need in this

society, you can pay exact fare and that would be fine”. We were glad that we managed to stick

to our discipline or oath taken. We took vegetables out from the bag, chopped into small slices,

sprinkled salt and pepper, enjoyed along with another Ayyappa devotee who really cherished.

At Nagpur station we had one liter of fresh orange juice mixed with salt which was too delicious.

Reached Hyderabad the following day and that is end of our journey.


GUIDE LINES

1. Physical Fitness

It is very much necessary to be physically fit and mentally prepared. I suggest to do some stretch

outs, thread mill with inclination. Trekking experience will certainly help.

Shoes are very important with proper spike, bigger heal, temperature and water resistant. Due

to inexperience I purchased shoes with spikes but not much heal. When we climb inclined

surfaces, the calf part (rear part of legs) stretches more and strains the nerves. I suffered severe

nerve pain from ankle to neck for two days. For this shoe with good heal is very important and

this is one important lesson I has learnt. Also check the cushion part at the front part of shoe

else your toe might get hurt while climbing down. If you need a new pair for the trip buy them

atleast a month or two in advance giving you ample time to break into them, blisters or sore

areas develop on your feet when hiking with new boots

It is good if you are used to cold conditions, when travelling during winter

2. Mental preparedness and being receptive. If one is mentally prepared to experience the

spiritual vibrations by practicing meditations etc and is receptive I am very affirmative that you

can see miracles happen all the time. I guess most of the times we are ignorant or leave things

unnoticed or do not sense. Better be as quite as possible so to be able to sense and observe.

3. Carry bag Requirements-If you are wandering with no vehicle it is always advisable to go with

minimum luggage. Big backpack is the best. As much as possible it is better to be hands free and

stuff all luggage into your back-pack or pockets. Two pairs of clothes, jacket, water, dry fruits

and electrolytic power are mostly needed

4. Waste disposal – One thing that disturbed me most is the garbage disposal. In the past few

years since chardham yaatra started, there is huge flow of tourists than pilgrims. Mostly people

throw money and buy a travel packages for parents etc. There is too much use of plastic and no

proper disposal management and sanitation. Local politicians are corrupted, chardham

committee don’t care either for environment or even for temples. Government has no time to

think even. At least you as an individual make sure that garbage is properly disposed. We made

sure of that. If there is no social consciousness there is no point in going that far.


5. Diet consciousness – Most of the places are ok during unseason. We preferred places where the

making of food is visible so that we are assured of cleanliness. Fruits are relatively expensive.

Carrot, gazar and muli are safe and more available. Most of the meals will be served with roti,

rice and curry.

6. Map of some of the places we travelled

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