To Gangothri

After a good night's rest, we woke up early, looking forward to the continued bliss. The bus was ready, all the passengers were ready on time.

Now the trip was toward Gangothri. From Janaki Chatti to Uttarkasi to Harsil. It was a total of about 200 kms or less.It took four hours to reach Uttarkasi. There were many Temples in that area, Ekadasa, Gnaneswar, Kuteti Devi and Rudra Temples, to name a few. And at about 5 kms from there was Viswanatha Temple. We had good darshan there. We did not visit the others. Also, the lunch break of two hours was ample. Uttarkashi to Harsil was another four hour journey.

I saw signs like 'do not throw plastic in the river'. 'Do not pollute' etc. Along the road I also noticed many empty plastic bottles and lots of garbage. When I mentioned this, one of my fellow passengers advised that we should not focus on those since we are on a pilgrimage. I obeyed. Bottled water was the safest way to consume and we were spending a lot of money on that.

I saw children of all ages walking alone and in groups. I admired the 'fear free' life they led there. I continued enjoying the beauty that nature had provided.

From Yamunothri return to Barkot

Yamunothri to Janaki Chatti to Hanuman Chatti to Barkot

From Janaki Chatti downhill trek was less than 4 hrs about 6 km one way. I was very nervous when the Doli carriers started running down the hill on wet ground. We saw some of our fellow passengers on ponies. The ponies had their own mind. One pony tried to be friendly with a fellow pony and another got into a fight with another. The ones riding the ponies as well the two of us were really afraid that they all would fall into the gorge!! The road was so narrow. I think the walkers (hikers?) were in the safest position.

The time taken was less for myself and Nirmala since we took the Doli to reach Janaki Chatti. At Yamunotri we took a holy dip in natural hot water spring and then performed Pooja (prayers) and Holy Darshan of Goddess Yamuna. Later we returned to Janaki Chatti and drove back to Barkot. We were so relieved to be back (home!!!)

Overnight stay was at Barkot. The Garhwal (GMVN) travel accommodation was very comfortable. All our suitcases were carried by the helpers and were left in the lobby. Each of us identified our baggage and took them to our respective rooms. Hot milk was available for a fee in the attached restaurant.

For tranquility and meditation and peace of mind, this was a good starting point.

More on Yamunothri

So far I had mentioned about the beginning of our trip. But let me give more details about the Holy place itself. Yamunothri is in the province of Uttaranchal and is the first of the four dhams.

The weather, is very pleasant during day time, by night slightly cold. Occasional rain makes the roads slippery also. The rains are heavier from September through November. Hindi and Garhwali and some English are spoken.

Yamunothri is located on the west side of Garhwal Himalaya. We went there end of May. But devotees and tourists from all over the world came here from April through November.

As we approached the actual holy place, we were told that there was a small tank called Surya Kund in which water was so hot that one could boil rice, potatoes that can be taken as prasadam. Yamunothri temple was built by a king  Pratap Shah.

Near the kund, is 'Divya shila' a rock which is worshipped first and then the Yamuna idol which is made of a black marble.

We were about 1 km away from the source of Yamuna. The approach was very difficult at an altitude of over 4400 meters. That was why pilgrims offered worship in that Temple itself.

Yamunothri

It was a full  day trip to Yamunothri ahead of us. An elevation of approximately 3200 meters. Up to Barkot, the road was alright. We saw many Pine (evergreen) trees, one or two Banana trees in the vicinity of some houses. A few stray dogs who had resemblance to each other (as though we were seeing the same dog again). I felt strange that there were not any birds, animals or variety in trees.

After early breakfast (Roti, subji and tea or hot milk) we have begun our journey. The first destination was Hanuman chatti (about 2130 meters altitude) in our bus. The road was getting to be narrow and rough. We had to go up to Janaki chatti to start the trekking to go to Yamunotri. The trekking distance was about 9 kms. To walk it took about 4 hours. Some rode on ponies (mules). Some were carried in human-dolis. Nirmala and I negotiated the rate with four young Nepalese men. All my life, I resented the idea of being carried by fellow humans. But I felt safe in this situation to use this channel than riding on the pony. Rao started to climb with his newly made friends. We met them on the way a few times and waved. He looked young, enthusiastic, and cheerful as usual. Our doli-carriers stopped 2 to 3 times for tea and lunch break. They were smoking at every stop. Nirmala (with her severe sore throat and limited Hindi-hahahaha) told them that we would pay for the tea and meals, but not for the tobacco. I gave them a lecture on the bad effects of tobacco and about lung cancer etc. They ignored both of us and smiled!!!

As we reached Yamunothri, my heart was beating fast. Everything was heavenly (not that I knew how Heaven looked) and I could hear the flood of water. Due to heavy rains, the river was flooded. The crowds that were ahead of us - some in wet clothes, some rushing to the Temple, some shopping in the road side stalls and some others just silently gazing in to the sky. I was so happy to be there. To be continued....

Yamunothri, Gangothri, Kedarnath and Badarinath

An introduction!! Yamunothri was our first glimpse of The Holy Ganga river. At this point, I would like to mention that Goddess Ganga takes four names as she flows through and purifies the land. She is called Yamuna at Yamunothri, Bhageerathi at Gangothri, Mandakini at Kedarnath, Alakananda at Badarinath. We saw four dams along the way. The water was pure and the scenic beauty was breathtaking.

From Rishikesh, we passed Dehradun, Mussorie, The Yamuna Bridge, Nainbagh and Lakha Mandal to reach Barkot. Most of it was flat land. I think we travelled about 220 kms to Barkot. The lunch break was at Chinyalisaur. At the first meal itself we realized that rice, sambar, Idli and good coffee were on hold for the next two weeks. We should have enjoyed the good tea that was available - instead, we ordered coffee and criticized it for the rest of the trip.

The ladies from Gujarat started singing devotional songs in the back seats. The doctor from California was distributing her sample medicines to the fellow passengers suffering from coughs and colds. Nirmala was not included in that. She brought her own medicine from Tirupathi. The bus driver and the two conductors were paying lot of attention to the doctor and her group. Not only she was providing her services, but also their group were fluent in Hindi.

To be continued.............

Where, when and what!!

Now we were to join the rest of the group in Rishikesh. We were asked to report one day before departure at a Tourist complex. Frequency of the tour was one on Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday. We picked the Tuesday tour.  We took an auto rickshaw from TTD to the Tourist complex. It was large enough for three people and Rao's confidence in his efficiency in loading fitted our luggage also.

Nirmala was continuously coughing. She and Rao started conversation with the driver in Hindi. In my opinion, they had the same level of knowledge in spoken Hindi. They would not let me open my mouth. But, after every conversation, I had to translate everything to the driver (which was a boost to my ego!!!!). We were at the complex by 7 p.m. after dinner.

A total of 26 including one 10 year old boy Mohil arrived. We all stayed in the rooms allocated for each family. There were two other Telugu speaking families. A few from Gujarat and few others from UP. One couple from Bombay area Anil and Rashma became our close friends. I still have the large pine cone that they gave us which they collected in the wilderness there. Rashma was seen sitting and meditating during early morning hours where ever we stayed for night along the Holy rivers. One of the Telugu families was from California. There were some self introductions!! We left Rishikesh at 7 a.m. (after some breakfast) towards Barkot. We had a drive of about 220 kms ahead of us. By the way, Rishikesh is at an altitude of 345 meters. It is surrounded by mountains on three sides and is known as gateway to Heaven. Very beautiful and very peaceful.

The community

We showered, hand-washed some clothes and went out looking for food, internet cafe and the like. As we stepped out, I saw an old Mosque across the road. The TTD Temple was on my left and the Chandramowli (Shiva) Temple on the right. We just needed to walk a few feet to enter those. We visited both the Temples for a very short period. 

The Internet cafe was also on the right side just a few feet away. Hot Tea was being sold by a few street vendors. We were hungry and looked around for a place to eat. Saw two small cafes!! I noticed some beggars/homeless people sitting along the sidewalk. A couple of them had hukka in their mouth. I was a bit nervous to go there to eat.

We walked up the road further hoping for a better place. We saw a Sikh Temple and a Church. I was amazed that three religions were represented on a small street!! No restaurant was found. We returned to the tiny place where they advertised South Indian food. The food and service were good. The eating room was about 10' X 15', had an attached kitchen, dish washing area. One could see the whole action. Talking of child labor, the waiter was about 12 years of age. All smiles, a charmer!! We tipped him well (for being so cute??). Returned to the room, rested well all day.           

Chardham

We found the package. Decided on using Garhwal Travel agency. The places included Gangothri, Yamunothri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. It was a 10 day tour. We flew from Boston by British Airways on May 17th, 2006 evening to arrive in Chennai early hours of the 19th. Nirmala met us in Chennai and she booked accommodation at the TTD place in T. Nagar, Chennai. Our flight to Delhi was on 22nd morning. We left our heavy luggage at Mohan's place. The domestic airlines allowed very little weight. We were planning to extend the trip for another week after leaving the group. So, we really had to be very careful in choosing what to take with us.

We flew to New Delhi from Chennai and took a Taxi from the airport to Rishikesh. Nirmala booked the rooms at the local TTD(Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam) fecility. The journey felt very long due to the cold and fever I had. I dozed off in the back seat of the car. I don't remember how long it took us to reach Rishikesh.

It was very clean and beautiful as we entered. The rooms at the TTD were very comfortable. One had an attached bathroom. I looked through the window and was thrilled to see the Temple Gopuram.

I would like to add that the following was my first mail to my friends and family in the USA.

"We reached Hrishikesh yesterday evening. Due to severe cold and fever, I could not get out to send the mail. Tomorrow, 24th our package tour begins. I will be in touch again soon. So far, the trip had been good. The weather is just right. No good coffee - so I am drinking tea once a day. The other two are fine. For those who don't know, myself, my husband and my friend Nirmala are on this tour. She brought the cold home. Now it is Rao's turn.

We are staying near TTD temple. Through the windows, I can see the temple. I woke up with Temple bells and beautiful music. This did not happen in my life since I was 12 years old."

The search had begun

We did lot of google searching about the places we were interested in. We had checked out on some package tours. There were many available. The more choices you had, the more difficult it was to plan. But between Rao (my husband) and Nirmala (my friend) after many phone calls it was decided to go to Rishikesh on our own and then join the group tour there. Which meant that we fly to Delhi from Chennai and find road transportation from Delhi to Hrishikesh.
My son-in-law Srikanth's father played a big role in investigating about the tour packages in the local Chennai office. We sent the money, he paid the deposit. I called the NJ travel agent again to give her the exact dates of our travel to India. Nirmala made all the domestic air and train arrangements in India. It was really happening !!!. My children, their spouses and our friends had all joined us in the excitement. I was still nervous inside about the altitudes in Badrinath, Kedarnath, how my pacemaker would react etc. Nirmala assured me that if for some reason I felt any pressure or discomfort and did not want to go up, she would stay back with me at the foothills in Hrishikesh and Rao would continue with the group. (Isn't she a sweet soul??)