Glorious Gwalior (Gibralter of India) - all in a day's work!

Enamored since our first trip to Pachmarhi-Madhai-Bhopal, the state of Madhya Pradesh - Hindustan ka dil - beckons us to unravel its varied landscape of rich culture and natural bounty!

Delhi being very close to MP, we could make a very quick trip of the city of Gwalior of which I will now present a very crisp account.

Gwalior is famous for being the birthplace of Tansen, one of the nine jewels (Navratnas) of Emperor Akbar's court. Gwalior is also home to legendary singer Baiju Bawra and the wizard of Hockey - Major Dhyanchand.

Our trip and places we covered:

• Left New Delhi early in the morning by Bhopal Shatabdi at 6 am. It takes about 3 hours to reach Gwalior.

  

  Gwalior Railway Station

• Some of the major places of interest are scattered in the city and some are on the hilltop fort.
• We booked an Ola rental for the day and decided to first visit the city and later the fort. Visiting the hilltop later in the day would also allow you to witness the Light and Sound show at the Gwalior Fort which takes place in the evening.
• First stop was the Vivasvan Sun Temple. Now this is not really a very historic spot, being only about thirty years old - built by the Birlas. However, it is a near perfect replica of the Sun Temple at Konark. May be visited, if you've not been to the original, but do not spend more than half and hour here. Not a place of my interest!
• Next we visited the Tomb of Tansen(or the Tansen Memorial) and that of his Sufi master Mohd. Ghous Mohammad. These places need to be better maintained by the state Tourism. The two mausoleums - of intricate lattice designed walls-  stand side by side in a park. The place is overgrown, the Monuments in want of upkeep and urchins and local vagabonds create a ruckus. The garden should be more well-manicured , more security personnel should be deployed so that tourists are not skeptical - if required, an entrance fee may be charged to permit entry to those who are truly interested. The Tomb of Tansen, till date, has an Imli tree, the leaves of which, if eaten, grants miraculous power of mellifluence. The Tansen Music Festival or the Tansen Samaroh is celebrated every year around December at this place.

  

  Tansen Memorial

• The Jaivilas Palace, constructed by Maharaja Jayaji Rao Scindia in 1874 at a cost of Rs 1 crore, currently houses the Scindia Museum and a part of it also serves as the residence of the former royal Maratha Scindia dynasty. This Palace is a fine example of European architecture. It has several galleries on the ground floor- the Scindia Lineage Gallery, Uniforms, carriages and even an indoor swimming pool. The first floor has several period Art rooms and one dedicated to the most popular modern day Scindia - Madhavrao Scindia. The most famous portion of the Jaivilas Palace is the Durbar Hall Complex, which has famed silver toy train serving food at the Banquet Hall table! Photography is prohibited inside the Jaivilas Mahal. The musuem will easily take about an hour

  

  The Jaivilas Mahal

  and a half to two.
• Searching the high rated restaurants in Gwalior, lunch followed at the Kwality Restaurant. Normal fare, value for money! The restaurant was hosting a farewell get-together of a school teacher that afternoon.
• Post lunch, we headed to the hilltop fort city. Gwalior Fort is an 8th century fortress, also popularly known as the "Gibralter of India" (why: just as Europe could not be won without winning Gibralter, the Southern part of India cannot

  

  Gwalior Fort ahead

  be accessed without passing through the Gwalior Fort). Here, one has to take the local vehicles available at the base of the hill to reach to the hilltop. So be prepared to shell out some more money here. On the way, there are huge Jain sculptures on the mountain walls reaching the Fort. The chief places of interest are :
• The Man-Mandir Palace: Magnificent, ceramic mosaics and lattice work.

  

  Man-Mandir Palace

  Built by Maharaja Man Singh Tomar. Purchase tickets from the ASI counter and take a guide to visit the inner chambers to see the inner swimming enclave, communication network in the palace walls, and also the Jauhar Kund - where ladies gave up their lives, instead of being captive in war. Take a view of the sprawling city of Gwalior from the ramparts of the Man Mandir palace juxtaposed against the blue-green inlaid mosaic of the Fort walls! One of the vivid scenes symbolizing of the city of Gwalior. From the gates of the Man Mandir palace, we took an e-rick for a visit to the other places in the fort area.
• The Shahastra Bahu Temple (or the Saas Bahu Temple) : Two temples - one in which the mother in law and the other in which the daughter in law used to worhsip Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. No worship is done here nowadays - in urgent need of maintenance - filled with bats and terrible stench. Suitable only for selfies and photography! 
• The Teli ka Mandir : A huge temple - again where no worship is done and in need of maintenance. Said to be built by a merchant of oil - hence the name.



Saas Bahu Temple

• The Suraj Kund : A pond , a dip in which is said to have cured the King Suraj Sen of leprosy. This place is also connected to the saint Galava, after whom the city of Gwalior is said to be named. The saint's blessings and the pond's water are said to have proven miraculous for the local King.



Suraj Kund, Gwalior Fort

• The Scindia school : The Scindia School for boys is also in the Fort. One can catch the boys playing football or horse-riding in the playgrounds!

What we missed: 

• As we were scheduled to return that evening, we could not stay for the Light & Sound show at the Man Mandir Palace. But I have read on multiple websites, that it is a show worth the wait - in the rich baritone of Amitabh Bachchan- it tells the tale of Gwalior city.
• Gurjari Mahal Musuem : Entrance at the base of the fort, on the opposite side. Was closed by the time we reached. Said to be build for the Maharaja for his beloved Gujjar wife Mriganayani. Please ensure, you visit this museum by 3 or 4 pm as it shuts down after that.
• Tigra Dam : About 25 km from the city. Can't comment much, as we did not go there. But in case, you are planning a two-day trip, may think of including this in your itinerary as well.

RKM Ashrama, Gwalior

Finally, we wound up the day with a visit to the Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama - though not under the aegis of the Ramakrishna Math and Misison , yet in line with the vision.

Our train back to Delhi was the same Bhopal Shatabdi at 7.45 pm which reaches around midnight!

What a packed but great visit!

Thank you, dear visitor, for reading this blog!

Looking forward to your comments on the same! :D

Five Days among the Tipperans - As we bid goodbye (Agartala)

After a breakfast of kochuri-sabji (here, and in most of the Eastern parts of the country, Kochuri is a puri ,deep-fried leavened flatbread made of fine wheat flour or maida, with a thin filling of daal - pulses-, paste of peas etc.) and chai we made our onward journey to the capital city of Agartala.

Agartala is only an hour's drive from Kasba. 

Ramakrishna Math, Viveknagar 

Enroute, we made a stop-over at Ramakrishna Math and Mission at Viveknagar. It has a huge campus which houses besides the main temple, a residential CBSE affiliated school for boys(presently around 847 students), a hospital, an ITI, hostels, guest-houses etc.

Next we visited the Ujjayanta Palace. This white palace is clearly the chief attraction in Agartala. The former royal residence of the Tripura Royalty - the Manikya dynasty, the palace has now been converted into the State Museum. It is a two storied building with rooms giving glimpses of all the main places of interest in Tripura and the first floor has snap-shots of the all the North Eastern states. Besides the places we had been to in Tripura, there are a few other tourist spots such as Pilak and Boxnagar which house relics related to Budhdhism. The museum also informs about the culture, flora & fauna, languages, ethnicities of Tripura. Tripura is a mix of Tribal and Bengali sensibilities- locals are at ease in Kok-Boruk or Bengali! 

The palace was constructed by Maharaja Radha Kishore Manikya. The architecture is heavily influence by Mughal, Roman and British styles.

It is highly recommended, that if short on time, or may be while on business trips, if one chances upon visiting Agartala, do visit this museum to get a flavour of all that Tripura has on display.

The other institutions which the Tipperans are proud of are the Sukanta Academy, a science museum, said to be built at the place where earlier stood the Barman's residence ( Famed Bollywood music directors SD Burman and RD Burman), Maharaja Bir Bikram College, the Chief Minister's residence - all of which are enroute the city center where stands the State Museum.

Lunch was at a local restaurant. One can ask for the pickled Hilsa fish for a taste of the local cuisine.

Malancha Niwas, Agartala

The "Bard of Bengal", Rabindranath Tagore shared a close friendship with the Manikya kings, especially Maharaja Birendra Kishore Manikya, who was his contemporary.

The Malancha Niwas was the guest house which Maharaja Birendra Kishore provided Tagore with - it also has a round balcony which is said to have been the Gurudev's favourite.

We made a short stop at the state emporium Purbasha. Famous products of the state are handicrafts made of bamboo, cane and wood. The handloom has distinct of Tribal, Manipuri and Bengali designs. The colourful bedspread Lysingphee is a famous and popular buy here!

Akhaura Beating Retreat

The day ended at the Indo-Bangla border check post at Akhaura. 

The evening march past is only a fifteen minutes affair. We reached Akhaura around 4 in the evening - in ample time for the ceremony. 

The BSF jawans were quite welcoming and wanted the general public to witness their march-routine.

Quite a crowd gathers for viewing the Beating retreat, so it is advisable to be on time.

With a receipt as a proof for our check, we were allowed into the waiting area. As we sat, we could see goods-vehicles cross the border, Bangladeshis and Indians crossing to the other side on foot upon verification of passport and other documents.

Visiting Hours:

1. Summer (April – November) : Ceremony starts at 5pm.
2. Winter (December – March) : Ceremony starts at 4.30pm.

If in Agartala, do visit this place, which is on the way to the Airport. The air here is of friendly cooperation - quite in contrast with the Retreat ceremony at Wagah with our westerly neighbour!

That brought us to the close of Tripura trip - where we had a varied flavour of places to visit- ranging from un-dated Bas reliefs, hill-stations, adventure trips down rivers and also a darshan of a Shakti Peeth!

Five Days among the Tipperans - Day 4

Boat fares

On the third day evening, we halted at the Sagar Mahal Tourist Lodge at Rajghat, Melaghar. This was by far the best state tourism accommodation yet. The old complex is being renovated, so though while booking we had been allotted Rudra Sagar Lake facing rooms, they were not being let out to tourists. So we were allotted alternative accommodation in spacious rooms in the new building. 

Neer Mahal or "Water Palace" was built by king Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya as the summer retreat. The influence of Muslim architecture is astounding. The Neer Mahal has its western cousin in the Jal Mahal in Jaipur. The later is however not accessible to tourists. 

Here at Neer Mahal, there are frequent ferries which take you across and allows a visit time of forty minutes. One can either book the entire boat or wait for other tourists and book a per head ticket. The ferry starts right adjacent to the Sagar Mahal Tourist Lodge.

The royal ghat inside Neermahal 

Having rested ourselves that night, we were eager for an early start next morning. Surprisingly, we were greeted by heavy cover of fog which hindered our plans of an early morning visit. 

Neermahal

After breakfast around 10, the fog cleared. We took a boat to ourselves as we did not wish to delay any further. A 16-25 seater mechanised boat charges Rs 600 /=. A ten minutes ride brings one to the Neermahal. Entry tickets are Rs 10 and extra for camera. 

The palace has gardens, several dance rooms, living rooms and also a private bank which was used by the royalty. There are spiral stair cases leading upto the roof. We were lucky to have reached at a relatively less crowded period. Having wondered at the architecture and the facilities, we returned ashore.

Choshma Banor at Sepahijala

Continuing on our journey , we left around noon. About an hour's drive and we arrived at the Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary. Sepahijala is by far the most famous wildlife sanctuary/zoo in Tripura, given its proximity to Agartala. It is famous for its clouded leopards and "Choshma Banor" or spectacled langoors. We were , frankly, not very impressed with Sepahijala. It is but a zoo! The place has been commercialized far too much - and the though complete with a zoo hospital et al, the zoo itself not quite well maintained. The cages are too small for the animals and the meshes too closely knit to get a good view or a nice shot! The is the one place, which turned out to be a bit disappointing in our trip. You may chose to give it a skip!

The day's lunch was at a roadside hotel at Bishalgarh. Food in Tripura is nothing fancy. Most places one will get the standard veg and non-veg thali (fixed meal). Food habits are akin Bengalis - so an abundance of fish, chicken, egg. At the Tourist bungalows, one has to place the lunch/dinner orders beforehand as the preparation is need based.

Kasba Kali Bari 

Around 4 pm, we reached the second last destination of this journey - Kasba. Kasba is on the Bangaladesh-India border. It is famous for the Kali Temple - Kasba Kali Bari and the Kamalasagar lake.The international border of barbed wire lines the lake. The Kasba railway station and Bangladesh EMU trains are visible and audible from India. There is a weekly Indo-Bangla market , which happens on each Sunday. Wholesalers, farmers exchange their produce. BSF personnel stand guard all over the place. Mobile phones , on auto mode, acquire the Time Zone of Bangladesh and one has to be very careful that the foreign network is not registered on.

Kamalasagar Lake

The street leading upto the Kali Bari is lined with pera shops. After offering evening puja, we spent our time talking to the locals.
The pujari performed a beautiful evening arati and we were even offered prasadam.
The Comilla Tourist Lodge here was the best state tourism accommodation which we experienced this time with spic and span rooms and prompt amenities. Though not many make a night stay here, as it is very close to Agartala, we would recommend you to spend an evening here to catch a glimpse of the local life.
Standing at the lake side, one gets a strange feeling - if one were to just swim across the lake, one would reach forbidden grounds - Bangladesh - now a foreign land, once which was our very own!
The pain of partition is still very raw and alive in the Tripuran Bengalis and several East Bengalis who have crossed over to West Bengal. Though the generation which faced the ravages of the time has now faded away, the generation who had their uncles / aunts/ grandparents across the border still seethe with frustration. A part of their childhood had been snatched away forever - never being able spend the summer holidays at their uncles' or grandparents' which probably lay across international borders!

Five Days among the Tipperans - Days 3 (Tripureshwari , Chabimura)

Bhubaneswari Temple, Udaipur

Covering a distance of about 250 km in over 7 hours, on entering Udaipur in the Gomti District, only about 60 km from Agartala, we visited the Bhubaneshwari Temple. It was built by Maharaja Govinda Manikya and was the backdrop of the famous story Rajarshi and play Bisarjan by Rabindranath Tagore - on abolition of human sacrifice.The temple is in a typical hut (char-chala) structure which is a common sight in rural Bengal. It is said, that in its heyday, human sacrifice was a common occurrence in this temple. The original idol has now been removed and the temple structure is now ASI preserved. The adjoining ground is let out to local groups for picnics and a new temple where a new Bhubaneswari idol is worshipped.

Overnight stay was at Gomti Tourist Lodge - a nondescript place with very basic facilities.

Kalyan Sagar, Matabari

Fishes in Kalyan Sagar 

We commenced next morning at around 8.30. First visiting the Tripura Sundari temple, which is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas of India. It is said that Sati's right foot fell at this spot. In the sanctum sanctorum are two idols - one of Chhoti maa, about 2 ft in height and a 5 ft idol of Tripureswari. Legend has that the trident to the right of Tripureswari, was asked of Maharaja Dhana Manikya in a dream. Devotees may offer brown sweetmeats , pedas, to the Goddesses.The temple is on a raised ground. There is a huge pond the Kalyan Sagar, adjacent to the temple, where live numerous multi-colour fishes, which the visitors may feed. The place is locally known as Matabari (house of the Mother).

Having offered Puja, we had breakfast of kachori-sabji and tea at a local stall.

Chabimura river ride

Chakrak Ma, Deotamura

"Surreal", "Looks like right out of an English adventure movie!" - an hour's drive from Matabari through jungles and village roads Chhabimura. Though the drive to this place is still very uncomfortable, as there is only a mud-road which at places passes over bamboo bridges - the trip is worth its while! A boat ride along the Gomti river enthralls all - the untouched tropical forested mountain sides on either bank - the sun shining in through the dense foliage indeed makes it surreal! About forty minutes boat-ride along the river brings us to the famous mural of the Goddess , locally known as Chakrak Ma, adorn the mountain wall. She has  fierce expression and snake-like hair and is fabled to be protecting the tribal king's treasures stowed away in a cave. There are motor as well as manual boats - chose one depending on your adventure appetite!

We had spoken to the concerned person beforehand for arranging a boat. Contact : Shri Padma Kumar Jamatiya (09436325013). Cost per boat is Rs. 1500/= (sharing or exclusive).

It is highly recommended that you take this 40 km detour from Matabari - else one would be missing out on a natural wonder of Tripura!

The Tripura Travel or Five Days among the Tipperans - Days 1 and 2

The North Eastern part of India being not so easily accessible from the rest of India, it is not every other day that one manages to plan for a trip that side.

This Christmas, we decided to make a short trip to one of the NE states - Tripura.

Kailashahar Kali Bari 

About a six hour road trip from Agartala airport, through the hills of Atharamura and Baramura enveloped by tropical forests of banana trees, Areca Nut (Supari) plants, tall bamboo plants, brought us to the town of Kailashahar in the Northern Tripura district. 

Right behind the Unakoti Tourist Lodge (Tripura Tourism) stood the double fences of barbed wire. To stand so close to the international Border, unmanned, rural folk walking by with a melancholic tale to tell of their inability to go across to their relatives or friends across the border, moves the heart.

Kailashahar is a quiet town. We visited the local Kailashahar Kali Temple, which houses a tiny , only about 3 feet tall, idol.

Unokoti

Early next morning we set about the Unokoti Hills. Unokoti in Bengali means one less than a crore. This is a Shaivite place of pilgrimage and the biggest bas reliefs in India. The number in the name, obviously, being an exaggeration, this place is an impressive collection of huge forms of Shiva, Ganesha, Mother Goddesses and other structures dated back tot he 7th to 9th centuries. The hilly terrain , covered with lush greenery is a pleasantly challenging hike. Take your time to soak in the environment. Try to take a view from all possible angles of this breathtaking place! It seems surreal to witness the perfection of the gigantic statues and their intricate designs.

Moving on, we traveled onward to Jampui Hills - the highest hill range in Tripura. These range on an average around 1000 m above sea level. The road was over hills - sometimes covered with forest and at others with tea-gardens. At places Tipperan children stood waving at our vehicle.

It was a drive of about three hours. It being the Christmas weekend, the Eden Tourist Lodge at Jampui was occupied choc-a-block. The natives of Jampui Hills are a mix of Tipperans and Mizos. 

Sunrise, Jampui Hills

The vegetation in the valley is dense, mostly orange trees (though now the orange cultivation has dwindled), rubber plantation and other lush flaura. The sunset was picturesque.

However, what stole the show was the sunrise next morn! Over a sea of mist on the valley, the diamond ring appeared filling the landscape with radiance.

The journey on this day, scheduled to be the longest, we started off quite early.

Enroute, we stopped over at the Baramura Eco Park for a short visit and later on lunch at the Hornbill Cafeteria.

Chaturdosh Devta Temple, Agartala

The Eco Park, as many such others dotted all over Tripura, essentially works upon their natural splendour of verdant topography. Beautifully designed with huts, bridges - a botanical park where one can spend sometime photographing the greenery.

Continuing towards Udaipur in South Tripura district, the erstwhile capital of the Manikya rulers, we went via the outskirts of Agartala and visited the Chaturdash (fourteen) Devta Temple. The uniqueness of the deities here are that their idols are only that of their head. The famous Kharchi Puja is an annual festival in the month of July-Aug during which all the 14 idols are brought out of their temples and ceremoniously worshipped. 

The Himalayan High - Sojourn 2

Back from Yamunotri temple trek around 11 ish, we packed our stuff and restarted our journey onwards. The early morning hillside trek and the mountain air had made us quite ravenous.

Few kilometres before Barkot, we stopped at a roadside dhaba, for freshly cooked daal, rice and some vegetable curry. Having had our fill, we continued on the meandering mountain tracks, enjoying the nature and the mountain breeze. We crossed Uttarkashi around 4.30 in the evening. A light drizzle had started. The last petrol pump on the way to Gangotri lies only a few kilometres beyond Uttarkashi. 

Netala-  halt before Gangotri

We halted the day's journey at Netala, at the Vishwarup residency. We booked rooms overlooking the playful Bhagirathi , bordered by the Himalayan ranges. Netala seemed to be a favourite night- halt for pilgrims on their way to Gangotri. Very soon, a number of buses, tempo travelers and cars stopped at this place. As we went out for an evening stroll, the place was buzzing with activity.

Waiting for passage through Gangnani

Though Google map shows only about two hours drive from Netala to Gangotri, the road conditions and traffic make it about 3.5 to 4 hours journey. We started off early next morning around 6. On the way there is a hot spring at Gangnani. Pilgrims like to take s dip in the hot water here. This causes some road congestion, but then no one is complaining, considering the lovely view around. Climbing uphill, we saw lofty mountain sides - capped with snow, but so steep that they were barren as no vegetation could find a foothold, skirted with the gushing waters of the Bhagirathi. Slowly, the surrounding changed to lush green mountain walls dotted with innumerable water falls. Higher still, we crossed gardens of apple trees, which we were told are laden with fruits around Sept-Oct.

Enroute Gangotri

Enroute

We made a brief stop at Bhaironghati, just about 8 km before Gangotri. The view beyond this place was more of snow capped , sky- high mountains. The road was under construction and traffic moved slow. 

At Gangotri, pilgrim and traffic are well managed. The temple is a vision in white, encircled by barren mountain tops. We entered the sanctum sanctorum which seats the Ganga panchayat,  consisting of Bhagirath, Gangaji, Ganeshji among others. Just beside the temple complex, pilgrims take a dip in icy cold waters of the pristine Bhagirathi. Standing for a couple of minutes in it, to collect the water, turns the fingers blue in cold. Indeed, it is awe inspiring to see the multitude, in

Bhaironghati

their unwavering faith in this unique representation of a river, revered and venerated as Mother Goddess.

Gangotri Temple

On our descent, after a sumptuous brunch, we stopped to shoot the helipad near Harshil and the famous waterfall a few metres ahead. The Loharinag Pala Hydro power project by NTPC  is a run-of-the-river hydroelectricity generating project few kilometres before Gangnani. Downstream, we also cross the Maneri Dam and the Maneri lake, one of the innumerable dams built on the Bhagirathi . It made one reflect upon the dichotomy of the water body - on one hand it represents the faith and belief of millions of Hindus and on the other it is a source of electricity generation - a gift of modern science and technology!

As we started thinking, that we could proceed up to about Chamba, the overcast skies opened up. This is an almost expectedly unexpected weather condition in the hills, around the hot summer months...scorching days, sudden evening showers , resulting in chilly nights. A hailstorm ensued.

Our driver advised us against further driving downhill. Thus we made the day's halt at Uttarkashi.

Kashi Vishwanath Temple
at Uttarkashi

Trident at the Shakti Temple

The stopover was in fact a blessing in disguise!Uttarkashi, meaning the Kashi of the north, is situated at the confluence of the Varuna and Asi rivers about 3800 ft above sea level. It has a Kashi Vishwanath temple, whose presiding deity is a massive Shivalinga. In the same complex is a Shakti temple which houses a gigantic Trident, weapon of the Mother Goddess, which has an axe by the side of it, representing Lord Parashuram. Uttarkashi also has the Annapurna temple, Bhairav temple, Gopeshwar temple, Karnadev temple and Parashuram temple. We spent a lovely evening, visiting all these shrines guided by a Maharaj from the Ramakrishna Math order.

The Gopeshwar temple has a Shivlinga similar in size as the Kashi Vishwanath temple.

Karnadev Temple

The Annapurna deity is a petite brass statue, holding a kalash and a serving ladle in either hand. The karnadev temple is again a Shiva temple, however the idol here has a distinct Mongolian face.

Uttarkashi finds mention in the annals of Hiuen Tsang as Brahma Pura. It is believed that in the second millennium of Kaliyug, Kashi will be submerged, and Uttarkashi will replace it as an important religious centre - http://uttarkashi.nic.in.

Early next day, we bid adieu to Uttarkashi at 6, as we had to cover a distance of about 400 km to

Noida. Enroute , we made a halt for breakfast after Chamba around 9.15 and another at the Cheetal Grand for a late lunch  around 3. We touched Noida at 5.30 with memories and good vibes from the mountains.

Travel tips :

1. Keep a day extra in your travel itinerary to accommodate unexpected weather conditions in the hills.

2. It is okay to travel even without fixed hotel reservations to these pilgrimages, since you are not sure where you might need to halt on which day . Plus the weather conditions not being so conducive at these places, people don't stay too long. Thus making it likely to get vacant rooms.

3. It is a good idea to travel in medium sized groups, as the travel take a long time .

The Himalayan High - Sojourn 1

Visiting the mighty Himalayas, even for the nth time, never ceases to be awe- inspiring. The high mountains, varying landscape, changing greenery, grey- green waters gushing alongside the vast mountain sides...it is enough to give a high! One is spell- bound and craves to rush back time and again.

This time, it was a short trip to two of the four Dhams in the Garwal mountains - Yamunotri and Gangotri. The gates to theses shrines opened this year on 28th April, and we were on a trip on 5th of May. Reaching Haridwar, the base camp in a sense, in about 4 hours time from Noida, we took the rest of the day at a relaxed pace. Anticipating hectic travel over the next few days, we wanted to keep it easy for the first.

Evening Arati at Har ki Pouri

Evening saw us visit the RKM ashram at Kankhal and the Dakshprajapti temple. Later we strolled by the banks of the Ganges at the famous Har ki Pouri to participate in the evening Arati and witness thousands of devotees as they thronged the place - some taking a dip in the holy Ganges at that late hour, others floating small dongas of flowers and diyas in the water. The multitude engrossed in various activities around the ebullient waters makes one realise that the belief in a single religion and its epitome binds individuals from divergent places and languages, culture and clothes!

Melting pot of the teeming multitude

Early next day, around six, we started off towards Janki Chatti, the base point for the trek to Yamuntori. Enroute breakfast at Sher-e-Punjab dhaba on the road towards Dehra consisted of Puri-sabji, tandoor alu paratha and delicious tea. Having crossed the Kempty falls at Mussorie, we were joined by the Yamuna river after the Yamuna bridge. Here we missed the typical Deodars or pines. The Himalayan flora was mostly of short to medium height trees, so much so, that the hills afar seemed barren. By and by, the vegetation increased. As we climbed higher, the trees too changed. We were once again, in the familiar Himalayan forests of tall trees. The foliage was shades of green to silvery white. 

Herd of Himalayan goats

Few kilometres past Barkot, we stopped to have the Char Dham pilgrim identification cards made. A few kilometres ahead we suddenly caught glimpses of snow capped mountain peaks. The snow was glistening in the afternoon Sun. It was indeed a surreal sight - the mountain side covered in green and a few hills away sparkling sheets of snow!

Arriving at Janki Chatti

We reached Janki Chatti around 4-4.30pm. Temperatures had dipped. The Yamuna was now a noisy, bold river rushing down the valley. The surrounding mountain tops were carpeted with thick snow. We boarded at the Mandakini Residency, a decent enough stay for a night. It was drizzling in the evening - bringing the temperature further down. Caught unprepared, we enjoyed a bowl or two of Maggi and tea at the roadside stall.

Pony ride up the trek

The Yamunotri temple
and its backdrop

Pilgrims start out for the trek to Yamunotri quite early, to beat the heat and crowd. We started around 5 am. Walking takes about 4-5 hours. On ponies it is about 2.5. Yamunotri is at a height of above 3200 feet from sea level. The river Yamuna originates from the Kalindi parbat of the Banderpunch range. Yamuna is considered to be the Sun God's daughter, Yama's sister and is very closely associated with Lord Krishna's leela.  The main temple is yellow in colour and the garbha griha houses idols of the Yamuna ( in black) and Ganga ( in white). There is also a smaller brass idol for special occasions. The temple is surrounded with the Kala Nag and Banderpunch ranges carpeted with conifers and topped with glaciers. The view is exotic! The temple has hot springs - a big one where pilgrims bathe prior to offering the Puja. There is also a Surya Kund, where rice tied in a small cloth is immersed. The water is so hot that this rice is cooked in some time. There is a small crevice from which hot water gushes out - this being called the origin of the Yamuna.

As the day progresses, the crowd multiplies exponentially.

On our way downhill, we realised, what a blessing it had been to start off early.

Thus we were back to our hotel, well ahead the planned time and eager to get on with the next leg of the trip.

Travel tips: 

1. There are government controlled rates of ponies, doli and piththus at Yamunotri. It is better to plan ahead and fix up something the previous evening (our arrangement was coordinated by our hotel - and it turned out fine for us). Late planning may result in getting over-charged due to shortage of resources.

2. Check on the weather report before traveling. Be prepared for unannounced showers, which can severely drop the temp.

3. Keep snacks, as it benefits to save on multiple tea-snack breaks. Travel time in these parts is almost @ 30 km / hr.