Many a time, I tend to do self-inquiry on several aspects of everyday life. One such is the purpose of life itself. The more I dive deep into such aspects, the more clarity I get about my objectives in life. In fact, this is not even plural. There’s only one objective. While the actual description of one’s existence is beyond the scope of this article, I could recollect the queries I have asked myself several years ago. For the sake of this article, I am keeping this to simple terms:

• What do I want as an Introvert?

• What do I want as a Mountain loving person?

• What do I want as a Content Creator?

Interestingly, while I was connecting the dots, they all lead me to one path. The answer to these questions were fulfilled with the inception of my love towards Travel & Photography. Together, these aspects have helped me learn the nuances of life that modern schools & institutions do not educate. Of course, the objectives of these institutions are, largely, materialistic. And, hence, they tend to be on a different path, limited in several aspects. When one begins to travel, it opens new dimensions of existence, learning to know the limitless possibilities.

SYNOPSIS:

Each of my odysseys is a well-though-out plan. I would say it’s a blessing to be able to carve out itineraries that bestows upon several benefits. It’s not just a random destination that I pick, rather the whole journey. There are certain places that impart good vibes. It is because of these vibes that make a place pleasant. And mountains have always been very special to me. This article is all about my journey to the pilgrim sites of Haridwar and Rishikesh followed by a fascinating trek to the highest Shiva temple in the world, all situated in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It was a perfect getaway for all that I was longing for.

EXHILARATION:

Travelling in Winters is a joyous experience, especially when it involves the element of altitude. It is even more exciting for people travelling from the tropical regions, where the winters are always mild. My journey began on a pleasant winter morning of Chennai in December. Little did I know that this will be one of my finest journeys. A long day of travel, lead my way to a holy city situated in the foothills of Shivalik ranges in the Himalayas.

Established along the banks of river Ganges, Haridwar is a holy place for Hindus hosting several religious events, the most significant being the Kumbha Mela celebrated every 12 years. It was my long-time wish to experience and photograph the revered Ganga Aarti. This divine light ceremony is filled with songs, prayers, rituals and a palpable sense of the divine. Aarti is a beautiful ceremony in which oil lamps are offered to God. Ganga is not only a river. She is the divine mother. She rushes forth from the Himalayas as the giver of life, carrying purity, bliss, and liberation in her waters.

QUALITY TIME WITH SELF:

Carrying the positive reverberations, I moved over to another pilgrim site, popularly known as the Yoga capital of the World – Rishikesh. Like Haridwar, this pilgrim site is situated by the banks of river Ganga. This is one of those journeys of mine that did have the customary itinerary. Imagine staying at a place doing nothing but spending time with the self. For nearly a week, each morning, I would spend my time walking alongside the riverbank, soaking in the vibes of the divine place. And the evenings were dedicated to worshipping the divine river & the revered Ganga Aarti. This enveloped me with enormous positive energies.

PRECURSOR TO THE ADVENTURES AHEAD:

As a solo traveler, I had a great time catching up with other solo travelers! Soon, the small talks unfolded into a good rapport, and we began venturing out together. This helped me fulfil another long-awaited desire. Rishikesh is home to several adventure-filled activities. I was, particularly, interested in water-water rafting. The cold waters and rapid currents of river Ganga is a perfect spot to experience this recreational water sport. We were a group of 6 adventurers and, together, we ventured into the rough waters of river Ganga. What began as a smooth sail soon triggered an adrenaline-pumping activity. The strong river current was throwing the raft in all possible directions. The highest level of adrenaline rush was felt when the cold waters splashed all over us and filled the raft momentarily. That was an exhilarating moment. The remainder of the day was spent on exploring the something that every art lover will adore. Tucked inside the Rajaji National Park in Rishikesh, The Beatles ashram is a must visit for art lovers!

Back in the late 60s, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s ashram in Rishikesh gained global fame after a visit from The Beatles. They were an English rock band formed in the 1960s and were an influential band of all time!
Having been abandoned for numerous years, the ashram was reopened to visitors only half a decade ago. The dilapidated and cracking walls of the ashram were revived with beautiful pieces of art! The murals depicting several sadhus and associated artwork rejuvenate the Beatles ashram!

THE ADVENTURES GOT UNDERWAY

The adventures were just catching up with me. Carrying forward the intense reverberations, the next journey was all about a trek to Tungnath. At an altitude of over 12,000 feet, the Tungnath temple is among the oldest & highest Shiva temples in the world. The temple is believed to be more than 1000 years old and was discovered by Indian Vedic scholar Adi Shankaracharya.

The road trip from Rishikesh to a village named Sari was mesmerizing with captivating views of the lower Garhwal Himalayan ranges and various rivers accompanying. En route this journey to the Sari village, there were several places of religious importance, most notable of them are the holy confluences of two rivers: Alakananda & Mandakini. The Alakananda River starts from Alakpuri Glacier and comes from Badrinath Dham (Temple). River Mandakini flows from Kedarnath and joins Alakananda at Rudraprayag and from here on the river is known as Alakananda. Further down the hills there comes another town named Devprayag at the confluence of river Alakananda where it meets river Bhagirathi and attains the form of holy Ganges or Ganga thereon. After a 7-hour drive, we arrived at the Sari village. As the nights rolled over, the drop in temperatures were felt drastically.

Winters in Himalayas carries a completely different vibe. We woke up to the magnificent visuals of Garhwal Himalayas lit up by mist-induced sunlight and after a sumptuous breakfast, began trekking to the sacred lake named Deoria Tal (locally known as Devaria). In over several thousand years of existence of our planet, the Divine Himalayas have always been a very special place! In today’s modern era, the several occurrences that have happened on this very place may have shrouded in mystery. But if you can go back in time and try to reference the occurrences of the Epic Mahabharatha (may be from the modest Doordarshan days or a book that you may have), you will be happy to know the many significances that are relevant in today’s world.

A local from the nearby village narrated the following about this holy lake: Set alongside a water body, this occurrence recalls the dangerous Q & A game brought upon the Pandavas by Yaksha (A Nature Spirit). At the time of this happening, the Pandavas were in exile and living incognito. A game because of which all the brothers died one by one, except Yudhishtira, drinking water from the lake after blatantly ignoring repeated warnings from Yaksha (disguised as a Crane). The ultimatum from Yaksha was – “This water will turn to poison if you drink it without answering my questions.” It was Yudhishtira who entertained the Yaksha’s demands and after successfully answering each question to the latter’s satisfaction, he was able to raise his brothers from the dead. Till this date numerous scientific experiments have taken place to measure the depth of this lake, yet none succeeded.

GRANDEUR:

The entire day was filled with back-to-back opportunities to make stunning photographs of the alluring peaks of the Garhwal Himalayas, the most prominent being the Chaukhamba massif in the Gangotri group of Garhwal Himalayas. Among the most beautiful natural phenomena on the planet are sunrises and sunsets! No matter where you are on the planet, these visuals are spellbinding. Right after experiencing a spectacular sunset, I decided to stay put while my fellow trek mates descended back to their respective camping tent. And much to my delight I had an unobstructed view of the rise of full moon, albeit haze!

After a cozy night’s sleep inside camping tent, one wouldn’t want to venture out in the cold. The night temperatures dropped to negative 2 degrees Celsius. The mornings are no different until the Sun makes its way high above several valleys. It was another morning that offered me with opportunities to make photographs of the stunning landscapes. After a sumptuous breakfast, we began traversing to our next halt for the day at Chopta.

ECSTASY:

We left our cottage and embarked on a long hike to Tungnath early in the morning. This was, by far, the easiest of all treks I have been on. The path from Chopta to Tungnath is a well-defined concrete trail. During the winter months, the trail remains buried deep in snow. Enroute Tungnath, I was fortunate enough to spot and photograph a vibrant & colorful bird. Native to the Himalayan forests ranging in altitude between 7,000 feet and 14,000 feet, Himalayan Monal is the state bird of Uttarakhand. We spotted not one, but six of them! An endangered species and a very shy bird. Although, I did not carry my typical birding equipment, I was happy with the result of the photographs!

As we inched closer to the temple, we found the temple was closed. Although one can enter the temple premises, but the doors of sanctum sanctorum is kept closed. This is because the idol of lord Tungnath is moved from Tungnath and brought down to Makkumath temple at lower altitudes during the winter months. And, hence, Makkumath temple is known as the winter abode of Lord Tungnath. The Tungnath temple remains closed during the winter months from November to mid-May.

After having darshan from the outside, we proceeded to the last leg of this journey. The temple of Tungnath is situated on the Chandranth mountain. And the summit of this mountain is known as Chandrashila. At an altitude of about 13,000 feet, the summit of Chandrashila (that literally means Moon-Rock) serves as a vantage point of heavenly panorama of the Great Himalayas! It offers a splendid 360-degree view of the majestic Himalayan peaks like Kedarnath dome, Chaukhamba, Trishul & Nanda Devi. There are various legends associated with this peak:

1. This is the place where Lord Rama meditated after defeating the demon-king Ravana.
2. Another legend says that the moon god Chandra spent time here in penance.

And here’s an enchanting visual sequence of all that you have read in this travelogue. Here goes the video!

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