Exciting Journey to Badrinath and Back to Haridwar through Rishikesh

By Dr. Eugene DSouza, Moodubelle
Bellevision Media Network

Moodubelle, 28 August 2011: Having covered three of the four destinations-Yamunotri, Gangotri and Kedarnath, in the course of our Char Dham tour, we started towards the last one-Badrinath early in the morning of July 10, 2011. After travelling for a while, we halted at a place known as Ukhimath. During the winter season, when the Kedarnath shrine is closed due to heavy snow-fall, the idols from there are brought to Ukhimath and worshipped for six months in the ancient temple which was more or less built on the model of the Kedarnath shrine. In the premises, I also saw three young men from south working on  wooden blocks and carving figures of elephants to be installed in the course of the renovation of the temple.

 

Ukhimath

From Ukhimath, after a long and difficult drive of 40 kilometers on curvy roads amidst dense forests filled with oak and deciduous trees and moss we reached Chopta which falls under the Kedarnath Musk Deer Sanctuary and lies in the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand.

 

When we reached Chopta, though it was drizzling, I could feel the freshness in the air. Chopta is famous for its green grassland known locally as ‘bugyals’. No wonder, it is called ‘Mini Switzerland of India’ because of the fantastic views it offers.
It was at Chopta that I came across for the first time a flock of Himalayan crows vying with each other for the pieces of biscuits that the visitors were throwing at them. The crows were not even afraid of a black dog that was competing with them for the biscuit pieces. It was a wonderful sight of so many crows at one place.

 

Chopta

On the way from Chopta to Badrinath  we crossed  a number of important townships-Mandal, Gopeshwar, Chamoli(headquarters of the district with the same name), Poipalkoti, Joshimath, Govind Ghat (starting point to proceed to the Sikh pilgrimage center at Hemkunt by foot or horse-ride  which is 18 kilometers away), and Pandukeshwar.

 

We reached Badrinath at around 6 pm and halted at the lodge in the vicinity of the Badrinath shrine. The route to Badrinath is one of the most arduous one due to the lofty hilly terrain, curves and cliffs amidst the most scenically beautiful region in the Himalayas.

 

 

After freshening up and having tea we visited the Badrinath shrine on the right bank of   the fast flowing Alaknanda River, one of the important tributaries of River Ganga which originates around three kilometers from Badrinath.

 

Even at this part of the year, snow could be seen on the slopes of the mountain peaks surrounding Badrinath. As the weather in Badrinath was quite cold we were practically forced to wear warm clothes which we had not yet used while visiting the earlier three Dhams.

 

On the way to the shrine, I came across a sadhu warming himself by burning wooden pieces placed on sand in a large iron bowl. In a shop few sadhus were seen receiving umbrellas as donation sponsored by a generous pilgrim. While passing through the narrow lane towards the shrine, I could see a number of sadhus patiently waiting for alms.

 

Badrinath, the seat of the Vishnu in his aspect of Badrinarayan, is the most important of the four sites in the Char Dham pilgrimage. Situated in the hills of Himalaya at the height of 10,248 feet above sea level, the Badrinath shrine has been the most visited temple in the Char Dham circuit.

 

According to a legend, Shankara discovered a black stone image of Vishnu in the form of Badrinarayan made of Saligram stone in the Alaknanda River. He originally enshrined it in a cave near the Tapt Kund hot springs. In the sixteenth century, the King of Garhwal moved the idol to the present shrine. The temple has undergone several major renovations because of age and damage by avalanche. In the seventeenth century the temple was expanded by the kings of Garhwal. After significant damage in the great 1803 Himalayan earthquake, it was rebuilt by the King of Jaipur. The principal image in the Badrinath shrine is of black stone and it represents Vishnu seated in meditative pose.

 

Badrinath

After spending cold night at Badrinath, we started in the early morning of the next day, July 11, 2011.  Sachhu first drove us to Village Mana, considered to be the last Indian settlement on the Indo-China border, three kilometers from Badrinath. 
The mountains and regions surrounding Badrinath and Mana village are mentioned in the ‘Mahabharata’, when the Pandavas are said to have ended their life by ascending the slopes of a peak in western Garhwal called ‘Swargarohini’ - literally, the ’Ascent to Heaven’. Local legend has it that the Pandavas passed through Badrinath and the town of Mana on their way to heaven. There is also a cave in Mana known as Vyas (Gufa) Caves where it is believed that Vyas compiled the epic ‘Mahabharata’. There is also a small bridge known as the ‘Bhim Phool’ on River Saraswati.

 

The Saraswati River has its origin in a mountain near the Mana village. It is visible above surface for about 100 meters before it submerges underground and is said to be finally joining the confluence of Rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati at Sangam near Allahabad. It has been also believed that numerous sages like Narad, Bhrigu, Vashishta, Vishvamitra, Bhrigu, King Sagar, Lord Krishna, the Pandava brothers and several others have meditated and attained salvation on the banks of this holy river. Facing the river stands a small Saraswati temple and India’s last shop by its side.

 

 

Mana village seems to have been frozen in time. The houses are small and covered with small stone slabs. The racial composition of the people is akin to those of the Tibetans and they wear peculiar local dress, especially the women. They grow vegetables on small plots. I saw two women drying leafy vegetable on the roof to be used during winter. In a cave few sadhus were seen in a kind of trance. Meanwhile, my attention was drawn towards a woman on the slopes of the opposite mountain collecting grass and eventually climbing down and walking back to her home carrying the bundle of grass on her back.

 

 

River Alaknanda 

River Saraswati

Mana Village

 

After spending some time at Mana village, we were on our way to Rishikesh. However, after crossing Chamoli we were forced to halt in a village on the way due to landslide around 11 kilometers ahead with vehicles being lined up to that distance. Travelers had no option but to wait patiently for the road to reopen. A number of exasperated travelers were seen squatting on the road. We too waited and nearly after five hours the traffic began to move.

 

Devprayag

After covering a journey of further 70 kilometers, we reached the final stop in our itinerary-Rishikesh also known as   the ‘Gateway to the Himalayas’. The road to Rishikesh and beyond to Haridwar, 25 kilometers from Rishikesh follows the course of the River Ganga. Rishikesh is associated with Lord Ram. According to legend, Lord Ram came here on the advice of sage Vasishtha to do penance for killing Ravana, the king of Lanka.  There are a number of ancient temples and ‘ashrams’ providing spiritual solace to pilgrims. The important among them are Bharata Pushkar temple, Shatrughan temple, Lahkhsmana temple, Geeta Bhawan, etc. Rishikesh is also famous for many yoga centers.

 

 

The most important tourist attraction at Rishikesh is the ‘Lakshman Jhula’, the famous hanging bridge across River Ganga.  It is 450 feet long and is situated at a height of 70 feet from the river. As per mythological tales, once Lakshman, the younger brother of Lord Ram, crossed River Ganga at the same site where the bridge now stands. The ‘Lakshman Jhula’ has now become one of the most visited tourist spots of Rishikesh, not simply because of its ancient origin and religious sanctity, but also because of the grand temples and wonderful local markets that  have come to be developed around it. A thirteen storey temple, called ‘Terah Manzil’, near the ‘Lakshman Jhula’ is very popular amongst visitors. The top floor of this temple gives a wonderful view of the surroundings including that of the Lakshman Jhula.

 

 

Rishikesh

 

Having experienced the panoramic view of the River Ganga, ‘Lakshman Jhula’ and other temples and cityscape we returned to our vehicle and proceeded towards Haridwar our starting point  and reached the city by 2pm. Sachhu took us to a decent hotel where we halted and took rest recalling the nine days of tour of the Char Dham and the wonderful experience that we had in the course of the  tour.

 

As we had one day to spare, on July 13, we visited the Mansa Devi temple and some places in Haridwar and started back to Mumbai by 19020 Dehradun-Bandra Express on July 14. After spending two nights and one and a half days we reached Bandra Terminus in the early morning of July 16 and finally reached home by 7 am.

 

It was fortnight of a wonderful tour-journey through a number of states and tour through the pristine and mighty Himalayan mountains, valleys and river courses,  an experience of a lifetime that I was happy to share with the readers of Bellevision.