Travelogue Chardham : Haridwar

19 May 2012

Devprayag

This is the confluence of Bhagirathi and Alakananda where the actual modern Mighty Ganga assumes its full form. 

Devprayag - Bhageerathi joins Alakananda

The rivers form distinct colours and the joining of these two mighty streams is quite visible from distance. The road actually goes so circular around this area that the visual is spell-binding. An old temple is present on its banks and steps leading to the tip of this confluence are also built.

 

It is said that from Devprayag upwards is the Deva Bhoomi.

Vasishta Guha

Vasishta Guha

On route, about 25 km from Haridwar, we stopped at Vasishta Guha. The present area of Vasishta Guha has been cleared for people to come and do their prayers by Swami Purushottamanandaji Maharaj, a Malayali Saint in 1928. He lived inside the Guha for about 25 years till a room was built for him nearby. He attained Samadhi in 1961 on MahaSivarathri day and his Samadhi is also placed there. The Guha is presently looked after by a trust headed by Swami Chaitanyanandaji, a disciple of Swami Purushottamanandaji Maharaj and from Kerala.

The Guha is where Sage Vasishta did his Tapas. Myself and Sri Rajappan were talking among ourselves and he wondered that if we had come announced, there would be a reception for us. I told him that since we were coming unannounced; let us see the turn of events. We waited outside the Guha due to the crowd going in from ours as well as some other tour party. While we sat outside, a person came from inside and told us “Please come in”!!!! We both smiled at each other being quite happy with the call. It turned out that he had come to the Aashram to help Swamiji.

We sat there in the cave for quite some time literally drinking the essence of peace and contemplating on his ‘Anugraha’. The cave was quite cool compared to the outside temperature.

Samadhi of Purushottamanandaji Maharaj

Later we prayed at the Samadhi of Swami Purushottamanandaji Maharaj and met Swamiji, who gave us a book memorablia and some sweet prasadams. 

 

Way to Arundhati Caves - Ganga River

We saw the way marked for Arundhati Cave for which we needed to walk through the Ganga banks over the stones. By this time all had moved back so I also had to reluctantly walk back to our vehicles.

A very unique phenomenon happened at this cave. In 1996, Swami Dayanand Saraswathy who had visited the Guha sent two photographs which were very unique. The photo was of the Swayambhu Lingam at the end of the cave, from which two lights were seen emerging and going through the top ceiling and side walls, disappearing half way from the cave entrance.

On the way back, we saw a Sadhu lying flat on a rock. We tried to take a photo of his, when he immediately lifted his hand indicating ‘No’. Respecting his instructions we continued our path without taking his photo.

 

Haridwar

Ganga Aarathi

We reached Haridwar in time for the evening Ganga Aarathi at Hari Ki Pauri. It was spectacular to watch as much as unique to sit on the Banks of the Mighty Ganga in full flow. This is where the Kumbh Mela happens and we were sitting on its very Banks. The Aarathi what we saw however was relatively a smaller one compared to special occasions or what is done at Varanasi.

We reached our place of stay after this – Ayyappa Temple at Haridwar near the banks of Ganga and very near to the Haridwar Railway Station. The approach road was mainly a Gujarati area, but the temple precincts were Malayali in nature. Got into the rooms after food and slept well.

20 May 2012

In the morning, we did Ganga Snaanam. For the first time I had a bath in a river – that too in the holy Ganga at Haridwar. So many bathing ghats have been maintained at Haridwar. Most of the temples are by the side of the river or by its branches there. The entire town is criss-crossed by the Ganga herself.

After having breakfast, we went to visit some places of importance.

Shantikunj

Pt Sitaram Sharma Acharya who founded the Aashram aimed at popularizing Gayatri Mantra, Yagya and Sanskaars. His and Mother’s Samadhi is kept there and is a very peaceful location. Considering the fact that so many people visit the place and the area is bustling with activity, the area is well marked and full of grandeur. The book stall and the herbal store has a rich collection of his works and the jadi bootis available in the Himalayas.

Sapta Rishi Aashram

A little further to the Shantikunj is the Sapta Rishi Aashram. A naturally beautiful and picturesque surrounding where the great seven sages – Kashyapa, Vasishta, Atri, Vishwamitra, Jamadagni, Bharadwaja and Gautama, were said to have done Tapas. We visited the various shrines inside and were left with a peaceful feeling which reminded us of our Colachel and Trivandrum areas. It is also said that the mighty Ganga split herself into seven here so as to avoid disturbing the sages.

Pawan Dham

We visited one aashram, whose name I do not quite recollect. Nevertheless I was told by Ani Maman that here a lot of visitors are brought in. After this we went to Pawan Dham, which is a display of mirrors and kept with deities. Most of these locations are more of modern day museum kind of a show place with some deities installed. It may be good for people with limited knowledge in the religion to get accustomed to the visuals there. We went past the imposing Bharat Mata Mandir and directly proceeded to Kankhal.

Kankhal – Parad Lingam (Siva Lingam made out of solidified mercury)

The solidification of mercury is difficult and if properly done has a lot of incredible properties. The Rasa Vidya methods of Siddhas talk about it in detail. Harihara Aashram had installed a Parad Siva lingam and we went there to see the same. There was a Rudraksha tree in the compound which had some Rudrakhsa beads. There were some poojas held on a different Siva Lingam which seemed to be quite old and like a temple. Being Sunday, there were a lot of people and some body was giving food for all. It was getting to noon and we were naturally hungry. We ate the prasadam at the Aashram and proceeded further.

Kankhal – Daksheswara Mahadev Temple

This is a place of deep historic and mystic importance. This was the place where Daksha conducted the fateful Yaga which culminated in Devi Sati’s Deha Tyaaga and loss of life to Dakhsa Prajapati. The Yaaga kund and Sati’s kund is still maintained. We did our prayers there and to the Siva Lingam which is kept there. We also prayed at the nearby temple where the Dasa Mahavidyas are enshrined. Brahma Lingam in the form of white marble was also seen. The place has a huge banyan tree (a combination of two three different types) and Ganga flows vigorously. There was a Brahmin boy selling a red book which turned out to be of the Dasa Mahavidya Tantrams.

Most probably the area must have been Daksha's kingdom. I have this opinion since the next compound is Sati’s birth place. A lot of importance is naturally given to the place and we did our obeisance there.

Kankhal – Anandamayee Samadhi

Exactly opposite to Sati’s birth place is Ma Anandmayee Samadhi. The great sage who lived in the twentieth century was revered by almost all people. Unfortunately the place had been closed. We prayed from the outside consoling us that atleast this much was possible.

Narayani Sila

It is a unique place where people were doing panda karmams. We saw the very ancient Sila and quickly came out after doing our prayers. It was heavily crowded as the day coincided for doing the karmams. This along with Maya Devi Temple and Bhairav Temple are the most ancient of the temples still standing at Haridwar.

Maya Devi

Maya Devi is considered as the Adhistathri Devi of Haridwar. It is a unique Sakthi Peeth where Heart and Navel of Goddess Sati fell. There was a special place for Lord Dattatreya here. As was seen at almost all the places, the Devi shrines invariably were shown depicting the Dasa Mahavidyas and one or more of them were given prominence at these locations.

We could not cover Mansa Devi and Chandi Devi in this schedule due to time constraints. We had to look at more time for the climb on the hills and await our turns there. Once the other places which we planned in the interim were over, we went back to our place of stay at Ayyappa Temple for our onward journey back to Delhi. I was put among those who flew out. In the small mini bus, I continued my journey back to Delhi.

21 May 2012

Back to Delhi

We reached the airport well in time (morning 4.00 am) and caught our flights to our own destinations. Our minds were having mixed feelings of being happy to have had the good fortune to visit the sacred places. Equally tired were we that we had faced such varying degrees of physical comfort and discomfort. Almost all of us now were looking forward to reaching our Home Sweet Home.

Back from the Swarga Bhoomi and Deva Bhoomi, the abode of so much of Saints, Gods, their places, to the present reality – 

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Epilogue

Panch Kedars –

The five Kedars lie in the valleys between the rivers Bhagirathi and Alaknanda. The term Kedar itself means a natural rock formation or a glacial moraine. According to legend, Kedarnath, the chief seat of the Panch Kedar, came into being during the period when the five Pandava brothers were asked to seek Shiva's blessings, purging them off the sin of fratricide, or killing their cousin brothers in the terrifying battle of Kurukshetra. Shiva disguised himself as a bull and started to plunge underground when he was spotted by Pandavas. No wonder the natural rock formation that is worshipped here resembles the hump of bull. The Lord manifested himself with the arms at Tunganath, Stomach / Navel portion at Madhyamaheshwar, face at Rudranath and hair and head at Kalpeshwar. Together these places are known as Panch Kedar.

1. Kedarnath - The holiest of Shiva's shrines is likened to gold among base metals so that every pilgrim finds peace here, and it is said that devotees who die here become one with Shiva himself. The temple of Kedarnath, stand at the head of the Mandakini river, with Kedarnath peak keeping vigil above it. The temple is dedicated to the Sadasiva or invisible form of Shiva, and is represented by a natural rock formation. Beyond the temple is the highway to heaven, called Mahapanth.
2. Madhmaheshwar - Shiva is worshipped at Madhmaheshwar in the form of navel - shaped lingum. It is located at the base of Chaukhamba peak. So sanctified is the water here that even a few drops are considered sufficient for absolution.
3. Tungnath - The sanctity of the region of Tungnath is considered unsurpassed. The peak of Tungnath is the source of three springs that form the river Akashkamini. At this temple, Shiva's arm is worshipped. The highest Hindu shrine in the Himalayas is 3kms uphill from Chopta. An hour's climb from here leads to Chandrashila with its panoromic views. The entire journey and the shrine are located in some of the finest, most picturesque pocket of the Himalaya.
4. Rudranath - Devotees come to Rudranath to offer ritual obeisance to their ancestors, for it is here, at Vaitarani river that the soul of dead cross when entering another world. The temple of Rudranath requires trekking through ridges at almost twice that height before reaching the meadow where it is located. Within the sanctum, Shiva's image is worshipped in the form of his face. The temple is surrounded by several pools - Surya Kund, Chandra Kund, Tara Kund, Manas Kund - while the great peaks of Nanda Devi, Trishul and Nanda Ghunti rise overhead.
5. Kalpeshwar – Legend has that Sage Durvasa did Tapas here under the Kalpakavriksha. It is also reputed that Urvashi was created here. Pilgrims pray at the small rock temple before the matted tresses of Shiva enshrined in rock in the sanctum sanctorum. The sanctum is preceded by a natural cave passage. Surrounded by thick forests and terraced fields in the Urgam valley, the temple is reached following a 10 km long trek.

Sapta Badris –

Lord Badri Narayan (also called as Badri Vishal) is armed with Shankh (Conch) and Chakra in two arms in a lifted posture and two arms rested on the lap in Yogamudra. The principal image is of black stone and it represents Vishnu seated in meditative pose. It was from Badri Dham, Lord Vishnu went to Mathura to start the Sri Krishna Avatharam. Some of the famous and historical landmarks as per our Ancient history and Ithihasas like Neelkant Mountain, Nara Narayana Mountains, Alkapuri Mountain, Swargarohani Mountain, Charanpaduka, Chakra Thirtha, Vasudhara falls, Lakshmi Vanam, Taptakund, Naradkund, Brahmakapal, Alakananda, Saraswati Rivers, Satopant Lake, Vyasa Guha, Ganapati Guha, Bheem Sila, Sesha Netra are around this area.

There are six other Badri temples apart from the main Badri Nath which also has significance and together are known as Sapta Badris –

1. Badri Vishal – The Badri Dham as we have seen. This place is also unique due to the fact that along with Dwaraka, Puri and Rameswaram, it constitutes the Chatur Dham in the Bharata Bhukhanda (Indian Mainland). The Badrinath legend states that Lord Mahavishnu did Tapas in an open space at the location of the Badrikashram or Badri Nath. Lakshmi Devi created shelter for him in the form of Badri tree (berry tree(?)) to protect him from adverse climatic conditions. The Sage Narada did Tapas here, and is believed to continue to do so to this day by reciting the divine chants called Ashta Akshara mantra. Narada was also informed by Vishnu that his divine form subsumed both Nara and Narayana. According to Srimad Bhagavatha Purana, "There in Badrikashram (Badrinath) the Personality of Godhead (Vishnu), in his incarnation as the sages Nara and Narayana, had been undergoing great penance since time immemorial for the welfare of all living beings.
2. Adi Badri – Situated at Karnaprayag it is a temple complex consisting of sixteen small temples with intricate carvings houses a three foot black stone statue of Lord Vishnu.
3. Vridha Badri – Located at Animath Village about 7 km from Joshi Math in the Rishikesh – Joshimath – Badrinath Road. The legend is that Lord Vishnu appeared in front of Sage Narada who was doing Tapas here. The idol symbolizes this event and was crafted by Sri Viswakarma, the divine craftsman. In Kali Yuga, it was the same idol found by Sankaracharya from Narad Kund and enshrined at the Badri Central Shrine. It is also said that Sankaracharya worshipped Badri Nath here before the present Central Shrine.
4. Bhavishya Badri – Located at a village named Subain – 17 km from Joshi Math and beyond Tapovan. This can be reached only by trekking and traveling through dense forest. It is also placed in an ancient pilgrim route to Kailas Mansarovar along the Dhauli Ganga River. Legend says that at about the end of Kali Yuga, due to various forces, Nara Narayana Mountains which is currently on both sides of the Badri Dham will close in and the present shrine would become inaccessible. During this time the present world order would be replaced and Badri Nath would appear here. Presently the deity has a Narasimha face. (See Narsingh Badri also).
5. Yogadhyan Badri – Located at Pandukeshwar. Said to have been installed by King Pandu as a bronze image in the form of meditative posture. The place was known as Panchala Desha and Kunti was married to King Pandu at the present Pandukeshwar. Suryakund where Kunti gave birth to Karna is also located close by this place. This place is where the Utsava Murthi of Badri Nath is kept during winter.
6. Dhyan Badri – Located at Urgam Valley close to Kalpeshwar (one of the Panch Kedars) on the banks of Alakananda. Urva Rishi meditated on Lord Vishnu here. The idol is of blackstone with four arms and in a meditative form. The temple is at times included in Panch Badri.
7. Ardha Badri – Located in a remote village in the Tapovan – Joshimath road. The approach is through a steep trek and the idol is small.
8. Narsingh Badri – Not as famous as the Panch Badri and only sometimes included in the Sapta Badris. However – the importance is that it is closely linked to the Bhavishya Badri legend. Narasimha is shown here seated in padmasana and the vigraha is in saligramam. Some believe that the idol is swayambhu. It is believed that one arm of the image is getting emaciated with time and finally fall off. When the arm disappears, the main shrine of Badrinath will be closed to the world and Lord Badrinath will shift to Bhavishya Badri shrine. This will happen by the end of Kali Yuga and the Satya Yuga restarts. Then the Badrinath shrine would get re-established. When the chief Badrinath shrine is closed in winter, the priests of Badrinath shift to this temple and continue their worship to Badrinath here. Along with Narasimha image, the shrine also has the image of Badrinath.

------------------------- Gurucharanou Samarpayami------------------------------------

Travelogue Chardham : Badrinath

17 May 2012

Gupta Kashi to Badrinath

Chopta – Indian Switzerland?

 We crossed a place called Chopta. It was quite a beautiful location and we stopped wayside a Dhaba to have our breakfast. The Dhaba people told us that higher up we even have skiing places and these are the areas which are used for lots of film shooting and the place was known as Switzerland of India. 

It seems that slightly higher up in the mountain area from there good resorts were situated and it is even more exquisite in view from those locations. They also told me that a recent Hindi Movie – Krrish had some of its parts shot here.

When we had heard of the beauty of Himalayas, we thought it may look like what we were seeing now. However the mighty Himalayas proved to the ultimate in the flora and fauna, the different types of terrain it held and even in the climatic conditions.

 Joshi Math

Joshi Math

 Almost a day’s full travel is required to reach Badrinath. On the way we had to stop at Joshi Math. This is a check post and from here every two hours vehicles are sent in a stretch. When we reached Joshi Math, thankfully we were caught in the time frame and had a little over 45 minutes before the ‘convoy’ was allowed. I said thankfully because, this allowed us to go into the Math were Badrinath is brought to and installed during the extreme winter seasons every year. This is the place where Adi Sankaracharya along with his disciples also stayed for many days doing Tapas and Learning. His place – a verandah sort of an area is still cordoned and we could go and sit there doing our own little contemplations. 

Joshi Math

The Math has various small but ancient temples in the total precincts. This place had Siva Lingam, Navadurga, Garuda, Hanuman and other deities. The side of the door of Navadurga was written as ‘Poornaagiri Peetham’. The place where Lord Badrinath would be kept during the winter was seen. There was also an enclosure for Lord Narasimha who was ‘pratyaksha’ (visible) and protective of Sri Padmapadacharya, one of the disciples of Sankara Bhagavatpada. Some unique flowers were kept in front of Garuda.

The Sankaracharya Math which is one of the principal Maths established by Sankara Bhagavatpadacharya was slightly above in the hill adjoining the temple. While waiting for the release of the vehicles for our onward journey, some local urchins had brought an eatable mixture which was very similar to the ‘Ashta Dravya’ mixture used for Ganapathi Homam at our end. The difference was that probably due to the jaggery used and the lightness it had. The quality of the ashta dravya is extremely under rated among the medical, nutritional and general public in Kerala, many of whom unfortunately have a distinct disdain and regularly ridicules our ancient and traditional methods, without even trying to understand them.

After this by evening we reached the famed Badri Dham.

Badri Nath Dham

Badri Nath Dham

It took some time for the arrangers to find the place of stay. Once done, we were told about the queue system in the temple and about taking tokens before going for the darshan. As early as possible, we all set out, each in their own times, to have the most eagerly awaited darshanam of Sri Badri Nath Ji. 

Alakananda

 We stood in the queue after crossing the raging Alakananda. I use the word raging just to show the force of the water and the incredible atmosphere it creates. In the river in front of the Badri Nath’s temple, there is a rock, which has itself assumed a shape of Garuda when we look from one side, quite possible due to the action of the forceful water. It was here at the Narad Kund where Sankaracharya is said to have retrieved the present Badri Nath Salagrama Vigraham.

Badri Nath Temple

The temple is itself built one floor above the floor level. Once inside, we saw that there was a good crowd in the temple. As we enter, we go through the right side into the main sanctum and come out of its left side as we see it. Once done, there is another place outside, a raised platform for anybody to have a darshan again. Since the crowd was huge there was enough jostling of people and the temple priests were trying to get people to move quicker.

We finally reached his Sannidhi !!! What a sight to behold. The Salagrama of Badri Nathji was decorated with various items. We could also see other faces and small vigrahams at the sanctum sanctorum. “Eeswara Kripa – Darshana Soubhagyam”.

All of us were made to move quickly from the front as there were streams of devotees coming in. I noticed that the line we formed were only covering half of the path in front, and saw that in the front of the deity a semi circular area in the back side of this path. No one was standing nor was any activity seen. I slipped out of the line and stood at this place. “Aho Bhagyam”!!! I stood there without any one asking me to move. Even the priests did not seem to take any interest in me standing there, as if I may not have been there at all. Another group of around 4-5 people, seeing me standing completely without a hindrance, came to the place where I stood for having a good view of the deity. Though they were asked to go by the priests after some time, I was still spared!!!

I stood there for almost 15-20 minutes and had the full vision of the deity in his full glory and alankaram. I could see the face of Kubera so round and radiant in whole view on the left side of Badri Nathji and other vigrahas. It had Lord Badri Narayan, Kubera, Narada Rishi, Sri Uddhava, Ganapathi, Lakshmi, Nara, Chaturbhuja Narayana and Garuda. The only thing I couldn’t make out was which idol represented which deity. But coming out and then looking at the pictures available at the shops, I started recalling the darshanam and related to what I saw. I do not have any words to describe the ‘Karuna Kataksham’ of Badri Nathji who, without my knowledge, arranged such circumstances for me to stand there, without any single person asking me to move and see the full sanctum sanctorum to the fullest of my heart. 

Once I came out, we sat near the door for quite a long time after praying at the various small sanctums in the prakaram of the temple. Maha Lakshmi, Adi Sankaracharya, Lakshmi Narasimha, Navadurga, Desikacharya and Ramanujacharya shrines were seen in the prakaram. There were pictures and statues of Sankaracharya and his four principal disciples. A picture of Jothir Math Sankaracharya (1941 – 1953) – H.H. Sri Swami Brahmananda Saraswati is particularly lively. My father reminded me of the connection which the Math had with H.H Sri Sivasankara Guru due to the interaction of Sri Maharshi Bal Brahmachari Mahesh Yogi who had met him. We sat for some time there reminiscing this particularly important and historical meeting. We also spent quite a lot of time in the prakaram doing our japams and prayers until we came out.

We were told that if we give a small pouch of coins, the priests would keep the same in front of the Kubera vigraham and would be given back as prasadam. This could be subsequently kept at home and is considered auspicious. Unfortunately we didn’t quite understand that this was to be done at the sanctum. So later when we asked it to be done, the priests said that since the crowd was huge it would take time due to which it couldn’t be done.

The main priests here are from Kerala and the Rawals (as they are known) are chosen after strict tests. The tradition has been in vogue from the time of Adi Sankaracharya who revived the temple and fixed the method of poojas here. Venuji asked us whether we wanted to meet the chief Rawal who was present at the compound then. Eventhough we didn’t think about it then, in hindsight we should have met him. Some of our fellow travelers who went to his room said that there was a very unique picture of Babaji at his room.

Contented with the heart filling darshan, we decided to retire to our rooms after having food. Some purchases of mementos occupied some more of our time and by the time we hit the bed, we were exhausted physically and had a sound sleep.

18 May 2012

Tapta Kund, Narad Kund, Brahma Kapal.

In front of the temple towards the right is placed the Tapta Kund. The temperature is much more than normal and hence as the name sounds it is very hot. But once this is mixed with the normal water which is available from Alakananda which is almost close to freezing point, it becomes a new experience to all the people. It is said that, we need to first take a bath at the Kund and then have the darshan of Lord. This is easily said than done for people like us because of the extreme climates at these locations. Sri Rajappan explained a particular experience he had here. He came out of the bath from this place and a kid came to him giving a ‘bhiksha’. This, he said was his first in life and with all respect he placed it to the Lord himself. He was a unique personality in our trip. Quite silent and sure of what he wanted, he went about his things efficiently. More experiences were shared by him, once we got to know closer.

Narad Kund is the place as mentioned before where Sankaracharya retrieved the Padmasana posture of Lord Vishnu as Badri Vishal. The idol is made of Salagrama and is considered to be of unspeakable and immense importance.

Sraadha Karmams can be done at Badrinath and is considered as specially important. This is done at the place called Brahma Kapal where the Rishi Ganga and Alakananda confluence happens. It is supposed to be the place where Lord Siva had done his Tapas, in order to nullify the Brahma Hatya Dosham due to the plucking out of one of Lord Brahma’s heads, thus making him Chaturmukha.

Mana  – The last Indian village!!!

About 10.00 am we set off to a very historical village – Mana. The older and proper name is ‘Manibhadra’. In a nutshell – This is the last of the villages in India when one travels through this direction. 

The last tea shop in India

 This is the place where Sage Vyasa stayed and did all his Veda divisions. (Which is better understood as consolidation of Vedas from various sources). This is the place where he wrote all the Puranas, Upapuranas, Ithihasas etc… This is the place where the great River Saraswati is still visible to the naked eye. This is the place from where the Pandavas went on for the Swargarohana!!. This is the place from where we can travel to places like Vasudhara (place where the Ashta Vasus did their Tapas), Lakshmi Vanam (place where Lakshmi Devi did her Tapas), Swargarohana Mountain (Pandava Swargarohana Mountain), Alakapuri Glacier (Alakananda’s origin), Satopanth Lake (a uniquely triangular lake which is reputed to have witnessed the Tapas of The Divine trinity of Lord Siva, Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu having done Tapas), etc. All these places are extremely difficult to travel and it requires special preparations to do the same.

Vyasa Guha, Ganapati Guha

Ganapati Guha

 The village had Ganapathi Guha – The cave where Sri Ganapathi was said to have sat and written down the Mahabharatha Katha as told by Sage Vyasa.

Vyasa Guha

Slightly up the mountain is the Vyasa Guha, where he sat and dictated all the great Sanatana Literature. Venkitesh Sir (Kalady) had told me that I need to spend some time at the Guha. I was doubtful of the time availability as we were going in a group. But as things turned out, we got ample time and solitude among the otherwise rush of people and sat there contemplating on the Divine Play. Sage Vyasa was depicted in this cave with an idol. I sat there thinking of him, Sree Suka Brahmarshi, his son, who would have been with him continuously and their lives which have made this place so very great and pure. Their presence still reverberates at these locations and the vibrancy is for any one to go there and feel it directly with their blessings.

 

The Mighty Saraswati River

Immediately to the village is the place called Bheempul (Bridge by Bheem) which is across the river Saraswati.  This is the place of origin of Saraswati as is visible to the naked eye now. The flow out of the rock caves is incredibly forceful and the ground near the fall shakes in the impact. 

The water greenish hue and clear, slowly sinks in by the time it reached the Alakananda which is less than a kilometer away. The story of the once mighty river which had flown along the western side of the Indian subcontinent is quite known to all. Presently she resurfaces at the Prayag (modern Allahabad) for the Triveni Sangam. There is a small temple which is dedicated to the Mighty River here.

We came back from Mana, had our lunch and started our return journey from Badri, thus completing all the Char Dhams.

The journey took us to Pipalkoti where we stayed for the evening. Most of us where with blank minds after the trips and were eager to get to Haridwar. The next day’s journey was long enough for this and people had slowly started to unwind themselves.

 

Travelogue Chardham : Kedarnath

14 May 2012

UttarKashi to Guptakashi

Tehri Dam

  This was one of the longest drives during the day for the entire journey – about 290 kms to Guptakashi. The path took us through various places including Tehri. The controversial dam was seen from all angles as the roads wind through the mountains surrounding them. As the dam stands, some pictures were taken which probably did not capture the magnificence of the man made structure and surroundings.  

Tehri Dam

But for all the good will the structure is supposed to have generated, it is one of the most controversial constructions in India. It submerged a lot of villages; vestiges of some were visible on our road journey along the catchment area of the dam. Along with the villages, some very ancient and important temples, trekking routes and pilgrimage routes also stand submerged, lost to mankind – perhaps forever. The place is also said to be seismically active and volatile. Thus adding water pressure in the form of dam catchments and water led seismological activity may pose threat to the safety of the area.

  

Somanathan Potti uncle with his experience and expertise chanted the deva mantrams and stothrams which had almost all of us spell bound in the interim. This was a welcome relief for all of us in the trip as it suddenly brought memory of our own Kerala temple chanting. During the trip at various times this was repeated.

We also crossed a quite well developed town – Srinagar. (Suddenly I had confusion whether we had come to Kashmir!!). Srinagar is one of the most developed places in these areas in terms of modern amenities. However I noticed that this place is heavily dusty due to the continuous activities and is centered on the Alakananda River.

Rudra Prayag late evening

By late evening, we crossed Rudra Prayag – the confluence of Alakananda and Mandakini. Mandakini as the name sounds flows smoothly and Alakananda producing the ‘kala kala’ sounds was more active. There is an ancient Rudra temple steeped with rich history and connection to great sages at the joining place of these rivers. Due to incessant rains and time factor, a stop at this place was sadly missed. We could see the confluence sitting inside the bus and carried on with our journey to reach Guptakashi at the earliest. The roads were becoming more and more slippery and dangerous due to the rains which were present through out the afternoon. The terrain was tough with dry hot climate initially, changing into sultry and humid conditions in between and then cold and windy with rains coming down heavily.

 

We reached Guptakashi late and quickly retreated to our rooms. The journey for the day was so tiring that there were some frayed tempers among some of our fellow travelers for issues faced by them.

15 May 2012.

Kedarnath

The Yatra commenced in the morning to Kedarnath Dham – the third in our Char Dham trip. There were delays and blocks to reach the base of the trekking area itself due to the traffic and crowd. Various vendors were making a killing while we all waited in the buses by bringing items like Saffron, Kanmadam, Kasthuri etc.

At the base of the Kedarnath climb, known as Gowri Kund, some of us preferred horses to do the trek. Some decided to walk and some others in the Dolis. We climbed on horses – Myself, Father, Mother, Kunjamma, Chittappan, Omana Mami and Nalini Mami. Ani Maman and Krishnan Nair Maman walked up. The horses (mules, ponies), palkis and the dolis had a pre paid system.

The trek was for 15kms!!! The climbing roads were thankfully wider and more comfortable than in Yamunotri. But the climb at almost 25 – 30 degree slant for the full distance of 15 kms was not that simple. We did take some breaks in between and finally reached the holy place by evening. The final one km is practically a plain land when compared to the trek till then. There was Vasuki Tal on the left side, but due to the extreme cold and windy condition the lake was full of ice and I could not make out the same from the icy backgrounds. We were also very anxious to reach the temple and have the Bhagvan’s Darshanam. Kedar Dham is also reachable by helicopters and we could see the landing pads in the nearby hills for the helicopters. The day was reasonably clear till then and there were many helicopter rides which we saw during the climb.

Once the place for our stay was identified, we immediately ventured out to the Samadhi shrine of Adi Sankaracharya since the temple was not yet opened for evening Darshan. 

Sankara Samadhi

We spent some time there contemplating and sitting in peace with ourselves.

Sankara Samadhi

Sankara Samadhi

The building was on the banks of Mandakini / Alakananda. 

This was the place where Sri Sankaracharya is said to have vanished (Tirodhana) into the Prakrti.

After this we came and stood in the queue for entering the temple which was supposed to be opened then. The queue system was not controlled even though there was a provision given to people to stand in long winding corridors. These were lined with various linen huts occupied by various Sadhus, many doing their own Sadhanas and Tapas. We also found most of them smoking things which probably were intoxicants. However they did not harass people for alms as we find in many other places. Many had placed a cloth or plate if someone wished to give money and people did give generously. Me and my father had an occasion to meditate upon Shirdi Sai Baba during our travel to Kedar. This was for a specific reason. I was also hoping that a sign was shown at the Dham where upon our offering was accepted by him. True to his Leela – one of the Sadhu’s kutir, close to the temple, Shirdi Sai Baba’s smiling face in a photo was seen with much reverence by both of us. I could not find any other Sadhus with his photos. The fact that we were about to enter the temple and this was shown to us was his anugraham.

There was a Sadhu with only a loin Kavi cloth with a lot of money in small denomination sitting at the entrance to the temple. The temperature was dipping and freezing. He seemed to be unaware or easily not bothered about the climate. Here we were already in two – three layers of clothing and he was there sitting in the open bare bodied and seemingly well fed!!!

We stood in the queue to enter the temple once it was opened. The rails to manage the queue were kept only at the temple area. However a stand winding way back was built so that people could stand without getting drenched in the rains. True to any Indian situations, there were a lot of people trying to force their way into the queue in between, which resulted in some commotion and slowness in movement.

Kedarnath

Temporary Snow Lingams

However once we entered the Divya Sannidhi which had a big Nandi on the outer of the door, the scene was different. There were statues of Pandavas and Draupadi in the inner walls leading to the main Sannidhi. When we saw the Siva Lingam, it was with the Alankaram. How do we describe the abhouma soundaryam of Lord’s Darshanam. Thankfully the priests were not pushing out people fast so we could stand and see the Alankaram well. I had carried 11 coins separately due to a particular requirement which happened during the trip. These were submitted into the Hundi kept in front of the main door. When we came out of the temple it was already getting dark. There was some snow which was still there on the back of the Kedar main temple. People made temporary lingam out of these and were doing prayer to these snow lingams.

 Kedar is a place being sung about by the great Tamil sages Appar, Sundarar and Tirugnaana Sambandhar. The pathikams sung by these great sages are displayed in stone on the inside of the back wall of the temple.

When Nara and Narayana went to Badrika village and started the worship of Parthiva, Shiva appeared before them. A few days later, a pleased Shiva granted them some boons. Nara and Narayana wished that for the welfare of the humanity, Shiva should remain there in his original form. Granting their wish, in the snow-clad Himalayas, in a place called Kedar, Mahesha himself stayed there as a Jyoti. Here, He is known as Kedareshwara. It is said that who ever gives alms (Daanam) at Kedar gets assimilated into Sivaroopa.

Kedarnath is the highest placed in altitude among the 12 Jyotir Lingams. Another legend is also equally heartwarming here. Pandavas were looking at redeeming themselves for having killed their kith and kin (Gothra Hatya) and Brahmins (Brahmana Hatya) during the great Mahabharatha war. They were naturally advised by none other than Lord Krishna to propitiate Lord Siva for the same. While trying to do the same they understood that Lord Siva was not allowing them Darshanam for quite some time.

After a long search starting from Varanasi they noticed a peculiar bull (disguised as Nandi) at Gupta Kashi which was identified by non other than Arjuna to be The Lord. He asked his brother Bheema to catch hold of the peculiar bull. His observation proved to be spot on. The bull – Lord Siva himself seeing that Pandavas had spotted him started sinking into the Bhumi (earth). Bheema could catch the tail and hind portion only. Pleased with their devotion, the hump portion came out as the Swayambhu Lingam as we see now in Kedarnath. The Pandavas were absolved of the earlier mentioned doshams after doing the necessary penance at these locations due to Siva’s boon. The present temple area was initially built by them.

For the present way of life one may ask is it otherwise easy for some one to meet Lord Siva in this way and is it that he was wandering as a person to allow the Pandavas to see him in this manner –

We need to understand the esoteric meaning and the philosophy of the story to fully appreciate the full import of the incident. Pancha Padavas were not any ordinary individuals and of course were always guided by Lord Krishna himself. . Arjuna is one of the great Siva Bhaktas whose involvement is recorded in many South Indian temples during Pandava’s Desha Sancharams after their loss in the game of dice. Their Sadhanas and the way of life have to be understood in a different way than we would understand our lives now. The Divine Leela also plays out in unique methods for the Loka Upkarartham. (Benefit of the whole world)

While standing in the queue and otherwise, we noticed that the building is peculiarly made of stone slabs, which had its own dilapidations over the period of time. Sadly renovation works do not seem to have been given prominence as evident from broken edges, staccatos, facades and haphazard patch works seen on the façade of the building. Considering the fact that maintenance is difficult here since six months of the year the entire area is under snow, I along with many others, as a pilgrim and ardent follower of the Bharatiya Samskara and its incredible Paithrukam, would have preferred a little more dedicated care which seems to be a bane for the ancient temples. The dedication from its authorities sadly seems missing in many of these temples probably due to unawareness or even the general apathy shown. Some of the newer temple administers however seem to have mastered the act of managing the upkeep and crowd management.

While we were there, we were told that the winter this time around was so severe that the opening of the temple was delayed by one week than usual and already some people had succumbed to the extreme cold. We were literally walking on snow at various places and some of the bathrooms were filled with solid ice. We were not expecting such an extreme cold and windy condition and hence most of the people were not carrying necessary clothing materials to combat the conditions, which we were not used to. However by wearing multiple cloths along with sweaters and jackets we made ourselves reasonably comfortable. Our place of stay was in a building which was practically on the next compound to the main temple area. Only some of us went into the temple in the morning for having Abhishekams and during this time the Siva Lingam was visible in plain. It was also said that around 12.00 in the night some strange beautiful lights would be seen in the sky at this location. However due to the extreme weather conditions, I could not pull myself into enjoying these moments. All of us tried to get cosy under the thick blankets which were thankfully provided at the place of stay.

16 May 2012

Gowri Kund

By the next day afternoon 1.15 all were assembled down at the Gowri Kund. Quite a few of us walked down the mountain. Gowri Kund got its name because of a hot spring here which is famed to have been made by the Devarshis for Parvathi, when she did her Tapas for ‘ParamaSiva Prapthi’. An ancient temple dedicated to Goddess Parvathi and Siva is also there at this place. Most of us were having our own issues due to the climb down. Due to the exhaustion most of us stayed at the waiting place for the buses and missed a dip at this most holy of places. Once down at Gowri Kund, as we have been seeing in almost all the Himalayan Pilgrim centres, there was more than enough confusion and commotion for arranging the buses to pick us up from there.

We all thanked our good blessings to be back to the vehicles and started for our next journey back to our hotel. In this route a small detour from Sonprayag (which is on the way) took us to Triyugi Narayan Temple.

Triyugi Narayan Temple

Initially some of us probably due to the extreme tiredness and dizziness of the physical strain said they were not inclined to go to this place and just get back to the hotel for a stretch. But majority of us decided that we should go and see this place of spiritual, mystic and historic importance.

The place which is at the confluence of Mandakini and SonGanga (Swarna Ganga) has an ancient temple of Vishnu from whose ‘Vigraha Nabhi’ a sacred ‘Jala Srothas’ (water flow) comes out and falls into some important ponds there. It is also reputed that in one of the ponds here – ‘Saraswathi Kund’ there is a pair of bright golden snakes who are visible to our eyes at certain times.

The importance of this place is indescribable. It is said that Siva Parvathi Parinayam (Marriage) was consummated here. This was where all the Devatas, Siddha Purushas, Yakshas, Gandharvas, Kinnaras, Kimpurushas, Maha Jnanis, Bhuta Ganas, - all of them converged to see the divine union. The mystic, philosophic meaning of this description should be understood quite differently from the physical description and may please be understood with one’s own Guru’s help – (Guru Kripa). It was also here that Lord Siva requested Sage Agastya to travel to ‘Dakshina Desha’. This was because the balance of ‘Bhu Desha’ (The World) got tilted to North, due to the concentration of all these great souls there. Sage Agastya who could single handedly manage the Balance of the ‘Bhu Desha’ was one of the greatest of Saints of India. He is considered among the great 18 Maha Siddhas in the Tamil Saiva Methods and is also attributed for a lot of great historically important changes which may have happened during this time. His Samadhi is reputed to be at the Anantha Padmanabhaswamy temple area in present Trivandrum. The meaning of the balance and the subsequent story also should be understood in an esoteric manner rather than physical alone. The place also has a ‘Homa Kundam’ which is still kept alive, reputedly from the time of the ‘Parinayam’. Devatharu tree stems are kept there for any one who may want to do his ‘homam’ there and continue the sacred fire. One of the names for this place as Triyugi is because of this importance that the ‘Homam’ fire has been maintained there for all the three previous yugas.

Having said the overwhelming importance of this place, alas! Only a handful could make the trip there. While we started our trip back, two of our buses were held back by the police along with all big vehicles stating that a boulder had come crashing on the road and a limited space is available on the road now. Until this was removed, we could not go further. We all sat there in our buses and had dozed off due to the physical strain we had undergone. By the time all of us woke up after the slumber, we understood the gravity of the situation. The time was flying and soon evening was setting in.

The security agencies cleared the road around 4.00 in the evening and by which time we had to proceed back to the hotel since a delay in detouring or otherwise would be bad in the night times when the journey was extremely dangerous and treacherous. We considered this to be the decision of the Almighty and accepted the situation with full heart very well understanding that without His grace we could not have covered the areas which we already had.

 We reached Gupta Kashi again in the night time. We couldn’t try and explore the area because of this and could not visit the ancient Viswanatha temple here – which is part of the Pancha kedars. Ukhimath, one of the other Pancha kedars was also close to this place.