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The word “Kedarnath”, in itself invokes a gush of spiritual energy among most of us. It is one time wish for most of people in our country to visit this shrines, at least once in their life time. Many people visit this holy temple with a belief that journey to place will make them nearer to supreme lord, while some visit the place to enjoy the sheer enchanting beauty of nature. For me it was mix of varied emotions when I visited the place this October.
There are some staying options near the temple. Kedarnath is a small town nestled in between the valley behind which river Mandakini gushes in its natural form without any disturbance. Since we had been there almost at end of season so we had no difficulty in finding place to stay. There are quite a few hotels, government tent houses. If you are going in peak season, then it is advised to book staying beforehand. We were too tired walking the whole day so we went to bed early. Morning we woke up early to go to temple. It opens at 4am. The temple majestically stands with snow-capped peaks in the background. We were wearing 3-4 layers to protect ourselves from bone numbing cold. I wonder how the Babaji’s or Sadhu’s there manage with just a thin layer of shawl wrapped around their bodies that too without shoes. Salute to them!! Since we went early morning so que was less and we were inside temple without an hour. The sanctum sanctorum is very small, hence line behind also proceeds at slow pace. The serene feeling of touching god and seeking blessings from divine will make anyone to have positive energy transcend throughout. I could see so many people, especially elderly one’s having tears in their eyes once they were out of temple. Sometimes we fall short of words to express mix of emotions.
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| KEDARNATH TEMPLE |
The word “Kedarnath”, in itself invokes a gush of spiritual energy among most of us. It is one time wish for most of people in our country to visit this shrines, at least once in their life time. Many people visit this holy temple with a belief that journey to place will make them nearer to supreme lord, while some visit the place to enjoy the sheer enchanting beauty of nature. For me it was mix of varied emotions when I visited the place this October.
The temple is open for pilgrims for
6 months of year, from April to November and is closed for rest of year due to
heavy snow fall as the place becomes inhospitable owing to extreme weather conditions.
The temple too is covered with snow in winters, and only trained professionals
with all safety gears go for trekking during the snow period.
I stumbled upon one of my friend
who was equally excited as much as me when I told about my plans to visit the
place, and instantly agreed to join me. So 2 of us decided to do Kedarnath trek
this week, before the temple closes for the season. Thus we started our journey
from Dehradun via Rishikesh. Rishikesh is 50kms from Dehradun and 230kms from
New Delhi. Hiring a private vehicle for tour would shoot up the budget many
folds so we relied on public transport for the entire journey. We had to keep a
lot of buffer timings as we were travelling by public transport.
Distance from Rishikesh to
Gaurikund is 220Kms. Gaurikund is last place for any vehicles and we need to
cover remaining 16-18Kms to Kedarnath temple by foot. Options like mule
(Ghoda/Khachhar), doli (4 people will carry you on cot!!), and Basket (You sit
inside basket and the person will carry basket on his back and walk) are available
from Gaurikund to temple for those who don’t wish to walk this distance. Also
helicopter facility is available from place called Phata (9kms before Gaurikund)
that will make you reach temple in less than 15-20mins. The distance of helipad
to temple is hardly 10-15mins walk. It’s as good as you land in front of
temple.
So thursday morning we started from
Dehradun.
Our 1st stop was Rishikesh bus stand. In Rishikesh we got
the biometric registration done and subsequently cards issued to visit the
place. Biometric registration has been made mandatory post the 2013 floods. The biometric registration facility can be
availed free of cost one from any one of many centres located at different
places. If you don’t wish to stand in que then you can get them online at
government’s site www.onlinechardhamyatra.in, with a nominal fee. Visit the
website for more details.
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| Journey Route. |
We got our biometric cards issued
from Rishikesh bus stand. We spent lot of time waiting for bus to go to our
next destination. Finally after an hour of waiting, we managed to hop on a bus
which took us all the way till Rudra Prayag for the day at 6.30pm. Our 1st
halt was in Rudra Prayag. Though distance is from Rishikesh to Rudraprayag is only
200Kms it took us entire day to cover this distance. Because vehicle speed
reduces drastically in mountains. And
mountain road starts right from Rishikesh. As travelling in hilly areas at night time is very risky, people refuse to drive at night time in mountain road unless it is absolutely necessary. Sometimes landslides occur and the entire traffic comes to standstill, till the debris is cleared. Hence, avoid travelling at night time. So, next day morning we started early from Rudraprayag at 6.30am to reach Sonprayag which is at distance of 40kms via Jeep then hopped on to another jeep from Sonprayag to finally reach Gaurikund at 12.30pm in the afternoon. Sonprayag to Gaurikund is 10kms. The roads are now wider, owing to ongoing Char Dham project. The entire road journey from Rishikesh to Gaurikund is a feast to your eyes with valley on one side and deep gorge on other. The local drivers here are excellent in their driving skills. Maneuvreing sharp edges, sometimes where land below is not even visible is a
scary sight. Holding dear
life in hand and trusting person behind wheels on his driving skills we enjoyed
the beauty of nature and chilly wind through the window. The road travels alongside
of river Ganga throughout. The beautiful gorges at some point of time become so
deep that river beneath plays hide and seek. When the snow – capped mountains
showed themselves at some point of time after Rudra Prayag, there was no end to
our joy at this blissful sight. One automatically goes into silent mode at the
first sight of such gigantic mountains. All you do is to just glare the beauty
of creation, which has taken current form after millions of years of
carving. At some point of time during journey
when our vehicle stopped for refreshment. Having a simple tea in such in cold
temperatures with majestic mountains in front of you sight, fills both mind and
body with refreshing energy.
mountain road starts right from Rishikesh. As travelling in hilly areas at night time is very risky, people refuse to drive at night time in mountain road unless it is absolutely necessary. Sometimes landslides occur and the entire traffic comes to standstill, till the debris is cleared. Hence, avoid travelling at night time. So, next day morning we started early from Rudraprayag at 6.30am to reach Sonprayag which is at distance of 40kms via Jeep then hopped on to another jeep from Sonprayag to finally reach Gaurikund at 12.30pm in the afternoon. Sonprayag to Gaurikund is 10kms. The roads are now wider, owing to ongoing Char Dham project. The entire road journey from Rishikesh to Gaurikund is a feast to your eyes with valley on one side and deep gorge on other. The local drivers here are excellent in their driving skills. Maneuvreing sharp edges, sometimes where land below is not even visible is a
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| Start of trek at Gaurikund |
Temperatures are generally cold in mountainous areas/higher altitude. Since it was onset of winters, the temperatures drop to near zero in the night time in higher altitudes. We each had carried one bag pack full of warm clothes to protect us from bone chilling cold. Please carry sufficient warm cloths though you are visiting the shrine in summer.
We had pre decided to trek the last 18km from Gaurikund to temple, so walking with such heavy baggage would be very treacherous. So we made a basket wala who agreed to carry our bags at reasonable price from Gaurikund to Kedarnath temple. Prices of Mule/Basket/Doli’s are fixed and there is counter in Gaurikund where you book anyone of them and obtain a receipt for same. Also there is natural hot water spring in Gaurikund. Here you can take bath.
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| Trek Route |
Ideally for a fit person, it should take somewhere between 6-10 hours to walk the entire distance from Gaurikund till the temple. Mules/Ghoda take 2-3 hours less. Trekking is safe option even for lone traveller. Though considerate number of people walk to and fro throughout the day, however I would suggest you to start ascending/descending in the early hours rather than starting late evening. Because movement of people reduces during dusk and chances of getting any help, in case of any need, are very bleak. Hence start early and be safe.
Thus, with our luggage offloaded
and belly full we started ascending from Gaurikund to the shrine at 1.30pm in
the afternoon. We carried only a small
bag with us, which had essentials like a warm jacket, water and some eatables
to munch enroute. Though Gaurikund felt
like crowded place, the population started thinning as we ascended. Trek till
temple is gradual ascend. Whenever fog
gave way for full view of landscape, we could see the majestic snow-capped
himalayan mountains standing tall. The majestic view of Himalayas is something
which everyone will appreciate. The gushing of river Mandakini downstream is
visible throughout the trek route. Time was now around 4pm and we had reached
halfway. There are plenty of tea stalls and eating points in between. So you
can refill yourselves whenever required. Also water is available throughout the
route. The route is slightly altered after the 2013 disaster, arrangements are
now better. Thus with many breaks and stops, we managed to reach the temple at
7 pm, right before the evening Aarti time. It was heartening to see people of
all ages painstakingly walking so that they can have a glimpse of GOD once in
their life time.
Thus, with our luggage offloaded
and belly full we started ascending from Gaurikund to the shrine at 1.30pm in
the afternoon. We carried only a small
bag with us, which had essentials like a warm jacket, water and some eatables
to munch enroute. Though Gaurikund felt
like crowded place, the population started thinning as we ascended. Trek till
temple is gradual ascend. Whenever fog
gave way for full view of landscape, we could see the majestic snow-capped
himalayan mountains standing tall. The majestic view of Himalayas is something
which everyone will appreciate. The gushing of river Mandakini downstream is
visible throughout the trek route. Time was now around 4pm and we had reached
halfway. There are plenty of tea stalls and eating points in between. So you
can refill yourselves whenever required. Also water is available throughout the
route. The route is slightly altered after the 2013 disaster, arrangements are
now better. Thus with many breaks and stops, we managed to reach the temple at
7 pm, right before the evening Aarti time. It was heartening to see people of
all ages painstakingly walking so that they can have a glimpse of GOD once in
their life time.There are some staying options near the temple. Kedarnath is a small town nestled in between the valley behind which river Mandakini gushes in its natural form without any disturbance. Since we had been there almost at end of season so we had no difficulty in finding place to stay. There are quite a few hotels, government tent houses. If you are going in peak season, then it is advised to book staying beforehand. We were too tired walking the whole day so we went to bed early. Morning we woke up early to go to temple. It opens at 4am. The temple majestically stands with snow-capped peaks in the background. We were wearing 3-4 layers to protect ourselves from bone numbing cold. I wonder how the Babaji’s or Sadhu’s there manage with just a thin layer of shawl wrapped around their bodies that too without shoes. Salute to them!! Since we went early morning so que was less and we were inside temple without an hour. The sanctum sanctorum is very small, hence line behind also proceeds at slow pace. The serene feeling of touching god and seeking blessings from divine will make anyone to have positive energy transcend throughout. I could see so many people, especially elderly one’s having tears in their eyes once they were out of temple. Sometimes we fall short of words to express mix of emotions.
Behind
the temple is the famous huge rock or boulder which was instrumental in
stopping the temple from being damaged when floods struck the place in 2013. It
indeed is very huge. So we were done with temple visit by 9.30 am. Now we left
to Chorabari Lake which is at 4kms from temple and it takes 1.5-2 hrs to reach
the place by walk. The route is next to temple and you can ask any localite for
guidance. It isn’t a difficult or treacherous walk to reach lake.
We reached the lake and quickly made our way back to our accommodation place as weather seemed to become cloudy. Having finished our lunch done, we started descending to Gaurikund from Kedarnath temple at 2 Pm. Again we made Basket wala to carry our luggage. The descend was quick one, with regular stops and breaks we made ourselves reach Gaurikund at 7pm, to again make a halt for the day and leave for Dehradun the next day.
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| Kedarnath Town - Shrouded in cloud |
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| Towards Chorabari Lake |
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| Self Contemplating journey |
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| Priceless Conversations |
We reached the lake and quickly made our way back to our accommodation place as weather seemed to become cloudy. Having finished our lunch done, we started descending to Gaurikund from Kedarnath temple at 2 Pm. Again we made Basket wala to carry our luggage. The descend was quick one, with regular stops and breaks we made ourselves reach Gaurikund at 7pm, to again make a halt for the day and leave for Dehradun the next day.
Despite administration taking
measures to curb pollution, the problem was still visible in the mountains. Pollution
due to waste disposal remains as mood dampner. Though there are dustbins and
signboards regarding same at many locations, people still throw garbage in
open. Hence, who visit Kedarnath, or for the matter any place, please make sure
you don’t litter places with anything. Also the noise of helicopters hovering
throughout the day was slightly annoying, as it disturbed the peril tranquillity
of nature.
Thus by traversing same route
backwards via Gaurikund – Sonprayag- Rudraprayag- Srinagar-Rishikesh- Dehradun,
we managed to reach home by 9Pm. Thus a combination of both divine and nature
appreciating, self-exploring excursion for 4 full days came to an end. We
carried lots of beautiful memories along the entire tour,be it of scary bus
drives or of beautiful snow-capped mountains, or visiting the holy temple and
Chorabari Lake.
Divine blessings along with nature exploration is an impeccable way to introspect yourself.
-----X----THE END----X-----
Divine blessings along with nature exploration is an impeccable way to introspect yourself.
-----X----THE END----X-----
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