Continued from part-1
What’s in the mountains that captivates us?
“…And the last puff of day-wind brought from unseen villages, the scent of damp wood-smoke, hot cakes, dripping undergrowth, and rotting pine-cones. That is the true smell of the Himalayas, and if once it creeps into the blood of a man, the man will at last, forgetting all else, return to the hills to die”. — Rudyard Kipling
My experiences with the mountains are countable on my fingers, yet there is an unexplainable attachment. Be it the western ghats or the Himalayas, the essence of it has always engrossed me. The Himalayas, especially, have made quite an impression on me. I have watched several videos and read a few books to keep that sense always sparkling. The smell and the feel of dry and cold air up in the mountains, the broad panorama of gigantic mountains, the bluest sky and crispest light in the day, the darkest at night dotted with uncountable stars, the prolonged profound silence between the mountains, which I can only experience for few seconds when I meditate, and the life there is without any folds which we secretly long for within our hearts. The mountains never change, but they are not always the same.
16 Aug 2022— Ghangaria — Govind Ghat — Badrinath
We woke up early before sunrise. We felt refreshed and energetic; the rest day helped us. I looked out for a porter and found Sameer, an 18-year-old, to be our companion. Though a young chap, he picked our three rucksacks with ease. The rains on the previous day had cleared the clouds and offered clear skies. Sameer had told us that he would wait near the river for breakfast. We reached by 9 a.m. and had light snacks. We spotted the Haathi Parvat from this point. The mules bothered us; Manasa had slipped on her ankle, trying to evade a mule coming her way. Another 3 KM of descent to reach the taxi stand. I arrived there by 11:45 a.m. Sameer was waiting there. I paid his charges and relieved him. I watched the bags and continued to wait for them. We regrouped around 1 p.m. and took a taxi ride to Pulna. Then, we hiked to the Govind Ghat bus stand to catch a bus to Badrinath.
The 20 KM ride to Badrinath took more than an hour. Many landslides along the way and deep gorges terrified us, but the views were equally magnificent. I was learning why our elders chose such high mountains as pilgrim sites so the grand views would have cured their tiredness. The road was relatively good for a motored vehicle, but I can imagine how treacherous the walk would have been when our elders walked to the Pilgrim sites ages before.
We reached Badrinath and were accommodated at the Uttaradi Mutt which had a spacious, warm, clean room. We took our time to freshen up. We went to the temple later in the evening. We came back to a comfortable dinner. We briefly planned for the next day and went to bed early.
17 Aug 2022— Badrinath — Mana — Vasudhara Falls — Badrinath
We had planned to visit Mana Village, the last village before the Indo-China border, now aptly renamed the first village. We started around 7:30 a.m. We hired a taxi to drop us at the entrance of the village. Surprisingly, the village was spotless. The walls were painted throughout the streets, and walking through the lanes was a pleasure. Mana is a picturesque small village.
We visited Ganesh Gufa. Maharishi Vyasa is believed to have dictated the Mahabharata, and Lord Ganesha wrote it in this cave. After a few minutes, we left for Vyasa Gufa. Vyasa Gufa is thought to be the location where sage Vyasa wrote the Mahabharata epic and compiled the four Vedas ( Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda, and Atharvaveda). The priest recited many stories and shlokas. We sat inside the cave, and it was a peaceful few minutes.
We visited the last tea shop and had herbal tea and milk tea. The shop’s owner, Mr. Chandra Sinha Badvaal, was friendly and allowed us to take a few photographs with him. Badrinath was visible from here, and it was quite a view.
We proceeded to Bheem Pul. It is believed that Bheema placed the huge rock, which forms a bridge (pul), on the Saraswathi River to allow the Pandavas to cross the roaring river. From Bheem Pul, it was a 4–5 KM hike to the Vasudhara Falls. The path was on the banks of the Saraswathi River, and the other side of the bank, we could see the way leading to the Satopanth Trek. The trail to Vasudhara Falls was beautiful; the river on our left accompanied us, and a new mountain popped out of the horizon every few hundred meters. The trail was not crowded. There were vast green meadows with grazing mules and cattle, abandoned houses and farmlands, the clear sky offered views far and wide, and small streams along the way.
It is believed that the Pandavas passed through the falls on their way to heaven — ‘Swargarohana Yatra.’ The path definitely looked like the way to heaven, if at all there is anything more beautiful than the path and the waterfall itself. The plunge of the 400-foot waterfall was visible when we were about a kilometer away. We then walked swiftly. We sat near the waterfall for almost an hour. The fresh glacier-melted water roared when it fell, tiny droplets carried by wind sprinkled on us, and it was icy cold. After a refreshing break and being content with the sight and sound of the waterfalls, we started back.
We walked through the Mana village and called our taxi driver to pick us back to Badrinath. Later in the evening, we learned that the water of the Vasudhara sprinkles on only those who haven’t sinned, and the water purifies one. I believe we were only blessed by nature, nothing more, nothing less. If there was any divinity, it was the nature.
18 Aug 2022— Badrinath — Haridwar — Delhi
It was the day we headed back to civilization. One also needs the madness of civilization and societal nonsense to enjoy the wilderness. It is like the pinch of salt that makes a dessert taste better. I’m still not ready to be entirely abandoned by society because it has spoiled me. As a welcome note, a co-passenger on the bus screamed at us for allegedly occupying his reserved seat. We never wished to take the seat next to the driver, awkwardly looking at him all the way. The co-passenger had to be calmed down, and we were engrossed in the stories told by a soldier traveling on vacation. Neither the co-passenger nor the three of us had a comfortable seat.
It seemed an endless journey to Haridwar. After the cramped journey, we wanted to stretch our legs. We hired a private taxi to drop us to Delhi. We had our first meal of the day en route. We had pre-booked our stay at Hotel Nirvana, Mahipalpur. My diary reads, “…clean sheets, cozy bed, air-conditioned room, all we needed for a good night's sleep.”
19-20 Aug, 2022— Delhi
We were strained. The deep slumber had only helped us recover partially. The plan for the day was to visit a relative at the other end of the city and explore Delhi if we still had any juice left.
On our arrival at the relative’s house, we were offered filtered coffee and a delicious South Indian lunch, and we had longed for this. We then visited Akshardham, which was close by. The exhibits at Akshardham were outstanding; I had not seen anything like that. The life-sized models narrated some humane and spiritual teachings. We stayed till the light and sound show, Sahaj Anand, which was a spectacular watch. We returned for a good serving of Raagi Bakri, assorted chutney pudi, and Kaalu Palya.
On the 20th, we visited the Qutub Minar. We wanted to see the markets, but the heat dampened all our enthusiasm. We packed our bags the last time.
21 Aug 2022 — Delhi to Bengaluru
We boarded our flight at 6:10 a.m.
We were back at home, tending to our sore muscles. The next day, our maid interrogated us as to why we had to go so far just to see the flowers when Lalbhag was within a couple of hours of reach. We had no explanations for her, and we do not still know why we travel. Do we? Maybe she was upset that she had to dust what had accumulated for a fortnight despite giving her a break when we were away.
