writenow: Kedarnath

Monday, September 2, 2013

A Trek to Dev Bhoomi For the Devas –part-5

We were shocked to learn that it was possible to avoid the long queue for the Darshan and Puja provided we were ready to part with some money illegally. We declined and waited for our turn to enter the temple for Puja and darshan. Why this holy place is at such a difficult place? We overheard the most possible rational and convincing reply from a team leader which is very similar to our recent learning at the Pamarth ghat of Rishikesh.

LINKS TO PART 1 TO 8 ARE GIVEN AT THE END.
At Kedarnath

We stood in the long queue, about half a Km away from the main entrance of the temple. The queue with intermittent stoppages was advancing less than snails speed.

It was 7.30 PM, and to be very optimistic, we would be near the main entrance not before 10.30 PM.

Two well-built persons whispered something in the ears of a group of elderly persons in the queue and whisked them away.

A thin person came to us and whispered in fluent Bengali “Uncle, May I help you to have a quick darshan?”

He signaled me to come out of the queue. He did not look like a tout but proved soon.

As I came out, he said, “I am known to the Pujari. Why should you stand in queue with Aunty for hours together after this daylong walking when I am here? Uncle, just pay only four thousands for both of you to that Shop owner. He shall give you a ticket and show it to my friends at the gate and your darshan and Puja shall be arranged.”

Hiding my anger, I managed to say, “Is that a special darshan ticket?”

He replied, “Do not bother about that.”

There are no special darshan tickets from the Temple authority side. The temple authorities should have arranged that. At least the money would have been spent for the temple but not in the pockets of few persons through their touts.

To lure me further, the tout fellow said, “You spent so much, just spend a little more few thousands only and see the Maha Arati, otherwise you may not be able to enter, before midnight. After half an hour, the temperature would go down to very cold. Choice is yours; I only wanted to help you out as you are from Bengal”

I pushed him away and joined back the queue. By that time, another person was negotiating possibly in south Indian language to a big group of south Indians in the queue.

I do not know whether these persons are connected by any means to any Pujari of the temple but this is certainly a racket running trouble free and successfully.

The touts could convince many others and many temple visitors, standing behind us in the queue, superseded us. This activity kept the otherwise standstill queue moving and it was a tricky game similar to booth jam technique during elections.

We were unable to see the Arati but went inside the temple and amazed to see the ancient work of sculpture, temple architecture and a Puja much to our expectation.

At early Morning, the snow capped mountains look different. The road was calm. Possibly the horses, Palkis, dolis and persons on foot for up and down journeys were yet to start.

But few people like us could not keep themselves indoor but preferred to enjoy the festival of Holi.

This is the Holi of the Nature and we saw the white snow tops of the Kedar Mountain were smeared with Aabir by the morning Sun rays.

It took us only two and half hours to walk down to Ramwara and with a comfortable margin time we decided to have breakfast with hot fresh Pakoras, Roti and coffee.

A group of young men and women sat ahead of us centering an elderly man (called by them as Bade Papa) possibly the family head who was replying to the queries of the member.

An young lady of the group said “What if could Bhimji could have seen Mahadeva at Rishikesh and then this temple would have been there. We would not need to do so much walking up and down the Hilly tract.

People in her group giggled and before they start teasing her, Bade Papa rescued her in his baritone voice “Can any of you answer her query?”

White trouser, Kurta, and shawl clad Bade Papa with a tall figure, French-cut beard, and a baritone voice resembled like Amitabh Bachhan.

The baritone voice continued, “ Kedarnath ji Temple at the Foot of Kedar mountain enlightens the Yatris to know about both the Rudra and Meditating “Roopa” of Mahadeva with illustrations from the surrounding nature.”

The group was listening to him carefully and an young man said in a low voice” I am afraid, if you may clarify further”

Bade Papa turned to him “You must have noticed that some part of the trek was hot, some place was pleasant with shades of tall tree and cool breeze. Some stretch was steep with broken hill slope and some was very cold with cold waters from freshly melted snow. These are the various “Roopa”s of Mahadev Shiva as found in nature. Yesterday at the onset of the evening all of us saw him.” People in his group were now surprised, but before they could speak out, his baritone voice was heard again, “Did you not see him when the sun rays of the setting sun were falling on the white Kedar dome? The entire white Kedar dome appeared to me as Mahadeva and the pale yellow color at the top of the dome was his tangled hair.”

We kept on walking along with that group and after some times, Bade Papa invited us to join his group with warm welcome from others of the group.

Discussions and walking down to Gourikund continued simultaneously. If you love nature, you may feel God. So, do an act against pollution. That is the actual “Puja” of God.

We learned similar things from the small but thoughtful talk at the Arati of Ganga at Parmarth ghat of Rishikesh.

LINKS TO ALL OTHER PARTS 1 TO 8 ARE GIVEN BELOW.

For Part 1

http://pradipwritenow.blogspot.in/2013/08/a-trek-to-dev-bhoomi-for-devas-part-1.html

For Part 2

http://pradipwritenow.blogspot.in/2013/08/a-trek-to-dev-bhoomi-for-devas-part-2.html

For Part 3

http://pradipwritenow.blogspot.in/2013/08/trek-to-devbhoomi-for-devas-part-3-we.html

For Part 4

http://pradipwritenow.blogspot.in/2013/08/a-trek-to-dev-bhoomi-for-devas-part-4.html

For Part 5

http://pradipwritenow.blogspot.in/2013/09/a-trek-to-dev-bhoomi-for-devas-part-5.html

For Part 6

http://pradipwritenow.blogspot.in/2013/09/a-trek-to-dev-bhoomi-for-devas-part-6.html

For Part 7

http://pradipwritenow.blogspot.in/2013/09/a-trek-to-dev-bhoomi-for-devas-part-7.html

For Part 8

http://pradipwritenow.blogspot.in/2013/09/a-trek-to-dev-bhoomi-for-devas-part-8.html

Friday, August 30, 2013

A Trek to Dev Bhoomi for the Devas –part-4

Diminished or vanished snows on mountaintops and valley, thin forests on hill slope and dried up fountains indicated a relative rise of temperature as compared to my last visit, about ten years back. However, a partly melted and slided huge ice capping at the road attracted the Yatris. At about 3 Km from Kedarnath, the Arati of the falling setting Sun rays on the Snow capped mountains kept us spellbound. I told her the Folktale about Kedarnathji. We were very eager to Visit Kedarnath us but unaware of the shock and disbelief waiting for us.

(links to other parts 1to 8 are given at the bottom of the page)

YATRA FROM GOURIKUND TO KEDARNATH

With two backpacks on our shoulders and sticks on our hands, we started climbing up the narrow road with hair- pin bends from Gourikund to Kedarnath.

The traffic jam from Rampur to Gourikund delayed our planned start off from Gourikund by four hours.

Although failed to manage incoming vehicle parking, the state govt. made nice arrangements of prepaid Horses, Palkis, and Dollis ending all the bargains.

Depending on the weather clearance, there are regular helicopter services throughout the day, which takes about 14 minutes to reach.

Like our population, every other thing on this road such as the no of Pilgrims, Horses, Palkis, tea shops etc increased exponentially since my last visit on the same road about ten year’s ago. However, the width of the road remained the same because of slope cutting restriction.

Keeping in mind, the altitudes, and the total climbing distance on a hilly road of average gentle gradient, we planned our halts at every 1.5 Km with fruit juices, dry fruit, and Biscuits and occasional coffees.

We plan in a similar way while exploring for minerals on a hilly terrain and I worked in both the Eastern and Northern Himalayas.

Susmita accompanied me on those trips and we both were used to climbing up for longer distance in tougher Himalayan terrains.

However, this time the plan based on the entries of my own diary failed badly as the entire set up of climate changed abruptly.

To make up the loss of time we skipped two halts but compelled to take rest beside a semi dried up hill spring. Our light woolen garments and the raincoat were wet not by the usual occasional rains of early May, but by our own sweats. We kept them in the backpack in a plastic bag and wore Jeans and T- shirts.

We trickled into Zigzag ways amid the crowds to walk faster but the incoming and outgoing Horses coming continuously along with the smell of their urine and heaps of stools made the traverse real uphill and tricky task.

We reached Ramwara, just at the middle of the trek, before our expected time, wiping out the loss of time. This place with no. of restaurants, Dhabas and few Hotels appear as a small town.

Unlike other Pilgrims, we avoided any lunch but consumed only a pack of date, roasted cashew nuts, and coffee to keep us fit for the remaining trek of six Km, steeper than the rest.

Just lifting my head from the map I did not find Susmita and a cold wave ran in my spine. The valley side here is very unstable.

She called me before I could yell. She was there, about 50 m up, just near a culvert on a tiny hilly tributary. A big hard icecap from the mountain probably rolled down the slope few days ago and became standstill just before that culvert. The ice melted partly and now appeared as several ice caves.

When I reached there, she was already inside the cave and busy taking snaps.

I had to remind her that till then, we were doing excellent progress and only if we keep it up we might reach before the evening Arati at Kedarnath.

The last words as if brought her back to reality and she said “Arati at Kedarnath! We must see that. Let’s move then.”

Completing the last steep part of Garud choti, we both looked at the watch and felt comfortable. Kedarnath is just a Km away.

We were in a valley surrounded by snow-clad mountains on all sides. Within another hour, darkness would set in. The flow of Pilgrims reduced to trickle making the valley silent enough to hear and enjoy the resonated duet sound of, cold wave blowing from the Ice capped mountains, and the flow sound of Alakananda.

Covering us with woolen garments and Jackets, we sat comfortably on a culvert for the last two cups of coffee. Susmita picked up a bunch of wild flowers and I tucked it on her long black hairs.

Right then the dim sun rays appeared for a moment. The snow-capped peaks changed color from white to Pale orange red but we maintained the silence, clasped hands of each other, and saw the Arati of the nature.

As we started moving towards the bridge on Alakananda she broke the silence with a mild voice “Dear Pundit ji, Tell me something about Kedarnath Temple”

I said, “I know very little, mostly from the Kathak thakurs narrating Shivpurana through their lyrical performance and something from the Net.

It is so said that Bhimji of Mahabharata was meditating hard for a darshan of Shivji who appeared in the disguise of a Buffalo and disappeared at Kedarnath. Bhim ji could only touch his divine curved shoulders. That Divine part is one of the “Jyotirlinga” The original temple of Pandavas were reconstructed by Guru Sankaracharaya. The temple is located at the foot of Kedar parvat and Kedar Dome from which the chorabari Glacier came down. A part of the melted water got trapped in a depression forming the Gandhi Sarovar at about 6 KM up from the Kedarnath temple.( This lake flooded by cloudburst triggered the Flash flood of 14.6)”

We checked in at GMVN’s Devlok lodge, took a refreshing warm bath, and left for Arati darshan at the Kedarnath Temple.

Possibly, there is an invisible halo of divine attraction, the moment you see the top crest of the Kedarnath temple and many persons including us felt it.

We were unaware that at the same place shock and disbelief were waiting for us.
links to other episodes from 1 to 8 are given below.