This May, I had been on a pilgrimage across North/West
India along with family and relatives. A visit to the temple
town of Badrinath (Garhwal Himalayas) nestled at 3155 mtrs above sea level was the highlight of the trip
and more because of the presence of ice capped mountains at the time of our
visit (this being my first sights of ice and ice capped Himalayas). The holy temple of Badrinath is the most revered of the four dhams and is often referred as Bhuvaikunta (heaven on earth)!
New Delhi
was burning hot (being May, it was expected) and we did some shopping at the
Sarojini nagar market and visited the India Gate and enjoyed a ride in the
Delhi Metro. Appreciate the taxi service (especially if hired from a known
contact, our taxi men were always on time and never demanded extra fare).
The gateway to any of the 4 dhams (Chardham viz Gangotri,
Yamunotri, Badrinath, Kedarnath) are the twin towns of Haridwar and Rishikesh
situated on the banks of Ganga / Alakananda in
the Uttarakhand. ‘Ganga Aarti’ is a main attraction at Haridwar and so does the
shopping around the area. Also went on the ropeway to the Chandi devi temple
and the views from the ropeway of the town was good to say the least. After a
day’s rest here, we hired a tempo traveler for our group to visit Badrinath and
back and the journey was no less exciting.
Another well written post by Arti of MYD on the Ganga Aarti -
here - http://myyatradiary.com/2011/10/my-tryst-with-evening-ganga-arti-at-har.html
(Ganga Aarti as seen from the ropeway to Chandi devi temple)
Another notable feature is if you happen to be a 'river rafting' freak, then Rishikesh is the place to be. In Rishikesh and further, all along the river bed, you get to see lots of tents pitched up for the rafting purpose.
Seven years ago, when we had done the same trip, the roads
from Haridwar onwards were narrow and a lot more riskier to drive and
landslides were very common at every other nook and corner of the Himalayan
Ghats. River Alakananda was a symbol of force, rage and rush all along the way
and a small mistake and you would be between in a situation like “between the
devil and the deep sea”; such was the risk of traveling earlier on this terrain
and the risk was double during rains as that led to steady occurrences of
landslides all along.
(I could see a whole lot of bird life here, but sadly Ganges is now in a bad shape!)
But now things have changed and the single lane roads are
now doubled and the travel time is considerably reduced and the risk factor too
except for the last stretch between Joshimath and Badrinath. If you drive safe,
it should be a problem anywhere in between. Another thing that saddened me
entirely was the vanishing Ganga / Alakananda.
All along the path, the intensity of river has reduced drastically and almost
dry in some places thanks to many hydel projects along the way. (If I remember
seeing the documentary correct on CNBC, the Ganges
would diminish by 75% in few years time as it would be diverted for multiple
hydel projects). The fragile eco-system of the Ghats
is in for serious trouble. Back to the journey, the widening of roads, cutting
of the mountains has had its impact in the sheer increase in number of
landslides especially during rains :(
The drive through the Ghats
is picturesque (except for the diminishing river Ganges/Alakananda) and those
with motion sickness are to suffer for sure as it’s a travel with lot of curves
and zig zags and hairpin bends. The mountain ranges are your constant companion
interspersed with tiny villages now and then and the various ‘Prayags’ that you
pass through on the way to Badrinath namely
Devprayag, Rudraprayag,
Karnaprayag, Nandprayag and Vishnuprayag (I would like to cite this post form
Arti’s MYD that has more information about the Prayags in detail -
here -
http://myyatradiary.com/2011/09/panch-prayags-in-garhwal-himalayas-of.html).
As we near Chamoli and Joshimath, the terrain gets trickier
and the area is prone to more landslides. One should commend BRO (Border Roads
Organization) for their tireless job in ensuring the roads are cleared within
minutes of a landslide happening so that there is no hamper to the traffic
flow. At many places, while the clearing is going on, vehicles are allowed one
at a time from either direction; these people risk their lives day in and out
serving a lot for us. Hats off BRO!
As you cross Chamoli and near Joshimath (the entry gate
to Badrinath), there is a gate system in place and Joshimath is also the the winter place of
worship of lord Badri Vishal; the Himalayan peaks covered in ice are visible -
a real treat to the sore eyes (ice caps would be only till end May and later it
would be all brown/green mountains till the winter sets in again).
Joshimath is an
important place acting as a base for the final journey towards Badrinath, a
place at the lower altitudes, a place that can be visited throughout the year,
the place when the lord Badrinath is brought down and worshipped during the
winter when the temple town of Badrinath
is inaccessible. A gate system is deployed here to regulate the flow of traffic
between Joshimath and Badrinath.
(the winter home of lord Badrinath... @ Joshimath)
In simple terms Gate system means the route becomes one
way, i.e., if vehicles are allowed from Joshimath, vehicles from Badrinath are
stopped and vice versa. It’s good as the route is quite tricky and
treacherous and prone to terrific landslides. There is the lord Narasimha temple at
Joshimath where lord Badrinath is brought down and worshipped during the winter months
(Badrinath is inaccessible literally for 6 months in a year as its covered
completely with ice during that period)!
The gates were closed at Joshimath when we reached and had
to wait for an hour or so for them to allow the vehicles from here. The ice
capped mountains were looking gorgeous and a human being looks so miniscule
compared to them, all our feeling of greatness and invincibility is quashed
within seconds in front of the mighty Himalayas.
Finally, we reached the temple town by dusk and were welcomed by light
drizzles and cold weather.
Next post – Badrinath and around…
