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The Himalayas are the largest mountain ranges in the world. But for Indians, especially the Hindus,

they symbolise a spiritual eternity, a precious link with bygone ages and much more. For me, the

Himalayas constitute the ultimate destination, a repository of ones religious faith. And it is from

the Himalayan glaciers that the river Ganga, the holiest of all rivers in India, rises and cuts its path

through valleys of stunning beauty and marvellously chiselled gorges before it enters the plains. The

Gangotri and Gomukh, the source of the Ganga, along with Yamunotri, Kedarnath and Badrinathform the four most important pilgrimage centres in the Garhwal Himalaya. Hundreds of other

temples are also located elsewhere in the Himalayas. In many ways, the Himalayas represent the

soul and spirit of Hindu Dharma.

The journey of Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, Badrinath and places of major interest begins in the

foothill town of Haridwar or Hardwar {the gateway to Hari (Vishnu) or Har (Shiva)}. This busy town

on the banks of the Ganga is also the gateway to the Garhwal Himalaya. While some seek salvation

thousands wait to wash-away their sins in Har-ki-pauri a famous ghat in the banks of the Ganga.

Har-ki-pauri is literally, "Har" means "Lord Shiva", "ki" means "of" and "pauri" means "steps". Lord

Shiva and Lord Vishnu are believed to have visited the Brahma kund in Har ki Pauri in the Vedic

times. There is a large footprint said to belong to Lord Vishnu on a stone wall.

Haridwar along with Ujjain, Nasik and Allahabad is one of four sites where drops of Amrit, the elixir

of immortality, accidentally spilled over from the pitcher while being carried by the celestial bird

Garuda. This is manifested in the Kumbha Mela being celebrated every 3 years in one of the 4 places,

and thus every 12 years in Haridwar.Brahma Kund , the spot where the Amrit fell, is located at Har ki

Pauri (literally, "footsteps of the Lord") and is considered to be the most sacred ghat of Haridwar.

Figure 1: Har-ki-Pauri (Evening Arti)

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We managed to have a dip in the crowded banks (har-ki-pauri ) of the Ganges that evening and were

promptly lined up for the Arti. As the sun sinks and the lights dip..the reflection of the

Arti in the clear waters is a treat to the eyes. It is definitely an evening well remembered. We also

visited the Narayani Shila temple primarily of significance in offering prayers to the dead.

We had our accommodation at Ginger and what I like about the Tatas is their meticulous planning

in offering best services at reasonable prices. We could genuinely feel their concerns in passing their

prudence to us in terms of cost and comfort. I liked their attention to detail and their cost effective

buffets with a blend of diet and health pertinent buffets (breakfast/lunch/dinner). We left for the

Shivalik ranges after breakfast the next day.

DAY 2

We had a long journey uphill stretching to nearly ten hours. The journey was pretty uncomfortable

with frequent hairpin bends and steep mountain ranges moving from one to another. Frequent

interruptions and break journeys were essential to avoid mountain sickness. Despite our best efforts

we fell sick during the journey. Despite all hurdles, it felt as if the Ganga was following us, not

wanting to let go off Her compassion until we reached Gupt Kashi. We spent the night in Mrityunjay

Palace at Gupt Kashi. The evening was well spent at Kashi Viswanath temple where it is believed

Shiva tried to hide from the Pandavas. The Pandavas decided to seek salvation from Lord Shiva for

Figure 2: Ginger, Haridwar

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the unjust done to the Kauravas. The next day was the journey to Kedarnath and a good night sleep

was essential. One thing struck me about the locals: they are simple, humble and god-fearing

people. Throughout the journey we noticed no liquor shops, no non-vegetarian hotels or meat

shops: a definite influence in the way the people think and act.

DAY 3

The exciting venture to the abode of Shiva: Kedarnath. We had left Gupt Kashi as early as 05:00

hours in the morning to reach Phata. Phata is the closest we can get for a helicopter service to

Kedarnath. The ideal path would have been a trek to Kedarnath which would involve a 14km walk up

hill from Gauri kund. But due to unavoidable reasons and with older people it was essential we take

the helicopter services. There was a huge queue and we managed to get our turn only by 10:00

hours. An interesting thing happened here. The weather at Phata was unpredictable with frequent

cloud formations hindering the heptor movement.

Figure 3: Heptor from Phata to Kedarnath

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Figure 4: The wait at Phata for the heptor

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We were sent in batches of five and unfortunately for us the family got split into two batches. I

boarded the earlier flight and landed in Kedarnath first. Just as I landed the heptor services were

halted due to weather conditions. I just did not expect this. And you can well imagine the panick.

The weather conditions change so frequently that you have no choice but to patiently accept the

ways in which Nature behaves. On the other side of Kedarnath is the beautiful snow clad ranges of 

the Himalayas. It is a visual treatI just closed my eyes and prayed for a change of weather sothat the rest of the members could join me. As luck would have it after half an hour I could see the

heptor fly again. We then offered our prayers at the shrine. The idol of Lord Shiva is more like a

piece of rock stuck inside the earth. The story goes that Shiva tried to elude the Pandavas and

Bhima, one of the Pandava brothers found Lord Shiva in the form of a Bull. While he tried to hold the

tail Shiva plunged into the earth to escape. But Bhimas strength enabled him to hold on to the bulls

rear end (leaving a rock kind of a figure stuck to the earth).

The nice thing about Kedarnath is you are permitted to do the pooja to the idol there. Shiva seems

to be simple in His approach to devotees and there is no glamour. People can just walk-in and meet

Him at any point of time. Our wait in the evening to get back to Gupt Kashi by heptor failed. The

weather worsened and the services closed. We had an unexpected night halt at Kedarnath. Itwas

freezing and we struggled through the night due to lack of oxygen. A hot serving of kichidi with lots

of ghee by the locals made way to solace.

Figure 5: The Kedarnath Mandir

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DAY 4

The early hours were spent at the helipad hoping for the flight services to resume. We managed to

go by the same flight this time and at about 0800 in the morning. The scenic beauty of two valleys

and the fresh water stream in between was truly magical! We headed straight from Phata to Triyugi

Narayan mandir.

This is the place where Shiva and Parvathi were married in the presence of Lord Vishnu. The sacred

pyre in front of which Shiva and Parvathi had their wedding is still burning to date. If true, then it is

burning from Satya Yuga to Treta Yuga to Dwaparu to kali Yuga.boohoo! Thats hell lot of a

time..Its an old shrine with broken idols and ancient buildings, but use a bit of your imagination

and visualise the marriage ceremony of Shiva and Parvathi: must have been celestial. We left the

mandir by noon towards Joshi Mutt: a road trip which we can never forget in our life. The most

strenuous and hazardous trips ever! Landslides, rains, narrow roads and slushy pathways..we

experienced it all and survived the rugged drive to the abode of Vishnu.

 

Figure 6: The Kedarnath Village from the heptor

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DAY 5

We reached Joshimath the previous night and we visited the famous Lord Narasimha temple

established by the famous Adi Shankara. Joshimath is the uttarmnya matha or northern

monastery, one of the four cardinal institutions established by Adi Shankara, the others being those

at Sringeri, Puri and Dwaraka. Their heads are titled "Shankaracharya". According to the tradition

initiated by Adi Shankara, this matha is in charge of the Atharva Veda. It is close to the pilgrimage

town of Badrinath. The idol of Badrinarayana is brought for worship during winters from Badrinath

to Joshimath during winters. One will definitely fall in love with Adi Shankaracharya for consolidating

the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta. Shankara travelled across India and other parts of South Asia to

propagate his philosophy through discourses and debates with other thinkers. He is reputed to have

founded fourmathas ("monasteries"), which helped in the historical development, revival and

spread of Advaita Vedanta.

Figure 7: Shiva and Parvathi on their

wedding day! (Triyugi Narayan)

Figure 8: Lord Narasimha Temple, Joshimath.

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The work of Adi shankaracharya is felt when you see a Namboodri (of Kerala origin) doing the rituals

and puja in Badrinath the way it would be in one of the temples in Kerala. This is proof enough to

understand that such a man existed and his work be followed even today. It is believed that Adi

Shankara attained Samadhi behind the kedarnath mandir. He had merged into the rock structure of 

the Kedarnath temple and the danda (that he carried along) is proof of his attaining samadhi there.

It is a four hour drive from Joshimath to Badrinath. The scenery is eye captivatingand the drive

blissful. Badrinath is located at elevation of 3,415 metres (11,204 feet). It is in the Garhwal hills, on

the banks of the Alaknanda River. The town lies between the Nar and Narayana mountain ranges

and in the shadow of Nilkantha peak (6,560m). Hemkund Sahib, an important Sikh pilgrimage site, is

on the way to Badrinath, so the road is especially crowded during the summer pilgrimage season.

This is the place where Guru Gobind Singh attained Nirvana (Samadhi).

DAY 6

We reach Badrinath.Badrinarayan temple, is situated along the Alaknanda river, in the hill town of 

Badrinath in Uttarakhand state in India. It is widely considered to be one of the holiest Hindu

temples, and is dedicated to god Vishnu. The temple and town are one of the four Char Dham andChota Char Dham pilgrimage sites. It is also one of the 108 Divya Desams, holy shrines for

Vaishnavites. The temple is open only six months every year (between the end of April and the

beginning of November), due to extreme weather conditions in the Himalayan region.

Several murtis are worshipped in the temple. The most important is a one meter tall statue of 

Vishnu as Lord Badrinarayan, made of black Saligram stone. The statue is considered by many Hindus

to be one of eight swayam vyakta kshetras, or self-manifested statues of Vishnu. The murti depicts

Vishnu sitting in meditative posture, rather than His far more typical reclining pose. In November

each year, when the town of Badrinath is closed, the image is moved to nearby Joshimath. 

Figure 9: Badrinath Temple

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Tapt Kund (tank) or Agni Teerth: It is said that pleased with Agni devs (Fire Gods) penance, Lord

Vishnu had granted him a boon to permanently reside in the form of thiskund here and burn away

the sins of all His devotees.

Tapt Kund was crowded but there were separate kunds for both men and women.

We warmed ourselves up in the warm waters which is also said to possess certain favourable

medicinal properties. I cant say about its healing properties but it sure was a big respite from the

arresting wintriness and also seized away all the weariness of our travel.

Don't you think it's a blessing as well as a miracle of sorts 

Figure 10: Tapt Kund - The hot water natural spring in

Badrinath

Figure 11: The steam coming out of the hot spring! 

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t housand s o f d   

votees but also bal ances t he

t one o f t he env ir ons nat ur ally! Amazi ng! 

Narayana unlike S ̈ 

iva is a God of pomp and glory© 

He is decked from top to bottom in diamonds 

 gold and precious stones

© He has Kubera and goddess Lakshmi by his side and that visibly can be 

seen in the way he is ornamented. He is rich and lives lif e in style. It is difficult to approach him and a

lot of money be spent to enter the sanctum sanctorum. Shiva, the aandi seems to be more 

simplistic in style and approach. I mean no off ence but could visibly see the diff erence in terms of 

time and effort. In His glory, we simply were mesmerised.

The idol of Badrinarayana is a Saligramam: a smooth black coloured stone believed to have been

obtained by Adi Shankara when he had a dip in the Alakananda.Badrinarayana idol is the oldest in

the history of India being worshipped for several thousand years.

The Himalayas has always been considered as the largest mountain ranges in the world. Many from

far and near have tried to e  

plore its stunning beauty but to me it symbolises a spiritual eternity, a

precious link with bygone ages and much more. The Himalaya constitutes the ultimate destination,

a repository of ones religious faith. And it is from the Himalayan glaciers that the river Ganga, the 

holiest of all rivers in India, rises and cuts its path through magnificent valleys and marvellously 

chiselled gorges before it enters the plains. The Gangotri and Gomukh, the source of the Ganga,

along with Yamunotri, the source of Yamuna, Kedarnath and Badrinath form the four most

important pilgrimage centres in the Garhwal Himalaya. Hundreds of other temples are also located

out here but the char dham seem to be the most significant of them all. In many ways, to me they 

represent the soul and spirit of Hindu Dharma.

Ours was an unplanned trip though I have heard that there are mighty preparations that need to be 

done before undertaking such holy pilgrimage which includes invoking the blessings of Lord Ganesha

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and catering for Yatra (meaning a holy trip) dhaan (giving something in kind before a pilgrimage).

We had planned it a fortnight ago and had made all arrangements through Tour my India.com.

Probably a little bit of planning would have saved us a f ew bucks but the very e  

citement (for me)

about the  journey had nullified all follies prior to trip. Finally the day of travel arrived.

DAY 1:

We  just managed to catch the Dehradun Shadabti at the early hours on a Sunday morning. It is a five 

hour journey and we are pampered with e  

otic food and a variety of snacks. We realise the comfort

of the  journey only when we land up in the crowded platform of Haridwar. The  journey of 

Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, Badrinath and places of ma jor interest begins in the foothill town of 

Haridwar or Hardwar {the gateway to Hari(Vishnu) or Har(Shiva)}. This busy town on the banks of the 

Ganga is also the gateway to the Garhwal Himalaya. While some seek salvation thousands wait to

wash-away their sins in Har-ki-pauri a famous ghat in the banks of the Ganga. Har-ki-pauri is 

literally, "Har" means "Lord Shiva", "ki" means "of" and "pauri" means "steps". Lord Shiva and Lord

Vishnu are believed to have visited the Brahma kund in Har ki Pauri in the Vedic times. There is a

large footprint said to belong to Lord Vishnu on a stone wall.