Visited In September 2016
Uttaarakhand mein aapka swagat hai!!
Uttarakhand, formerly known as Uttaranchal is a beautiful state of Northern India. This state is also known as Devbhumi - which means the abode of Gods with its numerous Hindu temples and holy sites all across. Haridwar, Rishkesh, Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Tunngnath are a few important ones to mention.One can expect to see the holy Ganga and Yamuna rivers, Himalayan mountains, deep valleys and finger licking delicious food all around this beautiful state.
Our initial plan was to visit Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, Haridwar and Rishkesh with our parents during this trip, however, we had to cut it short to Badrinath and Kedarnath and return to Kerala due to the sad demise of our grandmother.
We flew from Dubai to Delhi and our parents from Kochi to Delhi, where we all met. We had arranged a 14 seater traveler for the trip and got started from Delhi to Badrinath. Travelling with parents is such a warm experience; the happiness we feel within, to take them around and show places which they wouldn't even have dreamt to visit, is beyond words. We have been lucky to travel with them, and our wish list is still pretty long :)
We crossed Haridwar and Rishikesh and stopped at Devprayag for a picture. Haridwar and Rishikesh are famous for holy temples and ashrams. Rishikesh also has adventure sport activities like white water rafting etc.
Devprayag is the confluence of the holy rivers of Alaknanda and Bhagirathi and from here on unites and flow as Ganga. The rivers can be distinguished from the colour of water.
The roads of Uttarakhand are definitely worth a mention. The hilly topography is highly prone to landslides and the chances of getting stuck midway anytime anywhere is highly possible. The winding roads and hairpin bends slows down the travel rate to a max of 25 - 35 km/hr. Although the distance is not much, it takes a long time to reach the destinations by road here. But the scenic beauty is worth all the time we spend on the roads. It feels as though river Ganga follows us all throughout the trip in various names and forms through deep valleys and small towns.
We stopped for lunch and then checked in to our hotel in a small town named Srinagar by evening. The home-run restaurants provide hot rotis (bread) and freshly cooked vegetables with thick and delicious yoghurt, dal and pickle.We enjoyed the food from the small restaurants all through the trip.
The next day morning, after breakfast, we continued our travel from Srinagar to the holy abode of Lord Badrinath, via Joshimat. The journey through the winding roads and steep hills and deep valleys is a breathtaking experience. I don't claim that the photos I show you would do complete justice to what we had experienced! but let me still give it a genuine try :)
Lunch on the way and finally after a whole day of drive, by evening - Badrinath!
We took a quick shower, and it was freezing cold up there, and visited the holy shrine for the evening Aarti. Badrinath is one of the 'four dhams' situated on the banks of river Alaknanda at a height of over 3000 m, surrounded by Nar and Narayan mountains and the majestic Neelkanth peak which gives a splendid backdrop. So beautiful, serene and incredibly peaceful... we walked around the small shops after the darshan. Tapt Kund is just next to the temple where natural thermal spring water flows in and is customary to take a dip in it before entering the shrine.
Views of Neelkanth peak
The next day early morning, after a visit to the temple, hubby and I started our hike to 'Charanpaduka' - a holy site which is believed to have the footprints of Lord Badrivishal. The hike was one of its kind of experience that too early in the morning - beautifully flowing streams, several kinds of flowers, berries, superb views of the mountains and peaks and we reach the small shrine where the footprints can be seen.
We then left to Mana village, the last village of India, after which is the Indo - Tibetan border.
There are many mythological sites in the Mana village
1) Ganesh Gufa - Where Lord Ganesh penned Mahabharat as narrated by Rishi Ved Vyas
2) Vyas Gufa - 5000 year old cave where Rishi Ved Vyas composed Mahabharat
3) Bhim Pul - Considered to be built by Bhim to help his wife Draupadi cross River Saraswati
4) Stream from Mansarovar - Rock side where the stream of water is said to flow from the holy Lake Mansarovar in Tibet
We left Badrinath with lot of gratitude to Lord Badrivishal for his blessings.We checked in to our hotel by evening and started early morning towards Kedarnath via Chopta.
Its always better to keep a few buffer days while planning your trip to Uttarakhand. Since the area is highly prone to landslides, it may delay your itinerary. We had to face one such incident on our way from Badrinath. We were struck on the road for almost 8 hours due to landslides and luckily the small roadside restaurant helped us with food and water during the delay. The quick actions from the Indian Army and Border Roads Organisation are praiseworthy. In any adverse weather conditions also, they are quick and efficient in clearing the road blocks and helping the travellers. Since we were late, we missed to reach the hotel which we had reserved; and ended up in another one in a small town on the way.
The next morning we drove towards Chopta - a beautiful hill station. Midway, we stopped at a small restaurant for a cup of tea. Uttarakhand is symbolised by Monal (bird) and Brahma Kamal (flower). These two are very rare to be found. I was so keen to get a glimpse of both these during our trip. Though we couldn't see a Monal, the restaurant owner was so kind enough to give me a Brahma Kamal which he had with him. These flowers grow at very high altitudes and are very rare and beautiful.
We had hot rotis, fresh curries and dal for breakfast. We also saw the entrance to Tungnath - The highest Shiva temple. It is a 4 km trek from Chopta to reach the shrine. Chopta views below:
We drove further via Guptkashi to reach Gaurikund from where the steep 16 km trek to Kedarnath Dham starts.
There are multiple options for the trek - By foot, hire a horse or palanquin etc. We chose to ride a horse. It was one of its kind of experience to trek this path to reach the holy shrine of Kedarnath. Steep hills, unpaved stony pathways, slippery roads, waterfalls, huge rocks - we were a little thoughtful to trek this path to the shrine with parents , but their determination and interest took away all our doubts and all of us reached the shrine safe.
The captivating landscape is definitely incomparable to any other sight. We can also witness the havoc left behind by the devastating floods and landslides in Kedarnath in 2013. Since then after a year a new route was opened to visit the holy shrine.
Kedarnath Dham - According to legends, the temple was constructed by the Pandavas and is considered as one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. The temple is situated on the Garhwal Himalayan range at an altitude above 3500 m, and said to have been revived by the sacred Hindu Saint Adi Shankara.
We visited the temple by evening for the Aarti and it was such a heavenly experience. The peace and serenity is definite, but the atmosphere in Kedarnath makes us feel close to divinity, as if we can experience the presence of Lord Shiva. I think the strenuous trek up the temple add to the emotions as we enter the shrine and get the glimpse of the deity. Overall, one would feel speechless within the temple - sense some sort of holiness,divinity; something beyond words...
The next morning, we did our pooja in the sanctum sanctorum of Kedarnath. The huge stone which rolled over and stood just behind the temple during the devastating 2013 flood, protected the temple from and several lives who took asylum inside. The temple survived the flood and is definitely miraculous.
We returned in a helicopter to the town. This was our first chopper drive experience too.
The Himalayan views
The next day, we set our journey towards Gangotri, however returned near Harshil. This trip is sort of incomplete in our minds and we definitely wish to visit Yamunotri, Gangotri, Haridwar and Rishikesh.
Our family moments at Uttarakhand
There are plenty of sites to trek in Uttarakhand like Ghangaria Valley of Flowers, Hemkund Saheb, Tungnath etc.
Alvida!!
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