To escape the humid heat of Mumbai we decided to spend about 8 days in the Garhwal Himalayas and planned for a change to blend tourism with spirituality ;)...and what could have been better than Chardham.
Chardham meaning 4 seats or abodes, nowadays implies the 4 sacred places of Badrnath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. The original Chardham meant the 4 holy places in the 4 corners of India viz. Badrinath in the North, Rameshwar in the South lying at the same latitude as Badrinath, Jaganath Puri in the East and Dwarka in the west. Kedarnath and Yamunotri involves a little difficult trek of 14kms and 7 kms respectively and since we had ours kids with us, we decided to do the relatively easier Badrinath and Gangotri circuit where it's motorable right upto the top.
22/05/10
Chardham meaning 4 seats or abodes, nowadays implies the 4 sacred places of Badrnath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. The original Chardham meant the 4 holy places in the 4 corners of India viz. Badrinath in the North, Rameshwar in the South lying at the same latitude as Badrinath, Jaganath Puri in the East and Dwarka in the west. Kedarnath and Yamunotri involves a little difficult trek of 14kms and 7 kms respectively and since we had ours kids with us, we decided to do the relatively easier Badrinath and Gangotri circuit where it's motorable right upto the top.
22/05/10
Our journey begins!
Delhi Airport to Rishikesh took about 7 hrs. It was a hot and dusty drive. The AC in the car just couldn't keep out the overbearing heat. Lunch was at Grand Cheetal, decent but too crowded and overpriced. We reached Rishikesh by 6 pm and checked in GMVN Ganga resort, lovely location but basic facilities and a least 
concerned staff, typical of a sarkari office. We were desperate to witness and photograph the much acclaimed Ganga Aarti so we left immediately by 6.30PM. An easy way of reaching the place where the aarti took place was to take a ferry across the Ganges, said the guide who accompanied us and we gleefully agreed.
concerned staff, typical of a sarkari office. We were desperate to witness and photograph the much acclaimed Ganga Aarti so we left immediately by 6.30PM. An easy way of reaching the place where the aarti took place was to take a ferry across the Ganges, said the guide who accompanied us and we gleefully agreed. The melodious, soulful bhajans,the vibrant, colorful gathering of devotees, the lighting of diyas and letting 
them afloat on the ganga was worth the journey. After the Ganga Aarti, we strolled through the ashrams and the bazaar littered with shops selling memorabilia, books and CDs of devotional songs. Through out our stay in Rishikesh, wherever we went, the strains of bhajans and religious songs, some unfortunately shrill and unbearable could be heard.
Dinner was a decent affair at the much recommended Chotiwalas'. But there are a lot of eating places serving continental food as Rishikesh is frequented by foreigners. We walked our way back to the resort through throngs of people via the Ram Jhula which was brilliantly illuminated at night.
23/05/10
them afloat on the ganga was worth the journey. After the Ganga Aarti, we strolled through the ashrams and the bazaar littered with shops selling memorabilia, books and CDs of devotional songs. Through out our stay in Rishikesh, wherever we went, the strains of bhajans and religious songs, some unfortunately shrill and unbearable could be heard.
Dinner was a decent affair at the much recommended Chotiwalas'. But there are a lot of eating places serving continental food as Rishikesh is frequented by foreigners. We walked our way back to the resort through throngs of people via the Ram Jhula which was brilliantly illuminated at night.23/05/10
Rishikesh to Harsil 250 kms
Another day, another long drive!
Another day, another long drive!
It is a uphill drive after Rishikesh, along the Ganga, on winding roads. The AC was no longer on as we were climbing up and the heat was getting into us. I and my daughter, both victims of motion sickness swallowed Draminate tabs and carried on trying to divert our mind from the nausea we were experiencing by attempting to enjoy the scenic drive. Intermittent stretches of bad roads due frequent landslides added to our misery. Finally after 8 hours of driving we reached our destination.
A small quaint town about 25kms before Gangotri, Harsil has everything that a nature lover would want. It was as if God had sculpted it in his spare time. Gurgling rivers with bridges, green meadows, tall deodhar trees surrounded by snow peaks complete the picture. A visit to Harsil cannot be complete without a visit to Bagori, a s
mall Tibetan settlement. We were treated to their 'Namkeen Chai' made with butter and a dash of salt. One should spend at least 2 days in Harshil as there are numerous good treks here, a popular one being the Saat 
Tal trek which can be covered in less than a day.It was in Harsil that the movie 'Ram Teri Ganga Maili 'and the famous waterfall bathing scene was shot. Unfortunately just as Mandakini has vanished from Bollywood without a trace, the waterfall has also vanished, apparently after a flash flood in the Baghirathi a few yrs back, so I had to be satisfied imagining both the waterfall and Mandakini being there. But the delightful little postoffice in the movie (if you recollect) still exists.
24/05/10
Harsil-Gangotri-Barsu
24/05/10
Harsil-Gangotri-Barsu
The 25km drive to Gangotri takes about an hour and half. The final 2kms of the narrow road was choked with traffic pouring in from both directions, so we had to undertake this few kms on foot. Once we reached the temple pretincts we were besieged by the so called priests and on showing the slightest hesitation, they are ready to grab you by the arm and take you to 
the banks of the river for an elaborate ritual of cleansing yourself of the sins performed so far in life. Even then it's worth taking a dip in the icy cold waters of the Bhagirathi. Here the devout fill small brass and copper pots with the holy water to take it back home to their loved ones. Gaumukh glacier from where the Ganga (or to be technically correct, the Bhagirathi) starts, is 18 kms from Gangotri and takes 2 days of trekking to reach.
the banks of the river for an elaborate ritual of cleansing yourself of the sins performed so far in life. Even then it's worth taking a dip in the icy cold waters of the Bhagirathi. Here the devout fill small brass and copper pots with the holy water to take it back home to their loved ones. Gaumukh glacier from where the Ganga (or to be technically correct, the Bhagirathi) starts, is 18 kms from Gangotri and takes 2 days of trekking to reach.From Gangotri we started our journey for Barsu.
Barsu is a very small and remotely located village about 60kms from Gangotri and abou
t 9kms off the highway. Situated at an altitude of about 2000mts it's full of wheat and potato fields. About 1/2hr walk from the village along a cemented road is a lovely waterfall.
t 9kms off the highway. Situated at an altitude of about 2000mts it's full of wheat and potato fields. About 1/2hr walk from the village along a cemented road is a lovely waterfall. 
The Dayara Bugyal or meadow, full of wild flowers is a 7km trek from the village where overnight camping can be arranged for. We met a group of school children who were coming down from this place after an overnight halt in tents in Dayara Bugyal. The joy on their faces showed the fun they had up there.25/05/10
Barsu to Karanprayag 250 kms
This was a very long journey which took us almost 9 hrs. We took a shorter route bypassing shrinagar and saving almost 2 hrs. While the previous 2 days we were follwing the course of Bhagirathi and Ganga, now we 
were driving along the Alkananda. Prayag means confluence and in Karanprayag, the Pindari river meets the Alaknanda. On the way is Rudraprayag where the Mandakini meets Alaknanda and continue further as Alaknanda to meet the Bhagirathi at Deoprayag. This confluence, where the greenish blue water of Bhagirathi can be clearly diffrentiated from the grayish brown waters of the Alaknanda, is the actual Ganga which then flows down the hills and meets the plains at Haridwar. It was dark by the time we reached Karanprayag and we were tired and eager to get a good night's rest. Nothing much to do here except to take a night halt at the GMVN TRH and then proceed towards Badrinath.
26/05/10
were driving along the Alkananda. Prayag means confluence and in Karanprayag, the Pindari river meets the Alaknanda. On the way is Rudraprayag where the Mandakini meets Alaknanda and continue further as Alaknanda to meet the Bhagirathi at Deoprayag. This confluence, where the greenish blue water of Bhagirathi can be clearly diffrentiated from the grayish brown waters of the Alaknanda, is the actual Ganga which then flows down the hills and meets the plains at Haridwar. It was dark by the time we reached Karanprayag and we were tired and eager to get a good night's rest. Nothing much to do here except to take a night halt at the GMVN TRH and then proceed towards Badrinath.26/05/10
Karanprayag to Badrinath 150kms.
The drive to Badrinath even though just 150kms, takes 6 to 7 hrs as the roads are narrow and in a bad shape in certain parts after Joshimath. Also, because they are narrow vehicular movement is permitted only in one direction at a time, so we landed getting stuck in places for 1-2 hrs. Having left Karanprayag at 8.30am we reached Badrinath tired and hungry at around 5.00 in the evening. Fortunately our guest house was located close to the temple and we had a lovely panaromic view of the temple from our room itself.
The relief of reac
hing our destination and the pleasure of seeing our hotel's location evaporated after some time when we realised that our hotel didnt provide bath or hand towels and we would have to wait in the queue for about 5 hours to avail the Lord's darshan. After enquiries we found that by availing of certain pujas by paying for them, we could access the Lord by a different gate and bypass the queue, which we gladly booked for the next morning at 6 am.
hing our destination and the pleasure of seeing our hotel's location evaporated after some time when we realised that our hotel didnt provide bath or hand towels and we would have to wait in the queue for about 5 hours to avail the Lord's darshan. After enquiries we found that by availing of certain pujas by paying for them, we could access the Lord by a different gate and bypass the queue, which we gladly booked for the next morning at 6 am. The temple itself is beautifully located above the Alaknanda river, in midst of the snow peaks of Nar and Narayan range. The narrow alleys towards the temple is lined by shops selling the usual religious cassettes, CDs, photos and rudrakshas. In fact the colorfully painted temple looks more beautiful when lit at night.We spent the evening strolling in the market and by the riverside. After an early dinner, went to bed as we planned to get up at 5 am next day for our sojourn with Lord Badrinath.
27/05/10
27/05/10
Badrinath Darshan
Got up at 4 am. Had mixed feelings throughout the night. The excitment of our hotel's location had worn off and to be frank, the sound of temple bells and chants which sounded so soothing initially, disrupted my much desired sleep. With the long, tiring journey, all I wanted was a sound sleep. I was just faliing into a deep slumber when I was awakened at around 4 am by the haunting chants of MS Subbalaxmi's Vishnusahasranama. That ended the story of my sleep, but surprisingly I was feeling fresh and eager to go for our morning puja. We got an easy entry inside the temple, but again had to wait in the queue and took us about
an hour to gain entry into the sanctum santorium. I must admit that I am more of a atheist and I undertook this journey more as a vacation in the Himalayas and to beat the Mumbai heat rather than a religious trip! But seeing the hordes of pilgrims who throng Badrinath, some in tattered clothes, braving the cold and who probably saved their lifetime's earning to come here and then wait for hours in the queue, I felt there was something magical in the place to attract so many people from all over India for centuries. With these feelingsI sat for the Puja and had a 15 min darshan of Lord Badrinath. Surprisingly I came out feeling good and blessed. And I wondered how much all those who come here with so much of faith and belief must be feeling!
Got up at 4 am. Had mixed feelings throughout the night. The excitment of our hotel's location had worn off and to be frank, the sound of temple bells and chants which sounded so soothing initially, disrupted my much desired sleep. With the long, tiring journey, all I wanted was a sound sleep. I was just faliing into a deep slumber when I was awakened at around 4 am by the haunting chants of MS Subbalaxmi's Vishnusahasranama. That ended the story of my sleep, but surprisingly I was feeling fresh and eager to go for our morning puja. We got an easy entry inside the temple, but again had to wait in the queue and took us about
an hour to gain entry into the sanctum santorium. I must admit that I am more of a atheist and I undertook this journey more as a vacation in the Himalayas and to beat the Mumbai heat rather than a religious trip! But seeing the hordes of pilgrims who throng Badrinath, some in tattered clothes, braving the cold and who probably saved their lifetime's earning to come here and then wait for hours in the queue, I felt there was something magical in the place to attract so many people from all over India for centuries. With these feelingsI sat for the Puja and had a 15 min darshan of Lord Badrinath. Surprisingly I came out feeling good and blessed. And I wondered how much all those who come here with so much of faith and belief must be feeling!
Our next destination was Mana village, about 3 kms from Badrinath which is a tourist place by virtue of it being the last Indian village before the Tibetan territory starts.
Once an important trading village on the old Indo Tibetan Highway,it is now inhabited for only 6 months in a year. After the Chinese invasion of Tibet the villagers lost their major source of livelihood and 
now earn their living by weaving woollen. A few places of interest here include the Vyasa and Ganesh Gufas (caves), where apparently the Mahabharata was dictated by Rishi Vyasa to Lord Ganesha.
now earn their living by weaving woollen. A few places of interest here include the Vyasa and Ganesh Gufas (caves), where apparently the Mahabharata was dictated by Rishi Vyasa to Lord Ganesha.A waterfall here which forms a small river and flows for about 1/2 a km before meeting the Alaknanda is the source of the mystical river Saraswati.
We then continued on our way to our final destination Auli.
27/05/10
Badrinath to Auli
27/05/10
Badrinath to Auli
Auli is beautiful ski resort about 12kms from Joshimath and turned out be an ideal place to unwind after our hectic travel of the last 5 days. It is an army cantonment area and apart from 2 resorts there is nothing else to do in this season except laze around and vegetate.
GMVN's resort here was by far, easily the best of all the places we had stayed so far. It was surrounded by snow peaks (Nandadevi, Nandadevi east, Nanda kot, Trishul) on almost all the sides and we were greeted by clear blue skies interspered by white fluffy clouds and white wild flowers blooming all over the place. Our room had a balcony, so we spent the evening sitting in the balcony and watching the snowy mountain peaks. As the sun set, rain clouds gathered overhead and over t
he next few minutes completely covered the peaks as if a grey curtain had descended down shutting off the view. I was eagerly hoping for clear skies in anticipation of a glorious, colorful sunset, but alas it was not to be as dark clouds loomed overhead.28/05/10
Auli
Woke up to misty morning with a slight drizzle, the after effects of the previous evenings weather. 
After sometime, the mist cleared, exposing the clear blue skies. The sun shone brightly on the droplet covered flowers giving me a good photo op. Afternoon was spent lazing in the balcony listening to dil dhundta hai and hari hari vasundhara. Flies were the only one's troubling me and after some time the lethargy seeped in so much that I was loathe to even shoo them away. By late afternoon, dark clouds had again started gathering and the sun was playing hide and seek with them. We decided to go for a small hike behind our resort to the place where the cable car from Auli to Joshimath starts. It was a steep 200 meter climb and by the time we reached the top we were left hasping for breath, but the magnificient, unobstructed 360 degrees view of the Himalayas made the climb worth every breath. We couldn't help wondering how it must be on a clear day. We found a small flat grass covered clearing and lay on it to catch our breath and looked up to the sky and watched as the dark clouds gathered. 
It was a feeling I can't describe in words. My thoughts were disrupted by the distant rumble of thunder which grew in intensity and it started to drizzle again as we ran down the slope and covered the distance in less than half the time it took us to come up. By late evening, the drizzle had transformed into a thunderstorm and we had our experience of thunder, lightening and hailstorm in the Himalayas.
29/05/10
After sometime, the mist cleared, exposing the clear blue skies. The sun shone brightly on the droplet covered flowers giving me a good photo op. Afternoon was spent lazing in the balcony listening to dil dhundta hai and hari hari vasundhara. Flies were the only one's troubling me and after some time the lethargy seeped in so much that I was loathe to even shoo them away. By late afternoon, dark clouds had again started gathering and the sun was playing hide and seek with them. We decided to go for a small hike behind our resort to the place where the cable car from Auli to Joshimath starts. It was a steep 200 meter climb and by the time we reached the top we were left hasping for breath, but the magnificient, unobstructed 360 degrees view of the Himalayas made the climb worth every breath. We couldn't help wondering how it must be on a clear day. We found a small flat grass covered clearing and lay on it to catch our breath and looked up to the sky and watched as the dark clouds gathered. 
It was a feeling I can't describe in words. My thoughts were disrupted by the distant rumble of thunder which grew in intensity and it started to drizzle again as we ran down the slope and covered the distance in less than half the time it took us to come up. By late evening, the drizzle had transformed into a thunderstorm and we had our experience of thunder, lightening and hailstorm in the Himalayas.29/05/10
Auli to Rishikesh.
Our last day in the Garhwal Himalayas. It was to be another long drive about 280kms and down from an altitude of 2500m at Auli to 310m at Rishikesh. We bid adieu to the mountains as we drove through the winding roads, following the Ganga and the snow peaks of the Nandadevi range fading fron our vision, leaving only memories behind.
As we neared Rishikesh, we saw a lot of riverside camps and rafters enjoying the white water rafting as it is called and were vert tempted to try our hand at one, but our tight schedule prevented us this pleasure.
Back in Rishikesh, we explored the Laxman Jhulla area and were pleasantly surprised to find a lot of eating joints which we had not noticed 8 days back. We shopped for Rudrakshas and other memorablia. Sipping coffee and eating Pastries at CCD (Cafe Coffee Day) made us feel at home after eating Dal/ Rice and Alu Gobi for the past whole week.
Thoughts and tips:
Hotels in all these places have very basic amenities. Most of our stay was in GMVN hotels. The only good thing to be said about them is their location. The staff is lethargic and housekeeping pathetic. Less said about food the better. One thing I should not forget here is the number of times we thanked 'Maggi' for, if it were not for Maggi my son would have gone hungry a few times. Maggi is surprising omnipresent is all the places right from roadside dhabas to better off restuarants. The private hotels are also basic, but the staff go out of their way to make you feel comfortable.
Some hotels like the one in Harshil and Badrinath did not have bath towels and we had not anticipated this, so I leave it to your imagination as to how we must have coped up with it. So be prepared!!
The people everywhere are friendly and honest, unlike what is expected in touristy places. Or I presume we were fortunate enough not to encounter any notorious elements. On the whole it was a fantastic and memorable journey and back in the hustle and bustle of Mumbai, it seems like we have just come home from another world. Truely a heavenly abode!!
