Memoirs of Madmaheshwar

So it Begins....

It wasn’t hard to convince Mohan and Sagar for the next trekking expedition, because they skipped the opportunities to be the part of previous explorations. Aseem Bhaiya, always ready for a trip to Himalayas, agreed to join us instantly. I informed other bunch of friends about the trip, but the poor fellows couldn’t make it. I can’t believe why most of the youngsters spend thousands of rupees getting drunk at any discotheque, rather they must enjoy the celestial beauty of nature by travelling. Mohan had verbal fight with his Team Leader for granting the leaves, a good and brave start. 

We, The Shiva Bhakts planned to visit Madmaheshwar Temple this time and further planned to add a visit to Chopta - Tungnath - Chandrashila to our itinerary. It was hard to sleep the night before the day of departure, due to excess of excitement. The meeting point was ISBT Kashmiri Gate, four of us reached there on time and started hunting for AC bus to Rishikesh or Haridwar. The crowd was standing in a long queue purchasing bus tickets, this was something new for me. But later when we asked a bus driver, he told that take your seats and you can buy tickets later from the conductor. Aseem and I were left with four bulky bags and we kept looking for the best bus available, whereas Mohan and Sagar went to get some snacks. We couldn’t make it for the AC bus, ours was a normal roadways bus. The layers of sweat on our body and Delhi traffic both made us mad. It was the month of June 2010. The air turned out to be pleasant as soon as we crossed the Delhi border. I hardly sleep while travelling, sometimes chitchat and sometimes ipod acted as the source of entertainment. But the best thing was listening to my favourite trance tracks and watching the road. The road takes thousands of people to different places every day and plays a crucial role in daily life. Road is the first thing that comes to my mind whenever I read or write the word TRAVEL. 

The bus reached Khatoli at somewhere around 1 AM. One advice, do ask the rate before ordering something to eat at highway dhabas. There was some dhaba in Haryana I guess, where 2 foreigners were charged Rs. 1000 for one plate samosa. They went to the police station after paying the dhaba owner and then came with the cops. The money was returned back to them but I am pretty sure the Inspector must have also had his share.

The magic of Haridwar and the mystical charm of Ganga River wake me up every time, just before reaching Haridwar. After 40 minutes drive from Haridwar, we reached the world capital of yoga – Rishikesh, and took a shared cab to Rudraprayag. Unfortunately the front seats of the cab were occupied, so we had to sit at the back seats. The next 140kms drive on the mountains twisted our intestines and stomach. I was worried about Mohan because he is not used to long journeys in the mountains, but Sagar turned out to be the delicate one. I started reminiscing about my rafting trip as the road that went passing by Shivpuri, Marine Drive and Kaudiyala. We had chai, paranthas along with crisp sunshine at Teen Dhara (situated before Devprayag). I kept telling about different places and their names to Sagar and Mohan as we passed by different towns. The road with twists and turns was taking our endurance test. After a long struggle with our butts on fixed place and stomach enjoying roller coaster ride, we managed to reach Rudraprayag. The town receives ample amount of sunlight and is situated on the banks of Alaknanda River. Rudraprayag is sacred confluence of Alaknanda and Mandakini River. 

We took a bath in the flowing Alaknanda River, at a ghat of Rudraprayag, had lunch and after strong bargaining, booked a cab to Ukhimath. After reaching Ukhimath we visited the famous temple of the village, which is the home to the deities of Kedarnath and Madhmaheshwar temple during winters. After talking to the locals about the town of Ukhimath and enquiring a few questions about the route to Madmaheshwar, we hiked back to the main market. A local bus helped us reach Uniana on time. Uniana is the starting point of the trek to Madmaheshwar. After resting for a while in our room at Uniana, we went for evening walk. Some old torn out houses, newly metalled road, lush green mountains, glimpse of Himalayas, terrace fields, friendly people and fresh air – overall Uniana is a good and peaceful place to stay.

Rudraprayag

Women at Work - Ukhimath

Sagar, Mohan and Aseem

Temple at Ukhimath

Old Houses at Uniana

Evening view from Uniana

The town of Uniana

Ransi

A group of 5 men in their late 30’s also arrived at Uniana same day, they shared their previous trekking experience and so did we. Fond of sleeping, all four of us started trekking late in the morning. Mohan was the first time trekker among us. The walk from Uniana to Ransi was easy and it didn’t took us long to reach there. Breakfast at Ransi and we started moving again. The easy route passed by verdant forest, waterfalls and few ups and downs. A picturesque waterfall with natural Jacuzzi was a perfect place to take bath, but already running late of time we decided to move ahead. But we planned to take pleasure in that waterfall at the time of trailing back to Uniana. 

We rested for a while at Gaundar and then head towards Bantoli. The confluence of Madmaheshwar Ganga and Markanga Ganga is at Gaundar. After crossing the bridge we reached Bantoli, from this point there’s no descending in the trail. Mohan enjoyed trekking until now and took it for granted; he was unaware of the fact that there is still a long way to reach Madmaheshwar. The photogenic giant lizards were enjoying sunbath. The steep climb insisted our body to rest after every 15minutes walk. Quite used to acclimatizing, me, Sagar and Aseem were fine with the gradual ascent of altitude, but it started creating some problems for Mohan.

Giant Lizards

Himalayan Griffon

Bridge

By the time we reached Khatara, Mohan completely gave up and refused to walk ahead and he insisted us to leave him at Khatara. There were three pretty girls in the village of Khatara, they prepared Maggi and chai for us. We called that Maggi as – Peeli Maggi (yellow maggi) because they added haldi which was good for us. By the time we finished our cup of tea some old people on their way back from Madmaheshwar reached Khatara. We had interesting piece of conversation:

Old man: Jai Bholenath

We: Jai Bholenath

This was it. The devotion of those old men towards Lord Shiva boosted us with strength to cover the remaining distance. How can we give up so early, if these old guys can make upto there, so can we – I said to Mohan.

Shortcuts

The Jacuzzi Waterfall

The Waterfall wasn't easy to reach

Gaundar

Bantoli

Cute Village Girl

The deep gorge en route

Kunda Chatti

We all stood up to cover the remaining distance of 9kms. As we gained altitude, the weather was getting unpredictable, the climate was getting cold, the air turned denser and our body was becoming weaker. The milestones at remote places in Uttarakhand are not accurate. May be it feels so because of the difficulty and tiresome trekking journey or may be the survey is not exact. Whatsoever the reason, journey always showers the trekkers with scenic vistas of nature. As soon as we moved from Khatara, it started raining. But we stood up not to walk back, but to walk front. Constant rainfall failed to blow off the smouldering fire that existed inside us in the form of strength and courage. 

The enchanting valley views of the lush green mountains, deep gorges and Himalayas at far end (which were near of course) made us forget about everything else. We kept on trudging from Nanu to Moukhom and had a cup of tea in between to retain our energy and to rest a bit. If the views had not been as fascinating as they were, I don’t think that we would have been able to walk so far. It was our lust for more scenic beauty and the call of Lord Shiva, which made us strong enough to cover the remaining 6kms. Four exhausted bodies after enough struggle, managed to reach Kunda Chatti (2,780mts). Mohan started panting after every few steps and we were almost exhausted. The distance from Kunda Chatti to Madmaheshwar is somewhere around 3-4kms. There was a point of time where our fatigued body made us believe that we are lost and going somewhere else, a stupid thought indeed. 

Three of us were motivating Mohan for not giving up, we were not in a hurry but reaching the destination same day was important. Two most difficult things to do is to make someone laugh when you are crying from inside and to motivate someone else when you yourself are about to give up. I followed the second case while motivating Mohan. I remember, during our school days Mohan could do anything for sports, he even broke his leg trying to get the volleyball from the roof, when I mistakenly hit the volleyball there. I knew that an adventurer resides in the core of his heart and he just needed to listen to his instincts. These flashes of memories were going through my mind while covering the final distance to reach Madhmaheshwar. 

We had torch with us and weren’t afraid to walk in the dark, it is a part of adventure after all. If was both funny and annoying when every turn of the mountain greeted us with a long steep trail and this kept on repeating for nearly two kilometres. Finally, we saw a man coming towards us,

We: bhaiya abhi aur kitna aage hai

The man: bas pahunch gaye aap toh, ab thoda sa hi hai

Let me tell you one thing, ‘yeh jo thoda sa hi hai, kabhi khatam hone ka naam hi nahi leta’. Locals will always say ‘bas ab to saral hai pahunchna’. The man was the owner of a lodge at Madmaheshwar, and he was sent by the group of 5 men that left early in the morning. The forest was about to end and a rocky path was visible. And finally, we reached the quaint little town of Madmaheshwar. Here is the description of the holy site that was visible:

On the right side: The enchanting sunset mystically covered the snow capped Himalayas with golden hues. 

On the left side: Two shepherds grazing the mountain goats and sheep with alpine meadows as a backdrop.

In front of us: Dense forest as a backdrop and in front of it stood shepherd huts, village houses and the sacred Madmaheshwar temple.

The spiritual vibes of this sacred shrine was felt even after standing 200mts away from it. The evening aarti was being performed by the time we reached, but we decided to attend it the next day. We moved inside our room jumped on to the bed, after a while we covered ourselves in quilt. The extra raincoat that I was carrying for Mohan seemed to be disloyal to him, maybe because he was not the owner. His clothes were all wet from inside and that was the primary reason why he got sick. He was suffering from fever. I might have not made up to Madmaheshwar, if I was suffering from the same situation, (Mohan this line was just to show the potential in you, I don’t mean it in real). 

The dinner was getting ready in the kitchen area, we went there to warm up our body by sitting near the chulha. After dinner, we had chat with the group and thanked them for sending the lodge owner to see that we are coming or not. It was surprising to know that two persons of that group have been 2 times to Gangotri – Gaumukh, and some of the Panch Kedar temples as well.

There are people who would struggle and earn all their life so as to enjoy after getting old. But why wait for the time when you will get weak? Why wait for the time when it won’t be possible take pleasure in new activities? Live your life when you are young, experience the extreme circumstances, face the challenges, evoke the adventurer in you and see the world. As it is said in the movie Into The Wild, ‘the core of man’s spirit comes from new experiences’.

Red Headed Sparrow

The Himalayas

Shepherd Huts

The Sacred Madmaheshwar Temple

Cobra Lily

Mountain Goats and Sheep

XP Wallpaper

Alpine Meadows 2

Alpine Meadows

Budha Madmaheshwar

Dinner, star gazing, haldi milk, and finally we went to sleep that was long required. Morning at Madmaheshwar was blessed with the bright Himalayas, enchanting sunrays and ample beauteousness of nature in different forms. It was the most beautiful, peaceful and rejuvenating morning of my life and will be for a long time. Sagar (pandit ji) was daring enough to take a bath with the freezing mountain water available at Madhmaheshwar.

We packed some paranthas, had a cup of tea, folded our hands in front of the temple and head towards Budha Madmaheshwar, situated at the top of the mountain on which Madhyamaheshwar is situated. The distance is only 1.5kms but steep and tiring. After covering a portion of the distance, we came across a group of mountain goats and sheep. They were very expressive and photogenic, you could just sit for hours looking at them performing their daily activity. I love the simplicity of nature and its forms, and this is the sole reason why I love to travel in the mountains.

We hiked through every possible shortcut in order to reach Budha Madmaheshwar as soon as possible, because the cloud started gathering to obstruct the splendid views of the Himalayan range. Finally we reached a point where it seemed as if I am seeing Windows XP wallpaper, the verdant alpine meadows spread over a vast expanse of land. Few more minutes of trekking and the first glimpse of Chaukhamba peaks were visible. Budha Madmaheshwar was visible with Chaukhamba peak as its backdrop, the view was invigorating. The small natural water ponds at Budha Madmaheshwar were completely dry. If they were filled with water, the site would have been mesmerising, but actually it still was. We had paranthas, absorbed the beauty around us, celebrated the peaceful environment and kept on gazing at the mighty Chaukhamba peak (it was very close, we were almost there). Sagar and I shared our views about the beauty in the form of nature, it was good. After praising the nature’s paradise and spending some memorable moments at Budha Madmaheshwar we started trekking back to Madmaheshwar. We reached back during the lunch time and had stomach full of healthy homemade food.

Calling back home was the real issue at Madmaheshwar, because the network signals made us perform funny gestures. We spend our afternoon with mountain breeze, scenic views, and serenity.

After having lunch Aseem, Sagar and I decided to explore the dense forest of the nearby areas of Madmaheshwar. We even trekked through the most unlikely routes possible in order to see a glimpse of Monal, Kasturi Mrig or any other animal, but it seemed as if this was not in our fate. Throughout the route we tried hard to get a glimpse of wildlife, but all we got to see was Himalayan Griffon and giant lizard. We came back to our cottage, rested for a while and then went to attend the evening aarti at the divine Madmaheshwar Temple, whole village was present at the evening aarti and we were greeted as guests. The holy Panch Kedar temples do have something mystical about them, I got surrounded by positive vibes the moment I entered the temple. It was an enchanting and refreshing experience to be at Madmaheshwar Temple. After dinner we went to sleep as we were supposed to leave early next morning.

We packed our bags, had breakfast and prepared to leave. Just before leaving I gazed at the mountains and asked them to give me some portion of the strength that they possess and to give me another chance visit mountains. We folded our hands looking at this holy town which cleansed our soul. We trekked back village by village with an aim to reach the starting point of the trek (Uniana). Anyone who came across us during the trek, we refilled their energy by uttering divine words Jai Bholenath, Bam bholenath. While coming back our speed was good enough, we also tried shortcuts to avoid long curves and managed to reached Gaundar at somewhere around noon. We had some snacks and colddrink, and rested for a while at Gaundar. As per our decision we were supposed to enjoy a cold water bath at the Jacuzzi of the waterfall that we passed by while trekking to Madmaheshwar. All three of them jumped in the water, while I tried to skip that by clicking pictures. Do check the water before taking bath in the mountains as it might have leeches. After checking I also jumped in to enjoy, because I dint want to regret afterwards that I missed out on something.

Signal Strength

The Chaddi Bag

After spending half n hour in chaddies we dressed up and head towards Uniana. The bath at this unnamed waterfall was exhilarating but we started feeling sleepy. The wet underwear’s were hanged on the bag that Sagar was carrying. Our body was tired but soul was fresh and the last few kilometres were hard to trudge. We reached Ransi and rested at a shop. The shopkeeper told us that you people forgot to pay the money for colddrinks at Gaundar. First we were like ‘oh shit, that guy must be thinking that we are thugs’ and then our reaction was ‘how come he knows all this’. The answer is “benefit of technology”, the shopkeeper at Gaundar called this guy in Ransi and informed that ‘a group of four is coming towards Ransi and I forgot to ask them money for colddrinks, so please take money from them’. We were amazed and kept laughing and started trekking to Uniana. 

As soon as we reached Uniana we packed our bags and booked a cab to Chopta. After reaching Ukhimath we had lunch greedily and also had omelettes after 3 days. I still can’t believe how much we ate that day. The road from Ukhimath to Chopta is interesting and offers good views.

We reached Chopta at 6:30 in the evening and the sun was about to set in an hour. We were confused whether to stay at Chopta that day or to head towards Tungnath Mandir in order to save a day from our itinerary. Dazed and confused we head towards the steep climb that leads us to Tungnath Mandir. This was my second visit to Tungnath Temple. Things have changed; the route has become good but the thing that annoyed me the most was pollution in the form of plastic bags and bottles. The mountains gives us everything, oxygen, water, beauty, medicines, and numerous other things, and humans who call them civilized can’t take care and responsibility of just one thing – pollution.

 

Chopta offers a variety of scenic views in the short distance of 4kms. It is the second most visited temple out of Panch Kedar, first one being Kedarnath. In order to shorten the distance of the trek, we travelled through the steep route which almost took our breath away. The setting of sun in the vast sky and mountain range was as beautiful as the shining pearl in the emerald water of the ocean. Stars were visible and night welcomed us to the Tungnath Temple. The 4km steep climb was extremely exhausting, our body gave up and the light of our soul was about to fade away. Sagar stayed back to accompany Mohan and I head towards the temple in order to arrange for the accommodation. The chant of ‘Om Namah Shivaye’ gave me strength to reach the destination and the sight of the temple seemed as the purest thing on earth. 

As told by Aseem Bhaiya, I stopped at Devlok Lodge waited for them to turn up. In the meantime I rested inside the room, giving my body complete rest that was urgently required. Aseem bhaiya were familiar with the owner of Devlok Lodge, he was a good human being. Lying on the bed, I recalled the memories of my previous visit to Tungnath in December 2006 when the town was all covered in snow. Soon three warriors entered the room with heavy bags and jumped on the beds like anything. After having dinner we wrapped ourselves in the quilt to warm up our bodies.

We woke up early at 5am in order to trek to Chandrashila, Mohan preferred to sleep. We took camera with us and head towards Chandrashila. It’s true that whenever you expect least for happening of something, right at that moment you will see it happening. We totally gave up the idea that we will see any wildlife, but as soon as we walked 300mts from the Tungnath temple towards Chandrashila, we saw Himalayan Monal – the state bird of Uttarakhand. And along with that we also saw Himalayan mouse, mountain wild goats (or they must be some species of deer family). We started trekking and reached Chandrashila at 4,000mts above sea level – highest point I’ve ever been in my life. The clouds obstructed the 270degree view of the Himalayas, but it was still one of the most beautiful sights. We trekked back to Tungnath and worshipped in the holy temple of Tungnath, had breakfast at Devlok Lodge and started trekking back to Chopta. 

On the way to Tungnath Temple

The Glorious Sunset

Himalayan Monal

Chandrashila

Himalayan Mouse

Chandrashila Temple

Tungnath Temple

We booked a cab from Chopta to Ukhimath and there on shared a taxi to Rudraprayad. After having lunch, we took a cab to Haridwar, and we were unfortunate yet another time with the back seats available, but this time the journey was fun. We reached Haridwar at somewhere around 10pm. There were very few buses available and we were definitely looking for an AC Bus this time to sleep well. And from a distant we saw an AC bus coming, we were hoping that it doesn’t turns out to be for Chandigarh or someplace else, but yeah we were fortunate this time. The bus was for Delhi; we shouted crazily and barged into the bus!!

For more pictures go to this link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=182391&id=713221147

For Video on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjFGpz8f3J0