Cocoon

Tags

Cocoon, mind, people, thoughts, Travel, twist, world

Peeping out of the window are reflections of trees on the opposite side of the road. Graffiti on the walls run parallel to the reel that unrolls in my mind.
Why do you find reasons to creep out of the nooks and corners of thoughts that I have hidden in lost forgotten gullies of my mind? You find reasons of silent mention, like those sips of soup that singe the tongue yet you go on on licking it because you are addicted to it, because it feels therapeutic.
I feel like I am in a phase of constant travel, wandering everywhere and anywhere, on the move, in a certain world of make exist. With people, without words.. without world, with thoughts. Why does life have to be such a twist? And if you let me climb out once in a while, you always push me into forays and dungeons. Will I ever live a normal world of peace and calm where I shall find love, the love embrace that shall cocoon me forever?

*P.S. – The pic above does not belong to me & has been google-d. In case the person it belongs to wants it to be removed, please drop in a comment and it shall be removed. Thank you. 🙂

Himalayan Delight (A travelight): Khajjiar ~ A Gnome’s Green Bowl

Tags

breeze, Chamba, childhood, Dalhousie, deodar, forests, fountain, fritters, Himachal pradesh, Khajjiar, lake, lush green, meadows, mini Switzerland, paradise, photograph, pine, saucer, snow, Travel, trickle, visit

The waning October reminds me of my childhood trip during the same time of the year to Khajjiar, the mini Switzerland of India . Saucer shaped Khajjiar is a picturesque spot which is the only MINI SWITZERLAND of India, a status which is awarded by government of Switzerland to 160 such spots all over the world.

Khajjiar, known as one of the “most charming spots in the Himalayas,” derives its name from its ancient, golden-domed temple of Khajinag. Floating white mist, lush green meadows, naturally manicured sprawling acres of garden land, meandering roads cutting across the hills, spring sprouts and settled snow flakes nestled in between chipped rock that let a fountain or two trickle.. Along the side of khajjiar deodar forest covering the mountains is this awesome view which touches the soul.

We were visiting Dalhousie then, and I was perhaps in my seventh grade, don’t remember exactly, when dad had finally found time from his extremely busy and excruciating routine to take us out on a trip. So while in Dalhousie, which was exceptionally different from anything I had seen uptill then, with its slanted low Slate roof houses strutted around, beautiful heavy wood appendages, kuchcha floors and nettle-rash-causing bushes all around, we decided to explore the paradise locality a little further. After an inquiry from the locals, Mom came up with the idea of visiting this small little hamlet for a day, called Khajjihaar or Khajjiar (as per the ‘www’ suggest), hidden within a camouflage of Pine & Deodar trees, as if some goblin had mischievously decided to hide this sun-twinkling mist-sparkling dew drop away to keep it safe from the nasty polluting world around.

Khajjiar is a wonderland midway between Dalhousie and Chamba. Just a bus/taxi-drive away from Dalhousie through a bus/taxi-able road winding through some very narrow and steep roads and dense dark emarald covers of green forests spanning pines and cedar, the magical paradise Khajjiar innocent in its charm, nascent in its feel, as if untouched, sets you free in a different world of peace and enjoyment and you simply don’t want to leave. No wilderness in Himachal is as easily accessible and beautiful as Khajjiar.

You instantaneously begin flowing with the cooool fresh air, the chill sweeping right into your lungs, cleansing and detoxifying it and the exotic combination of green grass and white snow with sprinkles of rain-shower thrown in every now and then, complete a breathtaking exhilarating entry into this paradise. The soul is awakened to a renewed sense of peace.

The most amazing aspect of this place is that the weather can change at the drop of a hat! While you may enjoy the sun while it lasts in the day, by evening, suddenly the clouds gather mysteriously all over the mountains and it begins raining heavily.

The spectacular saucer-shaped glade in Khajjiar has a circumference of five kilometres. The grand periphery is lined with thick forests of Himalyan cedars. The forests are part of Kalatope wildlife sanctuary. The glade is green in its turf and contains in its bosom a small lake, fed by brooks running through the glade, heaving an approximate area of 5000 sq. yards, 6400 feet above sea-level. The lake, whose depth is unknown and considered one of the deepest places on Earth, is said to have been formed after the collision of a meteorite.

It is incredibly beautifully and justifiably famous for its magnificent splendor. One can sit for hours and hours together at the small hut-isle at the center of the lake, where you can reach with the help of a wooden bridgeway, and admire the lake as well as the lavish natural surroundings, breathing in the wet fragrance of a wind that flows through the pines and deodars. A camera can hardly capture the enticingly captivating & mesmerizingly thrilling experience that the eye of a visitor meets.

All around, you can see kids carrying flowers in hands and rabbits scurrying about on mission possible and impossible. Revolving silver balls and para-gliders draw crazy crowds of  young adventure enthusiasts. The alleys and sidewalks offer ample opportunities for trekkers. But what I have as yet not forgotten are the expensive and few ‘pyaaj ke pakore’ (Onion Fritters) that a famished me my brother fought for, till mom got us some more and more and more.. from the only shop open then. The memory is ingrained as one of the most pleasant ones in my life and the experience, unforgettable. 🙂

*The pictures are mine, copyright protected and should not be used at all.

The Merry Go Round

Tags

bells, chime, Christmas, corn, cycle, december, evening, green, hope, Life, light, morn, seasons, spring, star, Travel

Pain makes no gain,
keeps pouring in like rain.
Somethings go to return,
reappear to vanish again.

The acid fall does not clean.
Nothing washes the settled dust.
The green speckles hidden
under the soot particles rust.

Existence is so much like
a factory outlet sale.
Some second hand air
and cheap life derailed.

The frozen winds arrive
the water droplets turn to ice.
The whites and blues
of the winters to freeze
have been taken over
by the browns and blacks
of the smog and sleaze.
Again.

Gusty winds, stormy seas,
lashing gales of musty weeds
yet walking a maze,
reaching the crease
curvy slopes
then silent breeze.
What clutched the heart
now holds no more.
I find a hollow
I hide inside;
seeking refuge
in embraces of silence;
once again,
all strife’s cease.

Like a moment’s bliss..
there is that streaming sunshine..
and then, pitch darkness again.
Am stuck… in my tunnel.
Life, refusing to budge.

Calm returns.
The evening sun shy
dust laden sky
pink & blue lights
blink in the eye
the yellow street lamps
& dazzling red lanterns
make up for the loss of
cracker stricken sky.

The night is dark, tinsel struck
A sliver of silver hangs wind-weathered,
beaten hollow and dented
where a cloud had kissed..
It panted in the chase of its favourite star,
the one that he blinked and missed!

On the outside, The World revels
Between wind gales & fuzzy drinks
Cozy hugs & smiley winks
Words of wishes as warm as mink
for each falling snowflake
On the lonely lamp-post.

Together all sing,
their favourite carols…

“Like the star of peace
it hangs in there
As if from Bethlehem sends
messages through the air
of sweet scents and songs
and carols to be sung
Of Holy Holly and sparkling wreaths
and red socks to be hung
Of Christmas trees and gifts
and presents and surprises galore
Of the waiting for each season
to arrive in life once more

“Let star-light touch its light of hope
Let it shine bright, the North Star white
so the traveller of mist may find
His true blessing, the destiny right..”

The chiming of the holy bells
brings luck for the rotten and dead;
the music that wafts in the air
cleanses the aura and purifies the head.

The sky … striped grey,
The white moon, all move away
As the gushing Sun among some silver Stars
moves ahead on its Orange pathway!

Dashing through the snow,
on a Seven Horse golden sleigh,
beating the clouds black on a sky blue,
The yellow sun of hope makes its way

New Dreams in A Petal Of Hope
A Star shines in the drop of Dew
yes, it is the right time to start
Start our years’ old life anew!

Walking Through The Scattered Sun,
One day Outside in December morn,
I see the First buds of spring!
Yes, it’s time for the merry spin,
The song of blessing arrives to sing.

As with curses I see, some blessings True..
Each time they come to me in adversity,
Each time it is YOU. Who is this YOU?
…I don’t know! The one who sends,
Must of course, of his plan better know.

Safarnama II ~ Blissful Nainital & Himalaya Hotel

Tags

Himalayas, Nainitaal, stay, Travel, visit

I love everything about a vacation : the mad planning and packing, the anticipation, the travel, the waking up at leisure, the absence of routine … You can enjoy a lazy day and for once forget about home chores to be done or job blues to be fought. Kick back in the recliner or bean bag… with your bag of nail files and polish. Or have a soak in the tub … and take care of your brow-shaping while you’re there. Then the vacation outing day’s travel plan, the wonderful ‘experimental’ eating, and above all, the feeling of the soul lightning and lighting up … what I dislike is the overly formal, sometimes even intimidating ambience of hotels. Don’t get me wrong ~ I love luxury, but not dressed up in pretentious efforts of stiffness.

Lodging in Nainital was an awesome experience, like staying in your own fully equipped farmhouse with pretty balcony views, delicious meals, good service, happy smiley staff, a friendly manager and relaxed environs (except for the climb-way 😛 I’ll tell soon U how.). It was a treat for the eyes and the mind. Something that would completely help unwind. Enjoy nature at its glorious, pristine and peaceful best, and soak in some ‘random’ history.

 

The Hotel peeping from behind the school

 

But before that, a small little story about an adventure of sorts, right bang on arrival ! 😛  The high point of our trip, quite literally so, came quite unexpectedly for us and much too soon.  After a six-hour journey by road from NCR, we reached Himayala hotel. We had reached there at about 11 AM after a minor hike uphill as the hotel is located near the Tallital bus stand but a little high up on a hill. While the hotel itself was situated right next to the bus-stand, it had a steep climb to it.

The Busy Bus-Stand

After confirming the entry road to it via phone, bhaiya began taking the car up. We had never expected what would happen next. The climb was tricky, narrow, steep and slippery. The car slipped and straight ran down, finally ramming into a parked taxi standing below. Several locals & passing pedestrians rushed to our aid and helped the car halt from further sliding. That was really upsetting, and more than that, very shaky. They then asked us to drive up with speed. Mustering courage, Bhaiya drove up again, and none of us considered in that worried moment to instead call the valet from the front office of the hotel. Another visitor came to our rescue when we got stuck at the sharp swerve in the ride up, the car barely managing to hold itself from slipping. He was driving his car down and his companion and himself rushed to our rescue, put several small boulders and large rocks to stop the tyres from skidding or slipping and told us to use the hand break frequently to control the car while driving up with speed. Finally, We took our car through the steep pathway common to many more cars of residences around. No asking questions if it was frightful climbing up. Phew! By the time we reached up there, we were not merely breathless, we were scared to death!

An uphill climb plus the scary accident had made us quite weary but I guess the turn-around view from the hotel stairs quite made up for our discomfort. The hotel lobby was welcoming. It had two “baithaks” in the lounge area where the arriving guests could relax for as long as they wanted to, soaking in the ambience or the serene view of the Naini lake. From that height the lake view was quite awesome. We sat there for a while till we were served lime juice and thereafter, we moved to our suite. Only thing was that the balcony was not a personal one, but shared with other three suite residents on that floor. We were lucky that day to have the entire floor for ourselves since the next suites’ arrivals were slated for the next day. It felt all the more good as it meant more peace and more space to unwind. 🙂

The Beautiful Full View Hotel Lobby

We had booked our suite through the internet booking facility. As the hotel site claims ~

Built in the year 1918, in an era when Indians were not allowed to enter the famous Mall road of Nainital, Himalaya Hotel was host to Indian princes and kings in this erstwhile summer capital of the United Provinces.

Situated on a hill near the lower tip of the Naini Lake, this hotel is quite ideal for relaxing on a short holiday. Its splendid view of the Naini Lake guarantees the calming of frayed urban nerves.

Constantly reinventing itself, the hotel now offers a choice of 60 rooms, which are divided between the old and the new wings. Himalaya Mini Golf, an attractive golf course within the hotel premises, provides the ideal place to click pics about Nainital’s relaxed ambience., as I did! 😉

The panoramic view visible from Hotel Lounge

As I mounted up the wooden steps, its tap sound brought in an element of quirkiness & a heritage feel this place so much reeked of. Creepers trained in various shapes added to the balcony; were also used as an arch at the entrance of another set of rooms led to by the mini-golf’s mini-bridge, as a cover for walls and for the look beyond the passages, to top up the compound wall.

The hotel had cut-rock walls with climbers to dress their rugged surface as also add colour to the bland fences, dull walls or ornamental trellis. the mesmerizing façade merged perfectly with the beautiful greenery around.

The Captivating Cave Steps : Mini-Golf Entrance

There was an aesthetically designed mini-golf course, a small happy carrom-room, a cards deck dais, a newspaper podium and so on of all other additional tit-bits that make you feel all the more at home.

Amidst Ace and Green(s)

The soothing colonial setup of our suite was refreshing. Each room was simple and plain white, lined with rich wooden textures. I kept moving from room to room to enjoy the look first of all. The rooms were built on deck like structures, wooden platforms on slats built such that you feel you are living right in the olden times. 🙂 However, as the floor shook with every movement we made, the quivering made me believe for a second that an earthquake was on! Lol! 😀

I messaged my friend: July 2 at 12:04pm

Finally reachd the hotel that directly overlooks the Naini jheel. ‘nd this heritage suite is just awesome ! Just my style! Am lovin it. Just that the hotel is on a steep climb so our new Ritz got hit & damaged 😦

Next message to my friend: July 2 at 1:18pm

This place, esp this hotel with pre-independence British architectural construction, furniture & feel iz jussst awesomme. :)) Balcony is a great place to chill and watch the sun set…

My friend replied: July 2 at 2:13pm

Pls take pics,loads of them ok, I love old style architecture and colonial buildings and furniture 🙂 this is so cool, you are really livin it up huh 🙂

Pat came My reply : July 2 at 2:22pm

Aye aye, doin so myslf 😀 Taking video shots too, though dunno how they’ll turn out to be! 😛

The entire hotel was full of potted plants and the view inside was as awesome as out side. The pictures taken by me cover a lot of the inside. 🙂 Have a look for yourself! 🙂

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So the final conclusions are as follows:

First things first, the hotel has an unparalleled view, because I guess very few hotels can capture almost entire Mall Road with full lights and its captivating reflection in the Taal. Its simply seen to be believed. Whats more, if you are lucky, you can have a room with windows actually framing the VIEW. The staff is polite and always ready to help. However they are extremely under-staffed and that needs to be improved urgently. Secondly though the hotel is quite maintained but it has to greatly improve its infrastructure by several notches to be really able to exploit its plus-es. The wait to enter the hotel that has a public toilet right at the entry as the biggest turn-off, must be sorted out. Next, getting to the hotel is very difficult. The hotel is situated on top and there are no stairs or lift available. Its one steep mini hill that we have to climb. It’s too exhausting especially after you finish a long day of touring. It should have a manned post at the gate connected via intercom to the hotel reception to ensure that the incoming or outgoing vehicles do not collide and any possible mishaps can be averted. And finally, Cleaning the carpets should be a priority!

A Soulful exchange with the Garhwal Himalayas : Rishikesh

Tags

ancient, ashrams, blessings, curios, enjoy, ethnic stuff, Ganga, Haridwaar, Himalayas, Indian culture, rejuvinate, relax, religious, rest, Rishikesh, river, shopping, Spiritual elevation, spiritual reclaim, Travel, trivia, visit, weekend holiday

A Weekend Trip to Haridwar-Rishikesh (2)

Next morning we started our day with a rich south-Indian breakfast in the mess and got ready around 7:30 am. While it was still drizzling, we boarded our vehicle for further excursion to Rishikesh, the place where Himalaya embraces Ganga as she goes forth on her pious journey quietly but purposefully. Rishikesh is not a pilgrimage destination devoted to any particular place of worship or diety. Rather it is a site of multifarious spiritual practices at the various splendid ashrams spread out in sprawling acres of land, beating any modern-day spa. Rishikesh is 24 Kms away from Haridwar, so it would be maximum 45 mins of drive. This would be my first visit to Rishikesh.

Reaching there, we got down from our vehicle at a local tea stall and refreshed ourselves with a cup of hot tea. After having some snacks we got ready for our expedition for Rishikesh in a heavy vehicle like Jeep, suitable for the rough roads of Rishikesh in the hilly areas. We had to leave our car behind, as the driver said it would suffer in the rugged terrain.
A Morning in Rishikesh gives an exhilarating, panoramic view. We could get to see the breathtaking beauty of Himalayas and free-flowing Ganga in its verdant foothills. It would be just so energizing to view it from the balcony of your rooms if you get to stay here, mused I wistfully. After breakfast we would continue our exploration of this land of saints and sages and also spend the day in adventurous activities such as shopping :P.
Around 9:00 am , we would drive towards Bharat Mata Mandir , situated in the heart of Rishikesh. The Bharat Mata Mandir is said to be the oldest temple here. & making a round of temple would give you deep knowledge and understanding of Hindu Mythology.

So finally we reached and paid for our first visit to Lakshman Jhoola , the famous 450 foot long suspension bridge. You got plenty of opportunity of photography in the not-at-all tranquil environment of Rishikesh from the Lakshman Jhoola. There were endless monkeys, too many people (I almost feared if the bridge would break! ), the noisily gushing Ganga and of course, beggars galore in all sorts of assortments. I wanted to click the monkeys, but dared not for fear of getting the camera snatched. While on the stairs to Lakshaman Jhoola, I tried clicking a boy dressed to kill Ravana (in short, he was all blue and ethnically done up as Lord Rama). the moment I clicked him shut in the camera, the entire family descended upon me for the price of taking that precious snap of Lord Rama”. Uff! MY Gawd! We had a tough time getting away from them, they happily haggling for a cool Rs. 500 note when we all thought the easily available pic in abundance didn’t deserve him more than 20 bucks! anyway, i had to part with 4 tenners coz as I handed over 3, he snatched the fourth one and the entire family too vanished in a jiffy.  

  

Since I had already bought some daily wear hand-made ornaments, I was forbidden to go for more of them. (according to dad, enough of kitschy stuff gurl !) Huh! Anyway, I still ended up buying a pair of danglers, a carved Ganesha idol, and yes, several pairs of Afghanis, in various colors! (kind of flared salwars, very unique then to the market, being worn mainly by the foreigners visiting Rishikesh). After all, girls are meant to shop till we drop! 😉 😛 I don’t know how it happened, but the day was passing away fast. We meandered into the bazaar selling lots of traditional stuff, from carved book-cases to wooden room partitions, boxes with mirrors and inlay work, stuff made from bones of animals and all (I wonder if it wasnt plastic!) and also, mehandi thappas. We couldn’t get the right price for the henna stamps, but we bought a wodden lemon squeezer and several packets of shikanji masala for the perfect shikanji while daddy screamed for us to get out to begin our return journey.  

 

Well, we moved ahead and on crossing the jhoola, the rain welcomed us, and we loved it! We had carried just one umbrella incidentally, and it was such a lucky co-incidence that crude blue rain coats made out of recycled polythene were being sold for a mere Rs 10! LOVE U INDIA ! IT HAS A JUGAAD EVERYWHERE! 😉 Dad sportingly took it up on him to wear it while bro, the macho dude that he is, decided to opt out of any cover. Mom and me shared the umbrella, if it at all gave us any cover, and the little it did, I soon outdid! 

 

I was soooo delighted in the fresh oxygenated environment that i jumped about like a kid, stopping at every nook and corner, my eager eyes exploring a secret, hidden or not, in the narrow gulleys of this sage city. As we moved ahead, we saw a lot many places and ashrams, and with the swirling waters of Ganga gushing below, the sight was calming and a visual solace to a poetic soul. With the markets flanked on both sides, colourful knickknack shops adorned the black wet roads. 

 
From there we could have visited the Lakshman and Raghunath Temples, Muni ki reti and Trayambhkeshwar Temple. In the evening after sunset around 7:00 pm it is wonderful to go to Triveni Ghat. It is believed that the confluence of Ganga,Yamuna and Saraswati took place here. This ghat of sand and pebbles is large and clean. Spend some time on the ghat and participate in the Aarti. Feels like spiritual reclaim.

Further people drive towards Shivpuri , 30 Kms away from Rishikesh, popular for water sports. For adventure enthusiasts , this is the right place to come. If you love to get wet, savor the thrill of raw adventure or the relaxation of a float trip. Also enjoy kayaking, rock climbing, rappelling, jungle trekking and beach games, plenty of things to do here. You might be hungry after much of activities , for your better surprise, you can have arranged camps for yourself from travel & event companies that organise adventure sports for sports buffs, and also relish the freshly cooked foods in the camp. You can spend some leisure time here, relaxing , playing or just nature walk , the perfect base camp for body and mind. After much of gaming and thrilling its time to move back, as it gets dark and for the safety sakes you should return to Rishikesh before late night. Then go have dinner at hotel & sleep on your cozy beds with the sweet memories of this trip..
However that was not to be, as I have already mentioned, it was not there on our travelling bag’s shopping list. We had to get back to Haridwar to pack our bags lying in the room, get fresh and have some masala tea before leaving. We had to conclude our journey and return to Delhi to our home, taking the lifetime memories of this religious journey that proved the perfect foil for our tired lost souls to reclaim and rejuvenate them back with life.. 🙂

Link to A Soulful exchange with the Garhwal Himalayas : Haridwar : https://puplumages.wordpress.com/2010/06/11/a-soulful-exchange-with-the-garhwal-himalayas/

A Soulful exchange with the Garhwal Himalayas : Haridwar

Tags

Ganga, Haridwaar, Himalayas, rejuvinate, relax, rest, Rishikesh, river, spiritual reclaim, Travel

A Weekend Trip to Haridwar-Rishikesh (1)

Reading the heading, I’m sure most of U must have begun to guffaw about my choice of destination! Theek hai yar, its not the typical place you would say you went to spend your hols, but then, its a quick, easily reachable (for me) and a good hideout for a day or two, for a summer recluse like me. Added to that, given my love for water and comfortable travelling, these two places seem the easiest getaway. Now U must’ve been wondering all this while, why did I call it a “hideout”. Hmm.. well, the word came just because my bro and I are kind of running away from our bosses on weekends when they are trying to tighten the noose round our necks to get us somehow to our workplaces with or without a justified reason; so we, for once, switch off our mobiles and rush to the place that has water, tradition, multi-hued markets, cultural amalgam, spiritual colour and an ethnic-holy confusion, all mixed together in gay abandon. Another thing that I discovered about these two places is, that the mystique associated with them is such, that each time I visit these two places, I discover something absolutely new for myself.. something untouched out of the natural splendour spread around and something new within me. As it is, nature fascinates me. But I am those forever weary, lazy travellers who would any day want to travel in trams and ropeway trolleys than go trekking or kayaking. River rafting is an absolute no-no for me or for that matter, for anyone in my family. 😮 😛 But other than that, The Himalayas in Uttaranchal are visited for pilgrimage, adventure and holidaying. Some of India’s most sacred pilgrimage sites are perched on the Garhwal Himalayas. Haridwar, Rishikesh, Badrinath, Gangotri, Yamunotri and Kedarnath have been visited by saints, sages and ordinary mortals since many centuries.

Anyway, after this blah-blah, let me talk about the actual travelling. As bhaiya and I had managed just the second weekend this time, it was an outing meant merely for precisely three days (II Saturday, Sunday & a bonus Monday on account of it being some holiday). We slept late in the night as we were chatting away hastily deciding where to stop first and what all to do. Finally we dozed off unknowingly, yawning away in the wee hours of night. We had decided to take a driver instead of bhai driving us up to the place as both of us were too tired to be volunteering for any driving. We got up early in the morning to pack our bags and got ready to move for Haridwar. We had to make a little haste in early hours of the morning because we wanted to travel on less crowded roads and reach early. We all (mom, dad, me & bhai) just took a cup of tea and dumped ourselves in the car. We didn’t have to worry about our food-supply as mom had arranged our breakfast well in advance. There were matthis, achaar, namkeen, poori and bhaji for the rest of the way along with cold-coffee in the flask, and it was a satisfying stumptuous meal arrangement for the rest of the journey. For immediate instant breakie, mom had prepared some nice mayoineses-black-pepper-cumcumber sandwhiches. All of us liked them the way mom made them so it was not an issue and we enjoyed our light breakfast in the speeding car.

We had been able to manage this trip in the month of August and so, as a sign of welcome, an overcast, clouded dark sky greeted us with sudden bursts & shouts of rain, surprising us now and then and overzealous rivulets, streams and dreams overflowed on the way. We arrived at our pre-booked Haridwar rest-house around 11:30 AM. Although, there are many good resorts and hotels available in Haridwar, we had arranged the best for us as bhai was entitled for the stay as a perk. After checking in into the rest-house, we had rest for some time in the afternoon and took lunch in the mess before we started our visit to the holy land, Haridwar which is the land of holy river Ganga where millions of Hindus take a dip in the sacred river wash off their sins. The city Haridwar is regarded as a gateway of Heaven, as the name suggests. The town is so old that it is believed that it was born prior to many of the world’s ancient towns.

Around 2:00 pm, the sky had vented out its anxiety and cleared quite a bit by now so we went to visit the famous Har ki Paidi (or better understood as The stairway leading to God), which was built by King Vikramaditya. This ghat is believed to be the exact spot where the holy Ganga enters the plain. This is also the site of annual Kumbha fair. The mighty river Ganga flows very swiftly, brimming to the top and even overflowing during the monsoons, so common sense advises that only experts must try swimming unassisted here .The name of the ghat “Har ki Pauri” also gets its name from the feet ( Pauri) of the Lord Vishnu ( Hari). In the evening, we planned to spend some time on the river bank, to see the river life of life-giving river Ganga. Attending the evening Aarti in all its majestic glory and magnificence of the daily event here is a must for any pilgrim and is considered a life time experience for any Hindu devotee but since we has seen it twice already we decided to skip it. Instead, since it was time after lunch, we decided to take a stroll at on the other ghats and later the city roads. The ghats were messy as usual but the weather was thankfully very pleasant with perhaps light rain showers reaching just ahead of us. We played in the waters, observed the amazing mad display of crazy stuff like orange sindoor, plastic bangles and toys, all kinds of glass bead strings (malas) and other kinds of way-side assortments.
We merely sat down for an hour or so in the chilling but soothing waters of this majestic river and had a cuppa tea being sold in kulhads by the road-side khomchawala (vendor). Then, we also lighted our own diyas to pay homage to our ancestors and saw them float away in the pattals decorated with flowers.  

 

As we were getting up, mom lost her balance on the very slippery paidi and almost started getting carried away in the extremely strong current. Bhai and Pa were busy paying the diya-wala, tea-vendor and buying some chana matar bhelpoori. But I held onto mom strongly and so did a man who was standing next to us, paying homage to his ancestors. We were able to pull her up and so a shaky mom and the rest of us decided to go sit in the car for a while after thanking the man profusely. After a little rest, we decided to re-explore the market (re-explore because we have often been here, shopping all kind of wares and wall/home decorations). You can purchase good deal of semi-precious as well as artificial jewellery, brass and copper Puja utensils , glass bangles , wooden and stone wares. Cycle Rickshaws can be used to access most of these lanes if you are lazy or tired enough of walking but we preferred to walk. Like always, we bought chunks of semi-precious necklaces, trinkets, armlets and ear-studs (no rings, I hate wearing them!) after a good deal of bargaining from a hard-seller. beggars and brokers were busy pestering us for their purposes. While beggars tried all tricks in the trade to woo us in the name of God, Devil and religion, the brokers offered us supposedly good hotels & motels/tasty food in restaurants/ impressive deals with gemologists, face-readers, palmists, ashrams, jadi-booties, powders, hybrids, mixtures & concoctions, babas, yogis, tantriks as well as all kinds of quacks & crooks.  

 

Well, we bought what we had to: some carved wooden curios as gifts and decorations, a few carved & enameled stone pen-holders and boxes, silver sindoor-daani for my mami, plus a copper jug and other serving utensils. We were damn tired after all this tom-foolery, (as my brother chose to put it) and then returned to our rest-house. After some rest, we enjoyed sitting a while in the manicured gardens and lawns of the well-kept rest-house that were large and housed a variety of well-maintained rare flora. it felt blissful to be there, in the lap of nature. Since it was a Saturday night, we were served khichadi, dahi and papad at the mess since that day heavy food was abstained from. We had no problems as my family respects “Saatvik Bhojan” (thereby meaning clean healthy, spiceless food), we ourselves are a proponent of that, though not very strongly doing so.
The next morning after breakfast we planned to visit Mansa Devi , the temple located on top of a hill called the Bilwa Parvat. This temple can be reached by the rope way or can be reached by trekking. We unanimously decided to go by rope way and enjoy the scenic beauty down the hill. Those who were adventure enthusiast took the normal trekking route to the top. Visitor thronged the abode of this Mata for her darshan, the Goddess of these Garhwal range of hills. On reaching the badly kept premises of the temple, we offered our prayers to Goddesses Mansa Devi while managing to stand on one foot when the other found no place in that heavily populated (phew! too less a word prhps for the crowd there! ) crowded and suffocating open muddy hall (outside the main precincts) with kuchha flooring that was being stamped with uncountable footfalls and heads bowing in reverence. The slimy, messy floor was packed to the hilt. We somehow managed to hang on. As the morning Aarti concluded, we decided to return back to our rest-house.

We could have come back from the temple by the rope way and have gone for our next visit to Chandi Devi temple but we decided to walk down the path.. This temple is also situated on the top of a hill called the Neel Parvat, (on the Eastern summit of the Sivalik Hills, the southernmost mountain chain of the Himalayas) which is on the other side of the river Ganga. Chandi Devi is a three km trek from the Chandi Ghat.
If we would have gone to Chandi Devi temple, the walking route down the path goes past the Kamraj ki kali Temple. However, we kept the visit for another time and after visiting only the Mansa Devi temple, we came down and saw the natural beauty en route. In the afternoon we went for lunch. There are many a renowned restaurant in Haridwar that offer good pure vegetarian food. However, we did not really relish the food at “ChotiWaale’s”. it was too oily, badly cooked and the stewards were in a  tearing hurry to serve, pick their tip and kick us out to let the other teeming customers pour in for more fleecing.
Anyhow, In the evening we would have gone to Saptrishi Kund , a must see beautiful site, also known as Saptsarovar. From there we would have gone to Vishnu Ghat ,where Lord Vishnu is believed to have meditated. South of Vishnu Ghat , there is Maya Devi Temple where you can see images of Ashtbhuji (eight armed) Shiva, and that of Goddesses Durga with Three heads. Offer your prayers to these holy shrines and return back to the rest-room at night after dining outside. But as luck would have it, there was a sudden downpour and since it rained heavily, the driver refused to drive in the muddy slippery unknown lanes of a city not much known to him. We too were not very sure about going out in the rain so we chucked the idea and instead spent the time in our rest-house, chatting and resting. After all, we were finding time to be together, in peace, with none of our bosses to disturb, or mom’s maids to meddle with.
Finally, we surfed through the various channels, got a bit bored, strayed out to stroll on the various spacious corridors of the four floors of the rest-house and enjoyed the cool breeze with splashes of rain. Then, we took dinner in our rooms instead of mingling with the rest of the guests in the mess dining-hall and had a sound sleep in the cozy comforts of our AC rooms.

Link to A Soulful exchange with the Garhwal Himalayas : Rishikesh : https://puplumages.wordpress.com/2010/06/18/a-soulful-exchange-with-the-garhwal-himalayas-rishikesh/