A vagrant’s sojourn – Part 4 – Badrinath

Bolo Badri vishal bhagwan ki jai!!

How hard it is to escape from places. However carefully one goes they hold you - you leave little bits of yourself fluttering on the fences - like rags and shreds of your very life. ~Katherine Mansfield

It was already ten days away from home on the mountains, but I was not homesick. I didn’t seem to miss my mother’s kitchen either. Where is the question of hunger and home when nature fills heart and mind? My vehicle has a few punctures on the hilly terrain, but I relaxed enjoying the wilderness.

It is only when we silent the blaring sounds of our daily existence that we can finally hear the whispers of truth that life reveals to us, as it stands knocking on the doorsteps of our hearts. ~K.T. Jong

Inside myself is a place where I live all alone, and that's where I renew my springs that never dry up. ~Pearl Buck

My heart got entwined in the snow-covered peaks of Badrinath, ravishing beauty of Alakananda, and impregnable vegetation of Devadaru. I sat on the banks of the river and capturing the enslaving beauty of the mountains in my memory. My memory was not enough, and I went back to pen and paper, but I fell short of words. This is when my camera came to my rescue.

It takes a day to travel from Kedarnath to Badrinath. I reached Rudraprayag in the afternoon and halted at Syalsaur for the night. The cottage was situated in the valley right on the banks of Alakananda. I was surrounded by no houses, it was just mountains and coniferous forest.

A hot shower at the end of the day was really refreshing to the gritty body. That night I was on Mother Nature’s lap and as I looked at the sky I saw a million eyes twinkling at me. It was pitch black and I could not trace my own shadow. Trickling Alakananda, and humming beetles were composing a symphony to go with the visual. The oxygen rich air invigorated my lungs, the machine was operating at zero friction. I hadn’t paid for this experience, but all this came free of cost. Mother gives and seldom takes back.

It seemed to be a necessary ritual that he should prepare himself for sleep by meditating under the solemnity of the night sky... a mysterious transaction between the infinity of the soul and the infinity of the universe. ~Victor Hugo

God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, but on trees and flowers and clouds and stars. ~Martin Luther

This was my last leg of the journey there was abundant curiosity to see Neelkant parvat, the invincible peak on the Shivalik ranges. He stands tall with frosty façade. One could find peace and calmness in him.

Two blankets (razai) were not enough to keep my bones warm on the peak. I had to go to bed with my jacket, socks, and monkey cap to stay warm. Neelkant appears golden for a short time during sunrise (between 5.40 am – 6.00 am). I had to wake up early, dress in warm gear to catch this spectacle.

The temple of Shri Badrinathji is flanked by two mountain ranges known as Nar and Narayan , with the towering Neelkant peak providing a splendid backdrop. This spot was once carpeted with wild berries which gave it the name ‘Badri Van’,meaning ‘forest of berries’. Right below Neelkant is the town of Badrinath and the temple.

I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in. ~George Washington Carver

The town of Badrinath is just waking up to the sunrise and golden peak of Neelkant. The temple remains open from May (Akshaya trithiyai) to Nov (Diwali).
Due to lack of power, rooms have no heat nor hot water. One has to get to the hot spring to bath in the morning. The hot spring is right below the temple and 0.5 km walk from the hotel.

For someone like me who has lived in the city for all my life community bathing was really new. My grandmother used to say that they exchanges tales and gossip in the bathing ghat. When I saw the hot water spring and community bathing I remembered my grandma’s tales.

Temple opens very early in the morning (4 am) to chants of Suprabatham and Vishnusahasranamam. Even the Sun god doesn’t come to work if MS Subbalakshmi fails to render Suprabatham and Vishnusahasranamam. May be god made her just for Suprabatham and Sahasranamam. From tiny villages in South to the peaks in the North her voice was resonating. The bakthi effusing in her voice pulled me out of the blanket even in the cold morning.

The original temple that was here is said to have been of very great antiquity, dating back to the times when the Vedas were written. It was destroyed by avalanches or by Buddhists. It is said that the image of Badrinath had been thrown into the Alaknanda during the time of the Buddhist era and was later retrieved and reinstalled by Adi Shankara during the following Hindu revival. The present temple is believed to have been established by him. Others say the present temple was built about 400 years ago bye the king of Garhwal. The temple looks modern now with a colorful “Singh Dwara” or the main entrance gate. The idol of Lord Badrivishal is made of black stones haligram. The details are not well defined, perhaps the result of weathering, when thrown in the Naradkund for several years. The Lord is seated in a "padmasana" posture. The temple has various sevas that one can offer to the lord based on his/her affordability.

Mana Village: Inhabited by an Indo-Mongolian tribe, Mana is considered as the last Indian village before Tibet. Vyas Gufa, Ganesh Gufa, Bhim Pul, Vasudhara Falls (3.6 km) are among the places near Mana Village. Women here spend their winters at home making handicrafts, sweaters, shawls, stoles etc.

I couldn’t resist from having a Cola at India’s last tea shop. Due to snow and extreme winter the shops close when the temple town shuts in November and reopens the following year in May. Apart from shops and catering to the need of tourist people have rear cattle and sheep. Women were busy cutting grass on the slopes and the valleys and carrying them back home.

Vyas Gufa cave: Near Mana village, this is a rock cave where Vedavyas is believed to have composed the Mahabharata and the Puranic commentaries.

Only in quiet waters do thing mirror themselves undistorted. Only in a quiet mind is adequate perception of the world. ~Hans Margolius

Bhim Pul: On the other side of Mana village, a massive rock forming a natural bridge lies over the roaring Saraswati River. It presents a spectacular view of water thundering down through the narrow passage under the rock and is believed to have been placed there by Bhim, the second eldest among the five Pandava brothers.

There is also a Saraswati Mandir on the banks of the river. We don’t how old the temple is, but the construction seems very new. Within a few meters River Saraswathi joins Alakananda (Keshav prayag) and she is never again seen on earth. It is believed that she is antarvahini and confluences in Allahabad along with Ganga and Yamuna.

I felt very sad descending the mountains of Badrinath. Due to narrow roads it is one-way traffic from Joshimutt to Badrinath. Vehicles are permitted to ascend and descend at particular time in the day to ensure safe journey.

No man should go through life without once experiencing healthy, even bored solitude in the wilderness, finding himself depending solely on himself and thereby learning his true and hidden strength. ~Jack Kerouac

One impulse from a vernal woodMay teach you more of man,Of moral evil and of good,Than all the sages can.~William Wordsworth, "The Tables Turned," 1798

Joshimutt is the closest town to Badrinath. Joshimath is nestled in the Himalayas at a height of 6150 feet above sea level, enroute to Badrinath from Rishikesh. Joshimutt also happens to be first and only mutt established by Adi Shankara in Northern India. There are temples to Narasimha and Vasudeva, built by Adi Sankaracharya here. Adi Sankara authored Sri Sankara Bhashyam here. Joshimutt is surrounded on three sides by the snow clad Trishul (7250m) in the south, Badri Peaks (7100 m) in the NW, and Kamat (7750m) in the north.

Auli, 16 km from Joshimath is an ideal winter resort run by Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN). There is a rope car service that runs between Joshimutt and Auli. A 3 km long slope ranging from a height of 2519 to 3049 m is a major attraction. The ride is scenic and one gets to see the peaks of Nandadevi.

My vacation was coming to an end. I was mentally prepared to be back in the noisy city with glaring bill boards, chaotic traffic and monotonous routine. But I knew mountains would always be around and I could come back when life turns insipid.

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,

There is a rapture on the lonely shore,

There is society, where none intrudes,

By the deep sea, and music in its roar:

I love not man the less, but Nature more.

~George Gordon, Lord Byron, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage