Part-1 : Dev Bhoomi - Uttarakhand

"If I were to look over the whole world to find out the country most richly endowed with all the wealth, power, and beauty that nature can bestow – in some parts a very paradise on earth – I should point to India." - this quote by the German scholar Max Muller always makes me gleam with pride and fuels my desire to explore India more and more :-)

Operation Big-Elephant

1st April 2015, Hyderabad.

Fools Day, definitely not for myself and my friend Lokesh (M.Tech students), who were probably making one of the wisest decisions - visiting Himachal Pradesh during the Summer Holidays (thanks to our institution - IIIT-H that provided us with a surplus 3-month summer vacation).

It all began with a scoopwhoop link :

http://www.scoopwhoop.com/inothernews/himachal-pradesh/?ref=social&type=fb&b=0

The above link fueled our enthusiasm to go in for a biggie trip.

(Both of us were firm believers of the theory that we should wander and explore places as much as we can during our bachelor phase of life itself, as marriage would mean Game-Over!. I bet that most guys would agree on the same)

Getting some inputs from my friends, who had already been to those parts, a prototype of our trip was formed, which eventually evolved itself and gave rise to this outline:

Haridwar-Rishikesh-DehraDun-Mussoorie-Dalhousie-Dharamshala-Amritsar-Delhi.

We decided to name this as ‘Operation Big Elephant’! :)

(A route-map, starting from New Delhi)

More People and Planning

It is not easy to tame a Big-Elephant. It needed a mammoth effort! I had a lot of friends from Bangalore with whom I communicated about the trip, and finally we formed a group of eight enthusiasts (Myself, Lokesh, Ajay, Ravikumar, Sanath Adiga, Raghava, Uday, Yatish).

The Primary concern was of travel and stay. Apart from these, we had planned activities like Rafting at Rishikesh, Bungee Jumping, Triund Hill Trek at Dharamshala. We had to book for the stays too. Adiga did a good job in this regard to dig out deep and get the best possible deals with respect to everything. There were several advance payments regarding these and after a lot of hard-work, discussions on WhatsApp and Facebook groups, planning and contacting, everything seemed to be in place! After such a plethora of planning, we felt that we were good candidates to join the Planning Commission of India :D.

So, All set now for the Crazy times ahead :-).

Journey to India’s Rajdhani in Rajdhani

Thursday, 28 May 2015, 20:20, Bengaluru

Four of us began our journey from Bengaluru to Delhi in the Rajdhani Express. It was a 33.5 hour long journey and most people were experiencing such a lengthy journey for the first time. Travelling in Rajdhani for the first time, all of us were excited as we had heard that it had a very high-priority and one of the fastest trains in India that would clock up to 140kmph speed. The ticket cost was around 2900, inclusive of catering.

(The Rajdhani Express)

It was a good beginning for our journey as we were served breadsticks, soup and a good dinner. The following day was spent playing cards(UNO), multiplayer games on the tablet. I spent some time reading “The Secret of the Nagas” book by Amish Tripathi. Breakfast, Lunch, Snacks and Dinner were served to our seats time to time. The train had limited number of stops. It stopped at Nagpur at around 15:30. We just came out to catch some fresh air, but had to retreat soon due to the scorching heat. Even the fans at the Railway station seemed to fire fumes of hot air towards us, like dragons. After a good journey, we reached the destination(H.Nizamuddin station) at around 6:15 AM on Saturday, 30th May. After freshening up at the waiting room, we head out to the New Delhi main Railway Station (10 minutes from H.Nizamuddin) where we had our next train to Haridwar at 11 AM.

The Holy Haridwar

Regarded as the “Gateway to Lord Vishnu” (Hari - Vishnu, Dwar - Gate), also referred to as Hardwar - “Gateway to Lord Shiva” (Har - Shiva), Haridwar is one of the seven most holy places in India.

Ayodhya Mathura Maya Kashi Kanchi Avantika |

Puri Dvaravati chaiva saptaita mokshadayika h ||

The above sloka from the Garuda Purana lists the seven most holy places (Maya - Haridwar)

It was evening when Haridwar welcomed us with its heat. After resting for a while in a temporary hotel room, we left for the Ganga Aarti in an electric-operated rickshaw. That’s when I got the first glimpse of the gorgeous Ganges. Flowing magnificently through the city, washing away the sins of the devotees who were praying and taking a dip on either banks, Ganga Maa induced a huge sense of devotion in me. The location of the aarti was at Har Ki Pauri , any localite would easily guide you there.

(First sight of the Gorgeous Ganga River at Haridwar)

(Ganga Aarti at Haridwar)

I had heard about the Ganga Aarti for the first time in a lesson “Gangeyalli Deepamaale” from my 8th Standard Kannada book. I had also read about it in blogs and was convinced that it was an event definitely not to be missed. We struggled to find a decent place to view the Aarti amidst the vast number of devotees, who had turned out to witness the serene spiritual ceremony. Priests were performing Poojas to Maa Ganga, devotional songs were being played, while the audience too added their voices to give it a multi-fold effect. The concept of visualizing the river as Mother itself was such an amazing and apt thinking by our ancestors and filled me with awe about our culture. Exactly at sunset time (around 7:30 PM - Summer days are long), the priests started performing aartis and it was just electrifying! I bet any non-spiritual person would turn out spiritual on witnessing it.

We had river rafting planned at Rishikesh for the next day. The continuous journey had taken a toll on me. I prayed to Ganga maa for the safety of all of us. After the aarti we left the Ghat and passed through a chat street. The chats were mouth-watering and the Lassi - all of us felt that we had one of the best Lassis of our life. We had to leave for Rishikesh as we had booked our stay there. There was a beautiful statue of Lord Shiva on the banks of Ganga. It felt great to see the Greatest of the Gods, Mahadev at that place. We left for Rishikesh in a shared auto carrying exciting thoughts about the adventures that lay ahead.

Radiant Rishikesh

Abiding by its reputation as the Meditation and Yoga capital of the World, Rishikesh welcomed us with a canopy of calmness. River Ganga was flowing as elegantly as ever. We had to get across to the other side of the river using a suspension bridge - Ram Jhula. Swaying with the strong wind at small magnitudes, it literally provided the effect of ‘Jhula’ (Swing), causing us to lose balance while walking. If not for the protective railings on both the sides, we wondered if one would eventually lose balance and fall into the water.

(A marvellous view of Ram Jhoola,Rishikesh)

After a bit of struggle in locating our lodge Gayatri Kunj , we surrendered ourselves to sleep in the comforting rooms, only to be woken up by the shattering doors and windows early morning. Realizing that strong winds were a common phenomenon in the mountainous region at times, we tightened the locks, slept for a while and eventually got ready for one of the most exciting part of our trip. We started very early as suggested by our guide (around 8 AM).

Rafting at the rapids of River Ganga is a must thing to do at Rishikesh. There are a lot of companies that offer you Rafting, one of the most famous being Paddle India.

There are few categories based on the distance covered. We had chosen Marine Drive (approx. 24 Kms). A vehicle from the rafting company carried us to the spot from where we would begin. Our rafting guide was a localite and spoke in a friendly manner with us. Fueling ourselves with Parathas and Juices that we had got, we listened to the instructions of the guide like obedient students. Fastening our Life Jackets, helmets, we were ready for the thrill.

I was not feeling very well health-wise, but the encouragement from my buddies and the adrenaline rush propelled my enthusiasm and I had the best seat in the raft to begin with. There were 13 rapids in all with several interesting names such as Welcome, Butterfly, Sweet sixteen, Back to the Center, Golf Course, Roller Coaster, Cross-Fire, Double Trouble. They comprised of Grade-1 to Grade-4 rapids. At times our guide allowed us to jump into the water, but had to keep ourselves close to the raft. Breathtaking passing through the rapids, bound by lush green mountains on either sides, we were awestruck by the scenic beauty throughout the journey. The weather just added to the pleasantness. Towards the end, hot shining sun and cool water - the nature had reached a perfect equilibrium state. After around 3 hours of ecstasy, we had to halt our raft near Ram Jhula.

Against my expectations of exhaustion, the rafting induced a new sense of enthusiasm in us. Glasses of masala soda were reverently consumed to quench our thirst. The Chotiwala restaurant had an unique way of attracting its customers and we couldn’t resist getting in.

After a simple lunch, we had a nice afternoon sleep, again to be woken up by rattling doors and windows in the evening. We had planned to witness Ganga Aarti and helped ourselves towards the Clock Tower, where it was to be held. It had a different touch in comparison to what we had witnessed at Haridwar - far less crowded, more peaceful, each one of us could perform Aarti here. After seeking the blessings of Holy Ganga maa, we headed for dinner at another Chotiwala Restaurant on the other side of Ram Jhoola, not before savoring some of the street chats and juices. (This Chotiwala was much better in all respects over the other one where we had lunch).

(Early morning view from our hotel)                  (Sunset at Rishikesh)

Light has a dual nature - Wave and Particle. Rishikesh seemed no different. Covered with a divine wave of spirituality, it also sparkled with breathtaking adventures. Yet again, it was at equilibrium with respect to the two. This made the city very special and unique in its own sense. It had so much to offer for any tourist. We found many foreigners, happily clad in our culture. Abundant with beautiful temples, statues of Gods, Ashrams and Sadhus, the city depicted the fervor for the religion and culture. Indeed, Rishikesh was rich, diverse, vibrant and radiant.

(Clockwise from left : 1. Mandir near clock tower, 2. Ganga maa, 3. Statues depicting Ramayan sequence, 4. Ganga river elegantly flowing between the mountains at Rishikesh, 5. Lakshman Jhoola and Tryambakeshwar Mandir)

“Gangaa Snana, Tungaa Paana” (It is very auspicious to take bath in the Ganges and drink water from the river Tunga(a South Indian river) ), goes an old saying. After taking a dip in the holy Ganga maa, we visited a seven-storeyed Tryambakeshwar mandir, which seemed to contain all the Gods that people worship. It was followed by shopping near Laxman Jhoola(another hanging bridge), a good shopping centre. During the same time, some of our friends had planned for bungee jumping and they joined us after the adventure. We had hired bikes for our further journey and we left for Dehradun(45 kms from Rishikesh) in the afternoon.

Dynamic Dehradun

Riding through the blazing sun, gulping Lime Sodas when available on the way we reached the capital city of Uttaranchal - Dehradun by evening. Guided by the localites on directions, we reached Tapakeshwar mandir, a cave temple. Away from all the business of the city, the temple offered a peaceful ambiance. Our next visit was to Robber’s cave, popularly known as ‘Gucchu Paani’ (don’t be surprised if many of the localites don’t know what Robber’s cave is) offered a good cave exploration. Wading through the waters(maximum till knee-length) in a narrow path, we wondered about the natural beauty possessed by the place. After refreshing ourselves under a very small, yet gushing waterfall through the rocks, our bellies demanded something. Accompanied by a little drizzle, we had snacks, tea and hot maggi (probably the last one we had before it got banned) at the nearby canteen. It was almost dark and watching our next destination, Mussoorie, a hill-station 31 km away was a heavenly sight. Delighted by the sight of Mussoorie, soon we were on the bikes climbing upwards.

(The sparkling sight of Dehradun from Mussoorie)

Mesmerising Mussoorie

If someone asked me “What does paradise look like?”, I would show them Mussoorie and say “This is how paradise would look”. Gifted with glimpses of glittering Dehradun, we had one of the most awesome bike journeys to Mussoorie. Contrary to the afternoon heat, it was chilling cold over there. We were aptly guided to “The Mall Road”, which offered a plethora of options - mouth-watering food shops, shopping centers for gifts and clothes. Bhajjis, Pav Bhajis, Desserts were savoured, the best being hot ‘Matka Doodh’ (milk served in small earthen pots).

              (The Mall Road, Mussoorie)        (Matka Doodh)

Sunrise and Sunset are a treat to watch at Mussoorie. Early in the morning, we went to ‘Camel back road’ and subsequently to Bahuguna Park, which offered us a wonderful view point. The sight of the surrounding mountains was a pure bliss. Cool breeze, Hot Masala Tea and nice conversation with local people just made the place harder to leave. After spending some amount of amazing time, we left for Lal Tibba, not before taking a lot of photographs.

(Serene view from Bahuguna Park, Mussoorie)

(Bahuguna Park,Mussoorie)

(Camel Back Road, Mussoorie)

On the way to Lal Tibba, a guy with a telescope showed us some landmarks, which a normal eye wouldn’t notice. Among them, the camel rock (reason for the name ‘camel back road’) was a great reflection of nature’s beauty. After appreciating these small wonders, we headed towards Lal Tibba, another view point at a higher altitude. With the increasing altitude, the view only got better and better. At the top, it looked as if the mountains, placed by god one besides the other, stretching to infinite length, formed a magical pattern. It was a mind-blowing sight. No wonder Mussoorie is called the ‘Queen of Hills’. One thing we could not cover was the Kempty Falls. Nevertheless, Mussoorie has had a lasting impression on us.

(No wonder Mussoorie is called the ‘Queen of Hills’)

(At Lal Tibba. from left : Uday,Lokesh,Sanath,Ajay,Shashank,Ravikumar,Yatish.)

(The leftmost guy in the below pic is Raghav)

Carrying marvellous memories from Mussoorie, we headed back to Rishikesh, where we had to return our bikes and proceed towards Himachal. We boarded the Hemkund Express from Rishikesh till Roorkee. After spending some time at Roorkee city, we boarded another connecting train to Pathankot, considered as a gateway to the Himachal. Indeed, Uttarakhand (known as Dev Bhoomi or the Land of Gods) had provided a perfect start to our trip and we geared up for more exciting times that lay ahead of us at Himachal.

Credits:

(Photo Credits : Uday Shankar, Yatish S Gangolli, Raghava Simha and Myself)

Blog Reviewed by : Shruthi (http://shruthiathreyas.blogspot.in/)