Wander through India : UTTARAKHAND : AN ODE TO THE HIMALAYA AND SPIRITUALITY ( Day V : TOWARDS THE ANCIENT PRAYAGS )

UTTARAKHAND : AN ODE TO HIMALAYA AND SPIRITUALITY

#DAY V: Haridwar-Rudraparayag.

28. Effectively speaking today would be the day when we would be leaving the Gangetic plains (I am not sure if this terminology is correct) and moving into the Shivalik Mountain ranges. These mountain ranges known as the tresses of Lord Shiva are the outermost as well as youngest range of the Himalaya.

29. The route consisted of the National Highway 58 which would first take us to Rishikesh. We were told that Rishikesh offered greater tranquility and serene surroundings as compared to Haridwar. However in my understanding both at Haridwar as well as Rishikesh if one wanted to imbibe the teachings of spirituality and immerse into the lap of nature, one needed to give time period of say 6-7 months to come to terms with the real nature of the place beyond the touristic appeal which so overpowering and omnipresent on the surface.

30. Rishikesh was reached soon and the main path leading to the famed Laxman Jhula was crowded with travelers and guides. I pitied myself that I did not have the opportunity to soak in the beauty of the place in the off tourist season, sometime maybe around the frigid winters. I was told that the original Jhula had since been demolished and now what we were seeing was the modern version of it. I was not particularly impressed by it even though it was my first visual of a hanging bridge of this magnitude, maybe it might be because of the number of people jostling around. Anyhow we quickly moved from Rishikesh towards Shivpuri.

31. The entire stretch from Rishikesh to Shivpuri and beyond that for few km ahead has the Ganges flowing next to the road and on her white sandy banks have sprung up multitude of tents. The stretch is famous for water sports especially white water rafting and is frequented by both the serious enthusiasts as well as the holiday crowd from Delhi. There is a literal ruckus happening on this entire stretch.

32. As one proceeds further, the plains give way to the mountains as range after range starts appearing and the road moves further ahead into the mountains. We finally reached the first of the Prayags: Dev Prayag after covering around 83 Kms.

33. Devprayag; the most holy of all the prayags being the confluence of the Alaknanda originating from the Satopanth glacier with the Baghirathi originating from the Gomukh glacier has its importance equal in significance to the Triveni Sangam at Allahabad. It is a sight to see the green icy waters of the Baghirathi meeting the deep muddy brown waters of the Alaknanda. Devprayag mesmerizes the traveler who comes wandering here.

34. One pays respect at the temple of Lord Rudranath which is out here. By the time we reached the Rudrapnath temple it had already closed(the temple closes by 1230 in afternoon) so we decided to go till the sangam which can be reached by alighting a steep series of steps which lead to a overhanging bridge on the Bhagirathi and after crossing it one is on the opposite banks of the river. The town of Dev prayag is built around the sangam and the temple itself.

35. After the prayag we moved ahead towards the town of Srinagar which is another significant town on this sector. The beauty of this region is that almost every place whether big or small has a historical link and significance. Srinagar is the last city of the plain before the start of the mountains of Garhwal . The town lies on the banks of the Alaknanda.

36. After Srinagar I kept my eyes peeled on the Alakananda as I had heard about the famous Khakra Bend where the Alakhnanada takes a complete U turn. This comes 28 Km after Srinagar and what a sight it is to see the mighty river turning around . If in peak summer if I was mesmerized by this spectacle I can only imagine how the visual would be in monsoons or winter.

37. Rudrprayag the next way point for the day was reached by 1700 hrs and was the second Sangam/Prayag in sequential order. It is the confluence of the Alaknanada and the Mandikini. One can walk down right till the confluence. There is the temple of Chamunda devi and Narad muni at the confluence. A bit higher up is the temple dedicated to Lord Shiva.

38. Here we visited the sangam as well as the temples of Lord Shiva , Chamunda Devi and Narad Muni. What a contrast these prayags were from the hustle and bustle of Haridwar and Rishikesh. The traveler is actually able to appreciate the significance of the natural beauty as well as the historical significance because there is calmness and peace all around allowing one to appreciate the scenario spread out. The roads till this point were very much in good condition and large distances could be covered quickly. It is however to be remembered that they still are mountainous roads and due caution and care needs to be exercised by the driver.

39. It was evening when we had reached Rudraparayg and from here we then decided to visit the legend of Koteswar Mahadev.The route to reach this temple clearly defined and is around three kms from the bridge on the Alakhnanda . The temple is on the opposite banks of the Alaknanda with the route to Badrinath on the across bank. After reaching a small hamlet, one needs to walk down a set of stairs for around one km in order to reach the temple, the cave where the Shiva Linga is instituted further down. I strongly recommend a visit to this temple as it emanates a very positive vibe.

40 Hence ended the day and we stayed at Rudraprayag for the night. The twilight dusk had fallen and monsoon clouds were all around with the promise of rains to come in the near future.