Haridwar & Badrinath

Holy cities of Haridwar, Rishikesh & Badrinath

My journey to the historic and beautiful state of Uttarakhand started on a late September rainy afternoon in 2014. It was all planned by my brother to fulfil my mother’s wish to celebrate her 70^thbirthday at the holy shrine of Badrinath. So the journey began with my father, my aunt and my brother along with my mother and myself.

The afternoon flight from Bangalore took me to Indira Gandhi airport in New Delhi which was followed by a 45-minute taxi ride to New Delhi railway station. From there started the long night train journey to Haridwar. We passed through the historic cities of Meerut and Muzaffarnagar to reach Haridwar Junction station early morning and from there took autorickshaw to Vyas Mutt which is around 9 km away. Vyas Mutt and its surrounding compound was one of the most serene places I had seen in my entire life. There was a Veda Vyas temple, a dining hall and few prayer mandaps in the compound which added beauty to the peaceful river Ganges which flowed peacefully along the side of Vyas Mutt.

Day 2

The day started with an early morning visit to the Veda Vyas temple, situated in the same compound as the Mutt. It was followed by an auto ride to the base of the Chandi Devi temple. This temple is situated atop the Neel Parvat on the Eastern summit of the Shivalik Hills, which is the southernmost mountain chain of the Himalayas. The access to the top of the hills is via a 4-km trek or by cable car ropeway. We took the 20 minute cable car to the top of the beautiful Shivalik Hills. This is locally known as the ‘Ropeway to God’.

After the Darshan at Chandi Devi temple, we came back to foot of the hills and took another cable car ride to Mansa Devi Temple. Mansa Devi temple is situated atop Bilwa Parvat hills, also part of Shivalik Hills.

After a quick lunch and a short shut-eye, we went to Bharat Matha Temple, which is situated around 2 km from Vyas Mutt. It is an eight-storey structure dedicated to Bharat Matha. Each floor is devoted to a particular theme.

First floor is dedicated to Bharat Mata (Mother India) it has the statue of Bharat Mata.
Second floor (Shoor Mandir) is dedicated to the well renowned heroes of India.
Third Floor (Matru Mandir) is dedicated to the achievements of India’s revered women such as Meera Bai, Savitri, Maitri etc.
Fourth Floor (Sant Mandir) is dedicated to the great saints from various religions, including Jainism, Sikhism and Buddhism.
Fifth Floor is dedicated to depicting symbolic coexistence of all religions practiced in India and paintings portraying history and beauty in various provinces of India .
Sixth Floor is dedicated to the various forms of the Goddess of Shakti.
Seventh Floor is devoted to all incarnations of Lord Vishnu the preserver form of the holy Hindu Trinity.
Eighth Floor is dedicated to the shrine of Lord Shiva, the supreme god in Hindu tradition

From there its a 4 km drive to the Daksh Mahadev Temple. It is believed to be the site where Dakshayaga was conducted. This is a small temple, but with such a significant history behind it. The actual yagjnakund can also been seen there. Here is the famous statue of Lord Shiva carrying the lifeless body of his wife Sati after she jumps into the yajna fire.

From Daksh Mahadev Temple, we took a local cycle rikshaw to Ganga Aarti Stall at Har-ki-Paur to see the Ganga Aarti.

Every evening, as dusk descends, the Ganga Aarti is performed at the three holy cities of Haridwar, Rishikesh & Varanasi. The aarti is carried out facing the river. The lamps are lit and circled around by the pandits in a clockwise manner, accompanied by chanting of songs in praise of Mother Ganga. The Haridwar Ganga Aarti is held at Har-ki-Paur ghat. The name of this famous ghat literally means “Feet of the Lord”. A footprint on a stone wall there is said to belong to Lord Vishnu.

Har-ki-Paur is the famous ghat on the banks of the Ganges in Haridwar. This revered place is the major landmark of the holy city of Haridwar. It is believed that it is precise spot where the Ganges leaves the mountains and enters the plains. The ghat is on the west bank of Ganges canal through which the Ganges is diverted. Har-Ki-Paur is also the area where millions of pilgrims converge and the festivities commence during the Kumba Mela. Thousands of people come here daily to perform the Aarti.

Day 3

We started early the morning to our second holy city of Rishikesh, which is around 22 km from Haridwar. Our first destination in Rishikesh was Neelkant Mahadev Temple, which is on the outskirts of Rishikesh. The temple is one of the most revered holy shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva and is a prominent Hindu pilgrimage site and located 1330 meters above sea-level

According to Hindu mythology, the place where the Neelkanth Mahadev Temple currently stands is the sacred location where Lord Shiva consumed the poison that originated from the sea when Devas & Asuras churned the ocean in order to obtain Amrit. This poison that Lord Shiva drank made his throat blue in colour. Thus, Lord Shiva is also known as Neelkant. literally meaning The Blue Throated One.

From there we went to Lakshman Jhula & Ram Jhula. These are 2 suspension bridges built across River Ganges in Rishikesh. This is believed to be built by Lakshmana at the same location using Jhula (ropes). Atop the Jhula is the best place to view the white-water rafting by adrenaline junkies in river Ganges. The water currents under the Jhula can reach up to 50 kmph during rainy seasons.

Day 4

The next phase of our trip started early morning to the holy township of Badrinath. We started at 6.00 am in a rented 4×4 Mahindra Bolera which can cruise through the rugged terrain of the Garhwal Hills, which is 3000 meters above sea level. The rent for the vehicle was Rs 3000 per day. Our trip was planned out for 5 days.

By 8.00 am we reached Vashist Guha (cave). The cave is located on the Rishikesh-Badrinath highway. A concrete butter-yellow and rust-coloured arch by the side of the road welcomes you down a steep path 250 feet below. Trees frame the pathway with the Ganges below peeking through the leaves. And streaming down the vast Ganges are river rafters. The place is full of melodies — rustling leaves, the gently flowing Ganga, birds in the trees and the whispering breeze. But silence is the predominant intonation.

It is believed that Vashist Muni, one of the seven immortal sages, meditated in this cave for hundreds of years. Sage Vashist, son of Lord Brahma and guru of Rama, was a pious and powerful ascetic. His wife Arundathi and he had a hundred sons. Vashist also had in his possession a divine cow named Nandini, which could feed all those who crossed the threshold of his ashram. Nandini was the bone of contention between Vashist and Vishwamitra (king-turned-rishi) who wanted the cow for himself. The bad blood between the two men deepened when Vashist defeated Vishwamitra in a duel. The feud continued for many years before Vishwamitra, cunningly, killed all of Vashist’s sons. Mourning the loss of their children the couple travelled far and wide before they settled on the banks of the Ganges, where there was a cave in the middle of a Gular (fig tree) forest. Vashist is then said to have spent hundreds of years meditating in this cave, which is now known as Vashist Guha. It is believed that due to the penance of the powerful rishi, this cave is soaked in positive energy. Vashist Guha was relatively unknown to the world until 1930 when Swami Purushottamananda, who spent a major part of his life in Kerala, discovered the cave. Currently, the place is managed by the Swami Purushottamananda Trust. The cave is also rumoured to be the one where actor Rajinikanth often goes to meditate.

After driving 50 kms from Vashist Guha we reached the celestial town of Devaprayag. It is situated at an elevation of 830 metres above sea level. Devaprayag is the last Prayag or the holy confluence of the Alakananda River, from here that the confluence of Alakananda and Bhagirathi River and becomes a single river and takes the name Ganga. Alakanandha river starts from Satopanth Glacier and flows 195 kms before reaching Devaprayag, whereas Bhagirathi river starts from Gangotri glacier and flows 205 km to Devaprayag. Alakananda contributes a significantly larger portion to the flow of the Ganges than the Bhagirathi.

Another 2.5 hours drive, passing through the towns of Srinagar and Kirtinagar, we reached Rudraprayag which is 70 kilometres away from Devaprayag. Detour to Kedarnath starts from Rudraprayag. This small town is at an elevation of 900 meter is the place of confluence of rivers Alakananda and Mandakini. Mandakini river starts from Chorabari Glacier in Kedarnath and flow 72 km before reaching Rudraprayag.

35 kms away is Karnaprayag which is the third of the Panch prayags and is the confluence of Alakananda and Pindar rivers. Pindar river starts from Pindari Glacier and flows 105 kms before reaching Karnaprayag. It is believed to the place where Karna was cremated by Lord Krishna.

By 5.00 pm, we reached Nandaprayag, which is about 25 km from Karnaprayag. Nandaprayag is the confluence of River Alakananda and Mandakini. This small town is situated at an altitude of 1300 meters . Mandakini river originates from Nanda Devi Peak and flow 56 km before reaching Nandaprayag.

By 7 pm, we reached Pipalkot in Chamoli District, which is popular halting point for all tourists going towards Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib. We had already booked our stay in a hotel called Sudharshan Palace. The temperature at Pipalkot was round 0 degrees by night. We had the first glimpse of the mighty Himalayas in a distance from Pipalkot.

Day 5

We started by 7.00 am from Pipalkot and reached Joshimath in an hour. It is at an elevation of above 1800m. Joshimath, also known as Jyotirmath, is the winter seat of Lord Badri, and thus is reckoned to be a sacred place in Uttarakhand. Situated in the Chamoli District, Joshimath is where one of the four mutt were established by the Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th-century. The other 3 are at Shringeri, Puri and Dwaraka. Joshimath is also famed as the gateway for mountain climbing expeditions, trekking, and several other adventure activities for those who want to live life on the edge. It is from here one has to traverse to the famous trekking destination in Uttarakhand, Valley of Flowers. Also, those visiting the sacred site of Hemkund Sahib need to cross Joshimath. The city is also a base/relaxing spot for those heading to famed ski destination in India, Auli.

13 km away from Joshimath is Vishnuprayag. This is the confluence of Rivers Alakananda and Dhauliganga. Dhauliganga, which is a tributary of River Kali, flows for about 91 km before it reaches Vishnu Prayag.

Immediately after Vishnuprayag we reached one of the main entrances to the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve enroute to Valley of flowers and Nanda Devi National park.

After passing through Hanuman Chatti (mythological spot where Bheem met Hanuman on way to pluck Kalyanasougandika flowers for Draupadi) and Ekadashi caves (place where Lord Vishnu came and took rest after the Mahabharatha battle), we reached the township of Badrinath by 1.00 pm.

We had already booked our stay at Kashi Mutt, which is also part of the Vyas Mutt management.

After settling down at Kashi Mutt, our first stop was at the last village along India-China Border. It is called Mana village.

At the entrance of the village there is a narrow hike of around 200 meters to reach Vyas Guha. The cave is preserved for over 2000 years.

In Mana village we had the first sight of River Saraswathi which merges with Alakananda river at Keshavprayag before disappearing behind the rocks and supposedly flows underground in the plains.

From there one can have a glimpse of Vasudhara falls which is around 15 km hike from Mana village. Vasudhara falls is supposedly the final resting of the pandavas who fell one by one until Dharmaputra was the last one standing.

After Mana village we had our first darshan at Badrinath temple at around 6.00 pm. The main diety is Lord Vishnu surrounded by Kubera, Garuda, Narada & the Nara-narayanas. The main pooja was at 6.30 pm followed by shayana-pooja (sleeptime pooja) at 8.30. This was followed by a holy dip at the hot spring within the temple compound. We returned to our rooms by 9.00 and had a good rest after a day of divine and scenic beauty.

Day 6

After seeing the beautiful golden sunrise at the Neelkant hills, we spent time around Vyas Mutt to enjoy the beauty of Badrinath which was embraced with the morning mist and the milky clouds.

We started back from Badrinath towards Chopta via Vishnuprayag and Rudraprayag. The drive from Badrinath to Chopta took 7 hours through very tough and broken terrain even though it is only 160 kms. Chopta is an unspoiled natural destination lying in the lap of the Uttarakhand Himalayas and offers views of the imposing Himalayan range including Trishul, Nanda Devi and Chaukhamba. It is located at an elevation of 2,680 metres (8,790 ft) above sea level. There are only 55 residents in the village, who will relocate to Pipalkot during winter. There are no electrical connections in Chopta. The entire town and its business runs on oil and batteries. Solar panels are used to light up the village and houses, which can run upto 4 hours. So, by 7 pm the entire village is closed down and in complete darkness. The temperature there is 6 degrees and freezing cold with no heating devices.

Day 6

By 7 am we were off to see the Tunganath Temple. The Tunganath temple is indelibly linked to the origin of the Panch Kedar temples built by the Pandavas. The legend states that sage Maharishi Vyas advised the Pandavas that since they were culpable of slaying their own relatives (Kauravas) during the Kurushethra war, their act could be pardoned only by Lord Shiva. Consequently, the Pandavas went in search of Shiva who was avoiding them since he was convinced of the guilt of Pandavas. In order to keep away from them, Shiva took the form of a bull and went into hiding in an underground safe haven at Guptakashi, where Pandavas chased him. Bhima identified Shiva’s cow form and tried to catch it by its horns, which lead to an explosion of the cow’s body into 5 pieces. Later, Shiva’s body in the form of bull’s body parts rematerialized at five different locations that represent the “Panch Kedar”. The Pandavas built temples at each of these locations to worship and venerate Lord Shiva, seeking his pardon and blessings. Each temple is identified with a part of the bull or Shiva’s body; Tungnath is identified as the place where the bahu (hands) were seen; hump was seen at Kedarnath; head appeared at Rudranath; his navel and stomach surfaced at Madhyamaheshwar; and his jata (hair or locks) at Kalpeshwar.

Tunganath temple is one of the highest Shiva temples in the world and is about 5 kms from Chopta. You can reach there by walk or a mule ride. We decided on the second option and went on a scary ride on muleback which cracked every bone on our bodies. But the view enroute to Tunganath is simply breathtaking.

It took us around 3 hours to complete the temple visit and then continued our onward journey from Chopta. After a 2 hour drive along the banks of river Mandakini, we reached the holy town of Ukhimutt where the idols of Kedarnath are brought in winter to be worshipped at Omkāreshwar Temple. This is also believed to the place where the wedding took place of Aniruddh (grandson of Krishna) and Usha (daughter of Banasur). From there we started our journey back to Haridwar via Rudgraprayag, Devaprayag and Rishikesh. We reached Vyas Mutt by late night.

Day 7

The Final day started by having a holy dip in the Ganges near Vyas Mutt and nice breakfast.

I said goodbye to my family and boarded a train to New Delhi and from there to Bangalore.

This trip, although meant to be religious, impacted me in several other unexpected ways. I was fascinated by the scenic beauty and the ecological importance of all the places I visited. My brother often chimed in with timely comments on the mythological world surrounding the holy place.

Through this trip I took home not just souvenirs and trinkets, but also newfound respect for the Indian culture and memories that last a lifetime.