Yamunotri Dham

Part 1 of 7

The drive from Mussorie to Barkot was very quiet and beautiful. Nepalese students often went to India in the 1990s for further education, at least the ones I knew did. Dehradun and Mussorie are known as places where people go to school. They are home to many well-known schools, such as Doon, Woodstock, and Welhams.

In 1996, after getting our SLC results, we went to India with our parents to get into +2. The plane was full of students and parents. But it was clear that our priorities were different from those of our parents, so we treated this trip like a short vacation.

The memories came flooding back when we saw the Tavern Cafe in Mussoorie. Back then, we were all about getting things right away or doing things to be popular or cool, whatever that meant. People often say that the name Mussoorie comes from a shrub called Mansr. Most Indians refer to the town as Mansuri most of the time. The Gorkhas, led by Amar Singh Thapa, took over the Garhwal and the Dehra in 1803. This is when Mussoorie was built. On November 1, 1814, the British and the Gorkhas went to war. By 1815, the Gorkhas had left Mussoorie, and by 1819, it was part of the Saharanpur district.

Before going to Yamunotri Dham, we stayed the night in Barkot.The streets, terrain, and atmosphere of the place reminded me of the walk from Bagar to Naudada in the 1980s, when donkeys were still the main way to move goods. Also, 75–80% [not fact checked] of the service providers along the route are from the communities of Jajarkot, Khalanga, Kalikot, and Chisapani. Because of their feats against the colonial British forces, I have always identified those villages and their people with bravery, sovereignty and pride.

Hindus worship the Yamuna River, which is the Ganges River's largest tributary. Hindu scriptures say that sin can be washed away by taking a bath in or drinking from the Yamuna. We said prayers to the Yamuna River and promised to do what we can to help clean up our waterways. Then, we cooked the rice by wrapping it in a cloth and putting it in the hot water of the Taptkund, just like they do at Yamunotri. Pooja was also performed at the Hanuman ji Temple and the DivyaShila. Then, we paid our respects to Baba Sitaram, a Nepalese born saint who had meditated at the Hanuman Temple for 70 years alongside DivyaShila. From Sitram Baba's followers we learnt more about Nepali priest community in Yamunotri. In the evening, we went back to Barkot.

Gangotri Dhaam

Part 2 of 7

The podcast of Swami Priyananda's Vedanta Talks was my first exposure to Uttarkashi. He talks about the daily ritual of ganga snan that the devotees and sanyasis undertake, as well as other aspects of Ashram life at Shiv Ananda Ashram, such as satsang, yoga, and discussions of various scriptures.

My family and I checked in at a resort right next to the Ashram to get a firsthand look at this. We made it to the ashram in time for lunch, and later that day I had the honour of meeting Swami ji, a direct disciple of Shivaanada Swami, who was coming from his walks down Ganga.

Located in Uttarkasi, the Kashi Vishwanath temple is one of the most peaceful holy locations along the Ganges. The Shivlinga, like the magnificent building housing it, has stood the test of time. The Shivlinga, with Parvati, Ganesha, and Kartikeya, resides in the holiest chamber of the main temple. The mandir's entryway is dominated by a towering Trishul. This ancient Shakti Trishul measures in at about 6 metres in height and is made of a metal that has yet to be determined. It is said that Lord Shiva used the ancient trishul to kill Baksura.

An early morning departure brought us to Gangotri, the place where the Ganges River begins and where the goddess Ganga resides. It flows down from a mountain range and gets its name from the river it first flows into, the Bhagirathi. The river is called the Ganges, or Ganga, from its beginning at Devprayag to its meeting with the Alaknanda. Historically, the first Gangotri Temple was built by Nepalese Bada Kaji Amar Singh Thapa.

It was a pleasant two hundred kilometres from Uttarkasi to Guptkasi. The beautiful pine forest along the road's route was cut out by the sacred Mandakini River. And yet, as pretty as the villages on the hills seemed, I couldn't help but wonder if the residents' daily lives were just as picture-perfect. The seven-hour trip to Guptkashi through fog tunnel and along wet pine forest, humongous lush green hills and river that helps lives thrive from hills into the vast Indian plains took 12 hours due to the bad condition of the roads, but we got there in the end.

Rain also prevented us from taking a helicopter to Kedarnath the following day. Regardless of how lengthy this Yatra may end up being, we are committed to staying on course and completing it. Due to the tremendous demand, tickets are in short supply and prices are soaring but our staff is working tirelessly behind the scenes to get tickets for us at any cost.

Our helicopter tickets haven't arrived yet, so visited the Triyuginarayan Temple in the meanwhile. This historic building honours Vishnu, one of Hinduism's main deities. This ancient temple is well-known due to the myth that the wedding of the god Shiva and the goddess Parvati took place here with lord Vishnu being the master of ceremony. The eternal flame that has been kept burning in this temple since the union of the gods gives it a special significance. Therefore, the majority of worshippers in the area refer to the shrine as Akhand Dhuni.

We renewed our wedding vows here at this historic temple, in front of the eternal flame that has burned continuously for three yugas or world ages [each Yuga lasts for 4,320,000 years and there are four Yugas] and seen the union of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Unfortunately, this took longer than expected, and we had to cancel the rest of our plans for the day. While we are back on the road, we will be stopping in Guptkashi to worship at the Vishwanath and Ardhnareshwar temples.

Haridwar and Ganga Aarati

Despite having passed through Haridwar numerous times, I was only able to attend the Ganga Aarati today. Puranic legend holds that Haridwar, along with Ujjain, Nashik, and Prayag, is one of four locations where drops of Amrit, the elixir of immortality, were accidentally spilt from a kumbha (pitcher) while being carried by the celestial bird Garuda during the Samudra Manthana, or ocean churning. This Ghat was built in honour of King Vikramaditya's (1st century BCE) brother Bharthari.

Haridwar is one of India's seven sacred cities, also known as the "Gateway to the Gods." Haridwar is also the starting point for pilgrimages to the Char Dhams, which include Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri. To put Nepali context, Samvatsara, despite being named after the legendary king Vikramaditya, is a Sanskrit term for 'year.' The Bikram Sambat serves as the foundation for the Nepali calendar. The calendar is about 56 years and eight months ahead of the Gregorian calendar. Also at the most recent Khumbh Mela here in Haridwar, the current Hindu Samrat Raja Gyanendra Shah of Nepal participated in Royal Snan alongside saints and thousands of devotees.

The Mansa Devi Temple and the Ganga Aarati at Har Ki Pauri are the most well-known attractions in Haridwar. A type of Ganga worship is Ganga aarti. Every day between 6:00 and 7:00 p.m., a large crowd gathers here for Ganga aarti (daily). Thanks to #holytoursaustralia and their tour leader Hanif Ka for making it possible to participate in the ritual so closely.

We will stop on the way back at the Mansa Devi temple, which is known for being the holy abode of Mansa Devi, a form of Shakti who is said to have emerged from Lord Shiva's mind. Mansa is a Sanskrit word that means "wish," and it is believed that the goddess grants all true devotees' wishes.I am convinced in the concept that if one devotes themselves sincerely to what arises in their minds or what they allow in their mind space in total awareness, they can manifest it!!!

We also took advantage of the opportunity to pay Deharadun a visit for our favourite food at Kalsang Tibetan Restaurant, Kalsang & his team has managed to expand his operation across many cities in North India, and during our meeting, he mentioned that he will be opening soon in Pokhara, Nepal. Best wishes for your expansion, Kalsang La!

Lastly before retiring, #holytoursaustralia took us to Mohan Puriwala, where we ate dinner, has been satisfying customers' taste buds for generations, having started out in a very small way on the ghats of Haridwar many many generations ago, where they catered to passing pilgrims.

Team #tutormateaus how about yoga retreat at Haridwar this C’mas? Stay tuned for updates from Gangotri & Yamunotri. I'll leave you until then in the capable hands of Murali Venkatraman Rao, a great storyteller: https://youtu.be/ONPSU8NCmKk