Chardham Yatra - Part 14 (Conclusion of Yatra)

Day 13 (31st May 2019) was the last day of our yatra. We woke up to the doorbell rung by Ranveer for the last time at 5.30 a.m. with his hot cup of coffee. By 6.30 a.m. we had finished our morning ablutions and were ready. The first activity in the morning was to go to Mansa Devi temple which is within Haridwar itself. This is second Shakti Peetham we visited during this yatra. After a short ride by electric rickshaw, we reached the starting point of the ropeway which was to take us up the hill where the temple is. While there is a regular path by foot also, we preferred the ropeway for its novelty factor as also the time saving factor. The ride costs Rs. 100 per person for both directions (up & down).

As we were early, there was not much wait time to catch our ride. Four people are allowed in each car. The ride itself took only about 5-6 minutes to reach the top. Before going up, we had purchased some offerings but after reaching up, we found there are several shops selling all kinds of offerings including flowers, bangles, a combo offering of coconut, flowers, prasad etc. The aarti was in progress when we entered, and we were greeted by the sound of ringing bells and the smell of burning camphor and oil lamps. A big crowd was standing in front of the deity witnessing the aarti. Security people were doing a good job of crowd management and within a few minutes we had got our darshan of the Devi. Just outside the main sanctum, we saw the idol of another Devi which is unique as it perspires. Then we went around and had a darshan of all the other deities around the temple before coming back to the ropeway for our decent.

After coming down, we went by rickshaw to Har-ki-Pauri which was nearby and had our last darshan of Ganga. We also visited the Ganga temple which stands at this place. If we had more time, we would have also had our last dip at this holy place. As we had to complete our brunch and move to the airport at Dehradun, we skipped the last dip. After this we came back to the hotel in another electric rickshaw.

Ranveer had made a special lunch that day. It is called Samaradhanai lunch which was to celebrate the completion of our Yatra. Lunch comprised of Sambhar, Rasam, Potato bhaji, Dal vada, Pal payasam (milk kheer), Papadam, Curds, Pickles etc. Our Dwadashi meal was superb indeed. We all ate heartily for one last time. He also made chutney sandwiches (at very short notice) for eating during our long flight back home. The Yatra was made thoroughly enjoyable due to the culinary skills of Ranveer, the driving skills of Pradeep and the guidance of Srinivasan. M/s Srinivasan Tours can be reached at 9871723005 / 98682 60599 if anyone else wishes to avail of their services. They do many other yatras besides the Chardham yatra.

On this picture to the left, you can see from left to right - Shri Srinivasan the tour operator in white shirt, Ranveer the master chef & Pradeep the reliable driver)

Post lunch, we said our goodbyes & thanks to Ranveer and waited while our bags were loaded on the TT. We then left the hotel by around 11 a.m. to the Jolly Grant airport at Dehradun. We were all web checked in for our return flight at 2.30 p.m. The return flight by Indigo Airways left on time and was via Delhi (for most of us). The wait time in the aircraft at Delhi was frustrating as it took 1 hour 40 minutes and the AC was not working during that time. The outside temperature at that time was a record 46 degrees Celsius. After a harrowing & agonising wait, we finally left Delhi and arrived back safe and sound by around 6.30 p.m. in Mumbai. Thus, ended our 2-week Chardham Yatra. It was a very good yatra for us as (a) we had the benefit of great co-yatris whose company made us forget any discomforts that may have come up (b) God grace was showered upon us in more ways than we could imagine - great weather, comfortable darshans, good luck etc. and (c) Superb tour operator and staff. . 

I hope you enjoyed reading this and found it useful to plan your next trip to Dev Bhumi (Gods Land) at Uttrakhand. I would strongly recommend at least one visit in one’s lifetime. It is a truly holy and divine place. Pilgrims who are 50+ and younger pilgrims having health issues must consult their doctors before undertaking such a trip to higher altitude shrines. Feel free to write to me in the comments for any clarification and I shall respond forthwith.

Bolo Yamuna Maiya ki Jai !!!

Bolo Ganga Maiya ki Jai !!!

Bolo Kedar Baba ki Jai !!!

Bolo Triyugi Narayan ki Jai !!!

Jai Badri Vishal !!!