Jammu - Himachal Yatra (Part 10 of 10)

The last day of the yatra (31st May, 2022) started like all other days. Before I describe the day, let me give you a brief description of the hotel where we were staying - Anand at the Sutlej. It is one of the premium properties in Sri Anandpur Sahib. We got to know about this property from various hotel booking sites and were impressed by its ratings of 4.5 out of 5. The pricing of the property is also premium which we were OK with as it was the last leg of a strenuous and long yatra. 

The property is located a few kilometers away from the main Gurudwara just besides the river Sutlej (or one of its streams). All residences in the property are in form of cottages - either one bedroom or two bedroom plus a hall. The rooms are well furnished but has a rustic feel when it comes to the walls, flooring, ceiling etc. The furniture also are not the modern plush variety but rather like vintage stuff. The food served was decent but service was slow and quantity was a challenge - a few times they went out of stock of an items which everyone liked.

The sound of birds was always there and we could see / hear a variety of birds. The early mornings were especially beautiful as it was cool and the silence interrupted by the call of the birds was pleasing. Evenings were not as good as there were many mosquitoes and other insects to disturb us besides the heat. The flowering plants, the fruit bearing trees and the other vegetation of the farms were nice to behold. Overall, this place is worth a visit, although slightly expensive, especially in the winter or rains.

On the last day of the yatra, we had a good breakfast as always, packed (rather cramped) our luggage into our vehicles and began our ride towards Chandigarh. We were forced to keep all 20+ pieces of luggage inside the vehicles due to some local rules as explained by our drivers. We first drove towards Mansa Devi temple at Panchkula. The drive was long and at times through uneven roads. We arrived in the peak of the hot afternoon at this temple. Constructed by Maharaja Gopal Singh about 200 years ago, the complex spreads over an area of about 100 acres. It is considered and important shrine for worshipping Devi in Shakti form. A hundred meters away is another attractive temple called the Patiala temple.

We had to climb up one storey to reach the main temple. As the crowd was less at that time, we had a comfortable and easy darshan. We also visited a small Shiva temple in the premises and offered water to the Lingam. Some of us also visited the Patiala temple. As it was getting very hot, we rushed back to the vehicles. Some of us had sugarcane juice near the parking area and left immediately for the airport.

Arriving at the airport a little early, we checked in and had something to eat at the lounge there. Our flight was direct to Mumbai and arrived before time, much to our delight. 

Thus ended one of our longest, most hectic & tiring but satisfying yatra which was focussed on visiting Devi temples and Shakti Peethams. Hope you enjoyed the virtual journey and feel free to comment with your thoughts as well as questions, if any.

See you here again after the next yatra.

Jammu - Himachal (Part 9)

It was Amavasya on 30/05/22 the 9th day of our trip. Most of us did our tarpanam at our hotel property in which our group was the only guests. It was quite a sight to see dhoti clad brahmins doing tarpanam in the morning hours. It almost seemed like a Agraharam at Sri Anandpur Sahib. That day the hotel chef was instructed that all meals should be "Jain" meals only. So, we had nice upma and Puri bhaji for breakfast along with usual accompaniments like cut fruits, porridge and tea / coffee. 

In the morning we discovered that our two vehicle drivers had left in the night along with the vehicles without informing any of us. Apparently, they were unhappy with the property staff not treating them well or that the quarters given to them was not good enough. So, our co-yatri who had made the arrangements for transportation for the yatra, Narayan, called the people concerned. They were apologetic and substituted with 2 Innovas & a sedan car at the same price. We were happy to get better & more comfortable vehicles. We made groups of 4,5 & 6 yatris to occupy the vehicles.

We first went to Naina Devi temple. This is another Shakti Peetham at Himachal which is about 25 kms away from Sri Anandpur Sahib. The eyes of Goddess Sati are believed to have fallen at this spot. There are a few other stories associated with this sthal (place). One of them is that a Gujjar boy who was grazing his cattle at this spot saw that a white cow was showering milk from her udders on a stone. He observed this for several days and one day the Goddess appeared in his dream and told him that the stone is actually Her pindi. He informed about this to the local king Raja Bir Chand who built a temple here. Yet another story goes that the demon Mahishasur who was killed by the Devi at this spot and his eyes were gouged out. The happy Gods exclaimed "Jai Naina'' and hence this name got associated with this spot. 

The road to the temple was winding and uphill. We reached within an hour at the place where vehicles are parked. We were happy to note that there were very few vehicles which meant that there was not much of a crowd. There are about 130 steps to go up the temple. One of our co-yatris took a Doli to go up while the rest of us walked. Along the walkway, there were several shops selling prasad offerings, some selling eatables, juices etc. like it is in every typical temple area. We bought some prasad articles as well as a small silver pair of eyes which are offered to the Devi. 

Once we reached the temple, we could see that there was a small number of devotees. The queue was not more than 10 minutes long. Once inside, we could make our offerings to the Devi through the priest and collect the prasad. After we came out we went to a nearby small Shiv temple and offered water to the Lingam. We then took our pictures for remembrance of our visit. On the way back, I saw a langar (free meals) and had a token meal there. It was very simple yet very tasty. 

After returning to the parking area, we took the vehicles back to Sri Anandpur Sahib and visited the famous Gurudwara there. This is one of the most sacred places for the Sikh religion as this is where the last two Gurus (Guru Tej Bahadur Singh and Guru Gobind Singh) lived. This is also the place where Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa Panth in 1699. The city is home to Takhat Sri Kesgarh Sahib, Third of the five Takhts in Sikhism.

It was extremely hot when we reached the Gurudwara. The vehicles dropped us at a place close to the entry point. By walking a couple of hundred meters, we were inside the Gurudwara. It is a lovely pure white structure. Looks striking from a distance. The air was sombre and devout. All of us had to cover our heads with some cloth while going inside. We could purchase and carry some halwa as an offering which is collected by the authorities near the entrance and this is distributed to all devotees who come on their way out. Inside, there is a continuous chanting of the hymns from the Guru Granth Sahib. It was pleasing and melodious. 

Basically, they propound the philosophy of the Gurus in the form of songs which devotees can reflect, introspect and imbibe in their lives. After spending some time inside, and witnessing a change of the people who sing the hymns, we came out. We took some pictures of the stunning place. A few of us went and partook in the langar which consisted of a simple meal of rotis, dal, rice and a sweet. Rest of us had refreshing sweet water outside. 

A view of "Anand at the Sutlej" at dusk time

Then we came back to our vehicles and returned back to our hotel. On the way, we asked the hotel to keep a simple jain lunch for those who had not eaten at the langar. We stayed in our air conditioned rooms during the afternoon venturing out only after the Sun had come down and was no longer blazing. The evening was spent exploring the place. They have a farm, as mentioned in a previous blog, and also a Gaushala. The hotel keeps on playing the Gurubani over the p.a. system throughout the day. We also took some nice pictures of the place. The evening ended with a nice dinner.

Jammu - Himachal Yatra (Part 8)

29th May, 2022, the 8th day of our yatra, we were actually coming down from the mountains to the plains. We left after breakfast at our hotel around 9.15 a.m. A few of us went to Agarwal Pure Veg for the last time. The Posh hotel is actually owned and run by a Kashmiri Muslim. He was a pleasant person. Soft spoken, humble and decent. Apparently, his family owns a few hotels in Kashmir but he branched out almost 2 decades ago when the local troubles started against the Hindu community which he calls is a purely political activity to grab power. He says he is happy in Himachal which is peace loving and away from the violence of Kashmir.

Maa Devi Chintpurni

Our co-yatri Raju did an excellent job as always in taking care of the luggage and tipping the hotel personnel for their services. Within a short while, we had said our goodbyes and left MG. Our first destination of Chintpurni was about 71 kms away, in the same road that we had taken the day before to visit Jwala Mukhi. After a brief halt on the road for some tea for the drivers, we reached by a little after noon. It was sweltering hot in the bustling town. We could see some nice hotels / restaurants, rest houses and a Langar hall in the town. We were directed by the police to a parking place from where we had to walk nearly a kilometer to reach the temple. The walk was on a poorly maintained road which gave us no shelter from the Sun who was blazing in all fury at that hour.

Chintpurni Devi is yet another Shaktipeeth which represents the severed head of Devi Sati which fell down here after Her dead body was cut by Lord Vishnu with His Sudarshan Chakra. It is thus considered as one of the most important of Shakti Peeths.  The Goddess residing in Chintpurni is also knows as Chinnamastika. As per Markandeya Purana, after the Goddess Chandi defeated the demons after a fierce battle, Her yogini emanations were still thirsty for more blood and the Goddess cut off Her own head to quench the thirst of Jaya & Vijaya. She is believed to help the sincere devotee to dissolve his / her own mind, including all preconceived ideas, attachments and habits into the pure divine consciousness. Cutting off Her own head signifies the separation of the mind from the body. People come here with their worldly concerns or chinta and, the wishes of those who come with a pure heart are granted.

The queue to reach the temple was very long and spilled on to the road we were walking on towards the temple. There must have been a few hundred people on the line waiting patiently in the Sun. Being a Sunday, the numbers were 3-4 times the normal crowd. We asked some people returning from darshan as to how long it will take for darshan and if there was some way to get in quickly. We were told to stand near the main gate and that some tout will help us. Accordingly, we went to a shop in front of gate 1 and enquired there for a quick darshan. The shopkeeper called one of the priests inside the temple and made arrangements for us to get entry from a special door. Although we felt bad about doing this, we had no option for we had to proceed further to another destination after this. Moreover, we were a group of mainly senior citizens and spouses which meant we could take some concessions without feeling too guilty.

The priest's brother came to the shop from where we bought some prasad to offer to the Devi. He then made us wait at a separate gate which too was very crowded and looked impossible to breach. After about 15 minutes, he took us to another gate where we were allowed inside. From there we had to climb up a couple of storeys to reach the main area of the temple. We were allowed to join the queue very near the sanctum (something similar to Jwala Mukhi) from where the darshan took hardly 10 minutes. We had to wade through the crowd of devotees each pushing and jostling one another to reach the front. The main darshan lasted for less than a minute. The Devi was fully covered and Her head was near the feet area. Our priest asked us to look at the eyes which we did. He gave our offering inside and gave us a small packet of prasad in return. 

After circumambulating the sanctum, the priest took us to the side of the temple and gave each of us a one rupee coin to keep in our safe back at home as a prasad from Chintpurni Devi. He also gave us some halwa (sweet) which we were asked to consume there itself. As per local customs, one is not supposed to take the halwa away from the temple. One thing we noticed in every Shaktipeeth & Devi temple in Himachal was that the place is guarded by Hanuman and Bhairav.

 After this we took our pictures for memory and returned back to our vehicle. Due to the excessive heat, most of us were only thirsty and didn't have any appetite for lunch. We had some sugarcane juice at Chintpurni and on the way from there, we stopped at a restaurant for some more light snack / juices / buttermilk.

Our next destination was the holy city of Sri Anandpur Sahib which was 88 kms away. As it was in the plains, the drive was faster. We saw the beautiful river Sutlej on the way as well as the famous Bhakra Nangal dam. As we arrived at the holy city, it was nearly 5 p.m. Our hotel was a unique property situated off the main city on the banks of the river Sutlej. The hotel's name is "Anand at the Sutlej". As there is no clear approach road or signage to reach the hotel, we were lost for a little while in the middle of a local village where we could see the small farms being tended to. After some time, we were guided by a man and reached the hotel where we were greeted warmly by the hotel staff.

This property spread over a large area comprises entirely of cottages with green well maintained lawns and even a small farm within. It turned out that we were the only guests in the property on that day. After freshening up, we had a round of tea & snacks. Later, after finishing our evening prayers, we had dinner which was cooked exclusively for us. The food took some time coming and service was slow. After dinner, we went into the confines of our air-conditioned rooms for a well deserved rest & sleep.

Jammu - Himachal Yatra (Part 7)

Yellow was the theme

Our first dawn at McLeod Ganj (MG) was early as in Dalhousie nearly as beautiful. I had a room with a view of the mountain facing the east side. As the mountain was huge, the Sun came to view much later after the Sunrise. As it was warmer here, some of us managed to wash a few clothes in the morning and left it to dry. Breakfast at The Posh was good but some of the yatris preferred to go to a nearby restaurant called Agarwal Pure Veg. The food service starts here late (by 8.45 a.m.) and there are only 4 tables here too. The quality of food was really excellent.

By 9.30 a.m., we left for our first destination which was a Shakti Peetham called Jwala Mukhi. Most of us were dressed in yellow or similar shades as we were told that it is the custom in one of the temples we were to visit that day. Jwala Mukhi was about 58 kms from our hotel and the ride lasted almost 2 and quarter hours. The route was very warm almost bordering on hot once we left the cooler climes of MG. It was nearly noon at Jwala Mukhi where a long queue awaited us. We had to walk nearly 700 meters slightly uphill from the vehicle drop area to reach the temple. 8 of us walked while about 7 took a local autorickshaw.

The Perpetual fire 

Jwala Mukhi temple is one of the 51 Shaktipeeths of India situated in the lap of the Shivalik range of Kangra valley. It is believed to have been the first temple built by the Pandavas and is dedicated to the Goddess of Light. Sati's various body parts which had fallen in different places became ShaktiPeeths and this place is where her tongue fell. There is no deity or idol that is worshipped here. 

The queue outside the temple was virtually not moving due to aarti going on inside and the heat became unbearable. After some time, I went to a nearby shop to buy some water and prasad offerings. The shopkeeper told me that he can arrange a quick darshan for us by talking to a priest who will take us inside from a side door in exchange for some consideration. A deal was done, a phone call was made and soon a young priest appeared before us and escorted us to a small waiting hall which had a number of paintings and idol of the Devi.

Outside Jwalamukhi temple

After the aarti got over the regular queue started moving and he took us along with some other devotees and made us join the que near the entrance of the temple. As is the situation in most Indian temples, people go inside temples in a disorderly manner, shouting loudly praises of the Deity, carrying their offerings above the head and almost causing a stampede like atmosphere. We managed to go in after a short while and had the darshan of Jwala ji which is an eternal fire coming out of a rocky pit-side. The source of the fuel for this fire is unknown and it is always burning. In the pit a few priests stand and accept the offerings and return the prasad to the devotee. There is also yet another eternal fire on a side wall. The temperature inside the sanctum was very hot. 

Bagala Mukhi temple

After this darshan, we paid dakshina to the priest, took some photos and returned down to the parking area. On the way, we had some cool drinks and did some minor purchases from the shops. After we boarded the vehicle, we travelled for some distance back towards MG. On the way, we stopped at a pure vegetarian dhaba for lunch. The place was deserted till we came but on seeing us, some more vehicles stopped. The food was cooked only after we gave our order. It was fresh, tasty and very cheap. The meal for 15 persons plus tips was only Rs. 2400.

Havan in progress

10 kms from this place, we arrived at the Bagala Mukhi Devi temple also known as Pitambari Devi. This is a Siddha Peeth which is believed to be one of the 10 Mahavidyas  created to destroy evil. Yellow is the favourite color of the Devi and the entire temple is painted yellow. Devotees wear yellow dress, offer yellow desserts to the Deity.This Devi is worshipped to win over the heart of ones beloved and to defeat enemies.

It was mid afternoon and therefore very hot when we reached here. Fortunately, there weren't many people in the que. Within 15 minutes, we got the darshan of the Devi and stepped out of the Sanctum. About 3 large havans were being conducted just outside the temple. The fire from the havans and the heat from the overhead Sun made a deadly combination. After taking pictures, we went to the parking area and boarded the vehicle for our next destination. 

Bajreshwari Mata

The next destination was the Bajreshwari Devi temple which is another Shaktipeeth. This is also known as the Shree Vajreshwari or the Kangra Devi temple. The left breast of Sati fell here when her deceased body was cut by Lord Vishnu with the Sudarshana Chakra to prevent Lord Shiva from destroying the world with His Tandav dance. This temple was also built by the Pandavas who saw Durga Devi in their dream and were told to build a temple for Her.

Outside Bajreshwari 

The temple is beautiful and serene. We had to walk almost a kilometer through crowded market place to reach here. With hardly 20-30 people ahead of us, the darshan was comfortable and priest was kind enough to allow us to photograph the deity. After coming out, we took some photographs of ourselves also. Then we walked back towards our vehicle. There was a slight drizzle on the way which we considered as the blessings of the Devi being showered upon us.

Behind Bajreshwari temple

MG was at a distance of only 25 kms from here and we were thinking we will be well on time for some shopping near our hotel. The place is amazing and has a flavour of a country from the far east due to the large presence of Tibetan and other people of that side. There were many lovely small shops which we would have loved to explore. Unfortunately, fate had other plans. We were caught in a huge traffic jam just outside of MG. And as it was raining, we could not leave the vehicle to walk back. After more than an hour, the rains stopped and some of us walked back the 1.5 kms to the hotel. it was too late by then to think of any shopping. The rains as well as the altitude of MG made it pleasantly cool which was welcome.

Some of us skipped dinner and had fruits instead. A few others had a small meal at Agarwal Pure veg after waiting for some time to get a table. When we reached back, we found the clothes kept for drying had got wet in the rain which had to be kept under the fan during the night for drying. The next day, we were checking out of the hotel and proceeding down in the plains which was expected to become hot as ever.

Jammu - Himachal Yatra (Part 6)

Yet another glorious morning marked our last day at Dalhousie. Waking up by 5-5.30 becomes the norm in the mountains thanks to the brightness of the morning and the early dawn. Likewise, the dusk is equally brilliant and extends well towards 7.30 p.m. in Summer. The long hours of Sunshine gives ample time to explore the place thoroughly, if one is so inclined.

After yet another lovely breakfast at the Snow Valley Resort during which Vikram Singh, our waiter, did his best to give quick and efficient service, we were ready to check out of the hotel. Our co-yatri Mr. Raju Subramanian did an excellent job coordinating with the hotel staff and ensuring all bags were safely stored on the top of the TT as well as in the other luggage space available.

Although our next halt, Mc'Leod Ganj (MG) at Dharmshala, was a short 3 hour drive, we decided to leave early in order to see the local sights there. The drive was uneventful except that it got progressively warmer as we descended from about 2000 meters above sea level to about 1500 meters above sea level. We were in MG by 2 p.m. and checked into a hotel called The Posh.

Soon, we stepped out for lunch at a nearby pure vegetarian restaurant called Anand Dhaba. The restaurant had limited seating space (as do most places in MG). We squeezed 5 or 6 in a table and had the lunch. The food was ok and reasonably priced. The Dhal was spoilt and although the restaurant manager insisted that it was fine, he did not charge us for it. After that we returned to The Posh for a short break in the afternoon.

By 4.30 p.m., we were ready to go to our first halt which was the Swami Chinmayananda Tapovan Ashram at Sidhbari. This is the place where the Guru's Samadhi is also present. Sidhbari is about 9 kms from Dharmshala. The place is serene and away from the crowds. The ashram itself was immaculately maintained with lovely flowering plants all over. There was a nice Ram temple very near the entrance which we visited. After this, we hurried towards the Samadhi as they have an aarti at 6 p.m. There were about 25 devotees present there who were singing a nice song in chorus. After that, they had a small abhishek for a Spatika (Crystal) Shiva Lingam. We were thrilled to witness this being Pradosham time and day. This was followed by a short aarti to the idol of Swamiji and prasad distribution.

We left the Ashram and proceeded towards Chamunda Temple. This was the first of the Shakti Peethams we were visiting in Himachal. Chamunda is a short 20 minute drive from Sidhbari. It is set against the backdrop of the Dhauladar mountains with a small stream flowing alongside. The Goddess Chamunda derives the name from the two demons (Chanda & Munda) She slayed in the very same mountain. She is believed to be one of the seven Matrikas created by the Gods to destroy evil. There is a also a Shiva temple in a small cave under the ground for which one has to walk down several steps to reach.

We had a nice darshan at both temples and took photographs for memories. Then, we boarded our vehicles for the return trip to The Posh at MG. After a light dinner, we retired for the night. The next day was a long day to visit 3 temples and we had to rest ourselves for the long journey ahead..

Jammu - Himachal Yatra (Part 5)

The Sun rises early in the mountains. Before it is 5 a.m. the skies light up in anticipation. The birds start heralding the upcoming event. Cool breeze makes it a very lovely time to be awake and marvel at the glorious sight that the rising Sun brings. By 5.20 a.m. the first glint of the Sun rays start peeping up behind the mountain range and the clouds start moving away as if they want to witness the daily morning miracle.

On Day 5 of our yatra, we were ready by 8 a.m. to have our breakfast after our morning rituals & prayers. After breakfast, we planned to go on a round of local sight seeing as per the chart given by our hotel staff. As some of the yatris were unwell, a few decided to opt out of the trip and stay back and relax while 8 of us (all seven menfolk and one lady) went ahead. We took both vehicles - the TT and the car as some of the members wanted to be back for lunch.

Our first halt was the famous and beautiful Chamera lake. It was approximately 50 kms away from our hotel which was covered in about an hour and a half. As we approached the lake, we realised that it was an outcome of the hydro-project dam on the river Ravi. The large body of emerald green crystal clear water surrounded by green mountains was a sight to watch. As we came closer to the shore, we saw boating activities. There were paddle boats, a slow motor boat and a speed boat.

We decided to take the 8 minute speed boat ride (Rs. 500 per person). A maximum of 4 people are allowed on the speedboat besides the captain. It was exhilarating to ride the boat at high speed, jump over the waves and have water splashed on us. The water was very clean, fresh and sweet. We were told that the river is formed by melting glaciers. In 2 batches, we completed the boat ride. After we came ashore, we went to a nearby shop and had fruit juice.

Our next halt was a nearby Devi temple called Bhalei Mata. It is approximately 10 kms from the lake on a nearby mountain. Apparently, some 500 plus years ago, the local King of Chamba had a dream in which the divine mother informed him that her image is kept in a certain place. She wanted him to take her out and build a temple for Her. So, the King went to that place and upon digging the ground, found the idol of Devi sitting on a pile of Silver coins. He took the idol and was transporting it to Chamba but the Devi refused to budge after reaching this place. So, a temple was constructed here and the Devi was consecrated here.

The temple is reached by climbing a flight of stairs or by walking up a pathway of about 100 odd meters. The temple is beautiful as is the Devi. Fortunately, there were not many devotees present and we had a blissful darshan. The temple priest was kind enough to relate the story of the origin of the temple. he informed us that there are festivals and functions throughout the year and especially during Navaratri when people from all over the state come here for darshan and prayers. We were glad to have got the opportunity to visit this temple.

After this, on our way back we stopped for a while at the Rock garden. It was nothing but a lot of natural rocks which have flowed down the mountains during rains. It wasn't too much of a place to stop by. When we reached back, it was nearly 3 p.m. On the way, the hotel was informed to keep some lunch ready which was consumed before taking a nap in the afternoon.

We enjoyed the evening by having a get together.  The ladies went out to Gandhi Chowk for some light stroll cum shopping while we men played cards. After returning, the ladies caught up some time socialising and exchanging notes. After an early supper, we retired for the night. 

This was our last night at Dalhousie and end of Day 5.

Jammu - Himachal Yatra (Part 4)

Snow Valley Resort in Dalhousie is a lovely property. Located near Gandhi Chowk & Tibetan (600 meters), it has many facilities for the tourist. Besides the lovely view from the room, we also had a large terrace to assemble, take walks, shoot pictures with a picturesque background consisting of blue sky, mountain range, valley etc.

After a sumptuous breakfast in the morning, we spent some time in the terrace taking pictures and waiting for our vehicle to arrive from Chandigarh. As mentioned in the previous blog, the Tempo Traveller (TT) we had booked was not available. We got a replacement (an old decrepit vehicle) 14 seater TT and a Sedan car. The vehicles arrived by 10 a.m. and within half an hour, we were ready to depart for a local tour in Dalhousie.

The hotel reception informed us of a tour plan to visit nearby places. We first went to a place called Dain Kund. This is the highest point in Dalhousie which is under the control of the armed forces. Vehicles are only allowed upto a certain point after which it is an uphill trek to reach the top. The trek takes about 45 minutes to a hour depending on your fitness level as well the stops you take. From our group of 15, about 11 yatris joined the trek.

The views were fantastic along the way and the cold breeze was uncomfortable in the beginning. After a while, we got used to it. We walked leisurely and stopped every now and then for taking pictures. At the top, we came across a small Kali temple along with an equally small Shiva temple. From here, one can have a view of Mount Kailash by using a telescope (Rs. 20 per person). We could see the distant range of snow capped mountains. We bowed in the general direction of Mt. Kailash.

There was a Military Engineering Services (MES) team giving free Langer (lunch comprising of rice, four different types of dhal and a sweet porridge) to all visitors. This is an annual event for them and we were lucky to be there on that day. Most of us partook a little of this food which was served hot and was very tasty. After this, we walked back down to the place where the TT was parked.

After this, we went to a place called Khajjiar which is also known as mini Switzerland. This is a beautiful large open ground (approx. 20 acres big) covered with thick grass which has a small lake in the middle. The ground is surrounded by a thick forest of tall Cedar trees. There is also a small Khajji Nag temple nearby but we didnt go there. We simply relaxed in the open ground and watched the activities going on like horse riding. We also did some shopping of forest produce like Shilajit from the vendors who walk around selling their ware kept in small sling bags. We ate some snacks from the stalls nearby and generally had a pleasant time. After a round of excellent tea, we got back into the bus for the ride back to our hotel.

As we were in a relaxed mood, we did not visit 3 other sights recommended by the hotel. We reached back by around 6 p.m. and relaxed in the hotel. After some time, a few of us walked down to the Gandhi Chowk and had our dinner at New Sharma Dhaba. The food was excellent and priced very reasonably. The others either skipped dinner and had fruits instead or had some light meal from the restaurant in our hote.

Thus ended Day 4 of our yatra.

Jammu - Himachal Yatra (Part 3)

We woke up slightly late on Day 3 having gone to bed only at 3 a.m. All of us had aching bones, cramped muscles, red eyes from lack of sleep etc. After the morning ablutions, we assembled for a leisurely breakfast around 9.30 a.m. The fare was excellent as it was in the previous day.

We had booked a Tempo Traveller (TT) for the rest of the journey. Unfortunately, the TT met with an accident (or so we were told) and a replacement could not be arranged by the Travel agent. We spent a good 2 hours looking for alternative arrangement. Finally around noon, we booked 3 Innovas to drop us at Dalhousie which was our next halt.

Due to peak season and scramble for tourist vehicles, the rates had gone up considerably. Normally, this trip should have cost us Rs. 30K for 3 vehicles for the 230 km 6 hour ride. However, we ended up paying Rs. 40K as we were in no position to negotiate. On the way, we stopped at a restaurant called Sher-e-Punjab a short distance away from Katra. The food was delicious. 

On the way, after we passed Pathankot, we saw a magnificent rainbow heralding distant rains. The view lasted for over 10 minutes. We also passed the Ranjit Sagar Dam which looked stunning from high up in the mountains. By the time we reached our hotel (Snow Valley Resort) at Dalhousie, it was nearly 9 p.m. It was quiet cold here and we wished we had carried warm clothing. Luckily, the hotel was equipped with heaters for the rooms. The hotel rooms were large and had a fantastic view of the valley below and the mountains beyond.

We almost immediately went for dinner. The restaurant, within the hotel, was crowded and there were very few waiters to serve us. After a light dinner, we retired to our rooms well past 11 p.m.

Thus ended Day 3 of the yatra which was mostly spent on the road.

Jammu - Himachal Yatra (Part 2)

Day 2 of our yatra was the longest & most eventful of all our yatras till date. So, please be patient & read through the long blog...

The morning started with a decent breakfast at the hotel. All food served in Katra town are vegetarian fare and have no onion & garlic in them. So, the food was satvic and we all enjoyed it. After breakfast, we were ready to ascend the mountain for the darshan. We had made prior arrangements & booked for the evening aarti darshan which was expected to start at 7 p.m. All the yatris in the group were of the age group 54-64. Hence, although some of us were prepared to walk up the 14 kms to have darshan of Devi, we were trying hard to get a helicopter ride for the journey up. 

Almost a month before the start of the yatra, the official site of the Shrine Board showed that no tickets were available due to rush. Then, we had made an attempt at getting helicopter tickets through the google search. This resulted in us getting trapped by a fraudster. We made the payment but soon realised it was fake and luckily managed to file FIR with the cyber crime unit and recover the amount.

Then we connected with our personal contacts and three different sources promised us to get the reservations. As the team size was large, it was proving to be a challenge. Two days before the yatra started, one source expressed inability to arrange reservations. Then we were left with two sources. On the day we landed at Jammu, source 1 managed to get us 7 reservations. The same evening the source 2 came back with 11 reservations. Four names were featuring on both lists.

In Jammu, due to security requirements, prepaid cell phone numbers do not work. Only post paid connections work. The helicopter reservation SMS messages from the Shrine Board reached only two of the yatris as other had prepaid numbers. We misunderstood the message and thought we need to immediately pay online. There was further confusion, due to the website not showing the names of the passengers. So, we ended up paying duplicate online for 4 passengers. On realising this, we stopped further payments and decided to go personally to book the tickets at the helipad.

On day 2, after breakfast, the hotel gave us a free drop to the helipad in their car. Once we reached there, we booked tickets for 14 of us based on the reservations of Source 2. Two from the team then went to the Shrine Board office to get refund of the duplicate payment made earlier. The officials were extremely helpful and responsive there. However, they could not give a refund as their rules do not permit it. Instead, they enabled reservation for the 15th yatri who was missed out earlier. Hence, we got one way ticket for all yatris to go up.

At the helicopter terminal

As we were hungry by this time, we had lunch in a small dhaba just outside the helipad. The food was simple and delicious. After that, we queued up for a short ride to the helipad. The ride from Katra to the mountain top took just 5 minutes. We went up in 4 batches. The last batch was delayed by nearly an hour due to bad weather. after that, it was a 3 kilometer walk (mostly downhill) to reach Bhavan - the building that has the main Shrine and other offices. 

The weather was cool on the mountain and it got cooler as the day came to an end. The air was crisp & clean. The atmosphere was festive with devotees chanting "Jai Mata Di" on their way to & from the shrine. We had a easy walk towards the shrine. On the way, we deposited our footwear, bags, phones etc. at a safe deposit locker. There are many large safe lockers available free for yatris. We are given a lock and key. We found an empty locker to keep our stuff and lock the same. We are allowed only money purse and any puja articles to be carried to the shrine.

We registered ourselves for the evening aarti darshan by producing our reservation print outs. Basis that, we were given entry tickets as well as prasad packets. Devotees having aarti ticket are allowed to keep personal belongings in a separate place near the entrance to the aarti hall. I managed to do my evening prayers in the open place nearby. As we had time, we managed to get a quick darshan through a VIP queue which took us only about 15 minutes. After that, we came back to the place where we had assembled for the aarti.

Enroute to Bhavan from helipad

There were approximately 100 people waiting for this darshan. At 7 p.m. we were taken to a hall and made to sit comfortable. Here we were witness to one of the best pujas one can get to see. The hall where we were seated faces the holy cave which was decorated in an huge entrance of gold. We were handed a booklet printed in Devnagari script which had a compilation of the different prayers that were to be chanted. The puja was led by a main priest who was chanting and another priest who was there to conduct the aarti. We participated in the prayers, the bhajans that followed and the aarti too which was broadcast live across Shraddha Channel, YouTube, Facebook etc. and witnessed remotely by thousands of devotees. The whole function went on for about a 90 minutes. 

After the aarti, we were allowed to have darshan of the Pindis (3 stones) representing the Devis Durga, Mahalakshmi & Saraswati at a nearby holy cave for which we had to walk through a cave which was covered in marble tiles on all sides. After this, we moved out to the main assembly area. On the way, we had some tea, collected our belongings and slowly trugged our way back. There is a custom of visiting Lord Bhairavnath temple after having darshan of Devi. We did not go there as the temple is situated at a height and none of us had the energy to do the climb. There is a winch service going up but that was closed by 7 p.m. even though the temple is open throughout the day.

We were told that there is a electric car service for part of the return journey (7 out of 14 Kms). The last service was at 10.30 p.m. Luckily, we managed to get tickets for all of us (Rs. 210 per person). The electric car service was fast. It took us only 25 minutes to cover the 7 kms. As the vehicle is very silent and there were many yatris going up & down on that road, our driver was frequently honking and creating a noise pollution.

After he dropped us, we had a long (2 hours plus) walk down to reach the plains. Even walking down is painful on the calf muscles, the knee joints, the ankles etc. We took frequent halts for rest. On the way, we had thunder, lightening and a drizzle that added to our woes. When we finally reached the plains, we dead tired & hungry too. Luckily, we got autorickshaws to drop us back to our hotel. When we finally hit the bed (without dinner), it was nearly 3 a.m.

Thus ended the long, eventful, memorable and tiring day 2 of the yatra.

Jammu - Himachal Yatra (Part 1)

The much awaited 9 day yatra to predominantly Devi Theerth Sthals finally arrived on a hot Sunday morning of 22nd May. This was the first time that we were going in a large group of 15 yatris and that too taking the same flight both ways ! We were 8 ladies and 7 men in this group. Each carried a cabin sized bag plus a handbag for the journey as decided earlier so that the luggage is manageable (a few managed to smuggle in an extra bag without anyone noticing).

We reached Mumbai airport early and had some time to spend at the lounge fortifying ourselves for the long journey of nearly 4 hours with a break at Delhi. We arrived at Jammu the city of temples by early afternoon. The weather was hot outside but bearable. We hired 3 Innovas to go to Katra where we were booked for 2 nights. On hindsight, we felt we should have spent the first night at Jammu and visited some of the famous temples there. Maybe next visit !

The taxi stand for Innova vehicles in situated outside the airport. It is a short 5 minute walk to reach the stand and book the vehicle at the special counter just outside the petrol pump there. It cost us Rs. 2150 per Innova for the ride of approx 50 kms.

The journey to our hotel in Katra (Rama Trident) took us about an hour from the Jammu airport. The roads were smooth with very low traffic. We were expecting some kind of high quality hotel, but it was a simple place with no major frills. The rooms were comfortable and the highlight, for some of our rooms, was the view of the holy Trikuta mountains on the background in which the holy shrine of Vaishno devi is located. 

Katra is a small town on the foothills of the Trikuta mountains. This town has come up predominantly to serve the huge rush of pilgrims who come visiting. All businesses are catering to the devotees be it hotels, restaurants, taxis, shops etc. We relaxed for a while at the hotel. Couple of our yatris chanted the Devi Mahatyam on the hotel lobby facing the direction of  shrine. Later we went to the nearby market for a stroll, some purchases of dry fruits etc. and a visit to a nearby small temple in the bus stand area.

We then had dinner at a newly opened restaurant (Vaishno Dhaba) where the food was ok but service was poor. As our group was large, it was natural for the waiter to be confused. We decided that henceforth we will sit 5 to a table and order separately so that there is some order. 

After this we returned to the hotel for sleep. We had scheduled the trip to Vaishno Devi temple the next day and we were hoping all will go well with the journey as well as the darshan. More about it in the next blog...