Parasuram Kund Yatra - The last day

Bhasmachala Hill

Our last day of the yatra finally came. Waking up by 6 am (late by Northeast standards), we were pleasantly surprised to note that the large swarm of mosquitoes had apparently spared us. There were no visible marks of bites or any itching. We had a comfortable bath and finished our morning prayers. The organisers had arranged another important temple visit in the morning hours. After breakfast (prasadam from Balaji temple), we boarded the two buses to go for our final temple visit.

Archway welcoming visitors

After driving 23 kms, we reached the area near Brahmaputra River Heritage Centre at the banks of the river. The temple we were about to visit, was located in an island in the middle of the Brahmaputra River. This island, known as Bhasmachala Hill (renamed as Peacock Island by the British due to its shape) is the smallest inhabited river islands (0.67 square kilometers) of the world. It is believed that Shiva had opened His third eye and burnt Kamadeva (Lord of Love) at this very place. Kamadeva had come with an objective of disturbing Shiva (who was meditating here) so that Shiva weds Parvati and they beget a child who would kill a demon (who had taken a boon that he can only be killed by an offspring of Shiva – presuming that Shiva will never have one).

There is a temple here dedicated to Shiva & Parvati which is called the Umananda Temple. Uma is another name of Parvati and Umananda means the place where the divine couple lives here in eternal bliss. People believe that coming here and offering prayers leads to happy married life for couples.

We went in a motorised boat which had a viewing deck also – the only passengers in the boat were us yatris. The boat ride took only about 10 minutes with cool breeze blowing over us. After reaching the island, we had to walk about 75 steps to reach the top where the temple was located. A small courtyard was in front of the temple where we queued up after first having darshan of Ganesh ji.

After we entered the temple, we first had a darshan of Vishnu who is placed just in front of the doorway leading to the sanctum. After this, we joined the queue waiting to go into the sanctum. While we were waiting in the queue, one yatri started loudly chanting the Shiva Panchakshara Nakshtramala (composed by Adi Shankara) which is a series of 108 lines each ending with “Namah Shivaya”. The yatri would chant the line and rest of us in chorus would loudly say “Namah Shivaya” – the mood was electrifying.

Umananda Temple & Courtyard

The sanctum is at a lower level like in a cave. We had to climb down some steps to reach it. The priest there allowed us to touch the Lingam and offer our prayers without pushing us out. The sanctum seemed very pious and I could sense very positive vibrations in that holy place.

After coming out, we went to a nearby Kali temple. Then we took some photos. As we were coming down, also visited a small Hanuman temple. Then we came back to the ferry which left after all yatris had boarded. After returning to the riverfront where we had boarded the ferry in the morning, we had to walk some distance to get to the bus. Then, we quickly came back to Balaji temple complex. Here we did our midday prayers and then had lunch. Like in the previous day, we were served immediately after the Vaideekas were served. After lunch, we filled our tiffin box with Upma which was to serve as our dinner. The catering staff & organisers had made sure our food requirements were taken care till we reached home.

Although our return flight was in the evening (around 6 pm), we were advised to leave a little early as Prime Minister Narendra Modi was expected to visit Guwahati in the evening and, there was an expectation of delay in the journey. We departed around 2 pm to the airport. Luckily roads were relatively empty. We only faced some problem near the airport due to diversions and restrictions. However, we could get through due to a sticker placed on the bus windshield saying, “On Balaji Temple Duty”. It looked ‘official’ enough for the policemen to let us through.

At the airport, we were informed that Mumbai flight was delayed by nearly 3 hours. The airlines served us complimentary dinner. There was no prayer room in the airport. Hence, I found a corner, where I did my evening prayers. The return flight of 3.5 hours was uneventful – we slept through most of it. When we reached home, it was nearly 2 am the next day. It was so nice to be back in the comforts of our own homes. The yatra helped us realise this.

Prasadam of PK Yatra presented to HH

Stay tuned for the blogs on the next yatra !!

PS : The yatris, represented by the organisers and some of the Vaideekas, subsequently met HH Sri Vijayendra Saraswati, Shankaracharya of Kanchi, and presented Him with the prasadams of the yatra along with a detailed account of how it was conducted. He was also shown the pictures, videos etc. of the yatra.

Parasuram Kund Yatra (Kamakhya Mandir Darshan) - Day 7

Purva Tirupati Sri Balaji Mandir

We yatris arrived at Guwahati at 7 in the morning. Here, we were picked up by a couple of buses and transported to our destination which is the beautiful Purva Tirupati Sri Balaji temple. This was located approx 18 kms away and nearly took us 45 minutes to reach. 

We were accommodated on the second floor of their residential building meant for yatris - men & women were given separate large halls with attached 4 bathrooms & toilets. This place was significantly cleaner than PK lodging and the beds (on the floor for men and regular cots for women) too were covered with fresh clean sheets. The only drawback was that this place was swarming with mosquitoes - PK has none. We quickly got into the business of having bath etc. The bathrooms were better than PK and we didn't feel the need for hot water as the weather was not too cold. After finishing our morning prayers, we proceeded to the temple for darshan.

The Balaji temple complex in Guwahati is a must visit place for anyone travelling there. Located in a sprawling parcel of land of about 17 acres, it has a Veda Patasala and a Goshala beside the temples. There are 4 marble temples - a small one of Sri Ganesha which has a beautiful idol, two medium sized temple for Padmavati Devi & Maa Durga and one large temple of Sri Balaji. The temples, constructed in South Indian style, are clean and well maintained. They have large well manicured lawns in front of the temple giving it a feel as a picnic spot. Also, they have an excellent pure vegetarian restaurant near the entrance making it very convenient for visitors to spend time here with family & friends. Unfortunately, photography was prohibited and, hence I am attaching photos sourced from the internet. All the idols here are exact replicas of the original deities and even the decoration / alankaram is similar. The priests are educated from South Indian patasalas and hence they were easy to converse with.

After the darshan, we came to a nearby building, within the complex, where we were served piping hot & tasty pongal Prasadam from the temple. This building has a good kitchen and dining area which we used for all our meals. Later, we came back to the temple where we had the formal Vaideekas Sambhavanai ceremony. All the Vaideekas who had accompanied us for the yatra, were duly honoured and thanked and were given a small token of appreciation / gratitude by the yatris.

Then, we visited the Veda Patasala located within the complex, and met the students there along with their Guru. The students were from different parts of Assam and were staying here during the duration of their studies like a typical Gurukul. Upon the bidding of their Guru, they chanted some part of the Shukla Yajur Veda in unison. It was so heartening to listen to this and getting reassured that our traditions are being preserved so well in this part of the country too. We then proceeded towards the Goshala but couldn't see the cows close up as they were out grazing in the distance within the complex. It was good to see the cows getting some exercise by walking around - most goshalas that I have seen don't have the luxury of space for this.

After this, we had our lunch - Vaideekas were served first on banana leaves and, then the rest of us were served on our plates - for the first time during this yatra, we ate at the same time. Lunch was superb as usual. The catering staff had better kitchen facilities here as compared to PK and they churned out a superb spread- rice, vegetables , sambhar, rasam, papad, curd rice et al.

Maa Kamakhya Temple

Post lunch, around 2.30 pm we got into 2 buses and left for Kamakhya Temple. This Temple, located on Nilachala hill, is believed to be the site where the yoni (genital organ or womb) of the goddess Sati fell. Maa Kamakhya or Kameswari is the renowned Goddess of Desire, is considered one of the most sacred Shakti Peethas, symbolizing fertility, the creative power of women, and the center of Tantric practices. Maa Kamakhya Devalaya is one of the oldest of the 51 Shakti Peethas on earth.

It took us about 45 minutes to cover the distance of 20 kms. After alighting from the bus, we had to walk a short distance to reach the temple. As our organisers had made arrangements for a special darshan, we were asked to go into a waiting room where everyone who has purchased the special ticket has to wait. The wait time was long, nearly 1.5 hours but as we had seating arrangements it was ok. Most of the yatris were busy chanting various stotras including Lalitha Sahasranama during the wait time. 

Maa Kamakhya Temple

We moved into the shorter queue meant for people with special darshan tickets. Alongside was the regular darshan queue where people had been waiting for over 7-8 hours. It look us another 45 minutes before we could move into the sanctum. Just outside the sanctum there is an idol where people made offerings of flowers and clothes. The sanctum is a cave at a lower level which was dark – only some lamps were there to go by. We had to climb down some narrow steps to reach the main sanctum. There was an idol here but fully covered with clothes offered by the devotees. At the feet of the idol, there was a thin layer of water. The priest asked us to go down on our knees and touch the water. We did that and sprinkled the water on our heads. We also collected the water in small containers purchased outside the temple. As the water level was only about an inch or so, we could only collect little water. We were then pushed out to make way for the large number of devotees still in the queue.

Maa Kamakhya Temple

Once we came outside, we took some photographs. We also got small piece of red cloth from a local priest which was part of an offering made to Maa Kamakhya. Apart from the main temple of Maa Kamakhya, there are temples of the Dasamahavidya (ten incarnations of the deity) namely Kamakhya (i.e. Tripura Sundari, alongwith Matangi and Kamala), Kali, Tara, Bhuvaneshvari, Bagalamukhi, Chinnamasta, Bhairavi, Dhumavati, and five temples of Lord Shiva namely Kameswara, Siddheswara, Kedareswara, Amratokeswara, Aghora and Kautilinga around the Nilachala Hill which is also called as Kamakhya Temple Complex.

The main temple closes early here at 5.30 pm and the last aarti is at 7.30 pm. When we started moving out, it was around 6.30 pm and quite dark. Most of the numerous shops outside the temple had closed for the day. We walked back to our bus and returned to the Balaji temple for our evening prayers & dinner.

The mosquitoes here were waiting for us. We tried our best to keep them from biting us by keeping the fans on and covering ourselves with the blankets. As we were tired, we soon drifted to deep sleep and were blissfully unaware of what happened next. Thus ended our penultimate day of the yatra.

Pillars of Maa Kamakhya Temple 

Parasuram Kund Yatra - Day 6

Golden Pagoda

Our last day at Parasuram Kund (PK) started early. The ladies were busy celebrating Kanu - Kanu (or Kanu Pidi) is celebrated on the day after Pongal, focusing on sibling bonds and gratitude. They prayed for their brothers' well-being by placing rice balls, leftover sweet pongal, and sugarcane on turmeric leaves outdoors for crows to eat, symbolizing family unity. Some of the menfolk (including me) did our tarpanam after finishing morning Sandhya prayers. We cleaned our room by moving the mattress and sweeping the floor of dust using. It was good to do the prayers inside the room away from the strong winds blowing outside.

We then had our breakfast. Each of us had carried a tiffin carrier to pack our lunch. Our catering team had prepared Pulihora, Curd rice, Dry Potato bhaji, pickles and some fryums. We packed this in our boxes and then waited for the buses to arrive. We were ready by 8.30 am as informed but the bus came only around 9.45. After loading the bags into the buses, we boarded it and were soon on our way out from PK. Although, the lodging was not comfortable, we had gotten used to it after 5 nights here. We left PK with a heavy heart not knowing whether we will ever return here.

Within a short time, it started getting warm as we descended from the higher level. The roads were narrow and not smooth. The first hour of the drive was not very pleasant and we kept telling the driver to drive slowly as the bus was shaking and rocking. Some bags fell down from the luggage rack and, luckily no one was injured.

We drove about 2 hours to a place called Namsai which is about 70 kms from PK. There is a famous Burmese style Buddhist temple here called the Golden Pagoda. This was opened in 2010 and is in a large area of approx. 50 acres. Beautifully manicured lawns and lovely designed temples here caught our attention. Some pictures of the Pagoda are given at the end of this blog. We had our lunch here in the park under the shade of some trees as it was quite pleasant. The lunch was sumptuous albeit a little spicy. After lunch, some of our yatris also visited some shops outside the complex to buy some fruits, ice-cream, tea etc.

Bhupen Hazarika Bridge

By 2 pm, we left this place and proceeded towards the Bhupen Hazarika Bridge which is one of the longest bridges in India. It is approx. 9 kms long and connects the two states of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam over the River Lohit. The distance from Golden Pagoda was about 65 kms. On the way, we had a halt at a place to buy some articles, fruits etc. We reached the bridge in about two hours. After driving a kilometre or so on the bridge, we stopped to take some pictures. Then, we left towards a town called Tinsukia located some 55 kms away. Along the way, we stopped at a restaurant for tea break. Our caterers had packed some Mysorepak (sweet) and some mixture (snack) for us to eat. They were delicious and we thoroughly enjoyed them.

Then we drove towards the Tinsukia railway station which we reached by 6 pm. We were to leave that night by Rajdhani Express to Guwahati. Our organisers had arranged for Satwik dinner comprising of Aloo Paratha, mixed bhaji and curds. Some of us did our evening prayers at the railway station which was very clean and empty. After the prayers, we had our dinner and waited for our train which was delayed. We did some window shopping at the shops in the station. While we were waiting for our train, the famous “Dibrugarh to Kanyakumari” train came there – this journey takes about 75 hours !!

The Vidyarthees who had accompanied us left by a separate train to Sikkim around 8.45 pm. Around 9.15 pm, our train came and we quickly boarded it. We were informed in advance about our berth & bogie details which made the boarding of the 50 odd yatris smooth. Inside, we quickly settled down and made our beds. It was nice to sleep in a clean (although slightly cramped) bed after many days. The AC was perfect which helped me to slip into deep slumber in no time. Normally, I am not comfortable with sleeping in train but this time I was more than happy.

Thus ended Day 6 of our yatra.

Parasuram Kund - Day 5

We woke up with excitement on Day 5 and there were many reasons for the same. It was Maker Sankranti, the most important day of our yatra. It was also Pongal – all the ladies were prepared to celebrate it in style. It was also a day to do Tarpanam (offering of water with sesame seeds to one’s ancestors) although there were two opinions on what is the most appropriate day – 14^th or 15^th. Some people preferred to do in the afternoon of 14^th itself while some decided to do it on the morning hours of 15^th.

Colourful Rangoli

On this day, we waited for the bathrooms to become free for having our bath as most of the activity was to begin later in the afternoon only. We finished our morning ablutions leisurely. A handful of yatris went up to Hanuman temple to do the morning prayers there. The rest of us stayed back. The place outside our lodging was getting crowded with hordes of visitors all wanting to take a dip at the Kund on this auspicious day. We saw hundreds of busses at the parking area and a nearby open area had become a market with many makeshift shops which had virtually sprung up overnight. They were selling all kinds of thing from fruits, nuts, trinkets, vessels, knives both kitchen variety and ones used for fighting (swords), towels (for people who forgot to carry them), warm clothing, purses, belts etc. We had a good time going around and checking them out.

Pongal O Pongal

Meanwhile back at the lodging, the ladies had also finished their daily ritual of Surya Arghyam and were preparing for the Pongal celebrations. The center of the lodging, where we used to have our meals daily, got swept & cleaned for the rituals. Elaborate rangoli were drawn here by a few lady yatris, pictures of Shankaracharya’s & deities were placed and decorated with garlands and preparations for the traditional cooking of Pongal were made by creating a temporary hearth using bricks and dry sticks. All the ladies were in colourful sarees making the place look festive and, to add to the spirit, someone stated playing nice devotional songs using a portable speaker.

In the afternoon, around 1 pm, an earthen pot was filled with water and rice and the fire was light. Within some time, the water started boiling and, soon thereafter it overflowed from the pot and everyone joyfully exclaimed ‘Pongal O Pongal’. The ladies had an impromptu dance around the pot moving in rhythm to the music playing in the background. After this, each of them added some jaggery to the pot to make sweet Pongal. This was later mixed with the regular sweet Pongal prepared by the cooks. Then there was a Surya pooja done to mark the occasion of Sun’s transit in the Northerly direction.

Colourful Pongal celebrations

Post this, some of the men yatris did their tarpanam – interestingly they added “Parasuram Kund Kshetre, Lohita Nadi Teere” in their sankalpam mantras. I made a note of this for I planned to do my tarpanam the next morning. Each of us had carried the necessary items required for tarpanam – darbha grass / Pavitram, Koorcham, sesame seeds, plate to pour the water, fresh clothes (some were carrying silk clothes) for this ritual, asanam etc. Some of the yatris then did Surya Namaskar accompanied by chanting of Aruna Prashnam mantras. Aruna Prashnam is a sacred Vedic hymn from the Taittiriya Aranyaka of the Krishna Yajur Veda used primarily for worshiping the Sun God (Surya Devta) to gain health, prosperity, longevity, and spiritual radiance. It is commonly recited alongside Surya Namaskara to heal diseases, remove negative karma, and foster overall success. Some chanted Aditya Hridayam stotram which is a mantra taught to Sri Rama by Sage Agastya in the battlefield to help Him overcome obstacles and kill Ravana.

While this was going on, some yatris were busy doing distributing prasadam of sweet & salty Pongal for the visitors on the streets outside our gate. As in the previous day, this was received very well. We soon ran out of the leaf cups and had to stop the distribution. Lunch was delayed that day due to all the above. I didn’t mind as it was Ekadashi and I was fasting. Yatris had lunch post 4 pm that day.

Later in the evening, a few yatris went up to the Hanuman temple to do the evening prayers. The others went to the Mela area and did last minute shopping as we were departing from PK the next morning. It was quite windy & cold but the mood was good. The sight of large crowds, shops etc. made the place look lively. The thoughts of moving out the next day also lifted our spirits. We came back and repacked our bags. Most people skipped dinner on account of the late lunch. The catering staff got some respite due to this. The evening ended with happy thoughts of the days events as well as of the day ahead,

Parasuram Kund Yatra - Day 4

Indian Flag hoisted at PK

For a couple of days since our arrival in Parasuram Kund (PK), a team of army personnel were stationed there and they were busy making arrangements for a historic event that was to unfold on 13^th January. Within a short time, they had erected a large Shamiana and arranged for seating, organising a place for refreshments etc. On our Day 4, an iconic National Flag was formally hoisted and dedicated to the people at PK in a ceremony organized by Dao Division under Spear Corps, highlighting the spirit of national pride and integration.

The inauguration was graced by Lieutenant General Abhijit S. Pendharkar, GOC Spear Corps and Deputy Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh Shri Chowna Mein. The event showcased strong civil–military cooperation, symbolizing the shared commitment of the armed forces and local administration towards fostering patriotism and community engagement. This was followed up with a high tea event where all the yatris present could mingle & interact with the dignitaries and even take pictures.

This historic event happened very close to the Hanuman temple that we were using for our puja etc. Many of our yatris attended this event thanks to the identity badge provided to us by the organisers. We could interact with the armed forces personnel and express to them our appreciation of their services to the nation. When the national anthem was played by the live band of the armed forces, our prayers were halted and everyone spontaneously stood up to show our respects and commitment to our great nation.

View of the yatris at Hanuman Temple

The rest of the morning rituals were similar to the previous day with the abhishekam of Adi Shankaracharya concluding the morning events. The only difference was that the number of visitors / devotees to PK had dramatically increased - from a small trickle in the previous day, we could see several hundred people converging here. They mostly came by busses and some by private cars. The administration had arranged for a large parking ground near our lodging. One interesting thing observed about the devotees who came here from across North East India is their humbleness and simplicity. When they entered the temple or walked between people, they would bend and touch the floor with their right hand (even while walking).

Annadanam in progress

Post lunch, in the mid-afternoon, our team were entrusted with the task of distributing prasadam to the visitors who had to proceed to the Kund by walking past our lodging. Our catering team had done a commendable job of making different types of prasadams like sweet Sheera (Kesari) & Sambhar rice which was handed over to the visitors in the disposable leaf cups by the yatris. Many of the visitors were happy to receive this and consumed it happily. The crowding near our gate (where the distribution was happening) caused mini traffic issues which was managed by asking people to queue up. Some devotees refused to accept the prasadam stating that they will not eat before taking the dip at the Kund. It was a great experience for all of us to participate in.

The administration also had arranged for free meals to all visitors at a hall near the Parasuram temple. However, stay / toilet arrangements were woefully inadequate and we saw many visitors sleeping the open veranda with little shelter. Compared to them, we were living comfortably in our lodging! In fact, yatras like these helps us realise how blessed we are in our respective homes and have no reason to expect anything more.

Our tour organisers

After our morning Puja, abhishekam etc, our organisers gave us a talk on how this whole concept of yatra began 9 years ago under the guidance of HH Sri Jayendra Saraswathi who conceived of this and delegated this to the couple from Chennai Shri Anand & Smt. Ranjani from Chennai along with Shri Subramanian Sastrigal from Navi Mumbai. They told us how they had to literally discover this place which was unheard of then. They also detailed how the initial years were a struggle to identify place for boarding / lodging, arranging for logistics including transportation of the Adi Shankaracharya idol, the challenges faced with convincing & winning local people to support the yatra etc. They also explained how it was divine help and Guru’s grace that made this all possible. This talk helped us to understand and appreciate all the work done over the years by them and especially during the national lockdown during Covid pandemic.

Our evening program was also similar except that we were planning to wind up our major pujas / rituals at Hanuman temple that evening. Hence, after the evening chanting, puja and aarti, we brought most of the items back to our lodging. The Shankaracharya idol was placed inside the Sanctum next to Hanuman.

Back at the lodging, we had our evening meal as usual and retired for the night. The next day was Makar Sankranti day / Pongal and there were many activities planned for it. I was looking forward to seeing traditional Pongal celebrations for the very first time in my life.

Parasuram Yatra - Day 3

Hanuman Idol

Many readers have expressed interest in knowing where is Parasuram Kund (PK) and how to get there. PK is in Arunachal Pradesh and one can reach there either by taking a flight to Dibrugarh (Assam) or Tezu (Arunachal Pradesh). Tezu is closer at only 40 kms. One can go to Dibrugarh by road also but that would be taking a very long time. Dibrugarh is also reachable by train from any major station in East or even Delhi. We saw a train going all the way from Dibrugarh to Kanyakumari (probably the longest train journey).

There are not many staying facilities available in PK and, whatever is there is also very basic. So, unless you are adventurous, you may skip any plans to stay here. I understand that there are lots of natural & adventure places in and around Tezu and hence, that could be probably a better place to stay.

Our Day 3 followed a similar routine as Day 2. We woke up to the sounds of Veda chanting from an adjoining room whose occupants had woken early, completed their ablutions, cleared the mattresses and started chanting the Vedas in unison. That was a wonderful way to start the day – for them and us too.

Go Puja 

After breakfast of Poha (puffed rice) we proceeded to the beautiful Hanuman temple where we had sankalpam, pujas, havan & Veda chanting. While this was happening the stream of visitors to PK started slowly increasing and we could see higher footfall in the temple. These devotees who had come from far away lands, some for the very first time, were given small gifts like rudraksha mala, bangles (for ladies), pictures of Lord Parasurama & Adi Sankaracharya, Kanchi Seers and some pamphlets describing the glory of PK. All of these were thoughtfully arranged by the organisers and some yatris.

After this, we visited Parasuram Goshala adjacent to the ashram where Parashuram Baba was staying. They have nearly 100+ cows here and many calves. The group, represented by the organisers, performed a Go Puja here. After this, all the cows were fed with bananas by the yatris.

Abhishekam - Adi Shankaracharya

Most of the items & provisions essential for the yatra & puja were carried by us from our respective places as instructed by the organisers. This was because many items are not locally available at PK. Things like flowers, Tulsi, havan items, banana leaves, biodegradable leaf cups for distribution of prasad etc. were allocated to different yatris to carry while some items were dispatched in parcel mode before the yatra began. The flowers were strung into lovely garlands by some of the women yatris. The morning puja concluded with an abhisekham of the freshly painted idol of Adi Shankaracharya with several dravyams including milk, curds, sandalwood water etc. accompanied by a chanting of Vedic mantras. The yatris were chanting standard stuff like Rudram, Chamakam, various sooktams, Upanishads etc. The Vaideekas & vidyarthees were chanting Samhita from different Vedas like Rig Vedam, Shukla Yajur Vedam, Krishna Yajur Vedam, Sama Vedam, Atharvana Vedam. Plus relevant mantras for each of the homam being performed.

Catering Team

After the morning programme, a few people who had missed taking a dip at the Kund went for it along with a few who wanted to have a second round. Then we returned to the lodging for lunch which, as usual, was served to the Vaideekas first and then to the rest of the yatris. The food was excellent as always prepared with a lot of attention by the catering team of four cooks who were from Mumbai and Chennai.

In the evening, we had a similar set of activities as in the previous day including chanting of Vedas, Stotrams, Hanuman Chalisa etc. at the Hanuman temple after which we retuned to the lodging for a light dinner and retired for the night.

Thus, ended day 3 of our yatra.

Parasuram Yatra - Day 2 (Significance of Parasuram Kund)

Huge idol of Lord Parasuram

Day 2 of the yatra began early with the two local support staff heating water in a large vessel using firewood. There was a scramble to have bath as only 3 common bathrooms were functional and of these 2 didn’t have latch to the door. One had to keep a brick to prevent the door from opening and hope that no one will push the door hard from outside! There was one bucket and one mug in each bathroom with hardly any provision to keep dry clothes – just a couple of nails on the door. The water in the taps was flowing irregularly, and one had to fill in half a bucket of cold water and give it to the person heating the water outside. He would pour the cold water into the vessel and give half a bucket of hot water in exchange. This had to be carried back to the bathroom and mixed with normal water to have a bath. Luckily, the water in the tap was not too cold and, if one is accustomed to having bath in cold water, it was tolerable. Hot coffee / tea was available from 6 am onwards.

Narayan posing outside temple

We had all finished our morning ablutions including morning prayers by 7.30 am and were ready for the hot breakfast cooked by the catering staff and served in turns by the yatris. The place to eat was in the centre of the building which was exposed to the elements, and it was quite cold & windy at that time. Breakfast was itself very tasty which was wheat Upma with chutney. The other team from Wakro had also arrived on time using a car kept for their transportation and had their breakfast. By 8.30 am we were all ready to proceed to a nearby Hanuman temple where all poojas, havan, chanting etc. was scheduled. The temple was located some 800 meters from our lodging and slightly uphill.

It was decided by the organisers to go together in a procession to the temple. The Vidyarthees & Vaideekas were in the front of the group holding pictures of our Acharyas and some of the pooja materials while the rest of the yatris were behind carrying the rest of the materials required for the events of the next three days including heavy duty rugs / carpets for seating, fruits, flowers etc. All were wearing traditional dress - Panchagajam (9 X 5) for men & Ombodugajam (9 yards) for women, chanting “Hara Hara Sankara, Jaya Jaya Sankara” along the way. The few people on the roads at that time were curiously looking at us. After a short walk of about 15 minutes, we reached the Hanuman Mandir passing the Parasuram Mandir and Lakshmi Narayan Mandir on the way.

Once we reached the Hanuman Mandir, the arrangements were made by a few yatris and the Vaideekas to conduct the poojas. The temple had a small hall in front of the sanctum. The right side of the hall was kept of havan, pooja & abhishekam etc. The left side was kept for the Vidyarthis and yatris to sit and chant and also watch the proceedings. The middle was left open for regular visitors to come and access the temple. The Hanuman inside the temple was very beautiful & attractive. There was also a marble beautiful idol of Adi Shankaracharya which had been transported all the way from Chennai a few years ago under the instructions of HH Sri Jayendra Saraswati, Shankaracharya of Kanchi. This idol was installed here to give a darshan to all locals who arrive here and integrate this state with Bharat Varsh. The idol was repainted by the Vidyarthees in a beautiful way by end of Day 2 and looked stunning.

Parasuram Baba

We had a quick visit to Parasuram Ashram to meet the 100+ year old yogi cum administrator of the Parasuram Kshetra. People call him Parasuram Baba. He was sitting cross legged in his small ashram next to his small temple. He spoke to us and gave a nice insight into his philosophy which was about love being the thing that is instrumental in the running of the Universe. He advised that we should love & be affectionate towards everything and everyone around us. We took some ash as prasad from the fire burning inside the room in front of the deity. It was truly a special moment meeting him here.

Back at the Hanuman temple, there was a 2-hour session starting with Sankalpam, chanting of Vedas (Veda gosham reverberating in the hills of Arunachal Pradesh & purifying the atmosphere all around), poojas and havan. Many of the yatris also took Snanam sankalpam and proceeded to Parasuram Kund (PK) for a holy dip. Many of our readers do not know the significance of PK & the holy dip here. Hence a little bit of story is required to appreciate the effort taken for this yatra. So here goes.

Parasuram (one of the Avatars of Vishnu) was the youngest of 5 sons of Sage Jamadagni and Renuka. Once, when returning from a nearby river, Renuka got enamoured with Chitraratha, the king of the Gandharvas, whom she saw bathing there and had harboured impure thoughts. When she returned late, the sage came to know of this by His yogic powers and asked His sons to kill her. The four elder sons refused and Parasuram immediately obeyed His fathers command and beheaded His mother along with His brothers with His axe. His father granted Parasuram any boon of His choice.

Parasuram chose that His mother & brothers be restored to life and they shouldn't remember this incident. Sage Jamadagni fulfilled these wishes and granted immortality to Parasuram. The sin of killing His mother remained with Parasuram in the form of constant bleeding from His axe. He tried to expiate the Sin by offering penance, visiting Holy shrines, Prayers etc. but the bleeding continued. Finally, when He came to Lohit riverbank at this place (now called Parasuram Kund) on Makar Sankranti and when he had a dip at a small pond, the axe stopped bleeding. This place got renowned, and people have been visiting this place during Makar Sankranti in the belief that a dip here removes all sins committed by them knowingly or unknowingly.

Enroute to the Parasuram Kund

We had to walk nearly 700 meters (the route was slightly uphill and then downhill) to reach the holy Kund. Thankfully, as it was 11^th January, the crowds were not much, and the path was also well laid out with steps etc. The Kund itself is at a slightly higher level than the river and is quite small. At a time, no more than 6-7 people can take a dip here. Men and women take dips simultaneously. There aren’t much good arrangements to store one’s belongings or change. So, one must depend on friends to take care of bags etc. while one goes to the Kund and returns after the dip. The water was slightly cold and not very clean. I couldn’t find out how the Kund water gets filled / replenished especially as it is about 15 meters above the river level. The path to the riverbank was barricaded. We took turns to have a quick dip at the holy Kund and then decided to walk back in the wet clothes (some yatris did change into dry clothes nearby). I just dried myself with a towel and then wore a dry shirt to cover the upper body.

Parasuram Kund with Lohit River in background

On the way back, we saw a Shiva temple and a Parvati temple near the path which we had missed seeing on the way to the Kund. The morning puja session was completed by this time and most of the yatris had returned back to the lodging. We too walked back and finished midday prayers and had our lunch after the Vaideekas were served first. It was nearly 2.30 pm when we had lunch – a very appetising fare of payasam, rice, sambhar, rasam, buttermilk, kootu, dry vegetables, pappad & pickles.

After some rest in the lodging, we did our evening prayers by 4.30 pm as the Sun sets around this time. The strong breeze that welcomed us the previous evening had taken a break from around 9 am onwards. So, one could walk around the lodging or sit outside the rooms. Around 5.30 pm, we once again walked to the Hanuman temple where we had two hours of chanting. Different groups did different kinds of chanting – the Vaideekas chanted Vedas, some yatris chanted Sahasranama etc. At this time, although the strong breeze had stopped, there was a continuous flow of cold wind from the mountains (like it comes from an air conditioner). At around 7.30 pm, the chanting was concluded with an aarti and distribution of prasadam.

We then came back to the lodging and had our dinner (Payasam, Kichadi & Curd Rice) after the Vaideekas were served. By the time we had finished our dinner it was nearly 9 pm and the strong breeze had started intensifying. It was time to call it a day and take much needed rest. Through the night we could hear the breeze rattling the windows, doors and roof. Luckily everything was secure and we had no cause for worry.

That was the end of Day 2 of our yatra.

Parasuram Kund Yatra - Day 1

Day 1

For the past few years, a small group of about 50 yatris instructed by His Holiness Jagadguru Sri Vijayendra Saraswati, Shankaracharya of Kanchipuram (HH), have been going to Parasuram Kund (PK) during Makara Sankranti (which typically falls in the middle of January) and performing poojas, Veda chanting, havan etc. there. The objective of this yatra is to establish and spread Sanatana Dharma and integrate the local people with our mainstream Bharat in one of the holy Kshetras of our land. The timing of this yatra coincides with a very holy time when an Annual four day Mela is held at this place, and when more than a lakh devotees from across Northeast India and Nepal come to have a holy dip at the PK.

Waiting at Delhi Airport

This year, a friend and I joined the group which comprises mainly people from Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Mumbai. The tour was organised by a couple from Chennai along with a priest from Navi Mumbai who have been entrusted this task by HH. This blog gives brief details of the yatra for future yatris and others keen to know about this place.

We left Mumbai along with 3 other yatris in the early hours of 10^th January to Delhi where we had to change aircraft to fly to Dibrugarh in Assam. Delhi was very cold at about 8 degrees Celsius which was much lower than Mumbai’s 19 degrees. We had to change terminals at Delhi which exposed us to the bitter cold weather. In a way, it was like acclimatising ourselves for the weather at our destination. Our next flight to Dibrugarh got delayed and we reached by around 2.45 pm. From here, we were picked up by a car arranged by the tour organisers who had also kindly kept packed satvik lunch & water bottles for us. We ate it on the way by stopping at a roadside. We passed through lots of tea gardens and finally arrived at a small town called Doom Dooma, which was a place where other yatris from other cities, who had arrived earlier in the day, were assembled. This drive of 68 kms was covered in about 2.5 hours including the lunch break.

Our lodging place at PK

There was an army camp at Doom Dooma which had a large hall where all the other Yatris were assembled. Some of them were chanting Vedas, some were listening to this while others were doing their evening prayers. There was a group of about 10 Veda students also present along with their young Guru who had come all the way from a Sikkim Patasala to be part of this yatra. We also quickly got freshened up, finished our evening prayers, had a cup of tepid tea & biscuits served with love by the army folks and then boarded the bus for the journey to Parasuram Kund.

Parasuram Kund is located in Arunachal Pradesh across the border from Assam, and some 130 kms from Doom Dooma. We left by 5.45 pm in two busses. It was pitch dark outside as the Sun sets early here. In an hour, we reached the border where it took about 10 minutes to verify the paperwork and then we were on our way. As it was dark outside, we couldn’t enjoy the view of the beautiful state of Arunachal Pradesh. It was about 9.45 when we finally reached the holy Parasuram Kund. It was cold here and the strong winds made it even more cold. The place where we were scheduled to stay for next 5 nights was a small single storey barely furnished building which had about 10 compact rooms, 5 of these rooms had an attached washroom while others had to share 4 common washrooms and 4 common bathrooms. We unloaded our bags from the busses and carried them into this nondescript building.

Our room for 5 adults

We were allotted rooms by the organisers – the ladies were 6 in a room with attached washroom, the Vaidikas (5 in number) were given a room with attached washroom, the rest of us menfolk (including cooks) were 5 in a room. The Vidyarthis from Sikkim and one yatri couple were given accommodation at a nearby town called Wakro. The rooms had 2 cots and 3 thin spare mattresses with a bedsheet, hard thin pillow & blanket for each of us. After laying the mattress, the remaining space was just enough to keep the luggage. The rooms were bare otherwise with a single socket for charging phones. The strong winds ensured that the rooms were muddy / dusty with fine sand from the nearby riverbed of Lohit River.

The catering staff had arrived earlier and had kept the dinner ready – hot upma I think it was, which was very tasty and we ravenously consumed it. We had it in the steel plates we had carried with us and after a quick dinner, we retired for the night. The journey was so tiring that we quickly slipped into deep sleep and didn’t mind the hard pillows or the cramped space. One common thought that went through my mind as well as my friend’s mind was how are we going to spend 5 nights in this cramped space.

Thus ended Day 1 of our yatra.