We retired for
the night in our tent at Deoriatal and I lay in my sleeping bag trying to get some sleep,
eluding me for days together. However I could get very little sleep that night
and following morning I woke up to a splitting headache. It was the second day
of our expedition and we were camping at Deoraital located at 8000 feet in the
lush green mountains of the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand. That morning I sat
in my bed contemplating on whether to continue my journey further or to return
to the base camp at the village of Sari, some 2000 feet below. The continuation
of my journey, would have taken me to an altitude higher by almost 4000 feet
from our present location. It was just then that a kind hearted lady doctor
from our group allayed my fears of me having caught up with “high altitude
sickness”. Her assuring words encouraged me to continue with the group.
After an early breakfast we were on our way to our next camping
site Chopta situated at a height of 12000 feet. With the muscles tired and eyes
strained, I found going difficult, as we commenced our descend to Deoriatal. It
is believed that The Hindu “Devatas” used to bath at the lake of Deoria &
hence the name.
Feasting my eyes on the breathtaking view of the clam &
serene lake of Deoria with the Majestic peaks of Chaukhambha, Nandadevi &
Trisul, basking in its morning glory, helped my calm my nerves and relieved me
of the pounding in my head to a great extent. There is no greater pleasure than
the sudden cessation of pain accompanying you for a long period. From here on I
set the pace with our guide Negi, a frail old but a sturdy Garhwali hill man,
striding at the head with other men , women trekkers following and another your
guide bringing up the rear. The morning was pleasantly cool. Crisp air laden
with sweet smell of grass we trampled upon, combined with the songs of
multitude of birds as they flitted from tree to tree & other sounds of the
jungles of Uttarakhand was a welcome break from the scorching heat of the
plains.
No matter how long the day may be or how arduous the journey may
be, it does not register on ones consciousness when the company is interesting.
We covered the distance of Sixteen Kilometers to Chopta at a height of 12000
feet in some Eight hours, making a brief stop at Rohini “Bugiyal” (Meadow) for
lunch, near a small sluggish stream meandering down the hill. It was at this
spring that we replenished our supply of water and quenched our thirst with its
crystal clear cold mountain water.
For a nature lover there are a few places to be found compared
to the jungles of Uttarakhand. The walk took us through densely wooded Oak
& scrub jungles, add to it the great wealth of bird life. Having followed
Jim Corbett and his writings religiously all these years, there could not have
been a better reverence than me spotting and identifying the pug marks of
tiger, leopard & barasingha , a swamp deer.
Imagine a beautiful setting under the foothills of Himalayas
under a canopy of a densely wooded hill forested by Oak Trees and the Himalayan
Snow capped peaks in its full glory showing at distance! Such was the setting
for camp site at Chopta, on a cool October evening. With the onset of winter,
closely aided by cold evening winds from blowing from the Himalayan Ranges, the
temperatures dropped quickly to near freezing point. Our tents were
surprisingly comfortable, as comfortable as it can get when you are travelling
with YHAI, and when the night came, it found me wrapped in a deep slumber,
after a long march and a difficult climb of over 4000 feet.
Time does not
obliterate moments engraved deep on tablets of memories. Given a choice , I
would unhesitatingly pick an early morning in the well wooded hills of Garhwal
or Kumaon region in Uttarakhand for walk , where the nature is at its best,
showering you with different shades of green, blissful chirping and the joyous
songs of birds, with the lovely views of small hamlets like Sari & Chopta
veiled in the wisp of mist , surrounded by greenish yellow terraced fields and
the towering snow capped Himalayan ranges standing tall as sentinels to this
eternal beauty.
Events that took
place that day are clear cut and fresh in mind today & will remain forever
till I am gathered to my Forefathers at the “Happy Hunting Grounds”. It was
still dark when I was roused after a resounding sleep which lasted for nearly
four hours. The morning was cold and a warm cup of tea, cooked over firewood,
was welcome and infused us with enough energy to take up the climb of over 4500
feet to the peak of Chandrashila.
The walk to the peak
led us through a rough track, which consisted of great slated slabs of rocks
which did the duty of the steps, running straight up across the face of hill
interspersed with some hairpin bends. One false step would have landed us in a valley
more than a Thousand feet deep. On our way to Chandrashila we made a halt at
Tungnath, the Highest Shrine of Lord Shiva, The Destroyer, at a height of some
12000 feet. After making customary offerings at the hands of the head Priest at
the Shrine, I made myself comfortable under a slated roofed hut, sipping a much
welcome drink of tea sweetened with excess sugar. The owner of the shop was a
friendly old man with a lot of time on his hands. We sat long into the pleasant
morning, me sipping cups of tea and listening to the old man with his tales
about Tungnath. It is from him that I learnt that Tungnath literally means “The
Arm of Lord Shiva” & it is believed to be one of the “Panch Kedar” Shrines.
The local legend goes that The Shrine was built by The Great “Pandavas” at the
very location when an arm of Lord Shiva is believed to have surfaced.
Essaying the further
1500 feet climb we arrived at the pinnacle of the hills of Chandrashila, basked
in the glory of the early afternoon sun. The peak of Chandrashila provided me
with one of the most intense and intriguing experiences of my life.
Chandrashila Peak is nothing but a flat bit ground some Thirty meters in length
and falling steeply on its sides into a valley, Thousands of feet deep. From
any commanding point atop Chandrashila one can obtain an uninterrupted view of
the peaks of Nanda Devi, Trisul, Kedarnath, Badrinath & Chowkhamba, topped
ridge upon rising ridge by The Himalayas, which in turn are topped by the
Eternal Snows against a backdrop of Pristine Blue Skies.
You yearn for
something all your Life and when you least expect it, it arrives un-announced!
One can-not help but bow down in gratitude and reverence towards The Creator.
Divine is the only word that could explain the feeling that one experiences
here. One could sense His presence and be one with Him. One could only find
Peace. The Peace within!
The journey which
commenced from a small sleepy hamlet of Sari, culminated at Chandrashila. This
Journey, on a personal note, was very defining and satisfying one. The pursuit
helped me tide over bad times. A favour, I feel, accorded to me by the great
Deities that preside over the great mountains of The Devabhoomi, Uttarakhand !
The Journey
“Deoriatal Chandrashila” would have been incomplete without the company of
people involved. We were a group of thirteen from Goa who embarked on this
journey to be joined by people from all over. The “Bikers Gang” from Delhi with
their zeal for music, set the early tone for the journey with a magical night
besides the camp fire at Deoriatal, backed up ably by the “ Mumbaikers”. Then
there was this young lady in our group who would volunteer the task of
collecting trash, missed unfortunately by our environmental leader, from the
deep jungles as we trotted along, to be carried all the way to the camp site
for disposal. The presence of the doctor couple was assuring & the ever so
less speaking Bengali guy remained conspicuous though his elusiveness. There
were these passionate photographers, braving the chill, setting up their
professional cameras for hours together into the dark deep nights to capture
the starry Himalayan night skies. The young couples, with stars in their eyes,
roaming hand in hand into the deep Blue cold nights, under the starlit skies,
were full of dreams and hope.
The chants of “So
Gaya Yeh Jahaan So Gaya Aasmaan” and “ Baanwara Mann” still reverberate within
me on some silent nights!
This
is an ode to all those beautiful people, along with whom I traversed this
majestic dream called “Deoriatal Chandrashila”.
