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Tuesday, July 5, 2022

The Abode of Gods ( Part-I)- Yamunotri

 

The route map of Yamunotri

The last peak had just come in sight as soon as we cleared the hill that we had been trudging for almost six hours with brief moments of respite. We had started soon after having a cup of tea in the shanty stall by the small dusty track at Naradchatti on way to Jankichatti. It was a clear day with cold winds blowing from the snow-covered peaks, which were visible at a distance. A small village 

Onward ascent to  Yamunotri -At Jankichatti

Hanumanchatti, located on the confluence of the rivers Hanuman Ganga and Yamuna is 13 kilometres from Yamunotri at the foothills. It was our overnight halt before taking on the arduous climb to Yamunotri. 

As the day broke we left Hanumanchatti for the trek to Yamunotri by crossing a small wooden bridge.. We had covered almost three kilometers by climbing the hills and admiring nature’s beauty in abundance when we halted at Naradchatti at a small shanty by the dusty path,. We ordered the tea  and aloo paratha and after enjoying the nice breakfast as we stood to pay, the plank on which my wife and I stood creaked and gave way. In a flash we both landed almost 7 m below, in the ravine, that stored husk  which softened the landing. So we were generally unharmed and escaped narrowly. The experience had shaken us but did not deter us, to continue unfazed. We trudged through icy rivulets .steep gradients and braving the  cold winds with brief halts at Jankichatti to reach Yamunotri. The last one kilometer was a very steep climb and exhausting. It was dark so we had a quick bite and covered ourselves in layers of blanket to catch some sleep.

 

The Source of River Yamuna at Yamunotri

The next morning, the body was still stiff but the view outside was the reward that we had been waiting for. The sight of River Yamuna, trickling from its source from the ice glacier formation with the golden rays of the morning sun still remains etched in my mind. A dense formation of water vapour over the source of Yamuna was an indication of a spring in the vicinity and a dip in these spring water is not only threaupatic but also revitalizing.  The next day we made a return trek retracing our route back to Hanumanchatti all set for yet another adventure. When we passed by the shanty shop where we had a mishap the earlier day, the folks at the tea stall clapped and cheered us

At the temple of Yamunotri

I will recount some more of such stunning experiences that I consider rare gifts I was bestowed with. The trips to the hills are some of the most treasured moments and with the passage of time still make the memories vivid with old photographs

PS: All pictures are mine. This trip was undertaken in June 1997 so most of the pictures have been digitized

2. The Route map is kind courtesy Google

4 comments:

  1. you are truly blessed!
    6+ hours of trek is quite something. with 2 kids that too as I can see in the pic.
    this was in 1997 - wow!
    Its 2022 and many of us have not been able to make it to the places you have already been :)

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    1. Indeed Sujatha, truly blessed to have visited these places and still have lovely readers like you enjoying my write ups several years later:)

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  2. Now that's a trip of a lifetime! And revisiting those memories is like a trip of its own, isn't it? :)

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    1. So true Dee! I still remember most of it:) Thanks a lot for reading and that kind comment

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