Char Dham Yatra: Yamunotri

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Himalayas had always intrigued me. Snowcapped mountains, towering peaks, pristine beauty comparatively untouched by man, mystical places, home to many sages, rare medicinal plants and unpredictable weather had all created a fantasy and longing to visit the world’s tallest mountain range.

Being accustomed to the comforts of city life we were not sure if we could handle the difficult terrain and the majesty of the Himalayas. So we decided to start with just 2 dhams instead of the usual 4 dham yatra taken by devoted pilgrims.

From Bangalore we took a flight to Dehradun. A local taxi took us to Rishikesh@ Rs.1200. We stayed in Rishikesh for 2-3 days and then hired taxi from a local travel agent. The char dham yatra generally starts with Yamunotri followed by Gangotri , then Kedarnath and finally Badrinath. However we were planning to cover only Yamunotri and Gangotri in this trip.

Since the cloud burst of 2013 the Uttarakhand Govt. has made registration of pilgrims going to the mountains mandatory. The registration is done free of charge near the bus stand at Rishikesh.you need to submit your adhar or ID proof and also the vehicle of travel. They take your bio-metric .As it was the start of the season there wasn’t much rush for the registration which in season time may take 4-6 Hrs.

We started @7.30 am from Rishikesh and took the Mussoorie path via Dehradun bypass. As the Mussoorie ghat started we halted at the 'Prakashshehwar Mahadev Mandir' to pray for a safe journey.This is a privately owned temple with Sphatic Shiva Lingas. Offering of money in this temple is strictly prohibited. The board in the temple says "God gives us money so it’s inappropriate for us to offer him money". Here tea and puri-kachodi is served as Prasad.The Mussoorie ghat was pleasant but you could see human settlement and interference everywhere, so the beauty was not as natural & enticing as we later experienced. After a drive of about 2 Hrs we came across road side shops offering to take photo in traditional Garhwali attire.

As we passed further we saw Kempty falls at a distance.It was a famous picnic spot . People from Delhi,Deharadun and Mussoorie flocked here as a weekend gateaway. We however were in a hurry to reach Yamunotri and so didn’t take the route towards the falls. Around 2PM we halted at a roadside tapari/Dhaba (restaurant) for lunch. As we were not eating onion garlic our options were quite limited. The shopkeeper prepared a separate Dal for us and we ate just Dal-rice for lunch. From here on as we passed from one mountain to another we could see the Yamuna river flowing in the valley below. The mountain slopes were covered with natural vegetation or were terraced for farming. As it was summer the vegetation was not lush green but it was not totally dried up as well.The river below was looking beautiful, green waters cutting through white stones.We just couldn’t resist going in the river and so asked our driver to find a suitable spot from where we could climb down to the river. Sure he did and we trekked our way to the river. Water was clean and very cold. The river bank was covered with small white pebbles and a few rocks in the river provided perfect places to sit and immerse our feet and souls into the clear a waters of Yamuna. With no human interference the spot was perfect to experience oneness with nature, a perfect place to lay down your tents and stay for a few days. But neither it was planned nor were we prepared, with heavy hearts we came back to our car to continue our journey further.

We soon reached Barkot, around 50 km from Yamunotri. It was a small town with many lodges and shops bustling with people, a rare sight in the journey. Many people and travel companies stay at Barkot as it’s a town with some facilities compared to uphill places. However we wanted to make the most of Himalayan enigma so had decided to stay at Janakichatti- the base camp for Yamunotri.As we reached Hanumanchatti 14 KMs from Janakichatti it was becoming very cold.Tall magnificent mountains, vibrant Yamuna, mountain streams and the serene surroundings seemed to welcome us and we reciprocated by halting at several places capturing the beauty in our hearts as well as on camera.

Previously motorable road was to be found only till Hanumanchatti and people had to walk or hire mules from here. After Uttarakhand was formed a lot of focus was given for tourism development as it forms a major (and lucrative) livelihood for people of the region. This lead to construction of new roads and improvements in the existing facilities. Now the motorable road extends upto Janakichatti reducing the trek to just 6KM. The path of the trek has also been widened, cemented with railings on the sides making it less dangerous and more approachable.

We soon reached Janakichatti around 4:30PM and checked into a newly built hotel Atithi Niwas. We had a wonderful view from our balcony of the majestic mountains including some snow capped peaks.

The place was quite with almost no tourists, just a few locals with their mules.The food was simple and homely.The hotel owner provided the mule service as well.We bargained with him for a rate of two mules. We decided to end the day early as we had to start the climb early next day.

We got up at 4.30 AM. It was extremely cold. Brushing the teeth was a task as our fingers were getting numb by the freezing cold water. For Rs 30 we got a bucket of hot water for bath. We were ready by 6.15 and by the time we actually mounted the mule and started the journey it was 6.45 AM. Travel buses had already started coming and the previous day's calm surroundings were soon filled with vehicular noise,smoke and people chattering. After 1-2 km we reached the parking lot from where mules can be hired for the climb. It was a crowded place with mules, their owners and tourists bargaining for them. The mule rate is fixed by the Govt, however a little bargaining in off season can reduce the rate as we had done. Official rate is 1000/mule. In addition we have to pay a green tax of Rs100/mule.

The road was not very narrow as we had been informed, however in peak season the rush may make it appear small.It was a decent 6-8 ft wide.

Sitting on the mule is not an easy task. You have to hold the saddle firmly and cope with the jerks, your thighs and back start paining after a while so you seldom enjoy the scenic beauty. There is lot of hustle bustle going on. There are road side eateries throughout the path, bottled water, free drinking water and toilets are available throughout the climb.Govt employed sweepers keep on cleaning the route. Half way we got down from the mule to experience walking.It was very tiring ,the gradient was making it difficult to walk. Some people may face gasping of breath due to less oxygen. So its advisable to keep Bhimseni Kapoor (camphor) and smell it on and off. We had gone prepared with Kapoor but fortunately we didn’t feel the need to use it.

After 2.5 hrs of steep climb, we reached the mule parking at Yamunotri. We left our mules there and a walk of 500mtrs led us to "Tapta kund" or "Surya kund". A dip in this kund (hot water tank) is said to wash off all your sins

Mythology tells us that Jaya Muni practiced penance to bring Sun’s daughter Yamuna to the earth as a river (She was present in the Saptarishi kund on the Yamunotri Glacier). When Yamuna obliged. He requested her to appear as hot water spring on the mountain so that the devotees who would take on the arduous trek can find some solace by bathing in the hot waters. Yamuna agreed and for this to become a reality she did penance to please her father the Sun god. When sun appeared before her she requested him to give her a fraction (ansha) of his heat. This is nothing but the "Surya kund".

Closed enclosures at two levels are built for men and women separately. There are no closed changing rooms, but the area is enclosed and only women are present in women’s section.There are no hooks or benches near the Kund to keep your clothes and belongings, so changing clothes becomes little difficult, especially if you are alone.

After taking bath a few steps upward lead you to the Yamuna temple.Here you find a hot water spring where its customary to cook rice and take it home as Prasad. Its totally controlled by the pandyas. As it’s a small place 2*2 ft, it becomes extremely crowded. We had carried our rice grains tied in a small cloth with a string to tie/hold. You have to hand it over to the pandyas who then immerse it in hot water. You have to wait for 5-10 mins, pay them some small dakshina, and take the partially cooked rice as Prasad. As it is partially cooked rice don't forget to dry it back in hotel otherwise it will go waste.

Adjacent to this is again a small stream which they show as the origin of river Yamuna and some people perform puja here. Adjacent to this is the main temple carrying the idols of Yamuna in black stone, Lakshmi in metal probably brass, and Ganga in white stone probably marble.

After darshan we went to the actual Yamuna river situated close by to the temple. Many people were filling water from the river to carry home. We walked a little upstream to find a secluded spot where we could immerse ourselves into the serenity of the surroundings. Two mountains on either side with the river flowing in the middle, cutting through the stones, sparkling water making the splashing sound ,everything felt so lively and energetic. Very different from the usual vehicular, TV and machine noise that we are used to in the city life. Water was extremely cold , fingers were getting numb in few seconds. Cold breeze was further giving us shivers. We spent some time sitting on the rocks as close to the river as possible. We were advised not to drink Yamuna water as it is heavy and may get stomach upset. Around 12.30PM we walked back to the parking lot and easily found our mule.

Now the rush had increased and it was a two-way traffic mules climbing up and mules descending. This was quite scary and hats off to the Kandiwalas and the mule, carrying people in that narrow crowded place is really a tough job. While descending you have to hold one hand in the front and one at the back and lean backwards to balance your weight so that you don’t fall off. So many mules, people and kandiwalas all trying to make their way in that narrow path reminds one of the congested city roads, but there its more difficult because on one side you have a deep valley, any mistake from anyone can prove fatal. While descending many a times the mule’s hind legs slip, stopping your beat for a moment but they do balance themselves.

Compared to climbing up you get a lot of jerks while climbing down. As you are leaned back holding at both ends, you soon develop discomfort in the back. We got down 3-4 times and walked to ease our discomfort. I feel walking down instead of a mule would have been a wiser thing.

We reached our hotel by 2.45 pm. Very tired we had our lunch and relaxed. The weather had begun to change. The clear skies of the mornings had been replaced by cloudy sky and soon it started raining. While we were immersed in the Yamunotri experience the rain was soaking the surrounding, it became quite cloudy and very cold and soon the electricity was gone. It rained whole evening, night and next day morning. We were greatly relieved that we were safe in the hotel and had completed our first Dham.

Next day morning we started towards Uttarkashi and reached there around 3PM. We checked-in to a Dharmashala and had our lunch at nearby restaurant. We were planning to visit Kashi-vishwanath temple in the evening, but it was raining so didn't left our room.

After dinner at nearby restaurant, went back to our room and slept little early

Our Next destination was Gangotri

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Photos

Yamunotri peak
In the morning seen from hotel balcony

Yamunotri peak
The next day morning after rain seen from hotel balcony

Comments

[Manish kumar sinha]

good post
your way of writing and picture taken was very good. Thanks for giving me the information about it.