Sunday 26 May 2019

My Personal Experiences during Chardham Yatra―Share if You Care!










The two hardest tests on the spiritual road are the patience to wait for the right moment and the courage not to be disappointed with what we encounter.” —Paulo Coelho


I planned to travel to Chardham 15 years ago with my family and booked tickets but canceled it one day before the journey due to unforeseen events. I planned many times to tour Chardham and every time I encountered obstacles. Fortunately, I booked tickets 20 days before the tour and finally left for Chardham in May 2019.

Before my wife and I proceeded, I searched online about the journey and discussed with a few of my friends who visited there. Chardham consists of four religious places Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath (this is the ideal route to follow). They are the sacred shrines for the Hindus. Many people have their lifetime ambition to visit them but only a few make it. It is believed that people can visit these places only when Gods invite them wholeheartedly. Additionally, the holy shrines of Chardham open every year with the advent of summers in April-May and close with the starting of winter months October-November. The registration is essential to reach there.

We reached Haridwar on May 14, 2019, in the evening and stayed in a hotel in the night.
On 15 May 2019, We boarded a bus and reached Dharaju. We went by taxi to Barkot and proceeded to Jankichetti. We stayed in the hotel in the night.
On 16 May 2019, we trekked for 6 kilometers to Yamunotri which took 3 hours approximately. We bathed in natural hot water. We were truly excited with the Goddess and trekked back to Jankichetti which took two hours approximately. We trekked a total of 5 hours. We left the hotel and went by taxi to Barkot and to Uttarkashi. We stayed in a hotel for two days and visited Viswanath temple. It was a great experience. We were fortunate to visit the temple three times in three days.
On 17 May 2019, we went to Gangotri by taxi and bathed in cool water. We stood in the queue for three hours and had darshan with the Goddess and returned to Uttarkashi in the evening.
On 18 May 2019, we visited other temples in the early morning in the Uttarkashi. We proceeded to Srinagar (don’t confuse with Srinagar of Jammu and Kashmir) by bus and Rudraprayag. We went by taxi to Guptkashi and finally to Sonprayag. We found very difficult to get accommodation everywhere due to heavy inflow of tourists. Finally, we managed to get beds and stayed in night.
On 19 May 2019, we went by taxi in the early morning to Gouri Kund which is around 5 kilometers from Sonprayag and trekked to Kedarnath which is 17 kilometers one way. It was the toughest trekking in our life. We reached Kedarnath in the evening. My wife felt giddiness on the way. The Prime Minister of India visited Kedarnath on the same day. It is a rare coincidence. We prayed to Lord Siva and had free food (prasadam) near the temple. The climate changed abruptly due to sudden wind and rain. We had to stay in the night but we found it very difficult to get accommodation. Somehow we managed to get dormitory by paying more money and stayed in the night.
On 20 May 2019, we got up early morning and trekked back to Gouri Kund which took six and a half hour. We went by taxi to Sonprayag and checked out of the room. We reached Guptkashi by taxi and found it challenging as it rained suddenly. The accommodation was not available. I had to climb stairs for a long distance to find a hotel beside Viswanath temple. We stayed one night and prayed at Viswanath temple. We purchased prasadam to distribute to our neighbors and religious items as I have the practice of gifting to others.  
On 21 May 2019, we vacated the room early in the morning and went by taxi to Gopeshwar and visited the temple. We went to Chamoli by taxi and proceeded to Joshimath and Badrinath by changing taxis. I had to search for accommodation. It was again a tough challenge. Fortunately, we got accommodation in a hotel Gita Mandir from where we can view the temple directly. We went to the temple and bathed in hot water and stood in the queue for five hours and had the darshan. We prayed to God and returned the room.
On 22 May 2019, we left Badrinath early in the morning by bus and reached Haridwar in the evening. We got two seats at the last row and there were bumps throughout the journey and our bodies pained heavily. We stayed one night in the Haridwar.
On 23 May 2019, we went to New Delhi by train visited Red Fort and did shopping. There were sudden wind and rain. We rushed back to the hotel quickly. Whenever I go to New Delhi, I visit Red Fort regularly. It is the most inspiring place for me. I lived in New Delhi in 1983 when I served in the Indian Air Force.
On 24 May 2019, we visited India Gate, War Memorial, Rashtrapati Bhavan, Connaught Place, and did shopping in Palika Bazar, and finally reached the hotel. We vacated the hotel in the evening and boarded the train to reach our home.

Here is the route we followed during the Chardham Yatra: Haridwar (stayed one night), Dharaju, Barkot, Janikichetti (stayed one night) Yamunotri, Barkot, Uttarkashi (stayed two nights) Gangotri, Uttarkashi, Srinagar (don’t confuse with Srinagar of Jammu and Kashmir), Rudraprayag, Guptkashi, Sonprayag (stayed one night) Gowri Kund, Kedarnath (stayed one night), Gowri Kund, Sonprayag, Guptkashi (stayed one night) Gopeshwar, Chamoli, Joshimath, Badrinath (stayed one night) Haridwar (stayed one night) and New Delhi (stayed one night).


Tips for Chardham Tour

“Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

Here are some steps to consider for Chardham Yatra. Carry lightweight. Remember that less luggage is more comfortable. Carry medicines as the entire route is full of hills. Be prepared for high altitude sickness. Carry chocolates to chew if you feel vomiting sensation. It is essential to do registration for this tour and there are some points to register. You must carry your identity card of each person to register for the tour. Traveling is not ideal in the night. The roads are very narrow and the work is going on at a fast pace in some areas to widen the roads. Accommodation is available as per your budget but it is advisable to book it online in advance to avoid nightmares. Limited buses are available at scheduled timings. You can go by taxis by sharing or hire a taxi. Keep cash with you as ATM counters are very few and run out cash quickly. It is ideal to travel in the month of May as the rain may start in other months.


Conclusion

“Faith is not the clinging to a shrine but an endless pilgrimage of the heart.” —Abraham Joshua Heschel

We encountered several challenges during the journey due to lack of accommodation. We did not like to go by the travel agent as we are adventurous and I am confident of traveling independently due to my years of experiences in the Indian Air Force. We found the people of Uttarakhand very warm and friendly. Most of them are helpful to tourists and guide them properly.

It was the toughest tour in our life but we were excited with the tour. It was the most memorable tour of our life. We enjoy traveling and traveled many parts of India. With the visit of Chardham successfully, we completed traveling most of the places in India.


“Take only memories, leave only footprints.” —Chief Seattle


Share if you care!



Read my ‘Vision 2030 One Million Global Leaders’ URL: http://professormsraovision2030.blogspot.in/2014/12/professor-m-s-raos-vision-2030-one_31.html  


Life is great!

Professor M.S. Rao
Founder of MSR Leadership Consultants, India



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