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Thread: Visiting Madhya-Maheshwar : Lord Shiva’s own land

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    Smile Visiting Madhya-Maheshwar : Lord Shiva’s own land

    (Based on May’07 Travel by Deep Mukherjee & Saikat Maitra)


    According to the Hindu mythology the Himalayas is adobe of gods. In reality too, land of Garhwal-Kumaun host many of the holy shrines for devotee Hindus. According to the legends, the Pandavas after having won over the Kauravas in the Kuruhkshetra war, felt guilty of having killed their own relatives and sought penance with Lord Shiva's blessings. Lord Shiva eluded them repeatedly and on being detected by them assumed the form of a bull. The second of Pandavas - Bhima tried to pick him up, but Shiva sank into the Earth and only the hump came in Bhima's hand. That is the origin of Kedarnath. The other parts of Shiva's body, namely, the arms, the face, the navel and hair locks appeared at Tungnath, Rudranath, Madhyamaheshwar and Kalpeshwar. Pandavas worshipped Shiva at those five places and after seeing their determination the Lord was pleased and He freed them from their sin. These four sacred shrines along with Shri Kedarnathji are worshipped as “Panch Kedar”.With the passage of time, Kedarnath dham has become more popular to the common people and the rest has almost sunk in the oblivion. In general, Madhyamaheshwar temple opens in the first week of May. There are two seasons to undertake this pilgrimage trekking: May-June and September-October.

    We reached Rishikesh early on a Saturday morning. From here, it took us 4.5 hours by a shared jeep to Rudraprayag (cost: Rs.160/person). Thereafter, one can take either Guptakashi à Nala à Kalimath route or Ukhimath à Uniana route to approach Madhyamahaheshwar. Local buses/jeeps will take one to Ukhimath or Guptakashi. We had two hours on our hands to catch the next bus for Ukhimath/Makku at 1 pm. So, we went for darshan of Koteshwar Mahadev, located on the bank of Alakananda river (5 km). The main temple is a river-made cave giving shelter to many naturally created lingams. The place and the atmosphere are very quiet and awe-inspiring. We reached Ukhimath, the winter-time resting place for Shri Kedarnathji and Madhyamaheshwarji around 3:30 pm. One would find Gahrwal Mandal Vikash Nigam (GMVN) tourists’ rest house, many lodges, and Bharat Sevashram Sangha available for staying over in Ukhimath. The location of the GMVN bunglow and Sangha house is superior to others, as they offer a mind-blowing view of Mandakini valley and Kedarnath range. But one should make reservations in advance, because being the major halt-station on way to Badrinath, Ukhimath experiences a rush of tourists in peak seasons. One can visit the temple during the evening walk. If one wants to proceed beyond Ukhimath on day 1 itself, shared jeep leaves from the bus stand for Uniana (cost: Rs. 30/person). Some jeep drivers come from nearby villages such as Mansuna, Uniana, Ransi and they return to their sweet homes at sunset, making their last trip to their villages. If you decide to stay over in Ukhimath in a much more comfortable accommodation, then one should be prepared to pay a little extra next morning! In hills, buses are infrequent and their schedule is too uncertain. So, to reach Uniana (the base for Madhyamaheshwar trekking) one may have to reserve a jeep (cost: Rs. 500). We did not have prior information regarding this potential problem and hence when came to know about it, it was too late.

    On Sunday, after having the breakfast, we started our journey to Uniana around 7:30 am in a reserved taxi. Our driver told us that it would take 60-70 minutes to reach Uniana – the last village up to which a motor car can travel. On the way, we crossed Mansuna, a big settlement. After acclivity, comes declivity. At Jugasu (5 km from Mansuna), we crossed the Madhyamaheshwar Ganga that we traced through the next 4 days. The surroundings near the Jugasu Bridge were such that it drew our attention. Treeless, scratched hilly slope, and big boulders lay in riverbed – all manifested by the Himalaya’s fierce side. In the later half of August 1998, severe rain lashed Garhwal, causing devastation. Mansuna village almost disappeared with a death-toll of 24 from landslide. Debris and boulders had fallen into the Madhymaheshwar Ganga, plugging its flow and causing the formation of an artificial lake. But the river is so powerful that in course of time, it eroded the pile of boulders to make its own way. The deadly beauty of the spot really made me shiver. After 10-15 minutes of steep climb over mostly rocky terrain, we reached Uniana. We decided not to take a guide or porter and reach our destination that day itself. Later, we realized that we simply overestimated our skill-level. Within half a kilometer of plain walking from Uniana along the side of the mountain on a jeepable-road crossing a small bridge, one reaches the last white house of the village. The shorter path is the one to take while going downhill. It was nearly 9 am when we started our main journey. The road is quite rocky as uneven stone blocks are used to hold together this hilly trail. One, who is not physically very fit or is new to hill climbing, should walk very slowly at the beginning in order to first acclimatize.

    We picked up cane-branches lying by the side of the trail to use for the support. After 10-15 minutes of walking, turning a bend, we saw an ice-capped Himalayan range (locally known as dhaula khambir) – the mountain whose ice-melt water created Madhyamaheshwar Ganga. After nearly 1.5 hours of decent climb, we reached Ransi – the largest village on this route. We decided to take a break here for 10 or 15 minutes. My heart filled with joy when we saw local children were greeting us with smiling faces. Their cordial uttering of “namastey” had a magical feel-good impact on my tired mind. While having some tasty tea (rich with cow’s milk) at local Choukhamba hotel, the shop owner encouraged that if we continued at this same pace, we could make it to the Madhyamaheshwar by 7 pm. Then we visited Rakeshwari temple inside the village. It is a simple structure, harmonizing easily with the daily village life, as the grain-drying in the courtyard testified. According to the legend, Lord Moon meditated here to get rid of curse with the help of Lord Shiva’s blessings. After leaving Ransi, another half a kilometer of level-walking brings one to a waterfall and a bridge. Crossing that, for the first time, the Chaukhamba (One of the prominent mountain massifs in the Gangotri group of mountains) appeared in the horizon with awe-inspiring darshan. The route goes gently downhill from here. We noticed that the forestation became more dense and wild than it was before. We have now entered the Kedarnath sanctuary (established in 1972, spread over 967 square km). This happens to be one of the world’s richest bio-reserves.

    A pin-drop silent forest (only sound one hears are the roars of the Madhyamaheshwar Ganga and the noises of the crickets), a river flowing like a silver ribbon through a gorge wrapped in a green carpet will definitely charm you. A cascade (locals call it Bhimsi jhora) and a temporary wooden bridge are the lowest point in this route, after which a 2-km gentle climb through a pine forest took us to Gaundhar – the last village enroute. This picturesque village has few lodges and many travelers stay here overnight. Though we were tired, we decided to try hard to reach our destination that same day. We stopped for half an hour at a shop-cum-lodge to have khichdi for lunch. The shopkeeper suggested to us that if we felt that we could not make it to the end, then we should stop over at Khatara Khal chati run by Devender Singh of Ransi village – the last settlement with good overnight facilities. After 10 or 15 minutes of level walking, we reached the confluence of the Madhyamaheshwar Ganga and the Markendeya Ganga. Sounds from the gushing water of these streams flowing a few meters below were mind-blowing. With a tiny bit of climb after crossing Bantoli Bridge (over the confluence), we saw Vishwa lodge – a sophisticated resting place for tourists. After Bantoli, there is only Madhyamaheshwar hill to climb to reach the temple. The path went upward steadily and along with it came the fatigue. We became so slow that this 1.5 km trail to Khatara khal seemed never-ending at times. After a steep climb, when we reached the solitary mud hut at Khatara khal around 3 pm, that simple hut felt like the heaven. Devender Singh cordially provided us shelter. Soon after, a large group of travelers arrived to have some tea and snacks. Unfortunately, they were too loud, discussing mundane stuffs and it might sound rude, but, after their departure we felt more at peace. The dusk came in with all its beauty. It was like a heavenly experience. Young Devender became very friendly with us and shared many local stories. He sat in front of us while we were eating roti-dal-sabji to make sure that we were feeling comfortable in his gareeb-khana. The bed on a charpai and pillow felt damp. On top of that, he warned about rats in his hut. But, we knew that his place was the last ‘best’ shelter we could get, after Vishwa lodge!

    After having our breakfast - aloo-parantha and tea in Devender Singh’s hotel, we embarked upon our mission around 8 am on Monday morning. From Khatara, we maneuvered the steep and rocky climb of 2 km in 1.5 hours to reach Nanu – another small settlement consisting of 4 or 5 huts. After Koon chati, the climb became very steep and the high altitude made us gasp for air as we struggled upwards through dense forest of Oak and Deodar towards Madhyamaheshwar. The natural beauty was dramatically wild with deep gorges and valleys, mountain sides flung upwards towards the skies, the forests (and various types of orchids during monsoon season). The uneven road is covered with a carpet made of dry leaves, so one has to be very careful here. At one point, we became frustrated as we could not see where the serpentine path was heading to nor could we gaze how much farther distance to trek. Finally, the path evened out and we reached an alpine meadow at the far end of which laid the unimposing Madhyamaheshwar Temple surrounded by mountains. The solemn atmosphere around this 1500 years old (according to history, but if one believes in mythology the figure is 5000!!) temple is awesome. Three or four mud huts converted into a ‘hotel’ provided accommodation along with a tourist lodge. The temple committee’s lodge (cost: Rs. 150 per room) was a better option since as it came with a bathroom. The sandhya-aarti began around 7 pm.

    Next morning, we woke up early to visit Buda Madmaheshwar, which we believe is the top of the hill we were climbing. It should not take more than 45 minutes to trek to the top of the ridge lying in the north-west side of the temple. On our way, we paid homage to Lord Vairabnath – the watchman of this holy land when this temple is closed (and Madmaheshwar-ji is worshipped from Ukhimath) in winter. Watching a sample of orchids that we could find in this area, it was easy to extrapolate the floral beauty of this valley when the entire slope would be covered with abundance of bloom in August. Reportedly, there are over 100 species of wild flowers that can be found here. After an ascent of some three fourths of a kilometer, the snow peaked caps of the majestic Chaukhamba was suddenly visible. Further up, we were greeted by the beautiful sight of a lake lying in a flat lash green meadow on top of the hill. The view of the snow capped Chaukhamba (7130 m) and adjacent Mandani or Sumeru (6350 m) peaks and their reflections in the lake were simply mind-blowing. There was also a tiny but older shrine nearby with a black lingam called Buda Madmaheshwar.

    In a nutshell, the experience was unforgettable, but one has to endure many hardships to carry out such strenuous trekking. Far away from the madness of a city life and the rat-race in career-tracks, our souls got the much needed break. But all on a sudden, an outburst of a quarrel between the local hotel-owners reminded us that we could not escape completely from earthly conflicts. They were arguing over who would provide breakfast to us! Though we understood that poverty had led them to do so, that incident raised a question in my mind: 5000 years ago Lord Shiva tried to escape from the sinful Pandavas to emerge here and that is why this picturesque and quiet place is glorified as the ‘land of Shiva’. Is He still here or has He taken the refuge somewhere else that is more serene far away from the daily grind of the so-called ‘civilized’ and ‘modern’ life-style?

    Travel tips: Madhyamaheshwar (3120 meters) is not a popular tourist/pilgrimage destination. In our trip we only met couple of sadhus, two Bengali families, and couple of Bengali gentlemen who came either for trekking or photography. One should not expect good accommodation and food arrangements en-route. When we visited the place, electricity was not accessible. So, it is wise to carry candles and matchboxes on your own. One should also carry some urgent medications. The road became too cumbersome and steep after Gaundhar. In order to cover the rest (11 kilometers) of the trip, one has to climb 1320 meters. So, if one is not physically fit and experienced for trekking, one may not attempt this adventure in the Himalayas as a first-timer.

    - Deep Mukherjee
    What is Here, is Elsewhere. What is not Here, is Nowhere.

  2. #2
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    Re: Visiting Madhya-Maheshwar : Lord Shiva’s own land

    Pranam SM

    you have stirred up life in not so young legs of mine anymore, i last visited Devbhumi in 2005, yes tungnath was interesting, it was bucketing down when i reached the top only to find that the temple was closed, i could not wait because rest of the party were waiting at the bottom, i did my pradiksana and came back to join the rest of group.

    the origin of Kedarnath is interesting and how pandava established Panch kedar but i also heard this legend that the mouth ended up in Kathmandu, it is said after doing Dawdas Jyotir ling darsan one must visit Pasupatinath to complete the pilgrim and receive the Karuna of the Lord.

    perhaps God willing i should make that trek for the third time before this legs packs up but not before i have an opportunity to visit Mansarovar hopefully next May/June.

    Jai Shree Krishna
    Rig Veda list only 33 devas, they are all propitiated, worthy off our worship, all other names of gods are derivative from this 33 originals,
    Bhagvat Gita; Shree Krishna says Chapter 3.11 devan bhavayatanena te deva bhavayantu vah parasparam bhavayantah sreyah param avapsyatha Chapter 17.4 yajante sattvika devan yaksa-raksamsi rajasah pretan bhuta-ganams canye yajante tamasa janah
    The world disappears in him. He is the peaceful, the good, the one without a second.

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