Shrikhand Kailash
Himalaya attracts sages and masses both in the same way and this divine range is full of magnificent vibrations and mystic air, they have been generating for thousands of years and benefitted both. It’s like magnet, pulls you wherever you are but only allows you in its territory when it wants. It’s the birth place of spirituality; it’s the land of supreme; it’s the land of Shiv.
There are five Kailash in Himalayas, we all know Kailash Mansarovar; the others are: Adi Kailash in Uttarakhand, Kinnaur, ManiMahesh and Shrikhand in Himanchal.
Having visited Kailash Mansarovar in 2014, I wanted to go to others so planned for Shrikhand in July 2016. It takes a week from Delhi to perform this Yatra and the route is via Shimla- Rampur-Jaon and Singhad is the base camp.
I reached Chandigarh at around 2p.m., boarded a Shimla bus and was there around 6 p.m. Now there was a problem, ISBT is few kms before Shimla and there is only one Hotel: CK International and that was quite costly but I could get a hotel at Shimla itself and come back in the morning to catch a bus to Rampur.
I inquired about the first bus and that was about 4a.m. so I thought it would be difficult to arrange a conveyance so early in the morning, there were more buses to follow after that but my plan was to reach Jaon or Singhad latest by 11a.m. or max at 12 so that I could reach Thacharu in time, and that was not possible with other buses.
I sat with a coffee, it was now getting darker and I had to make a decision, there are buses that ply around from Shimla to Rampur almost entire night, but I was not sure about driving in hills at night as there aren’t any buses that operate in Uttarakhand at night, but that’s Himanchal and I was told that road to Rampur is very good, but I was still not very sure.
So I began to roam around Rampur bus platform, the next bus was to leave at 8p.m. and there I saw a lad buying Rampur ticket, he looked like local so I asked him how much time it takes to reach there and he told me the bus would reach around 1a.m., though it was just 130 kms away but that’s the time it takes in hills. He told me that roads are fine and he is from Rampur himself and always prefers this bus, I was already in a fix so relied completely on him and bought a ticket.
The 8pm bus is always very full as people coming from other states also prefer this bus and public travels from Rampur to Recong Pio. At 11 o’ clock bus stops at a dhaba, I was also very hungry as I didn’t have time for lunch at day but those zig zag roads and back seat had an effect on my back, also I was very tired so preferred not to eat and began to walk around.
One hour before when the bus departed from Narkanda it was really very cold but here its normal, I thought this place is not very up in the hills, it took an hour for drivers to finish their dinner and bus finally moved again. I asked that lad about hotels at Rampur and was informed that it would be very difficult to find one at mid night as there aren’t too many around. This guy, from a village near Rampur, works at a NGO and keeps coming around Delhi, seems a very nice fellow. His office is there in Rampur and he suggests me to stay there as it’s a home - cum office having some rooms.
I didn’t think much about it and agreed, also I didn’t have options either, after some time there is a roaring sound of a river or a big river flowing nearby; its Satluz originates from Mansarovar. It’s now 1:00a.m., we got down before few kms from Rampur bus stand, crossed the river and after few narrow streets reached the office.
It’s empty, having two rooms and a third one converted into an office, a kitchen and bathroom. There are two beds; it looks all very clean and tidy. We talked for some time, I saw the watch, its 1:45, also very tired, had to get up early as well, so said good night and slept.
I got up at 6am, bathed and was ready by 6:30, by that time the good fellow prepared tea, I left around 6:45, he accompanied me to the point where I could get some conveyance to Jaon, it was almost one and half km away. We were joined by two local boys going to Shrikhand, at this point there aren’t any buses available, so we began to talk to a Jeep owner, he needs at least 8 passengers to move, by this time a big group of five also reached there and we were ready to go.
I said bye to this fellow, a great fellow as there aren’t many sensitive and good fellows around and I really appreciated his help.
Om Namah Shivay:
The Jeep stops at Devdandak, the place from where it’s believed Lord Shiva disappeared and reappeared at Shrikhand. It’s a narrow cave, there is a priest inside, and who showed us the way Lord Shiva took. It looks very narrow, dark and steep, almost impossible. There is a Shivlingam inside and an ashram outside and by this time the food was ready; it’s Dal Chawal.
I was very hungry so felt really great and privileged having offered this Prasad. Normally Bel Vriksha, not commonly found on hills but here there are many plants around and we plucked some leaves to offer to Shrikhand Mahadev.
We reached Jaon around 10am, bought Prasad and left for Singhad; the base camp for Yatra. It’s a three km trek, almost a level one and as soon as we started it began to drizzle. I started slow with those two guys, who were fast but settled with my pace, also I had a pack of almost 11-12 kg with me and this was the first time I was moving with this load.
We reached Singhad in an hour, and here you need to register in order to proceed further. It’s a form, sort of a formality along with a medical form. It’s the main camp and here there are good arrangements of food and snacks. We ate paratha, had tea with pakodas and the food was really tasty.
Our today’s halt will be Thacharu at around 3500 mt but first we had to reach Bharathi Nala; a place where we cross Kurpan river. Its 3 kms away from Singhad, the trek is narrow and there are steep steps at some places so had to pay a lot of attention, it took almost an hour to reach there.
There is a sign board showing Thacharu 9 kms from here, the altitude of this place is somewhere like 1500-1600 mt, that means there is an ascent near vertical till Thacharu. This is enough to raise some concern, first it’s near 12 o’ clock and as per my previous trek experience it will take at least 6-7 hrs from here to cover that 9 km of near vertical ascent, and we are late. The pilgrims staying at Jaon or Singhad had already left in the morning and Thacharu is not a big camping site as I knew from internet search, so it might be difficult to find a shelter there.
My new friends are fast so I asked them to move and started slow as usual, covering few meters at a time then resting, while resting at a place not very far from Nala I saw two guys almost the same age and moving at almost the same pace approaching. We exchanged few words they are from Delhi, working in a software company accompanied by a local tent owner Maddy as they called him.
Maddy met them near Singhad, had to go to Kali Ghati, a place 3 kms from Thacharu. He is a good natured guy and just to offer some help he decided to accompany them, and by doing so he might reach the Kali Ghati in complete dark.
So from here we move in a group of four till Thacharu, there is no grass on this hill, just long trees and wet mud, there is no water either for that 7 hrs, luckily we had enough water. There is a common case in hills, on asking how much, every local has got the same answer, “almost.” Vikas is singing a song every now and then, “Rahon ke kate kankar sab dur karenge Shankar. Dware pe unke jakar charnon me rakh dena sar, janmon ki pyas bujhegi, Shiv hain karuna ke sagar.”
Every time he sings we feel some strength and by 4p.m. we had covered almost 5 kms and stopped at a food tent to have some parathas and tea. It’s their first trek, though I have been to hills before but I had to admit, this is the most difficult first day trek one can get. It took us three more hours when Thacharu finally showed, just before reaching Thacharu Maddy showed us a point from where we got our very first darshan of Shrikhand Mahadev. It’s quite unbelievable, looks so high and so far that it’s hard to assume if someone is able to get there, though Shivlingam is 70 feet tall but due to distance looks very small. We bowed to the lord and prayed for our successful and safe journey.
It’s drizzling at top and we have to find a shelter quickly and to our disappointment there is none to accommodate three of us. The sun has set and it’s getting darker and cold breeze is adding to our difficulty. Maddy is also trying to find some tent for us, but still unsuccessful, we are trying our best too and suddenly Maddy remembers, “I got a spare tent and its with someone here, if only I can find that person,” thankfully he found him. The place is all wet and it took us some time to locate the place to pitch our tent and we found one just few meters away from main site. We thanked Maddy; he had to cover 3 more kms up to Kali Ghati so he left.
Finally we are inside by 8:30, placed our bags, put on some layers and went to Langar; it’s Dal - Chawal. Now we had to find a blanket, Vikas was having a sleeping bag but Sunil and I needed it, so we asked every tent owner but failed to get one.
I had some newspapers so placed on surface, put on all our layers and laid on those papers. I am chanting Om Namah Shivay; don’t know how cold the night will be. Just as we are about to sleep, I hear somebody, the sound of a lady asking, “koi hai.” I came outside to see a lady with big blanket; she said, “I heard you asking for blankets, we initially intended to use it ourselves but got a spare so take it and don’t make it dirty, its sludge everywhere.” I was totally surprised and didn’t know how to thank her.
Shiv hain karuna ke sagar…….
It was large enough to lay on newspapers and wrap, and we could sleep peacefully that night. We got up at five, found some place to attend those calls and had some tea and biscuits at langar. At this point of time the weather is clear and Shrikhand is clearly visible, the rising sun has painted it red, and pujaris staying there are singing, “Om Jai Shiv Omkara.” We returned the tent and blanket and our today’s halt is Bhim Dwar; 10 kms from here at around 3800 mts.
The ascent that started from Bharathi Nala lasts till Kali top that is three kms from Thacharu; this due to its vertical nature is known as Danda Dhar. The trees and jungle soon disappears and at kali top only herbs and shrubs are there. It took us two hrs to cover those 3 kms, and here is the Mandir of Goddess Kali; a small open temple where we offered prayers and prayed for our safe journey.
Dandadhar finally ends here and next lies the steep decline of almost 300 met upto Bhim Tarai, and as soon as we start it begins to rain heavily. We found a tent nearby and moved inside quickly; to our surprise it was a food tent, where we enjoyed hot Tea with Alu Paratha. It rained like that for 20 minutes then stopped and we started our descent, it’s really very slippery; rain or no rain; hard rocks; no grips what so ever.
We took almost an hour to descend 300 meters and did it safely. Bhim talai is a small valley surrounded by massive hills and here we found many tents mostly of shepherds and few commercials. We found Maddy here, greeted each other, he came here last night by 11pm in pitch dark, really very difficult. He got some tents here; we rested in one of his tents for 10-15 mints, had tea then moved for Bhim Dwar.
There is again an ascent from here, and soon after we see a massive waterfall, roaring heavily, it was already very dark and cloudy and it was adding some fear to that scene. Huge vapors were rising from that fall and there was also a small glacier to negotiate. Vikas and Sunil started to take selfies and photos and not only they almost everybody around was doing the same thing, fearing weather I called them and we moved further.
Two more falls of gigantic sizes welcome us, each bigger than other; both having glaciers at their ends, luckily they also restrict the flow and you can cross them safely.
The way onwards was full of sludge even ankle length shoes were not enough and it took great effort to move like that, and continued like that for close to two hrs. It ends with a waterfall where we washed our shoes, but now they are completely wet even from inside; there is a slight ascent that opens to a beautiful meadow full of sheep herd.
It’s drizzling and we are tired, there is a small tent nearby from where we got tea, but its full inside so had to drink in drizzle; quite an experience.
Bhim Dwar is just a km away from here and we reached by 5p.m. it’s a big lush meadow surrounded by big hills and waterfalls, a picture perfect setting. There are plenty of tents available, group as well as individual; we chose a tent that was just sufficient for us, had a mat and three sleeping bags.
We are completely wet and dirty, had to change quickly; at 4000 mts, winds are really nippy. We washed our dirty clothes and shoes in a nearby stream, spread them on tent top and went for langar.
We feel relaxed here, first we get here on time, no problem in finding tent, the place is spectacular and to our relief weather seems clear now. Shrikhand is 8 kms from here and it may take 16 hrs to come back so we need to start at night or very early in the morning.
We carry only Prasad, some dry fruits and water in a small bag and leave our luggage in tent itself as we will stay here for two nights. Vikas had no problem in sleeping in a bag but I and Sunil found it difficult to sleep as we rather prefer quilts and blankets. I kept Sundar Kand book with me and read some lines and recited while trying to sleep, it helps and chanting Lord Hanuman name always gives me energy and courage.
Om Namah Shivay:
I set 2 o’ clock alarm and tried to sleep, but couldn’t; it was anxiety that didn’t allow me to sleep almost that night and could only manage to sleep for one or two hours at max.
Vikas and Sunil are sleeping tight when I got them up; I moved out of tent to look at weather and it’s a light drizzle but not much cold as the winds are quiet. It took us half an hour to leave the tent. We wore ponchos; it took us some time to locate our way up as it’s very dark, with head torch glowing it’s still hard to locate among tents all over. Finally we found it, there aren’t many people at this time and we see very few torches on the way up. After carrying almost 12 kg for two days, I am feeling light and relaxed but its offset by lack of oxygen and steep climb.
Suddenly herbs and shrubs are taken over by boulders and rocks, it continues like that till Parvati Bagh, almost two kms from Bhim Dwar and it took us three hrs to reach there.
Parvati Bagh is a breathtaking landscape, a lush green meadow surrounded by beautiful waterfalls and people used to stay here instead of Bhim Dwar few years back and this led to significant damage to natural surroundings and therefore now our second day halt is fixed at Bhim Dwar.
It’s a place from where Shrikhand Mahadev is clearly visible but looks as high and difficult as ever. There is a natural spring and it’s advised to fill your bottle and quench your thirst as fresh water is hard to get, especially after Nayan Sarovar. The ascent takes some rest here and the almost two km trek from here is a level walk but very difficult over rocks and boulders. There is hardly any pathway and path is marked with arrows painted over boulders and just before Nayan Sarovar or Gauri Kund there is a very steep ascent over big boulders and rocks, really quite difficult.
We saw the rarest of rare Himalayan flower in between Parvati Bagh and Nayan Sarovar; Brahm Kamal, blossoms once every 12 years, normally grows over 4000 meters and it painted the entire valley yellow. This is the flower that eludes trekkers on most treks and even I couldn't see it on my Kailash Trek no wonder it’s that rare.
Parvati Bagh is a lake, not very big but icy cold, just below the hill from where we will climb to reach Shrikhand. There is a small shrine or temple of goddess Durga; it’s all open where devotees offer puja and prasad. There are few people bathing here, the lake is half melt and half ice, and it’s incredible to see them bath. We touched the water carefully or very carefully and our fingers got numbed. To see them bath here was a sight of envy and admiration.
So its clear that we can’t take a dip, even entering it for taking holy water was a task as the lake is shallow and due to chilly water you can't go deep and were forced to fill from near shore standing on pebbles submerged in water. Now you need to fill from your palms, holding and filling then repeating; it almost froze our palms.
Somehow we managed to fill the water and it took almost ten minutes in bright sun to feel normal, the feet got numbed even not fitting in shoes, they somehow felt bigger but still no feel or sensation, but it was important to walk as soon as possible. They felt normal again after walking for five-ten minutes and now there is a big mountain in front, almost 500 meters near vertical climb awaits us.
Har- Har Mahadev……
You have to make your way among boulders and rocks up to the top where we thought the climb would end and it took more than an hour to cover that. It’s now 11 o’clock at the top, seven hours since we left the camp and we are now hungry. Sunil separated just before Sarovar and seems didn’t spend much time here, I and Vikas are moving slowly with no water left.
We tried to eat some biscuits but they were hard or almost impossible to swallow with thirsty throat; fortunately there are always Yatris who are willing to help and we were lucky in that respect, whenever we needed water, there was always someone who helped us.
Now we see Shrikhand here, not at this hill but at a distance and height that seemed unattainable. There are a series of cliffs to climb and from here it looks on top of a very narrow ridge with a glacier and we see people looking smaller than ants on those ridges, the chances looked bleak and it was for the very first time that I had doubts on my abilities to reach there.
We have been sitting here for ten minutes, still not too sure, then there is a loud chant BholeNath...and chants - Sabke Sath…
BholeNath……Sabke Sath… became the standard mantra on these hills and at this moment it really showed us the way, erased all doubts……Lord is with us; all of us…..
Just below the next cliff, there is an opening that overlooks Kinnaur range; a snow clad range of Himalayas where you can have darshan of the Kinnaur Kailash. The view was indeed very brief, we couldn’t have much luck and failed to have darshan as it was soon covered by clouds.
The next cliff is having big boulders and you have to negotiate them very carefully and there is a series of them and after that on top is a point where we found the most precious thing on planet; water. Oh that was just rewarding and no one can describe the pleasure. It was a tiny stream flowing underneath and some part of it coming out, enough to fill your bottle. The Yatra is still incomplete but we got the Prasad.
Then there are some big rocks, properly shaped stacked over each other almost 10-12 feet tall, having carvings that you can’t read. The place is Bhim Shila, where it’s believed that Bhim was trying to make a way to heaven, placing those shilas but failed to do so and somehow they collapsed and are still there as it is. They are so long and heavy that a man of having strength of Bhim can only place it.
Bhagwan Shrikhand is clearly visible from here, and a feeling to reach here finally was really overwhelming, just there is a glacier in between. The first few meters is hard ice very slippery so had to cross it very carefully, here trekking poles provide a great help and then there is a few hundred meters soft snow which can be easily negotiated without any difficulty and then you reach there.
Om Namah Shivay…..