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First there are two Shilas named as Gauri and Ganesh and there is a huge 70 feet tall natural rock Shivlingam, Shrikhand. Shrikhand means khandit. When lord appeared here after disappearing at Devdandak, the rock cracked from many places or became khandit, that’s why it’s named as Shrikhand.

The sight is absolutely stunning, you can gaze as far as Rampur, have a look at snow clad Kinnaur range and a 360 ° view of surrounding hills, at almost 5800 meters, this is the highest place nearby.

We find Sunil here, came half an hour earlier, was resting on a rock and asked, “Where have you been?” I replied, “Did you spend some time at Nayan Sarovar?” “No” and that made him reach fast.

It’s so incredible to be here considering at one point it seemed almost beyond our reach and now we find him in front of us, just pure bliss...

Shiv hain karuna ke sagar…..

After removing our shoes we washed our hands and then took prasad and bel patra. We offered puja at first Ganesh and Gauri Shila, took their blessings and then to Shrikhand, at 10-15 meters from here.

It’s a really big Shivling and here devotees offer Trishul and there are thousands of them. It’s so high that you can’t see it fully from here but you can tell the exact shape few meters before and it’s very similar to Shiva; Gauri and Ganesh Shilas also look like them.

We offered bel patra and jal we took from Nayan Sarovar, Vikas also bought a Trishul and offered here, you can partially circle the Shivlingam almost two third and just behind at some distance is Kartikeya Shila, though it’s inaccessible.

It’s said that if you are lucky and the weather is clear you can actually look at all five Kailash from here but finding it clear is as difficult as reaching here, you don’t get that easily.

You can spot a no of devotees bare foot and with minimum clothing, there are many sadhus also who come here every year in Savan and watching all of them moving on snow and glaciers, also through boulders and rocks was really very captivating. One remarkable thing about this trek is that though we are almost at 5800 meters but we didn’t have any breathing difficulty while we climbed and it’s really very rare.

Bholenath Sabke Sath……..

We reached here at 2:00p.m, its almost 3 now and Shrikhand Shila is completely wrapped in clouds and mists, a very cold wind is blowing and its getting darker and darker and soon starts to drizzle with some very fine snow, and now it’s time to descend.

We thanked god for allowing us to have darshan and also prayed to Gauri, Ganesh and Kartikeya and started our descent, crossed the same glacier carefully and it’s the last point from where you can look at the Shrikhand Shila directly, again we thanked lord and started very carefully. I usually take descending very carefully and find it difficult than climbing that’s why it took me almost three hrs to reach Parvati Kund (Nayan Sarovar). Vikas and Sunil crossed me somewhere in between; I saw them from height going forward to Parvati Bagh.

I reached Parvati Bagh at around 7 p.m. and the light was fading quickly, so I had to rush. Thankfully the descent through rocks ends here and the remaining is through mud and herbs so didn’t take much time and by 7:40 I was almost there. Here just before Bhim Dwar I see a stream of red water that we crossed at night but now I could see the color. It’s said that there was a demon named Bakasur, he had a fight with Bhim and was killed here and his blood made the stream red.

I went directly to Langar and now finding it difficult to even stand. It’s close to 16 hrs since we left; I ate some biscuits in between and now extremely tired and hungry. My head is like spinning but langar is full, no place to sit. Somehow I ate Dal and Chawal and had Tea. Now I felt better moved to tent and found Vikas and Sunil, they came half an hour earlier and already had food.

This trek was difficult and without his wish, impossible to do. We discussed about it, those sheer ascents and equally abrupt descents. I disclosed that I fell thrice while descending but didn’t have any injury such is the grace of BholeNath and at some very steep sections whenever I stuck, always found someone to help. Their plan is to visit Om parvat next year for that I guided them as it’s en route to Kailash Yatra.

राहों के काटे कंकर सब दूर करेंगे शंकर, द्वारे पे उनके आकर चरणों में रख देना सर |

जन्मों की प्यास बुझेगी, शिव हैं करुणा के सागर ||

Tonight I am more relaxed in sleeping bag, though as always, finding it difficult to sleep in it. I thanked lord Hanuman for today’s safe and successful Yatra, recited some Chaupais of Sundar Kand and one very famous Chaupai is; “ Prabhu Ki Kripa Bhayau Sab Kaju, Janm Hamar Sufal Bha Aju.” It means everything is done with lord’s blessings, our life has become successful.

Jai Shri Ram… Jai Hanuman……..Har-Har Mahadev…

We got up at 7a.m. the next day and its beautiful and bright sun shine, this already very beautiful place has lit up to its full splendor, just a breathtaking site. Our today’s halt shall be Thacharu and we should reach there by four in the evening at max so we start slowly. Now again a rucksack of 12 kg is giving pain and Vikas and Sunil are slightly ahead of me but in no time I lost sight of them, and it was last when I saw them.

This time the clear weather allowed me to take shots of those three gigantic falls and now they look more welcoming, enjoying this trek I reached Kali top by 12p.m. I offered puja and thanked goddess for safe and successful Yatra, Shrikhand is visible from here and I bowed down and chanted Om Namah Shivay…

There are some food tents here and I again enjoyed tasty Alu Parathas. I reached Thacharu by 2p.m. and had Lunch of Dal and Chawal; now there is ample time almost 5 hrs of daylight and I made an assessment that I might reach Singhad so started the Dandadhar descent.

At Thacharu mobiles again receive signals and I talked to parents after three days, they were very anxious and became very happy to hear that I made it successfully. I met Mr. Thakur from Hamirpur on the way, he couldn’t have darshan as after Kali Ghati somehow he didn’t manage to proceed and was returning. By the time I am writing this blog after one year, he has made it this time.

So Dandadhar is not ending and my back is almost gone, it’s still 2 or 3 kms to go to Bharathi Nala where this near vertical descent stops. I have covered almost 17 km so far and still 5 to go to reach Singhad, somehow it’s good to have Thakurji, a very good and humble being and discussing about this trek and Yatra we reached Bharathi Nala by 6 p.m.

It took one and half hour more to reach Singhad where Thakur Sahab had acquaintances in a big tent so no problem in getting accommodation. Here the food is really great, almost all the dishes of typical North Indian cuisine were there and I ate it as much I could, delicious.

Today’s trek wasn’t easy covering 22 kms in a single day and that continuous descent of Dandadhar took a toll on my knees and back. Now I am thinking of Yatra as a whole. Shrikhand is a Shila having fractures and it also shatters your ego and pride. It makes you calm and kind and you get your lessons. In order to achieve something you have to be patient, calm and always have belief.

I was alone in this Yatra, was in a fix at Rampur then met a guy who helped me, then Vikas and Sunil accompanied me throughout the trek otherwise it would have proven much more difficult, on that cold night at Thacharu without blankets and having given up and then to receive it miraculously, lost heart at the top of hill near Nayan Sarovar, then reaching top to have great Darshan and at last Mr. Thakur; it was all help provided by Shivji. So always have belief in him and the rest will be taken care.

I went to Jaon in the morning, took a bus to Rampur and then to Chandigarh, boarded the night train and was in Lucknow the next day. I shared those pics with Vikas and Sunil and Thakur Sahab and still remember the Yatra after one year. Thanks for going through this tiring and long blog and hope you will forgive me for poor English, have a good day…

Life is tough, full of thorns but remember; Shiva is there to remove them…

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                                                          Om Namah Shivay…..