A Pilgrim’s diary to Badrinath
Visited and penned by N.R.V.Appasamy
NAMO NARAYANAYA
SRIMAN NARAYANAYACHARANAU SARANAM PRAPATHYE
SRIMATHEY NARAYANAYAH NAMAH
SRI ARAVINDAVALLI NAYIKA SAMETHA SRI BADRINARAYANAYA NAMAH
SRI PUNDARIKAVALLI NAYIKA SAMETHA SRI PURUSHOTHAMAYA NAMAH
SRI PARIMALAVALLI NAYIKA SAMETHA SRI PARAMPURUSHAYA NAMAH
SRIMATHE RAMANUJAYA NAMAH
I was blessed to visit Thiru Badrinath and other divya desams enroute during Sep/Oct, 2009 along with my family. As I had not planned the trip in advance, it was not possible to join “package tour” organized by number of travel agencies and could not do, as it was off-season. I wish to share my experience with all of you.
We boarded Haridwar Mail from Ahmedabad on 26 Th Sep, 2009 [the day after my birthday] and spent the next 27 hours in train. We reached Haridwar at 12.30 noons on 27th Sep 2009. We checked in a nearby Hotel Aastha (Rs.500/- per Day –rates were high due to Dusserrha holidays), which is on the main road and one km from banks of Holy Ganges. We stayed here on 27th night and visited Brahma Kund, Hari ki Pauri, and participated in the evening aarthi.
A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO HARIDWAR:
HARIDWAR is a busy small town with a floating population of pilgrims. The days are hot and the nights are not that cold. This place is surrounded by SHIVALIK Mountains. “HARIDWAR” is Hari ka Dwar or Har Ke Dwar “the Gateway to Heavens”. This is the starting point to visit the four sacred “dhams” (sacred places) namely, Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath. This town is situated at the foot of the Himalayas. Haridwar is the temple town of India. The moment one reaches Haridwar, THE THOUGHT ABOUT MATERIAL WORLD GETS DISSOLVED AND WE START LIKING THE PEOPLE AND PLACE. And after a holy bath in the Ganges, the spirit in us gets charged with bhakti-ras; all the sins get wiped off. We try to understand Lords creation and start accepting that in the fast moving world one can find solace when we visit these Holy places. There are innumerable ashrams and temples in Haridwar. We can find innumerable saints, foreigners and Yogis on the street. If one finds time, one can visit few temples like Mansa Devi temple, Chandi Devi temple, Hari Ki Pauri, Brahma Kundam, Bharat Mata temple, Vaishnavo Devi temple, Saptarishi Ashram, Gayatri Devi temple etc. Other temples of interest are Maya Devi temple dedicated to Goddess Durga, Shravan nath temple, Bholagiri temple, Gorakasha nath temple, Kangra Mandir, Gita Bhavan, Bhairon Akhara, Bilkeshwara Mahadeva, Pawandham temple, Gurudwara Shri Guru Singh Sabha, Parmath Ashram etc. Few of which were visted by us during this trip and during our previous trip in Feb 2006.
It is at this place that the holy Ganges enters the plains to atone the
Sins of millions of sinners. Once in 12 years, “Kumbh Mela” takes
Place at this place and once in 6 years “Ardh Kumbh Mela (half Kumbh Mela). The other places where Kumbh Mela takes place are at Allahabad, Nasik and Ujjain. The astrological date of Kumbh at Haridwar falls when Venus (Sukran) and Jupiter (Guru) coincide with Aquarius (Kumbh) and the Sun and Moon are on the Aries and Sagittarius respectively. It is believed that few drops of nectar are believed to have fallen here and hence a dip in Ganges during Kumbh Mela is considered to be sacred as it bestows longevity and spiritual upliftment. There are innumerable temples and many sacred places in Haridwar.
Out of this, the most important ones are
1. Hari-Ki-Pauri – This is near Brahma Kundam. This is the place
Where Lord Vishnu’s Thiruvadi are found and is the starting point of Ganges. The story of Ganges coming down to earth may be briefly recapitulated. Due to the severe penance of Bhagirathan, Ganges was brought down to earth and as the earth could not withstand the pressure, ParamaSivan caught hold of her in his matted lock and allowed it to split into several tributaries, namely, Alakananda, Bhagirathi, Nandakini, Garuda Ganga, Bhyur Ganga, and Mandakini etc.
These entire tributaries traverse through the Himalayas in different routes, merge with Alakananda at different places, which are known as “PRAYAGS” and finally join at Haridwar. Here she is known as Ganges and hence Haridwar is the starting point of Ganges. All of us had holy dip in Ganges. There are many small temples situated here and Ganga Aarathi is performed daily in the evening hours.
2. BRAHMA KUNDAM: This is the place where Brahma welcomed Ganges to earth and had his first holy dip in Ganges. It is believed that a dip in this Brahmakund brings salvation from all sins and a freedom from the bondages of the world. Therefore, pious people from all over the world come here to have bath in this sacred place. There are many temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu, Ganga Maatha, Durga Devi, Sri Ramar, and Sri Krishnar etc. on the banks of the river. It is believed that any “dhaanam” (sacrifice) done here fetches multifold benefits, especially, pooja and dhaanam done to cows (Gomatha). Also, it is believed that if one performs “pithru kaaryam” at this place it is very beneficial. All of us had holy bath at Brahma Kundam near Hari Ki Pauri on 27 Th Sep, 2009.
MANSA DEVI TEMPLE: This Goddess, daughter of Shiva and form of Shakti fulfills the desires of the true and sacred souls. This
Temple, which is one km away from Haridwar, is situated on top of Shivalik Hills on the western side. Usually, pilgrims pray to this Goddess for completing their yaatrai successfully. Trekking this hill would take about half an hour. There is also a rope way [winch] to this Temple from Ratan Cinema Hall. The charge for the same is Rs.48/- We visited Mansadevi Temple on our return stay at Haridwar on 2nd Oct 2009.
CHANDI DEVI TEMPLE: This temple is situated on the eastern
Summit of Shivalik Hills on top of Neelkant Parvath. This temple is 6 kms off the city on the other side of Ganges. It may take about an hour or so to climb this hill. There is a ropeway to this temple also and it is essential to carry water, as there is no drinking water on top of the hill. The charge for the ropeway is Rs.96/-. One has to travel for about 15 minutes by vehicle to reach the foot of this hill and then start trekking. The ropeway facility organized by Uttarkhand state is called as “ UDDANKOTLA”. They operate ropeway service to both Mansa Devi and Chandi Devi temples. The fare for this package tour is Rs.164/-. If the height of a child is above 3 feet, then full fare is charged. In this package tour, a drinking water bottle, a cap, pooja materials etc, a brochure giving the details about the temples are given. The visitors are taken by a van to the starting point of this Udaan Kotla service and from there the ropeway starts. It takes about 15 minutes to reach Chandi Devi temple by ropeway. Then, one has to climb few steep steps, which may take about 10 minutes to reach Chandi Devi temple. Many monkeys as in Ayodhya and Brindavan welcomed us. We could see devotees tying some piece of cloth as “praarthanai” After Having darshan of the Goddess, we went to Anjani Devi temple, mother of Hanuman. There are other temples dedicated to Durga, Maa Kali etc. Came back to the ropeway junction and returned to the original starting point. There is another ropeway in another direction to go to Mansa Devi temple. As we didn’t have time, we didn’t visit this temple. We visited these temples on our previous trip in Feb 2006. (Took package tour). During our previous trip to Haridwar exclusive in Feb 2006. We also visited Saptarishi Ashram, Gayatri temple, Bharat Matha temple; Vaishnavo Devi temple in one-day sight seeing which also covered Rishikesh.
GAYATRI DEVI TEMPLE: - Gayatri Devi temple is 20 minutes drive enroute to Rishikesh. There are 3 entrances to this temple. Near the entrance, there are life-size idols of 7 rishis. There is a temple dedicated to Gayatri Matha. In a separate hall, continuous chanting of Gayatri Mantram goes on right from 5 in the morning to 7 in the evening. We could see many devotees including ladies doing japam without any disturbance. The temple committee provides free anna dhanam (food) to the visiting devotees daily.
SAPTARISHI ASHRAM: (10 minutes drive from Gayatri Devi mandir). This place was known as “Kamandulu”. This place is also connected to the story of Ganges coming down to earth. When Ganges was following King Bhagirath in his chariot, it passed by an ashram where the sapta rishis were engrossed in deep penance and stopped its flow. When questioned by Bhagirath, Ganges replied that she was caught in the kamandalam (water pot) of the sapta rishis and was unable to move further. Bhaigrath prayed to the sapta rishis who then allowed her to flow in 7 streams. This place is very calm and serene. There are temples dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, Lord Srinivasar, and Radha- Krishna, Sita-Ram along with Lakshmanan and Hanumar, Siva in the centre, which is artistically built. From Sapta rishi ashram, Bharat Matha temple is 4 kms away from the city.
VAISHNAVO DEVI TEMPLE: This temple is near Bharath Matha temple. This is a replica of the famous Vaishnavo Devi Temple at Jammu. The caves, sannidhis have been artistically built. In the entrance, you can find huge idols of Vinayaka and Hanumar. Apart from there, there are beautiful idols of other Gods and Goddesses – a model of Kailash Mountains, Kedarnath, and Ganges flowing from matted locks of Shiva are worth mentioning. There is also a replica of Amarnath temple in the same premises. You can find replica of lingams found in Srisailam, Kedarnath, and Rameswaram etc.
RISHIKESH: - Rishikesh houses innumerable ashrams. It has a floating population of many pilgrims going to Badrinath and Kedarnath and many foreign tourists who are interested in mountaineering. The details about the important places to be visited are mentioned later as we stayed here for two days on 1st and 2nd Oct during our way back from Badrinath.
GET SET GO
It may be mentioned here that in Haridwar and Rishikesh, there are
Innumerable tourist offices which offer you to take to Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, Yamunotri and other hill stations. So, if anyone is planning to go on own to Badrinath, we can very well go to either Haridwar or Rishikesh and book either bus ticket or arrange a cab to go to Badrinath. It is advised that it was wise to travel in a Bus as in case of any landslide etc the bus will return with the passengers from the opposite direction and the passengers proceeding will board the bus which will go back upwards saving time and ensuring continuity. We book the bus tickets [2x2, 27 seater] to go to Badrinath from Hotel Aastha, Haridwar on 28th Sep 2009. The return fare is Rs.650 per person. It takes about 14 hours to go to Badrinath from Haridwar; starts at 5 am in the morning and reaches 7 pm in the evening. Busses do not operate in the night. As we were interested in covering all the prayags, (namely, Dev Prayag, Karna Prayag, Rudra Prayag, Nand Prayag and Vishnu Prayag), we enquired whether the bus would stop at the places already mentioned above for which the reply was “no”. We were told that the bus should reach JoshiMutt before 4.30 pm, otherwise the gate will be closed for the day.
A BRIEF INTRODUCTION ABOUT THE HIMALAYAS:
The Himalayan Mountains are divided into various mountain ranges, Garhwal Himalayas, Central Himalayas, Annapurna ranges and so on. They stretch from Jammu upto Nepal. The Himalayas are the abode of Gods and innumerable saints contemplate on the Lord at this place. There are 4 Vaishnava divya desams in the Himalayas itself. “Kandam ennum Kadinagar” popularly known as Dev Prayag, Thirupiridhi popularly known as Joshirmutt and Badrinath are located in the Garhwal Himalayas. “Saaligramam” is located in the Annapurna ranges. Other important places are Vaishnavo Devi Temple, Kedarnath, and Mount Kailash, Amarnath temple to name a few. There are many hill stations like Dehradun, Nainital, and Mussourie etc.
A brief description of the route is mentioned below:
The routes to the 4 dhams are different. The routes to Kedarnath, Gangotri, Yamunotri closes by September whereas the route to Badrinath is accessible upto October. Gangotri is the place where Ganges descended from Heavens. The rock on which Bhagirathan did penance is known as Bhagiratha Shila. Gaumukh from where the Ganges flows is of importance. There is a temple dedicated to Ganges. There is a motor able road to approach this place from Rishikesh. There are 2 routes to go to Kedarnath –via Uttar Khashi and via Rudra Prayag. A dip at Gaumukh absolves one of all the sins.
Yamunotri is the starting point of Yamuna. There are many hot water springs here. Can be approached from Gangotri but one has to walk for at least 13 kms as there is no motor able road.
Kedarnath: The route to Kedarnath diverges at Rudra Prayag. One has to trek for 14 kms from Gauri Kund. This is at a higher altitude than Badrinath. The routes to the above 3 places closes by September.
Badrinath: There is motor able road upto the temple. From mid April to October, the temple is open for public. The route is given in detail: -
The route to Badrinath from Rishikesh is as follows:
Rishikesh-Dev Prayag (45miles)- Srinagar (19 miles from Dev Prayag)- Rudra Prayag (19 miles from Srinagar)- Karna Prayag (20 miles from Gauchar)-Nand Prayag (13 miles from Karna Prayag)- Chamoli-Pipal Kote-Garuda Ganga-Helang-Joshirmutt-Govind Ghat- Hanuman Chatti –Deva Darshani-Badrinath
Legends connected with the characters in Ramayanam and Mahabharatam find place in the Himalayas as Lord Rama, Lakshmana, Hanumar, Pandavas resorted to Himalayas for their penance.
All the above places are enroute to Badrinath. A brief description of the above places is given below:
1. DEV PRAYAG: Situated at a height of 1700 feet, this is one of the Vaishnavite divya desams known as “Kandum Ennum Kadinagar”. Here, (after joining with other tributaries) joins with Bhagirathi to become Ganges. It takes about 2-3 hours to reach this place from Rishikesh. Lord Rama is the presiding deity here (there is no temple for Perumal described by Azhwars)- Banyan tree in front of the temple is of importance- Anna dhanam fetches manifold benefits- A detailed description of our visit to this divya desam is mentioned later)
2. SRI NAGAR: Previously this was the capital of the Garhwali kings- A small town at a height of 1800 feet - There is a temple for
Kamaleshwar Mahadev who was worshipped by Lord Rama with
1008 flowers. Shiva, who wanted to test Sri Rama’s bhakti, removed one flower. When Lord Rama found that one flower was missing, unhesitatingly he removed his eyes (as He was Kamalakannan) and offered the same to the Lord. Shiva was pleased with this and appeared before Rama and blessed him. Hence, this Lord is known as Kamaleshwar Mahadev. To visit this temple, one must take diversion from the bus route. It is better to go by car, as there is no other transport facility.
3. RUDRA PRAYAG: This is 19 miles away from Srinagar at an altitude of 2000 feet. The confluence of the rivers Mandakini emerging from Kedarnath and takes place. There is a
Small temple dedicated to Rudra, one of the forms of Shiva. The routes to Kedarnath and Badrinath are the same upto this place and
Here the routes diverge. Narada Rishi did penance at this place and
was blessed with the knowledge of sangeetham at this place.
4. KARNA PRAYAG: This is 20 miles from Gauchar and appr 40 miles from Rudra Prayag. This is a small town with boarding and lodging facilities. There is a Tourist guesthouse and some wayside hotels too. As Karna did penance here, this place has been named so. The confluence of and Pindar River from Pindar glacier takes place. As there is no proper route, it is difficult to go and sprinkle water from this Prayag. One has to go by foot and the
Path is slippery.
5. NAND PRAYAG: 13 miles from Karna Prayag with some wayside hotels. River mingles with Nandakini at this place. As there is no proper route, it is difficult to go and sprinkle water from this Prayag. One has to go by foot and the path is slippery. Mount Trisul can be seen from here.
6. CHAMOLI: This is the district headquarters and hence has all the facilities like hotels, lodges, phones etc. Here, Birahi Ganga
Meets with. One can only watch the confluence.
7. PIPAL KOTE: -As pilgrims going to Badrinath usually stay at either Pipal Kote or Joshirmutt, it has many facilities. Garuda Ganga is near this place. As Garuda did penance here to atone for the sins committed by killing snakes, this place has come to be known thus. There are 2 small temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu along with Mahalakshmi and a separate temple for Garudazhwar. A narrow steep path way leads to the river, which flows very silently . It is believed that the pebbles collected from this river wards off snakes and other evil spirits. Usually, pregnant woman for a safe delivery carries these pebbles. Nagadosham gets wiped off if one consumes the sacred waters of the river.
8. HELANG: A small town with minimum facilities. Vruddha Badri (one of the Pancha Badris) and Kalpeshwar (one of the Pancha Kedars) are near this place.
9. JOSHIRMUTT: Situated at a height of 6000 feet, this is a busy
place. This is treated as “ TIRUPIRIDHI” divya desam by some whereas others are of the opinion that Thirupiridhi is situated in the midst of Himalayas on the banks of Manasa sarovaram beyond Badrinath. It has many stay facilities. There is a temple dedicated to Lord Narasimhar worshipped by Adi Sankaracharyar who was bestowed jnanam (knowledge) to write a commentary on the Vedanta Sutras. A detailed description of this divya desam is given
later. Vishnu Prayag (one of the Pancha Prayags), the confluence
of Dahuli Ganga with is below Joshirmutt off the normal route.
10. GOVIND GHAT: At this place, there is a gate to go to Badrinath . It is named after Sikh guru Sri Guru Govind, the 10th guru in their guru parampara ,as he visited this place. As already mentioned the way to Badrinath is one way. The gates open at specific timings (4 times ) starting from 8 A.M. and closes by 4 P.M. Bhyunder Ganga join with Hem Ganga. The world famous “VALLEY OF FLOWERS” is 20 miles away from this place. Here, flowers of the rarest varieties are grown here There is no motor able road and has to be approached by foot . We didn’t have plans to visit this place. Also, the lake of ice known as “HEM KUND” is near Govind Ghat at an altitude of 15000 feet. Seven snowy peaks known as “SAPTA SHRUNG” surround it . If one is prepared to spare a day or two, one can visit these places. (We couldn’t visit this place)
10. PANDUKESHWAR : This is one of the Pancha Badris known as “Yoga Badri” As Pandavas were born here, it has been named so. This is the winter abode of Lord Badrinarayanan. (But the priest at Joshirmutt told us that Joshirmutt is the winter abode of the Lord) (I requests for clarification.
11. HANUMAN CHATTI: A small temple on the roadside itself
dedicated to Hanumar. Hanumar humbled Bheema who was filled with pride to shed his ego and Hanumar blessed Bheema that he would accompany them in the forthcoming Mahabharata war by sitting on Arjuna’s flag.
12. DEVADARSHINI: Situated at a height of 10,000 feet, one can
have a view of Badrinath.The wonderful snow capped Neelkant
Parvath can be viewed right from Joshirmutt.
BADRINATH :
Badrinath, more popularly known as “ VISHAL BADRI”, is one of the four most important dhaams(pilgrim centres-mukti tharum
kshetrams), a Vada naadu divya desam which every Srivaishnavite
desires to visit at least once . It is the final destination for any seeker aiming for salvation. Nara and Narayana mountains on either sides surround the temple or river (the most beautiful) flows chanting the pious rhymes Har-Har after touching Perumal’s Thiruvadi. The temple, which is at an altitude of app. 3583 metres from sea level, is on Narayana parvatham. Guesthouses and lodges are situated in Nara parvatham. The Himalayan range consisting of Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath was known as Kedarkhand in Puranic age. The whole area is charged with spiritual aura and it is advised to continuously chant Perumal’s holy names in this place. Full details about this kshetram have been given later.
Lord Narayana manifested Himself at this place to teach the world
about penance. When Narada as to on whom Perumal was meditating asked him, Perumal replied that He was contemplating on Himself. Only at this divya desam, Perumal is seen as Acharya swaroopam. It was here Perumal expounded the Thirumantram to Naran. Also, Thayar is not seen along with Perumal. She has spread Herself as Badri vruksham to protect Perumal from nature. Hence, Perumal is known as BADRI NARAYANAN. Perumal is residing here since ages. In Satya yugam, Perumal was visible to everyone and devas and rishis offered prayers. In Treta yugam, He was visible through penance. In Dwapara yugam, it was becoming difficult even for sages to have His darshan. Perumal answered their request that in Kali yugam, He would not be visible to the mortal eyes and added that His vigraham was under Narad Shila in and ordered to perform pooja to the idol. If one sees that idol, one gets the same reward of seeing Perumal in visible form. Accordingly, the vigraham was taken out and Viswakarma constructed a temple. Over a period of time, Buddhists captured this temple, threw away the idol in Narad Kund and installed their own idol. Adi Sankaracharyar, the details of which have been given later, later recovered this idol .
There are pancha Badris, namely, Adi Badri(19 kms from Karna Prayag off the normal route – or on Rajnikant’s route), Yoga Badri(also known as Pandukeshwar at a distance of 8 miles from Joshirmutt), Vridha Baddri (on Joshirmutt- Animath route –off the main route),Bhavishya Badri ( entirely different route from Joshirmutt via Saldhar( 19 kms from Joshirmutt) and from there to go by walk (6 kms), also can be accessed from Badrinath) and Vishal Badri which is the main temple. The temple has been named as “VISHAL BADRI” because the Lord answered the prayers of a king named “VISHAL” The Lord blessed the king that everyone would remember him as his name would be attached to the Lord’s name. Hereafter , Badrinath means “VISHAL BADRI”. There are many places of interest in and around Badrinath-Vyas Gufa, Ganesh Gufa, Vasundhara Falls, River Saraswathi, and Swarg Dhwar.
Bhavishya Badri (future Badri) is near Badrinath in the thick Tapovan forests. When the present Badriaksramam becomes inaccessible , the Lord would be worshipped at Bhavishya Badri. We are told that it takes a full day to go there and come back as one has to walk the 16 kms (to and fro) path with the help of a guide.
At this juncture, I am briefly giving a checklist of luggage to be carried to Badrinath.
Clothing:- Thick woolen sweaters, woolen caps, gloves (if required), socks, shawls, an overcoat, 2 sets of clothes (depends on number of days of stay at Badri), cotton Some supari, mint chocolates, sour chocolates etc in case you suffer from giddiness while traveling (The route is full of hairpin bends), minimum medicines like Crocin, cough syrup, tablets for cold and regular medicines if you are a patient.
Food:- In case you are not that particular you get all types of food , including South Indian food and coffee though it is a bit costly enroute . To digest rice in that weather is a bit difficult . Hence, one can have chapattis during the stay.
Though the temple is opened from mid-April to mid-November, the best time to visit the temple would be between May –June and Sep- Oct. It rains during July and August and hence one has to face landslides. It is snow-capped from Nov to April; May , June, Oct, Nov are cold. The local people speak Hindi, Garhwali and few speak English.
DETAILS OF OUR TRIP:-
It was Vijayadasami. We boarded bus (UA 07 C-6502) at 5 A.M along with another 24 pilgrims. Badrinath is 324 kms away from Haridwar and 298 kms from Rishikesh. It is situated at an altitude of 3110 metres or 10350 feet approximately. The road to Badri is so narrow that only one vehicle can travel at a time. We could see big mountain ranges on either sides or flowing continuously. Greenery was at the best and the weather was splendid. which starts beyond Badrinath at Alakapuri, the kingdom of Lord Kubera is the companion all through the way.
After traveling continuously for nearly 4 hours, the bus reached Dev Prayag. This place is 70 kms away from Rishikesh situated at an altitude of 472 metres. “PRAYAG” means confluence of 2 rivers [like our mukkoodal, irukkankudi]. Here, joins with Bhagirathi . This is the divya desam known as “ KANDAM ENNUM KADINAGAR as well as THIRUKADIGAI” There is a temple dedicated to Lord Sri Ramar known as Raghunathji. The bus stopped for morning refreshments. We continued our journey to Jyothi Mutt via Srinagar (579 metres), Rudra Prayag (610 m) where we had lunch, Karna Prayag, Nand Prayag, Chamoli(1069 m), and Pipalkote. On one side bluish water of Alaknanda flows continuously. It looks as if the Lord has sent this river to accompany us. Like the joy of a person who visits his motherland after many years, we experienced similar feeling. This river mingles with Mandakini at Rudra Prayag, with Pindar River at Karna Prayag, with Nandakini at Nanda Prayag,with Birahi Ganga at Chamoli, with Garuda Ganga near Pipal kote. The confluence of the rivers (different colors) is a feast to the eyes. We were struck with wonder as to how the driver could drive in such a narrow lane. There are no proper roads and a peep through the window is sure to raise chills in a person. The hairpin bends would make everyone recite Lord’s names. Thirumangai Azhwar’s pasurams on Lord Badrinarayanan advising us to visit the divya desam before we become old were on our lips. We were totally bewildered to see the beautiful nature. The scenic beauty is beyond the scope of my description. Only Thirumangai Azhwar and great poets can describe the beauty of the Himalayas. It is wonderful to see Lord’s creation. While in Himalayas, one gets spiritually elevated and one can really experience God. The spirit soul in us really dances with
joy. We can feel a sense of happiness, which is indescribable. We get a feeling that one experiences when one sees his/her relatives after a very long gap. This hilly area is developing and we could find rich vegetation of apple trees, pine trees, akroot, potatoes , tea, medicinal herbs etc. Added to this, road widening is in progress and we were told that by next year, the ghat road would be broadened and walls would be built. Though Uttarkhand [UK] is a newly formed small state, the developmental activities are going in a fast pace. We reached Jyothi Mutt at 4.00 P.M. For the first time, we experienced biting cold. It is worth mentioning here that in Himalayas, you get original Rudrakshams (as the tree grows only in cold areas), Spatikams etc. We bought some, Eka Rudraksham(not found in rest of India) for all our relatives at bargain prices from local vendors. We reached Badrinath at 7.00P.M. It was only due to our poorva janma sukrutam and elders’ blessings that we were in the holiest of all the places, the abode of the Supreme Lord, the Ashtakshara kshetram (Lord Narayanan initiated the Thirumanthram to Naran at this place) .This is one of the four “mukti tharum kshetrams”, the others being Rameswaram in the South, Dwaraka in the west, Puri in the east. This is the place where every Srivaishnavite longs to visit. Any punyam including chanting of holy names will fetch manifold benefit as reciting once at Badrinath is equivalent to recitation of the same for 1000 times in other place. [nooru illai, aayiram thadavai sonna madhiri].
This is the place where innumerable sages have done penance and
their presence and vibration could be felt.
We decided to stay with other pilgrims from Chattisgarh in dharamsala near to the temple. Otherwise, good rooms were available at Rs.100 as room rent near bus stand.
The place where the bus stops is known as “Deva Darshan” as one can view the Nara,Narayana mountains from here. The sight of ice capped Neelkant Parvath was a feast to the eyes. We were at an altitude of 10,350 feet from the sea level. It was a sunny day with cold winds blowing. We were overexcited to see the place serene with only devotees around. The nights are extremely cold . My children were too delighted to look around the beautiful Nara Narayan Mountains and the Alakananda river. In fact my daughter practiced her hands [mudras] to climb mountains like spider man and wanted spiderman to lift the river and mountains and put it to Kovilpatti.
In the morning, the anxiety to visit the temple was expected and we quickly marched towards the temple. We left the room with a set of clothes to have bath in Tapta Kund. It is customary to have bath in Tupta Kund and then visit Badrinath temple.
TAPTA KUND is a hot water spring , the temperature of the water
could be easily 55 to 60 degrees . Through out the day it was cold,
(the night temperature was –2 degrees) the water was steaming hot.
It is believed that a dip in this water instigates bhakthi and accepts
Lords creation. There are separate places for men and women to have bath. Nearly the temple authorities to facilitate the crowd to have bath have built 4 bathing places. There is a continuous flow of steaming hot water. The scientific aspect that the water is sulphur rich etc needs to be kept aside and accept the fact that we are at Lord Bhadris abode and Lord has arranged for a bath as we have travelled a long distance in the cold.
The myth behind it is as follows : Agni was cursed by Bhrigu rishi
that he would consume everything and continuously generate heat.
Agni prayed to Perumal that no one was allowing him to come near as he was generating heat. At that time, Perumal blessed him saying that He has decided to manifest Himself at Badrinath and Agni could reside with him in the form of water. He also conferred a boon saying that devotees could have darshan of Perumal only after bathing in this hot water spring. This is one of the reasons for the water being so hot.
In front of the temple, we could see the bluish Alakananda flowing
We were told that this river touches the Thiruvadigal of Perumal at this place. The water is ice cold and is not used for rituals etc.
After having bath in Tapta Kund, all of us went to temple around 9
A.M. First, we had darshan of Kedareswar as it was He who vacated this place for Lord Narayanan to reside as per Puranas As in all the Saivaite temples, Siva is in lingam form, which is very small. An interesting story, which is as follows: This was the residence of Shiva and Parvathi . As Perumal had decided to manifest Himself at this place, He wanted Shiva to vacate this place and hence He disguised Himself as a small boy and came to Shiva’s residence. Goddess Parvathi out of her motherly affection, took the child on her lap and asked what He wanted. The boy said that He wanted to relax in their house for some time. Shiva who knew with his divya drushti as to who the boy was prevented Parvathi from doing so. But as it was ’s wish to stay here, Parvathi didn’t agree with Shiva and let the child go inside and relax inside. The moment the child went inside, the doors got locked automatically . The efforts of Shiva in trying to open the doors became in vain. At that time, Lord proclaimed from inside that to save the people from the grips of Kali , He has decided to stay Here and impart upadesam to the mortals to help them get rid of the cruel Kali. He also instructed Shiva to move to a nearby place and continue his penance. He also added that a pilgrimage to Badrinath would be deemed to be completed only after one has darshan of Kedareswar. In case it is not possible for the devotees to go to Kedarnath, they could worship this lingam and then obtain Lord Narayanan’s blessings. Hence, we first went to this sannidhi and offered our prayers. Lord Narayanan sat in Padmasana posture as a Tapaswi and was in deep meditation. As Lord is seen as Tapasvi, Aravindavalli Thayar is not seen in the garbagriham. However, there is a sannidhi in the temple premises. The devas headed by Narada rishi used to offer prayers daily. Naradar is the chief priest and hence only in this divya desam we can find his vigraham.
There are some similarities between Badrinath and Thirukurungudi
Perumals. Thirukurungudi is the Thamirabharani divya desam situated near Tirunelveli. In this place, Perumal is seen as 5 Nambis. The Perumal who incarnated Himself as Nammazwar, gave moksham to Thirumangai Azhwar, Nampaduvan etc. got Thirumantra upadesam from our great Acharyar, Sri Ramanujar. And hence this place has come to be known as DAKSHINA BADRI. Whoever visits Thirukurungudi, [one of favourite nava tirupati divyadesam for my elder sister] will get the same benefits of visiting Badrinath.
In Badri, Lord Narayanan initiated Naran( a mortal) into Thirumanthram whereas in Thirukurungudi, Naran (Sri Ramanujar) gave Thirumantra upadesam to Perumal.
At Badrinath, one has to visit Kedareswar first before taking the
blessings of Lord Badrinarayanan. Only then the yaatrai is deemed to be complete. At Thirukurungudi , there is a sannidhi for Shiva at
the entrance and one has to first take his blessings before going to
Nambi’s sannidhi. ADI SANKARACHARYAR’S SANNIDHI : After having darshan of Shiva, we went to Adi Sankaracharyar’s sannidhi. It is due to the efforts of Shri Adi Sankaracharyar who was an amsam of Shiva, the temple of Badrinath is existing today. He has contributed to a great extent. In order to revive Vaishnavism , Lord chose Sri Adi Sankaracharyar, who was an amsam of Shiva, to fulfill His mission. When Sri Adi Sankaracharyar was residing in Joshirmutt (the place has come to be known thus because it was here Sankaracharyar was enlightened and was instructed to write Bhasyam- a commentary based on Sri Veda Vyasar’s 18 puranas) he had a dream in which Perumal gave him His whereabouts and instructed him to construct a temple. Accordingly, Sri Adi Sankaracharyar went to Badrinath and followed Perumal’s instructions. When he had a dip in Narad Kund, he emerged with a vigraham. He heard an asareeri say that Lord has decided to manifest in the same form and people could offer their prayers to this vigraham. With the help of the native king, Sri Sankaracharyar got a temple built, appointed priests for daily Thiruvaradhanam and laid out rules and regulations to be followed in worship. As this place is in the cold region, he instructed that on Deepavali day (Aippasi maasam), the temple would be closed and would be re-opened in mid April-May (Chithirai maasam). He also ordered that the priest who performs Thiruvaaradhanai should be a strict bachelor. He chose one of his disciples who were a Kerala Namboodri to continue worship. Hence even to this day, only Kerala Namboodri bachelor does Thiruvaaradhanai. He is known as RAWAL. He presides over all the temple activities.
We then entered the temple premises, which are divided, into three. The outer most prakaram is known as Singh Dwar where there is an idol of Garuda. After crossing the Singh Dwar, we enter Sabha Mandap. Piligrims do pradakshinam around the Sabha Mandap. We were told that this was renovated in 2000 after landslide. The third section is the Garba griham, which houses Perumal and other dieties.
SRI ARAVINDAVALLI NAYIKA SAMETHA SRI BADRI NARAYANA PARABRAHMANE NAMAH
MOOLAVAR : SRI BADRI NARAYANAN IN PADMASANAM
POSTURE (MEDITATING)
THAYAR : ARAVINDAVALLI THAYAR )SEPARATE TEMPLE
VIMANAM : TAPTA KANCHANA VIMANAM
THEERTHAM : TAPTA KUND, NARADA KUND
PRATHYEKSHAM : GARUDA, KUBERA, NARAN, NARAYANAN, UDDHAVAR AND NARADAR
MANGALASAASANAM: THIRUMANGAI AZWAR (968-987)
PERIAZHWAR 1 PASURAM
STHALA VRUKSHAM : BADRI TREE (ILANDHI MARAM INVISIBLE TO THE MORTAL EYES)
Fortunately there was not a rush in the temple. It took about 5 minutes for us to have darshanam. Here, the Lord is seen in Padmasanam (veetruirundha Thirukkolam)-sitting posture in the middle. To Perumal’s right, Vinayaka, Garuda, Kubera are seen. To Perumal’s left, Uddhavar, Naradar, Naran and Narayanan are seen. Kubera who is on the right side in front covered with golden kavacham attracts everyone as it is he who bestows prosperity. It is the practice of the devotees to carry some new coins with them, place it in front of Kubera, take them back and keeps in their pooja room or cash box for their prosperity. The moment one has darshan of the Lord, one forgets the hardships, if any, he faced during the journey and the biting cold. The heart is filled with inexplicable joy and one can indeed feel the atma within us dancing with joy and contentment. One can have darsanam of Perumal peacefully as many times as one wants to. We had thrice.
A brief note about the presiding deities :-
BADRI NARAYANAN: This vigraham engraved on a white Saligramam is in the middle of the sannidhi. It is swayambhu (not
sculpted by any mortal)-seen in Padmasanam (meditative posture)-
Perumal has chathurbhujam (4 hands) holding the divine conch, sudarshana chakram in the two upper hands and the two in meditation. He is adorned with diamond Thiruman kaapu and Navaratna necklace apart from other jewellery. He is an embodiment of peace. A silver replica of the Moolavar is kept in
a separate sannidhi and when the temple is closed for 6 months during winter, this utsavar is taken to Joshirmutt for performing nityaaaradhanai by mortals. During daytime, we cannot make out
anything as all the vigrahams are fully bedecked with flowers. Plates containing sweets, dry fruits of varying rates are sold outside the temple. After offering the same to the Lord, half of it is seen taken by the temple authorities for distribution and the remaining part is given to us as prashad. Lord Narayanan left His celestial abode Sri Vaikuntam and has chosen the Himalayas as His permanent abode to release all the souls from affliction, sorrow, ego etc . When Lord Narayanan started doing penance in Himalayas, Goddess Mahalakshmi who is an embodiment of compassion wanted to protect Perumal from the harsh weather conditions and so she spread Herself as a Badri Tree (Ilandhai Maram). As Perumal is seated under this Badri tree, He is known as “Badri” Narayanan. In Kali yugam, this Badri tree will not be visible to the mortal eyes. (This reminds me of Ananda nilaya vimanam in Tirumala, which is also not visible to the mortal eyes. The gold plated vimanam what we see today is man-made)
PERIATHIRUVADI : when Perumal encountered Garuda while he was taking Amrutham to save his mother from his aunt’s clutches, Perumal defeated him. When Perumal conferred boons, he prayed to Perumal that he should always be (1) Perumal’s vaahanam and (2) he should be on the kodi (flag) on Perumal’s chariot. Hence, Peria Thiruvadi is seen in the Garbagriham itself. The other place where he is seen in the Garbagriham is at Srivilliputtur(Samaasaanam) as Andal had promised Garuda that if he brought Perumal to her for marriage within the stipulated time, she would offer him Samaaasanam (place on par with Perumal). In all other places, he is in his usual place ,outside the garbagriham, to carry out Perumal’s orders.
KUBERA :- As Kubera , the Lord of wealth, does aaradhanai to Perumal , he is seen here. Also, Kubera’s residence Alakapuri is near Badrinath. It is from Alakapuri that Alakananda river originates.
NARAN AND NARAYANAN : There are 2 stories connected with this :
1) They were the grandchildren of Brahma and children of Dharma
devathai and his wife, Moorthi. At a very young age, they left their
parents, came to Himalayas and started meditating. To withstand their parental pressure, they transformed into 2 mountains. Perumal who was pleased with their devotion asked them to choose a boon for which they prayed that Perumal should always reside with them. Perumal conceded their request and said that He would reside there as a Tapasvi and meditate. He also initiated the Thirumantram to them. Lord Narayanan also bestowed a boon upon Naran saying that though Naran was younger to Him, he would be addressed first. Hence , they are known as Nara-Narayanan. To the dejected parents of Naran and Narayanan, Lord assured that every year Puratasi Dwadasi (Balabhadra Dwadashi), Perumal would come to their temple and spend a day with them. Mela is conducted here . This festival is known as “Maata Moorthi Ka Mela” . It is believed that when the Nara and Narayana mountains collide with each other probably due to landslide, Badrinath would become inaccessible. One who visits Badrinath must definitely go to Maata Moorthi temple, which is situated about 4 kms away from the main temple on the way to Mana village. There is a rock near the temple known as “Dharma Shila”
2) Perumal manifested Himself as both Naran and Narayanan and
killed an asura named Sahasrakavacha. In tune with the vedic tradition of “Guru-sishya parampara, Perumal incarnated Himself as Narayanan, the preceptor and Naran,the perceiver to propate the
most powerful and the ultimate “Ashtakshari Manthram” which is
the quintessence of the Vedas. In Bhagavad Geeta, Lord Krishna
says to Arjuna, that both of them took several births together and
informs this incident to Arjuna while imparting Geethopodesam in
Kurukshetra. The Naran and Narayana mountains have an over powering presence at Badrinath. Nara Parvath is on the eastern bank of the river Alakananda whereas Narayana Parvath is on the western bank. Nara Parvat also known as Kubera Bandar bestows prosperity and Narayana Parvat bestows spiritual upliftment. Behind Narayana Parvath is the Neelkant Parvat at an altitude of 21,600 feet fully snow capped. When sunlight falls on it, it glitters like silver. The temple is on the banks of Alakananda river between Nara and Narayanan mountains on Urvashi Peetam. Urvashi Peetam is a small hillock on which Perumal is seated. There is an interesting incident connected with this. Indra was unaware that Perumal was meditating here. As usual, he was worried about his kingdom and sent damsels headed by Ramba, Menaka to distract the penance of the Lord. At that time, Lord Narayanan who was in deep meditation opened His eyes, created a beautiful lady from His thigh . As she emerged from Perumal’s thigh, she came to be known as URVASHI. Looking at her beauty, they were mesmerised and ashamed of themselves. Perumal ordered the damsels to present Urvashi to Indra. The damsels were so captivated with Perumal’s roopam that they requested Him to marry them. The Lord refused saying that in this avataar , He is in tapasvi form but promised to fulfill their desire in Krishna avataram. These damsels were born as Gopikas during Krishna avataram and how they attained Supreme bliss by enacting Rasa leela is too well known to bear repetition.
NARADAR: This deva rishi who always meditates on the Lord is the chief priest. When the temple is closed for 6 months in winter, the devas headed by Naradar perform worship to Perumal.
UDDHAVAR : This great devotee of Lord Krishna to whom Krishna preached Gita finds a place in the garbagriham.
It was decided that human beings could perfrom pooja to Perumal for 6 months during summer, rainy seasons starting from May upto
Deepavali (Oct-Nov) and devas for another 6 months during winter
from Deepavali upto Apr-May. Rewal and the temple authorities decide the dates of opening and closing the temple.
An evidence to prove that bhagavath aaradhanam is done to Perumal by devas is seen even today.
1) The ghee lamp, which is lit while closing the temple, continues to glow brightly. Hence on the opening day, there is usually heavy
rush to watch the Akandajyothi burning.
2) Fresh smelling flowers are seen in the garbagriham proving that
devas have worshipped the Lord during these 6 months.
After having a wonderful darshan of Perumal and theertha prasadam, we went to Thayar sannidhi. The sannidhi is very small. Some bangles, kumkum,a piece of cloth and some sweets were offered in a north Indian tradition . These were kept near the garbagriham and given back to the devotees us. It is considered to be very auspicious to wear the bangles, which have been kept near Thayar. We had theertha prasadam and proceeded to Hanumar sannidhi. Here, Siria Thirivadi is seen carrying Sanjeevani Parvatham. From there, we went to utsavar sannidhi. We gave Rs.100 for Naivedyam.
Around 11 a.m. , we arranged a Jeep to visit Mana village for Rs.300/-. Mana village is the last Indian village on the Indo-Tibet [I am one of the person, still believes the holy place of Tibet is not part of China] border, which is again at an altitude. This is approximately 4 kms away from Badrinath. This place has some historical significance because Vyas Gufa, Ganesh Gufa is found here. Also, this is the starting point of River Saraswati . Previously, trade between India and Tibet used to be in full swing. But now there is no trading at this place. We saw some vegetation of cabbage, apples, akroot etc. We also saw signboards showing that Vasundhara falls was just few kilometres away. We didn’t visit this place.
On the way to Mana village, we first went to starting point of river saraswati and then Vyas Gufa and Ganesh Gufa.
River Saraswati: After 15 minutes of trekking, we reached the place from which River Saraswathi originates. The sight of this river originating from the mountains is spectacular. The gushing water sound is deafening .The water flows down ferociously and tremendously with full force. There is a small shrine for Goddess Saraswathi. We have taken some photographs where rainbow is also visible. From there, on our way back, we saw “SWARG DHWAR “ a mountain that is the way to go to Heavens. We were told that when Pancha Pandavas along with Draupadi were going to Heaven, they had to cross River Saraswathi who was then flowing ferociously and uninterruptedly. (before Veda Vyasar cursed her) As she didn’t give way for them, (it seems she envied Draupadi) Bhima who was known for his strength made a bridge by throwing a hillock from a nearby place on the river and thus helped the Pandavas in crossing the river. Hence, this place is known as “Bheem Koop”
Vyas Gufa : “Gufa” in Hindi means “cave”. After 10 minutes of trekking, we reached Vyas Gufa. There is a lifesize image of Veda Vyasar. Veda Vyasar was an amsam of Lord Vishnu and it was he who compiled the Vedas and 18 puranas at this place. We were prohibited from using Camcorder . He narrated the following incident to a group of devotees who had assembled there. Veda Vyasar wanted a person who could write Mahabharatham to which Vinayakar agreed. Ganesh laid down the condition that the sage should uninterruptedly recite the Mahabharatham and Veda Vyasar laid down the condition that he wouldn’t repeat anything and Ganesh was supposed to repeat and write. This cave is situated near the starting point of River Saraswathi. This river was flowing with a roaring sound, which was disturbing the sage. Hence, he cursed Saraswathi that she has to disappear from that place. River Saraswathi repented for her folly and begged the sage to revoke the curse. Veda Vyasar said that she would become invisible in the nearby surrounding areas and flow as underground river by mingling with other rivers. At this place, River Saraswathi mingles with Alakananda and this place is known as “KESHAV PRAYAG
Bought a soft drink bottle for my daughter from the nearby last Indian Tea shop.
Ganesh gufa: It is 5 minutes of trekking from Vyas Gufa. There is a small shrine of Vinayakar/Ganesh. It was here that Vinayakar wrote Mahabharatham by using his tusk, which was dictated by Veda Vyasar.
In the evening, we went to the temple and had a wonderful darshan. Brahmakapalam is at the northern side of the temple ( few minutes walk from the temple). In the night we had Gujarati food in a hotel.
On 30th Sep 2009, morning we went to the bus stop at 5.30 am for our return journey. We purchased some shawls from Badrinath and Pandukeshwar.
After crossing Hanuman Chatti, the bus reached Joshirmutt around 8.00 am. Joshirmutt is a small town with a continuous flow of pilgrims. We didn’t visit Narasimhar temple here.
On the way, we decided to get down at Rishikesh instead of Haridwar. Mr.Narayana from Hyderabad who was with us during Badri trip suggested us to stay in Andhra Ashram. Andhra ashram is run by Thirumalai Tirupati Devasthanam, and houses two temples as well and is on the main road. We reached Rishikesh at 5.30 P.M. Checked in the room (Room No. 8). The room rent per day is Rs.50/-. As we opted for VIP room, we had to pay Rs.100/- as room rent. The advantage is you get a furnished room with geyser facility . There is a temple of Lord Srinivasar just beside the guesthouse and here all the sevas, aaradhanais are done exactly as in Tirumala. After refreshing ourselves, we went to temple to attend the evening pooja at 5 P.M. Divya Prabhandam was being recited. TTD also maintains a Saivaite temple which is beside Andhra ashram. Every morning at 5 , the Lord is awakened with the recitation of Suprabhatham. Thomala Seva follows this seva at 6 A.M. During this seva, the utsava vigraham “Bhoga Srinivasar” is given Thirumanjanam (holy bath), flowers are adorned to the Moolavirat while reciting Thiruppavai; Sahasranaama Archana is performed to Lord and this seva is followed by Saatrumarai at 7 A.M. As in Tirumala, the Saivaite priest recites Suprabhatham and Archanai. This priest is also in charge of the Shiva temple, which is maintained by TTD. Another priest aged about 60 who is exclusively employed for reciting Naalayira Divya Prabhandham recites Thiruppavai. After Suprabhatham, the Lord enjoys Annamacharya kirthanas played with the help of Naadaswaram( The tickets for all the above sevas is Rs.5/- per head per seva. The second Saatrumarai is at 11 A.M. and after this, the temple is closed. The rate for bhogam (offering) starts from Rs.250/-) We were told that even the proportion of ingredients for cooking prasadams are followed exactly as in Tirumala.The temple re-opens at 4 P.M. Daily divya prabhandham is recited in the evenings. Ekantha Seva is the best seva and the last seva in the evening . Like in Tirumala, during this sevai, all the flower garments are removed and lullaby annamaya kirtanas are played by the troup. I request the pilgrims visiting Badrinath to spend atleast a day in this temple and attend all the sevas . The phone number is 0135-2430353
RISHIKESH:
Situated at a distance of 24 kms from Haridwar, this is a busy town
with floating population of piligrims and tourists as this is the starting point to go to Chaar dhams (4 holy places-namely, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, Yamunotri) and other nearby hill stations. It is world famous as the abode of saints and rishis. As Raibhya rishi did penance here, this place has come to be known as “RISHIKESH”. This forms part of Dehradun district. Muni Ki Reeti where many ashrams are found forms part of Rishikesh. This comes under their Garhwal Administration. Few areas come under Pauri Garhwal Administration.
There are many places of interest in Rishikesh-Triveni ghat , Gita
Bhavan, Kanva rishi Ashram, Neelkant Parvath, Kunja Puri, Vashista guha, Swarg Ashram, Pushkar temple,Bharat Temple, Lakshman Jhoola and temple of Lakshman attached to it, Ram Jhoola, Baba Kambilivaala Ashram, Bhairav temple, Kali temple etc and many ashrams like Hare Krishna Ashram, Swami Chinmayananda Ashram, Sivananda Ashram etc.
The following are places on the way and we have not visited:
1. MAKAR VAAHINI GANGA MAIYA TEMPLE: This is a temple dedicated to Ganga river. At Haridwar and Rishikesh, it is Ganga who is worshipped by everyone. Makaram (crocodile) is the
vaahanam of Ganges and hence she is known by this name. Other
temples for Lord Radha-Krishna, Sita-Rama, Shiv-Parvathi etc. is
being constructed.
2. RADHA KRISHNA TEMPLE: Here, apart from the main idol, there are idols of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Vivekananda, Ganesh, Durga, Vishnu-Lakshmi, Brahma- Saraswathi,Ram,Sita,Hanumar, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Kabirdas, Shiv-Parvathi, Buddha, Guru Nanak, Garib Acharya, Adi Sankaracharya, Sant Gneya Acharya, Ramadas. Outside the temple on either sides there are idols of Shiv-Ganga, Vishnu-Lakshmi,Meera-Krishna , Hanumar etc. This temple is situated on the way to Lakshman Jhoola.
3. LAKSHMAN TEMPLE: To atone for the Brahma hathi dosham by killing Indrajit during war, Lakshmana , brother of Rama , did
penance at this place. Hence, there is a temple dedicated to him
and the swing is named after him.
4. SACHA AKILESHWAR MAHADEV TEMPLE: Temple dedicated to Shiva built by Sage Sacha . Hence, named so. The height of the gigantic lingam is 11 ft 11 inch tall and its breadth is 6 feet. Around the lingam, there are idols of Sita Ram, Radha Krishna, Karthikeyan (Murugan), Durga, Shiv Parvathi, Vinayaka. Outside there are idols of Lakshmi Narayana and Shiva Parvathi.
5. RUDRAKSH MUSEUM: This is a state owned museum. Here, all types of rudraksham, spatikam, nava ratna gems etc are sold.
LAKSHMAN JHOOLA: This is at a distance of 3 kms from Rishikesh. Previously, this way was used by pilgrims going by foot to cross the bridge. British built this hanging bridge made of jute ropes in 1889 to help the piligrims cross over Ganges. It was rebuilt later with iron ropes and concrete. The artistic construction of this bridge by engineers needs appreciation. Though there are other bridges like the ones in Ram Jhoola, and at Prayags, the engineering skill needs to be appreciated. We can find vendors selling Machali “Pori” for a rupee, which is thrown in the river for fishes to swallow. Now, pedestrians, 2 wheelers, horses etc use their bridge. Near this there are temples for Lord Rama and a recently built 13-storey temple, which houses various Gods and Goddesses. It also has a big shopping complex. This is the main way for people going up the hill and to go to Geeta Ashram and
Swarg Ashram.
Geeta Ashram run by Geeta Press,Gorakhpur the publishers of spiritual magazines like Kalyana Kalpataaru, is worth seeing. There are lovely inscriptions from Ramayanam and Mahabharatham.
After crossing Lakshman Jhoola, we walked to go to Ram Jhoola. On the way, we visited Swarg Ashram built by a saint named Baba Kaali Kambiliwaala . Since this place was serene and rishis did penance here, it has been named as Swarg Ashram. Photography is strictly prohibited. Outside this temple there are 2 sculptures, which is worth mentioning. One is that of Lord Rama giving His paduka to Bharath and the other one is of Ganga seated on a crocodile.
Ram Jhoola is also known as Sivananda Jhoola .It has been named
after Saint Sivananda who was responsible in its construction. This is bigger than Lakshman Jhoola. There are many shops here. You will get delicious foods in restaurants here. Boating services to cross the rivers are also available. We took boating to cross the river and 7-seater auto to go back to Andhra Ashram.
On 02/10/09, we started the day in the Andhra Ashram TTD temple with Abhisekham. In the morning, we visited Bharat temple near Triveni Ghat , which is at Rishikesh and half a kilometer from Andhra Ashram. In the evening at 14.30 hrs we left to Haridwar. We skipped the evening aarthi as Ganga is taken up for cleaning and we were told that new water will be flowing from Diwali onwards. We visited Mansadevi temple in the evening at 17.00 hrs, which is detailed earlier. We had very good south Indian Hyderabad food at Hotel Sri Dakshin.
On 3/10/09, we went to Beema goda to see the ISKCON Guest House as I am a Life patron. The facilities or cleanliness are not even upto the Indian conditions forget about the International Standards. In the evening we boarded the train Ahmedabad Mail at 15.25 hrs and reached Ahmedabad on 04/10/2009 at 18.30 hrs.
IT WAS ONLY DUE TO THE ABUNDANT GRACE OF PERUMAL, WE
COULD VISIT THE HOLY PLACES WITHOUT ANY HINDRANCE.
WE FELL AT THE LOTUS FEET OF THE DIVYA DAMPADHIGAL FOR
GRACING US.
SARVAM SRI NARAYANAYETHE SAMARPAYAAMI
N.R.V.APPASAMY
V.JEYALAKSHMI
V.VISHWASHRISAIRAM
V.VISWARAJE
