Dev prayag - close up of Alaknanda & Bhagirati confluence - where from holy River Ganga flows
Having enjoyed the serene Ganga aarti on the banks of the
holy River in Rishikesh the night before, we were all geared up for our day’s
journey heading for our next destination i.e. Syalsaur, which was to remain our
base camp of sort for exploring some destinations nearby.
Beyond Rishikesh - view of Ganga River valley - shot in 2001 (using Yaschica FX2000 SLR)
Beyond Rishikesh - view of Ganga River valley - shot in 2018 (using Nikon D5300 DSLR)
We commenced with our journey at around 8.00 A.M in the
morning after partaking our Breakfast.The weather was clear and the winter sun was bright, its warmth was
cushioning in the cold morning air.The
journey towards the destination runs along the holy River Ganga and its scenic
beauty can mesmerize and rejuvenate any tormented soul.Although the road requires some repairs, but
apparently the tree cutting spree all along the road i.e. National Highway 58
indicates that it will be done alongwith the proposed widening, for
construction of all-weather road in the region, for connecting the Chardham
destinations.I was traversing this road
almost after ten long years and there has been a tremendous increase in building
activity all along the road, but it still retains it old charm of being a
picturesque valley.
Rafting in Ganga River
Close up of Ganga River
Devprayag
is situated at a distance of 70 odd kilometres from Rishikesh and as I had
instructed the driver to keep a steady pace, so that we could imbue the scenic
fragrance of the hills, we expected to reach the destination in about two
hours’ time.Devprayag is a small town snuggled amidst three mountains, whose peaks
are considered sacred, named Giddhanchal
Parvat, Dashrathanchal Parvat, and Narsinghancal Parvat. Giddhanchal Parvat is
on top of Raghunnath Ji temple. Narsinghanchal Parvat is in front of
Giddhanchal Parvat and Dashrathanchal Parvat is on top right side of
"Sangam". Devprayag is one of the five prayags that dot
the holy River Ganga and the first one while headings from the plains towards
the mountains. Perched at an altitude of about 472 meters, Devprayag is
a small but religiously significant township in the Tehri District of
Uttarakhand. Devprayag, as the name suggests and literal translation would be
‘God’s confluence’, is the site of the confluence of the two rivers -
Bhagirathi and Alakananda and from thence it flows out of as the sacred river
Ganga. The
Alaknanda flows from the left, and is an eye-catching shade of light blue or a
powder blue from Badrinath side; whereas the Bhagirathi is of a light shade of
green that flows in from Gangotri. However, the colours change with the change of
weather and the colours seem to alternate.
Meandering in the upper reaches - Ganga River
Panoramic view of the Ganga River valley
Devprayag is also otherwise a
significant township, as all the pandas
of Sri Badrinath temple hail from this town. Most of the pandas are Bramhins
and are scholars in Vedic scriptures. Their knowledge of Sanskrit comes
as a family inheritance from times immemorial. A local pandit called Sri
Chakradhar Joshi had established an elaborate observatory known as Vidya
Mandir. This institute is considered to be the seat for astronomical and
astrological learning in this area. The observatory has a library with a
collection of large number of ancient texts and books and hand written
manuscripts dealing with subjects of ancient learnings. This
observatory is open to visitors during particular timings during the day, but
is at end of a steep climb upwards and hence not for the faint hearted souls.Devprayag
is 47 Kms from Pauri, 74 Kms from Rishikesh, 80 Kms from New Tehri, 93 Kms from
Haridwar, 112 Kms from Dehradun, 150 Kms from Kotdwara, 230 Kms from Ranikhet,
303 Kms from Nainital,322 Kms from Kathgodam
A village perched atop a hill side
Devprayag finds mention in mythological
texts also and according to the Ramayana, Lord Rama and King Dasharatha did
penance at Devpraryag, to relieve themselves of their sins of Brahmahatya. It
is also believed that the Pandavas also performed ablutions at Devprayag before
visiting Badrinath to attain salvation, during their journey towards heaver
through Swargarohini valley.The
religious significance of Devprayag is further enhanced, as according to the Vaishnavism,
Devprayag is one among the 108 Divya Desams or the sacred abodes of Lord
Vishnu. Devprayag holds the fifth place among the five sacred river confluences
or the Panch Prayag, the other four being Vishnu Prayag, Nand Prayag, Karn
Prayag and Rudra Prayag. The piousness of Devprayag is considered equivalent to
the Triveni Sangam located at Allahabad.
Panoramic view of Devprayag - shot in 2001 (using Yaschica FX2000 SLR)
Panoramic view of Devprayag - shot in 2018 (using Nikon D5300 DSLR)
Devprayag houses many temples
within its precincts and the temple of Raghunathji is dedicated to lord Rama.
The temple is claimed to be 10,000 years old. It is one of the oldest existing
temples of India. Raghunathji temple is built of huge stones, meticulously
placed one over the other, in a pyramid shape. The temple was destroyed during
an earthquake in 1803, and was later rebuilt by Daulat Rao Scindia. The temple
compound also hosts Annapurna Devi temple, Hanuman temple, Shankaracharya
temple and Garud temple.Another temple is
of Chandrabadani, which is dedicated to the Goddess of power. As per legends,
Sati, a consort of Shiva, who had committed suicide due to insults heaped on
Lord Shiva by her father and Lord Shiva had picked up her body and started the
tandava, the dance of destruction.Finding no other way to stop Lord Shiva, the Gods decided to decimate
the body of Sati into pieces, as the Gods cut off her body parts, her torso fell
at this place. Her weapons got scattered in the locality. There are some old
statues and lots of iron trishuls (tridents) outside the temple. A fine view of
the Sirkanda, Kedarnath and Badrinath peaks can be enjoyed from here.The other main temple is that of Dashrathshila,
which is supposed to be the place where Dashrath, father of lord Rama,
performed penance. A small water stream, Shanta, is named after the daughter of
Dashratha. The seat of Dashrath is one a small hillock called Dashrathachal
Peak.Besides these temples, there are
many other smaller temples, like the Baital Kund, Brahm Kund, Surya Kund,
Vashisth Kund, the Indradyumna Tirth, Pushyamal Tirth, Varah Tirth,
Pushpavatika, Baitalshila, Varahishila, the shrines of Bhairava, Bhushandi,
Durga and Vishveshvara, and a temple dedicated to Bharata. A bath at
Baithalshila is claimed to cure leprosy.
