Towards Badrinath

Chardham Badrinath - the holiest of the shrines (Part I)

The four dhams that comprise the 'Chardham yatra' are - Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath & Badrinath. I have already covered the visit to the first three dhams which were covered by me during June, 2007 itself. As regards Badrinath, I had visited the place way back in 2001 in my Maruti 800 car, which I found to be equal to the task entrusted to it. The ideal window for visiting any of the four dhams is the first fortnight of June or last week of May. Accordingly, I had visited Badrinath during the second & third week of June in 2001.

The best part of the journey to Badrinath is the fact that the road leads right upto to the temple door with hardly ten minutes walk from the designated parking area across Alaknanda and therefore, the old and weak also can perform this leg of journey without any difficulty. The distance from Delhi to Badrinath is about 575 Kms. and should be taken up in three stages but many tend to do it at single strech or at best in two parts. But the most comfortable, if you have ample time in your handsand if you break up the journey into three parts. We started from Delhi at around 5.00 A.M. and after usual break at Cheetal Grand, Khatauli for morning b'fast reached Rishikesh at around 12.00 noon. We had made booking in the paid dharamshala of 'Baba Kali Kamli Wale', who have an elaborate network of dharamsalas all through the route to all the dhams. The facility of a double bed room with attached bath was provided @ Rs.150/- per day during 2001, which now stands revised to Rs.600/- to Rs.900/- per day as on date. The distance covered between Delhi to Rishikesh is approximately 260 Kms. Apart from this the 'Gharwal Mandal Vikas Nigam' also have a elaborate network of tourist bunglows/rest houses/hotels etc. Rishikesh has many small places around to be explored and one can go though my travelogue posted, specifically covering Rishikesh & around -

View of Rishikesh acrossRam Jhoola -

After staying overnight at Rishikesh, we started early next morning towards Rudraprayag our next stop over which is at a distance of 139 Kms. from Rishikesh. Having passed Rishikesh, the scenic beauty of the Ganges valley upwards of Rishikesh was mesmerizing and this being my first visit to Uttaranchal, I was awestruck by the natures marvel -

Ganga upstream Rishikesh -

Another view of Ganga upstream Rishikesh -

Bridge connecting village on otherside - upstream Rishikesh

Having travelled around 70 Kms. upstream of Rishikesh we reached Deoprayag, which is birth place of river Ganga, as it is known and is the confluence of rivers Bhagirathi (emnating from Kedarnath) & Alaknanda (emnating from Badrinath). As per Hindu mythology, in case one performs the water abolution for one's ancestors at Deo prayag, he quenches their eternal thirst and is not required to perform the ceremony for his ancestors during is life time. Although the climb down to Deo prayag is very steep but we made it to the base of the confluence for offering puja there -

Birds eye view of the Deoprayag -

Deoprayag - the confluence - observe muddy Alaknanda on your left & clear Bhagirathi on your right -

However, during my current visit I was totally disappointed, as the flow of mighty Bhagirathi has become a trickle now, due to the construction of dam at tehri. It was god's will that I experienced the river in its hey days, in all its' might & fury. After performing the puja we trudged back to our car and the climb was hard and ardous. Since almost four hours had lapsed between the time we left Rishikesh till we finished our Puja at Deoprayag. Fatigued & famished we headed for the nearest eating joint for having light refreshments. The next stage of the journey took us to Srinagar which is another 35 Kms. from Deoprayag and enroute we stopped at many places to pay our homage to the wonder of nature.

How green is my valley - beyond Deoprayag

The river valley at Srinagar, Gharwal

As stated above, since we were frolicking around and enjoying the imbibing the natures' spirit, stopping where ever and when ever we came across a natures' jewel, by the time we reached Srinagar it was past lunch time and we had our hearts fill at one of the many small resturants/dhabas that the lined across the road side. The place has become very congested now, as compared tomy visit in 2001. Having had our lunch we launched ourselves for the last leg for the day i.e. Rudraprayag, which is another 34 Kms. ahead of Srinagar. Rudraprayag is the confluence of rivers Mandakini (from Kedarnath) and river Alaknanda (from Badrinath).

Rudraprayag panorama - road leads to Kedarnath from opposite side -

A closer view of Rudraprayag confluence -

Close-up view of the confluence at Rudraprayag - observe clear blue water of Mandakini (flowing from Kedarnath) on upper side and muddy water of Alaknanda (flowing from Badrinath) below -

Thedinconjured up by the roaring waterat the base of the prayag is stupendous and it is difficult to communicate even after shouting aloud due theenormouscrashing soundcreated by the roaring waters. The dharmashala where we put up was just above the prayag and we imbibed the nature's gift to the hilt. After a good nights rest we again started for the final stretch of the journey to Badrinath early next morning. The road upwards of of Rudraprayag gains height quickly but the views of the river valley upstream becomes more enchanting the mesmerizing -

View of river valley Alaknanda upstream Rudraprayag - This stretch is really mesmerizing & picturesque -

Having passed Rudraprayag, our next stop over was Karnaprayag having passed though Gholtir(10 Kms. from Rudraprayag) & Gaucher (20 Kms. from Rudraprayag).Karnprayag is another confluence of Pindar Ganga (flowing from Pindari glacier) and Alaknanda at a distance of 31 Kms. from Rudraprayag. As there was some bridge construction work under progress, I could not get a very good shot of the prayag, but I got on roof top of a house nearby and shot a picture and am posting the same, as I do not have a better photograph and I beleive in the philosophy that 'something is better than nothing'.

Part view of Karnaprayag - confluence of Pindar Ganga & Alaknanda

After having some light refreshments at Karnaprayg, we pushed forward and reached Nand prayag at a distance of 22 kms. from Karnprayag and is the meeting point or confluence ofNandakini (flowing from Nanda devi) & Alaknanda.

Close up of Nandakini (flowing from Nanda Devi peak) & Alaknanda - at Nandprayag

Thereafter, passing through Chamoli, Birahi, Pipalkoti, Garur Ganga, Tangani & Helang we reached Joshimath at around 1.00 P.M. At this junction the traffic going uphill & those coming downhill from Badrinath is controlled, since the roads are very narrow and only one way traffic is permitted. This excercise is again repeated at Govindghat also, wherefrom some of thepilgrims & tourists head towards Hemkunt sahib & Valley of flowers respectively.

View of distant Vishnu prayag down below in valley from Joshimath - confluence of Dhauli ganga & Alaknanda -

View of Alaknanda from Govindghat -

Having had our lunch at Joshimath we embarked upon the final stretch of journey towards Badrinath at 2.00 P.M when the gates were thrown open to the uphill bound traffic. After traversing a distance of 20 Kms. odd we reached Govindghat and again waited there for the downhill traffic to pass. Thereafter, after negotiating a stiff climb with very adverse slope gradient, we passed through Pandukeshwar, Hanumanchatti and Deo Darshani and having traversed a distance of 28 Kms. from Govindghat finally reached the abode of lord Badrinath at around 4.30 P.M. in the evening (covering a distance of 159 Kms. from Rudraprayag). However, the sceinc beauty across this stretch was another of the natures' marvellous architecture -

Snow bound - glaciers close-up above high mountains beyond Gaurikund

(All my photographs have been shot by manual SLR camera using appropriate lenses as required - however,in certain photographs there are vertical lines which are a result of the scanning done by me.)

Next part of the travelogue shall constitute the visit to the famed shrine as well as surrounding spots - I stayed at Badrinath for three days.

Chardham Yatra - Yamunotri - Journey ahead of final destination

Chardham Yatra - Yamunotri

Panoramic view of Yamuntori temple

Day 1 of journey -

     The first stage of my Chardham yatra took me to Yamunotri and it took three days to complete this part of the Yatra. We started early in the morning from Delhi on 3rd June, 2007 in personal Vehicle and traversed the distance upto Rishikesh which is approximately 257 Kms. from Delhi. Enroute we stopped for b'fast at Cheetal Grand at Khatauli which has become a landmark in itself but the ambiance & food is worth appreciating and speaks out for itself.

Golden Pheasant in an enclosure at Cheetal Grand, Khatauli

       We reached Rishikesh late in the afternoon as we were caught in a very unpleasant traffic jam due to some procession, coupled with heavy yatra traffic and railway crossings. The journey from Haridwar to Rishikesh which is usually completed in half an hour took us two & half hours to complete. Exhausted and famished we checked into the Gharwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN for short) managed hotel, booking for which had been done by me almost three months in advance. Room rents in GMVN managed hotels/rest house/tourist bunglows range from Rs.150/- per day for dormitory upto Rs.800/- depending upon the type of accommodation booked, the details are available at - https://gmvnonline.com/. Having rested and refreshed ourselves, we moved to the Laxman Jhula to enjoy the evening aarti at the banks of river Ganga.

Ganga Aarti at Triveni Ghat, Rishikesh

Having watched the Aarti and made some local purchases we moved back to the Hotel to have our dinner early as the next day involved one of the longest driving streches (One can read my travelouge in respect of Rishikesh & Haridwar posted in this very site). I have uploaded pictures & videos related to the visit have been posted by me at the sitecommunity.webshots.com/user/srb810. To watch the video one can also click on the link - 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48Av2e2wt2s.

Day 2 of the Journey -

Early next morning i.e. on 4th June, 2007 we started at 5.30 A.M. from Rishikesh for our next destination Hanumanchatti which is at a distance of 209 Kms. from Rishikesh. There are very rough stretches of roads enroute as one nears Hanumanchatti and therefore the average speed finally comes to around 25 Kms. per hour only. Persons with Vertigo & hill sickness are best advised to take up this stretch at two steps, with first step culminating at either Chinyalisaur or Dharasu. The road makes a steep climb from Rishikesh and as you move away and get at a higher elevation, Rishikesh appears distant and mythical.

Rishikesh view from road above

Rishikesh view from road above

      Gradually as we move upwards meadering through the hills, the first township that one passes is Narendranagar, which is a quaint old place that has become very over crowded over the years. Having passed Narendranagar, we had started feeling pangs of hunger and breakfast was due. We stopped at a small motel at Kantal just short of Chamba.

Kantal near Chamba - View of back side of the restaurant

Having had our breakfast we proceeded ahead and after having passed many small hamlets and a heritage hotel on the way, we reached Chamba.

Chamba township as seen from a distance

The township is now bristling with building activity all around and has become a very very congested area. Having crossed Chamba as we made our progress downhill we found a lot of children selling fresh ripe apricots and the orchards bearing peaches as well as walnuts were visible all around.

Apricots, fresh ripe apricots all around

Having gorged ourselves with delightful apricots & plums we continued our journey and the next pictorially visible sight was that of the Tehri dam reservoir.

View of Tehri dam reservoir - having blocked mighty Bhagirathi

Going past delightful green fields with breathtaking step-cultivation we reached Chinyalisaur just before Dharasu bend. Chinyalisaur is right below in the Valley and altitude is about only 700 meters odd. It is a very small township or best a big hamlet but boasts of a filling station which is a rare commodity in the hills.

River flowing by at Chilyanisaur

Having got past Chinyalisaur we reached Dharasu bend which is the cross road for travelling towards Barkot or Uttarkashi. In case one wants to travel towards Yamunotri he will have to take the road leaving for Barkot or else road towards Uttarkashi to proceed towards Gangotri. This is a very small hamlet with a few shops doing bristling business placed strategically on the road side. Having refreshed ourselves with cold drinks and ladies with paan, we proceeded towards the Barkot road to reach our destination.

Passing by Barkot

Just after crossing Barkot the road becomes rough and unstable in many areas with miles long streches of unprepared roads with roads signs warning of impending land/stone slides. The journey had become tortorous by now as the kids & ladies had got hill sick both because of the long journey and with this kind of road at the fag end of the day and every passing minute was becoming unbearable. Finally we reached Syanachatti almost in the vicinity of our destination.

View of river Yamuna at Syanachati

At Syanachatti some entries were made by the Police officials and thereafter we started for the final run for the day and reached Hanumanchatti at around 5.00 P.M a tortorous 11 hours run. We were famished and having checked into the GMVN run rest house we immediately launched into the food orderd.

Yamuna at Hanumanchatti as viewed from GMVN rest house at Hanumanchatti

After taking early dinner and retired for the day under cover of the quilt for a quiet nights sleep as next day was to be another adventure in waiting.