Me and the Mountains.
It was another short yet sublime trip.
No matter how many times I write about the mountains, it satisfies me every single time. So we were going yet again to the Land of Gods- Uttarakhand. Generally, the itinerary goes from my home in Delhi to my hometown in Uttarakhand. But this time, I went to a famous temple.
The place is called the Kaichi Dham, one of the famous spots in Uttarakhand. It is famous for Neem Karoli Baba, a saint who built the place. Some big names like Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Page, Jeffery Skoll, and Virat Kohli have visited the place. People believe that the sacred temple has some extraordinary power that fulfills all the wishes the devotees ask for.
It was a flying visit. Me and my father went to the place and were back in a single day. It took us around 26 hours for the whole trip.
My father had a week off and we were ready on Wednesday evening. The place is around 350 km from Delhi. We took the state roadways bus around 8 p.m. And around 2 a.m. we had covered 300 kms.
It was time to change the bus and reach the destination. For the remaining part, we started at 4 a.m. and reached the place at 5: 30 a.m.
The second part of our journey had the plains gradually disappearing and the hills slowly ascending. There were two more guys on the bus for the same place. They were going to the mountains for the first time. The hills amazed them and they were busy with photography for the whole trip. I fell asleep on the window seat and woke up right at the destination.
The moment we took our first step out of the bus, we could feel the drop in the temperature. It was cold. My father and I were accustomed to this weather, but the other two were shivering from the cold. However, they were glad to find winters in May.
In May, when Delhi struggles with heat waves, the hills are having a pleasing winter. Every single passenger that had reached in the morning was very excited. And why they shouldn’t be? The hills are there to amaze you with their beautiful and chilled environment. And they tried to capture the moment on their mobile phones. And this is probably what everyone would have got…
And now, it was time to find a vacant hotel room. Everybody was busy asking the hotel owners and we were also doing the same but all the hotels were closed or fully occupied. After a while, we found a house that provided the basic amenities of bathing and washroom. They were charging a few bucks for the facilities.
Everybody took a bath and was ready to visit the temple. The two guys were feeling cold and had their jackets on. Me and father were roaming in T-shirts. It was cold yet enjoyable. As the day moves on, the sun clears the foggy mornings with its bright and warm sunshine.
Inside the temple were the idols of various gods and goddesses. The photography is strictly prohibited. But the atmosphere inside is worth mentioning. It was peaceful. As you enter the temple, you are taken to a queue. People in the queue first revolved around the sanctum, having idols of different gods, offering offerings to the priests, and wishing for their well-being. Some bags were kept in the sitting area, that had books. The books had the different hymns and poems devoted to the Gods.
People took the books sat at a place and chanted the various hymns. There was no time bounding, you can read as many times for as long as possible. The temple is dedicated to Lord Hanumana (The Monkey God). We also sat down and read some of the books for a while.
As you look up, you see yourself surrounded by trees. The big, empty, open area inside the temple was a great place for meditation also. Some were doing some were not. After that, it was time for the morning prayer, and everybody stood up and participated, although some were still engaged in their chanting.
The prayer was done and we took some photos after exiting the temple. Although it was early morning, the crowd was big enough to fill the temple area.
There was a stream flowing nearby. So we went there also for a while. It was a small stream, and the water was too low for swimming. After that, we had our breakfast and took the bus for our return. By the night, we were back in Delhi. The trip had served its purpose, and the mountains did their magic again, and we were rejuvenated.
