How Climbing 7 Hills Reshaped My Life

I spontaneously responded “yes”, when a friend of mine asked me to join him on a trek to the seven hills of Velliangiri in Coimbatore. I honestly didn’t know what I had signed up for, but my adventurous spirit said I should try it.

As a child, I had gone on treks with the boy scouts’ club, and later in life, for leisure treks with friends and families. So, I thought, how bad could it be? Moreover, it had always been on my wish list.

Every year, I challenge myself to take on at least one activity I haven’t tried before… Little did I know, this trek would almost change the shape of my destiny!

Standing shirtless waiting for alms

The trek comprised of a 42-day ritual that starts in your home with a few yoga practices every day. During these 42 days, you have to wear light-coloured clothing, bathe in a certain way, and regulate your eating hours and dietary consumption.

You also have to wear sacred beads around your neck and a black cloth on your arm. The most challenging task of the 42-days is to ask for alms, from 21 unknown people, standing shirtless in a crowded place, like a temple or market.

Eating two meals a day, and getting up before sunrise, was not new to me, what was difficult was taking offerings from people in a shirtless state. I could not even fathom why this process was important to climb hills! I was told that it would help us understand the end purpose of the trek better.

As I stood shirtless in front of my neighbourhood temple, I got restless…

Soon people realised what I was standing there for, and came forward with offerings. All the alms would eventually be donated toward the food for the Mahashivratri day celebrations at the ashram, which is attended by thousands of people.

While standing there, waiting for alms, many barriers broke within me .

I let go of any sense of ego. As I stood there chanting, people made their offerings, and I expressed my gratitude by bowing down to them. The whole act was humbling and left tears in my eyes.

This was perhaps the beginning of what was in store for me — a complete breaking down of my personality as I knew it…a start of something new.

Trekking into the unknown

The day finally arrived when I departed for the ashram, located on the foothills of Velliangiri.

We began our preparations to trek the night before Mahashivratri. A few thousand people had gathered together at the base of the mountains, all eager to touch the seventh hill.

The Velliangiri hills have immense spiritual significance. They are considered as the Mount Kailash of southern India. Once you reach the summit on the seventh hill, you can take blessings from a temple where Lord Shiva is worshipped in the form of Swayambhu, or the ‘self-created one’.

The trek seemed ominous to say the least.

We all had to go barefoot and shirtless, with only a bamboo stick in our hands. I was flooded with apprehension and self-doubt, but the people around me were ecstatic, chanting and making offerings before they set out.

Thousands of locals and visitors undertake this trek every year.

Arrangements are made for their boarding and lodging. The trek starts at nine on the eve of Mahashivratri, and culminates on the morning of the festival.

I was already sleep deprived when I reached the ashram, and was wondering how I would trek the hills in the dark, through the night.

The trek started at a Shiva temple on the foothills. As it was a protected area, we had to go through security checks by the forest department, before ascending the hills.

And, so the trek began…

The first hill was crossed in complete darkness, just a torch on the tops of our heads to light the way. Big rocky uneven steps were traversed with much difficulty.

We kept on walking non-stop for an hour, and finally saw the vast distance we had covered after the first hill… We could also see the lights of the town below us.

The mind and body started turning against me

As we continued, the climb became more and more difficult… The rocks became more uneven, and at times we were almost climbing at a 75 degree angle.

We had carried enough water for the way, but after four hours and the fourth hill, I was bone tired and completely lost my smile. Though, I could still see people trekking barefoot with smiles on their faces.

I wasn’t even halfway!

I was suddenly filled with anger and questioned myself as to why I was there, and why I got convinced into doing the trek. All this while, I had thought I had reached a place of peace, thanks to my spiritual practices…but, here I was feeling emotions of anger consume me once again.

I was being tested spiritually.

That’s when I realised that the preparations of the last 42 days were done to deal with precisely this moment of emotional drain — when you think you can’t go on, but push yourself to continue with joy and peace, rather than anger and frustration.

On reaching the sixth hill, I could see people on the seventh hill go up and down like a colony of ants. I had almost given up, but the idea of a small pond of water on the hill, where people take a dip and get energised, seemed like motivation enough.

By this time, I was not only wondering how I would get up the seventh hill, but also how I would make the journey back to the ashram. I was tempted to turn back, but something within kept me going.

My legs were also beginning to give way, and the steep climb of the seventh hill, with no railing on either side, made it even more dangerous…

One wrong step and I would be gone forever!

All my thoughts vanished when I finally reached the seventh hill. After eight full hours of non-stop trekking, I made it to the top — an energy unlike any I’ve experienced before!

Every night sees a new sunrise

On the hill, there was a small temple where people were made offerings, and a spot that was believed to have been the location where a sage once left his body after mastery over his seven chakras.

Meditators sat absorbing the energy, and some also lay in shavasana (corpse pose), surrendering themselves completely to Mother Earth… I stayed at the peak for an hour and watched the gorgeous sunrise.

We had climbed up to 5,000 ft nearly, and covered nine kms, a daunting task even for someone who walks and jogs regularly! I was no longer angry, but my legs were in pain, and I wondered how I would make it back down.

As the sunrise began, I could see how much we had climbed.

I watched every hill we had crossed — an unreal distance to have covered! I took in the spectacular natural beauty of the place, and the low clouds that felt like we were touching them.

With that calm strength from nature, I started my descend down the hills.

I was running out of water, and didn’t have much to eat, but a few fresh lime vendor stalls en route kept us going.

The journey down seemed like an endless one…

Finally, after the fourth hill we could see villages again and hear temple bells, a relief to us all. We also passed a forest covering that protected us from the scorching heat.

We eventually reached the foothills, and made our way back to the ashram. The process was culminated with a dip in a holy pond, and by tying the black sacred cloth on our arms to a tree.

Re-engineer yourself from within

There was so much I learned from this trek, and some lessons relate directly to my Master’s oft-repeated words:

1. I am responsible for everything: While trekking, the anger and pain were unbearable, and I started blaming everyone around me. Soon I realised that the decision to trek was mine, and I was completely responsible for it.
2. I am a mother to this world: Walking down the hills, every stone felt like a part of God. With that approach, my steps became gentler, as I realised that I too have to protect the earth, like a mother protects her child.
3. My rules are my rules and no one else’s — I gained more clarity and confidence after the trek — I figured that if I put my mind to something, I could definitely achieve it… All I had to do was create my own set of rules and follow them.
4. This is the only moment you can be in — In that excruciating pain, I could have easily missed absorbing the energy of the place. But I corrected my approach in time, and encouraged myself to enjoy the moment, without worrying about anything else.
5. I am not the body, I am not the mind — If it were only for the body and mind, perhaps I would have given up at some point during the trek. But the presence of a certain life force keeps you going at all times, and that is what we learn from these journeys.

I may never repeat the trek, but memories of it will stay with me forever. The act of asking for alms removed the chip from my shoulder, and made it lighter and easier for me to climb the hill, while the trek showed me how to overcome physical, mental and emotional barriers within me…

With this realisation, I returned home to my daughter — perhaps, a more humble father…a more compassionate human being!

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