Trek To Divinity

 JAI SHRIKHAND MAHADEV 

Shrikhand peak is the abode of Lord Shiva situated alongside Great Himalayan National Park in the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh. Despite its closeness to the National Park it is approachable through Shimla district. Shrikhand Mahadev is a naturally rock made Shivalingam  which is 72 feet high. It is at a height of 5227 meters and holds a legend that when Lord Shiva granted Bhasmasur his wishes after his long and hard meditation, of burning anyone on whom he will lay his hand upon, he tried to burn Bholenath itself as he thought that who else is better than Lord Shiva to test your powers. So he ran behind Bholenath and Shiva in turn ran towards the Shrikhand peak and he entered the so called Shivalingam or Shilla atop the mountain to hide from the demon.Seeing all this mata Parvati cried and her tears fell near the Shivalingam and formed a pond known as Nainsarovar. Vishnu was watching all this and seeing mata Parvati crying he couldn't  resist and took a shape of a exceedingly beautiful young lady which is known in common as the Mohini roop of Vishnu (The word Mohini itself means hypnotic). Bhasmasur on seeing this lady was awestruck and forgot about Bholenath. Mohini took Bhasmasur to the same place where Shiva fulfilled all his wishes , the trick was that Mohini was dancing and Bhasmasur followed each and every step, so at this point Mohini took her hand on her head and Bhasmasur, all mesmerized by the beautiful lady did the same and was turned to ashes instantaneously. Since, Lord Shiva is said to be residing in the Shivalingam atop the Shrikhand mountain. Even today one is able to see an image of Bholenath in the Shivalingam.     

The trek to Shrikhand Mahadev is arduous, but the arrangements made by locals and organizers (Shrikhand Sewa Dal), as well as the panoramic view along the way make it an exhilarating experience and trust me some things can be felt by being there.

I recently concluded my first yatra to this pilgrimage site of Lord Shiva where I intend to go every year from now on. I was accompanied by three other friends of mine namely Karun,Rohit and Raghav. All of us except Raghav was going for the first time where as it was second time for him. We started on 23rd night from Shimla. All of us gathered in Shimla and after having our dinner hired a taxi for Rampur (120 kms) at around 11 PM. On reaching Rampur we met Rachoo our friend, as it was early 5AM we rested at his place. At around 7-8 AM shops started to open. We started to shop for our basic necessities for the trek which included Maggi, torches, raincoats, first aid kit, chocolates and lots of other energy food. It took us about an hour or two for shopping and filling up our bags which now weigh around 8-10 kgs each. Saying goodbye to Rachoo we left for Baggipul (34 km) at around 11AM. It took us 2 hours by bus to reach Baggipul.

 THE ROAD FROM BAGGIPUL TO JAON

Inquiry there reviled that we were the first one to reach there as the official yatra will commence from the 16th of july, a bit further we met four other persons with bags on their back and trident in their hands. Talking to them we came to know that they were also going for the yatra , so we hired a Bolero Camper for Jaon (7 kms). The driver charged  Rs. 200. These people were from Dalash, a small village near Nirmund in Kullu district itself. They intended to go up till Thachdu and we had different ideas so we parted away once we reached Jaon half an hour later. We had our lunch at Jaon and stayed there for another hour. Later we headed for Singhbad (3kms), the trek was mild and takes you through apple orchards and some last permanent human settlements. Its about an hour walk from Jaon.

          THE LAST PERMANENT HUMAN SETTLEMENT 

For night stay there is tented accommodation as well as a forest hut. But as yatra hadn't started yet we had to stay at a Baba's kutia aur dera. We reached Singhbad at around 4PM and were greeted by the Baba. After formal intro we all settled down. The baba was from Harayana  and was residing there for the last three days with one of his followers. Baba offers free food and shelter for the yatris. At the dusk we heard the voice of  "BUM BHOLE - JAI SHANKER KI" and we saw two men with their backpacks and soon the rest of the group (toli) followed. They were nine in total from the Baggi - Khatrala belt of Shimla district.They were greeted by the baba in the same way as we were. We prepared food for all of us including baba and his chela, the menu consisted of kadi , chawal and roti. After dinner we kept on enchanting the name of lord shiva and went to sleep at around 12 midnight.

We woke up at around 7Am and after completing our morning routine and having morning tea left for Thachdu.  For the first 30 min we were moving on the narrow path along the Shrikhand river. As we reached Barati nalla we noticed the trek now turned into a very steep climb. This steep climb is called Dandidhar (straight as a stick). I asked Raghav if this is how it is going to be for the rest of the way , he informed that it is for few kms. But this was certainly not the case.

A LOCAL MAN ON THE DANDIDHAR

The good thing about Raghav's answer was that he never mentioned the distance. The trek was unlike any other trek I've ever taken before, despite belonging to a hill state it was no piece of cake for any of us. After almost 6 hours of pain staking effort and 9 kms of steep climb we reached Thachdu with numerous insect bites and bruises on the way.The water bottles that we were carrying were all empty at the 3 km mark of the climb and the rest of it was all without water. The only water that we could see was the sweat tripping down our faces and we were desperate for water(Carry as much water as you can on Dandidhar if you are early than the yatra).

THACHDU

In Thachdu local people were setting up tents, but had a problem of water shortage as water has to be brought from the source which was two and a half kms away but anyways our need of water was satisfied with what they had.It was like getting the nector which bestows immortality. We all were exhausted and decided to stay their only.While the local people were busy setting up the tents we lit up the fire and prepared maggi for our self  and trust me maggi has never tasted so good before. In the meanwhile the other toli arrived and they too decided to stay their itself. The weather gods were all happy and the weather was all clear . We got the first glimpses of the Shrikhand peak and it was breathtaking.

    THE LAST RAYS OF SUN ON THE SHIVALINGAM AS SEEN FROM THACHDU

We spent our evening in front of the bonfire with Shrikhand peak in the backdrop, while local people were busy setting up tents and bringing water for us to drink and prepare food. The dinner was just rice with salt and turmeric as the local people were also exhausted by the day long hard work. We slept at around 10PM and it was just a matter of closing your eyes and witin no time we were into deep sleep.

We were refreshed and roaring to go after a good night sleep.To wake up amidst nature in the middle of a jungle is a beautiful feeling.We packed paranthas for our way and decided to stick to the other toli. Again we started moving up the same steep hill and after walking for around 20 min we were out of forest and into the grassland with not even a single tree, it was just unbelievable with an open valley behind and the ridge atop the hill. After walking for around two hours we reached the ridge atop the hill marking the end of dandidhar and the place is called Kalighatti (3904 m) as you can see a mountain of black rock right in front with seven divisions on its face (Thus sometimes called the seven sisters peak) and snow in between, it is said that Kali the Hindu goddess of eternal energy resides there in seven forms :- Mahakali, Nityakali, Bhadrakali,Rakshakali, Bhimachandra, Shayamkali and kalratri.

    THE SEVEN SISTERS PEAK

The view from kalighatti was panoramic with snow clad mountains in front and a lush green valley behind and lush grasslands beneath. We rested for half an hour there. There is a small temple dedicated to Maa kali atop the hill. Now one could see a wide plateau with wild flowers ahead of us. The shivalingam was visible from this point. Now all of us were relieved as now there was a deep narrow gorge to move down and more over now there was no scarcity of water as the natural sources were in plenty with water full of minerals, that tasted great too. It was an hour descend to Bhimtalai where two tents were put up, we had tea and paranthas at this place and rested for an hour.

RESTING IN A TENT AT BHIMTALAI

 Bhimtalai is so called because it is said that bhim used to bathe here. It is also known as kalikund as it is right at the bottom of the seven sisters peak. Although a permanent structure (sarain) was setup here for yatris but it couldn't withstand the harsh weather that this place experiences in winters. One could easily spot the debris of the building on the next hill far - far away.The trek beyond bheemtalai was mild with narrow path, steep falls and numerous water sources. We have to exactly cross 7 hills up and down to reach bheemdwari. As we descended the first hill there was a glacier to cross, as it hasn't receded yet. It was scary, as one has to go through a thin sheet of ice which is moving very slowly with a stick in one hand and the baggage of necessities on your shoulders, with jaw dropping falls in the corner of your eyes. This was just a trailer of what lies ahead. After crossing another 2 hills there is another resting place called kuncha, it too had tents for rest. We kept on moving with rest in between and admiring beauty. This valley is full of wild flowers and is often called as the valley of flowers.

THE VALLEY OF FLOWERS 

This is a very rich valley in terms of herbs. One can feel dizzy here once the flowers are at their full bloom. The local people come here in the month of September  to collect these herbs for main contractors. This valley is full of colorful flowers and leaves. We reached Bhimdwari at around 4PM covering a total distance of 9 kms. From here one could see the nainsar ganga waterfall and the shrikhand waterfall. Bhim used to sleep here, he also fought with a demon named Bakasur at this place and killed him. Even today at that place where the demon was killed the water bursts out from the earth and flows over the rocks making them red as blood in color and thus it is called the Khooni nalla(blood river).When this water joins the nainsar ganga it pollutes the water and now the water is impure, otherwise the water before this point is as pure as the Ganges water that never decomposes.

  KHOONI NALLA 

The food prepared here for the night was just awesome, the best food of the whole trek. The next morning was chilling and the man moved upto parvati bagh early as he had to setup tents for us. We left after two hours after Govardhan, the man responsible for our arrangement at Parvati bagh. It is a distance of 3 kms with breathtaking views on the way- waterfalls , snowclad mountains and the deep gorges. It takes about 2 hours to reach atop as the terrain is again steep and this time muddy too.

Once you reach Parvati bagh you leave behind all the green and there is just snow and rock to welcome you with a scenic view of bhimdwari beneath.

ALL FOUR OF US AT PARVATI BAGH

Its just a splendid feeling , you at a height of 4500 meters right at the base of a mountain with fog and clouds right into your face, playing with you. We had a mixture of rice and maggi that day and were very excited that we are going to scale the last mountain now. The next morning was all clouded, the day was Monday. Kanu and Rohit were so excited that they were the first one to wake up and they woke up all of us.We started for the shilla at 7AM, the first km was all rock with snow in patches, but beyond that it was all snow and after walking for an hour or a bit more we reached Nainsarovar the same place where Mata Parvati tears fell on earth. The water of this pond is as pure as the Ganges, but it was all frozen.

  NAINSAROVAR

The time was now for the most difficult part of the yatra due to heavy snow. Rohit and Kanu were called by Lord Shiva till this point only and they were not able to complete the yatra. It was heartbreaking that after coming so far they couldn't reach the shivalingam. The climb was almost 85 degree with snow and rocks in between. One has to be very cautious in this stretch.As we were moving up, the sun came up and the view was clear when we reached the top, we were overwhelmed with the beauty of the place. I've never been to such a place whole my life.

 THIS IS WHERE WE CAME FROM

Walking right at the top of the mountain with tons of snow under your feet and thousand feet drops on both sides, the feeling is mutual, its scary and its fabulous. The rest of the trek was like this right at the top of the mountain with drops on both sides and snow all around. There is an area called bhim pahian aur bhem pauri(steps). It is full of big rocks with different kind of markings on them, although we were able to see the top as rest of it was burried under the snow but Raghav told me that the stones were as big as a small truck. There is no water beyond Nainsarovar so carry adequate amount of water. Finally after Bhim pauri we were able to see the shivalingam, but still we had to cross three more hills  to reach there. Finally we reached the  Shrikhand mahadev top, after a walk of 4 hours we were at the top. The feeling was great. A scence of satisfaction was prevailing. We spent one and a half hour there, offered dhoop and prayers to Parvati - Ganesh and then to the Shivalingam of Mahadev. Then we started our journey back as one cannot spend much time there as weather can change in no time. It took us two and a half hours to descend till Parvati bagh and reached there at 2:30 PM where we came to find out that Kanu and Rohit has already left. So we decided to catch them, but it was not an easy task and we couldn't catch them, despite our best efforts. We walked for 14 hours that day covering a distance of 38 kms in a day, but it was not worth. We reached Singhbad at 10 PM. The baba there offered us food and blankets. Our whole body was aching, specially legs. Dandidhar is very heavy on your legs both when you ascend and when you descend, but the stress is on knees when you descend. I realized that why it is called Shrikhand, Shri means body and khand means pieces and yes I felt that my body is broken into pieces. We were sleeping in the sarain and late at night Raghav waking me up said that something has gone to his eyes and that he is under excruciating pain, same was the case with me when I tried to open my eyes, it felt like some one is pricking with a needle in your eye. with some effort I was able to open my eyes with a flood of tears from our eyes. Raghav's condition was even worst, I immediately realized we have been flashed by snow.I took Raghav outside and made him wash his eyes with cold water and did the same myself it gave us some relief (So please carry a good reflector with you). Next morning we woke up at 9Am and left for Jaon, Raghav's eyes were swollen and blood red with rivers of tears from both eyes. We reached Jaon an hour later where we had our breakfast, then hired a taxi to Baggipul from where we called Kanu and Rohit as our batteries has drained in the course of 5 days, they were in Rampur.We were not able to walk our normal walk as each and every muscle of our legs was under immense pain, and seeing this everyone could make out  that we were coming from the yatra. We took a bus from Baggipul and reached Rampur from where we hired a taxi to Shimla .

Overall the yatra was an amazing experience, the memories are precious and trust me its really a hard trek so prepare yourself mentally and physically.

5 days trek of almost 70 kms, back in one piece though shattered. A splendid feeling!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

JAI MAHADEV!

  SHIV PARIVAR 

SHIRIKHAND MAHADEV(LEFT),

KARTIK MAHADEV IN THE MIDDLE

GANESH - PARVATI (RIGHT).  

DO'S

1. Good trekking shoes or any other shoes with good grip.
2. Carry your own gear, be well equipped, despite this be as light as possible.
3. maintain your own speed, don't rush or compete. Take adequate rest where ever possible.
4. A walking stick really helps specially in snow and slippry conditions.
5. Be prepared for rain, it can pour anytime.

DONT'S

1. If you suffer from breathing problems, asthma  or  similar health issues avoid this trek.
2. Don't carry alcohol, it is more of a holy place than a trek.
3. Don't expect any facilities except some resting points and tea stops en-rout, its only you and wilderness.