Himalaye Tu Kedaram

Ghushmesham Cha Shivalaye

It has been quite a long time indeed since I wrote anything on my blog. And the reason is this. I was away for 13 days, out of which I spent nine full days and nights wandering in the Himalayan mountains. All my planning stopped with New Delhi. From there on, my silent sojourn was plan-free. No schedules. No particular focus on seeing or doing something. But just taking it as it came along.
Taking things as it came by, I went alone jumping in and out of public buses, travelling on road for a whole day at a stretch, flowing from place to place and experiencing the expansive bliss of all that I saw along the way.
The spark began when my friend dangled a tour schedule book of the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam, Uttaranchal Tourism. I was truly inspired by the mere names of Badrinath, Kedar Nath, Adi Kailash, Manasarovar, Kailash and anything that had to do with the Himalayas. I immediately began to check out the tour possibilities and found that I could make it for the New Delhi - Badrinath - Kedarnath one. I checked out with the GMVN and was disappointed when on all the days that were possible for me, there was no quorum to conduct the tour.

It was my Guru, Swami Akshara who gave me the strength, courage and inspiration when he said, "You don't need a tour operator to take you to the Himalayas!"
I saw some light and I decided to go it alone. And right from the time I landed at the New Delhi Airport, till I returned after the nine days of Navaratri to the same place, the whole process was happening as if on some great divine master plan.
At the end of it all I discovered, it is not just during the nine days that such a plan is operative, but through all the time that has gone by, and all the time that is yet to come.
And so I am here, sharing my experiences and photos with you, through this blog.
The picture in this post is the vimana of the Jyotirlinga Temple of Kedarnath, accessible at the end of a 14 kilometre trek from Gaurikund. In the background are the mountain peaks glowing like gold in the morning sun.