ja_mageia

Today is a complete travel day, from Rishikesh to Barkot, which is 230 KM away (about 150 miles). The journey is expected to take about 12 hours, including a couple of stops in between, which averages to about 15 mph! The mountain air is so fresh and healing, the weather was perfect. We all felt an air of expectancy in the beautiful nature around us, something was telling us that there is a beautiful day ahead.

We left the hotel in Rishikesh by 7 AM after having a good breakfast. Almost immediately we were on the Himalayan "ghat" (mountaineous) roads, with their steep inclines and blind curves. The road is narrow, unmarked, and the traffic is two-way. There is the mountain on one side of the road and a deep gorge on the other, with no barrier protecting the vehicles from falling down, and other safety measures like two-way mirrors at blind curves are absent. And every curve is a blind curve, and the road is full of curves and turns. To top it all, vehicles drive at breakneck speeds, and come to inches of each other quite frequently, with the concomitant cussing and yelling between the drivers. The engine of our Tempo vehicle was groaning as our driver Raj stepped on the pedal to climb the altitudes. He assured the worried lot of us smilingly that we are all safe in his hands.

The drive through the Himalayan mountain ranges offers so many georgeous vistas throughout the journey, with its moutain peaks and deep valleys, with its thick wooded forests and the flora and fauna and the forest creatures that inhabit it. The chirping of the crickets and other creatures is constant and after a while appears to sound melliflous. Today the weather is perfect, not too cold and not too warm, the sun is shining brightly, and all of us are in good cheers. As our vehicle negotiated the inclines and the curves, Avinash experienced some motion sickness, but he is alright.

We travelled through Dehradun and Mussorie, both of them are hill-stations that the British used to frequent to escape the sweltering heat of the plains. We stopped at Kempty falls, near Mussorie, where the water falls from a high altitude to below, It is a tourist spot, and appeared to be a popular honeymoon destination. The local Indian people and tourists appear to be taking a fancy of the Americans in our group, Carla, Greg, Avinash and Raghudasa, wanting to speak with them, to take pictures with them. Swamiji, Amma and Amalananda are amused at this.

Around 3 PM, we reached an ancient temple town called Lakha Mandal. We all did not quite know what to expect. Swamiji and Amma are very sensitive and receptive to the energies of any place, and they felt extremely strong Divine energies here, and the rest of us too felt the high vibrations in this place. Lakha Mandal is an ancient historic Shiva temple in a sleepy remote little village. This place is mentioned in the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata. The Pandavas (five brothers who are on the side of Dharma and fighting evil) were trapped by their enemies in a house of wax which they set on fire. Foreseeing the danter, the Pandavas prayed to Lord Shiva and escaped through a secret tunnel.

The Shiva Shakti eneriges in the temple are very high, and there are relics of Shiva lingas from all the four ages, the four yugas. There is a fire place where the Pandavas are said to have performed homas. The carvings on the temple are beautiful. A big Shiva Linga is carved in a special stone, where one can see their own reflection in the stone after pouring water on it.

Swamiji and Amma were strongly feeling the energies of Mother Pratyangira and sure enough, inside a locked room there she was, tucked amongst seven forms of the Mother. We all had a beautiful puja at the Shiva Linga, with the priest rythmically ringing the bell and chanting the mantras. Swamiji and Amma poured water as an offering on the Shiva Linga, praying for the manifestation of the intentions and prayers of everyone who had written to them A little distance away we visited an ancient Divine Mother Temple.

The people of the Lakha Mandal village are very simple, live close to nature, and are very courteous. The country side is pristine and rustic and it all felt so serene and peaceful. All of us in the group were happy to have taken the time to visit this powerful place.

Later we started off from Lakha Mandal and reached Barkot, a sleepy town nestled at the foothills of the mountain ranges where the sacred river Yamunotri originates. We checked into CharDham camps, outdoor camps, which are very comfortable and has hospitable staff. We were greeted by a pleasant outdoor puja and several young men who live in the camp during the entire yatra season, running from April until mid October.  We split into pairs and were assigned canvas tents which would be our living quarters.  Avinash was left as the single amongst the group and was given his own tent.  The entire facility is outdoors, the tents, reception, dining hall and bathrooms.  There was nothing that any of us could do to escape the biting Himalayan cold.  Our only reprieve was a pot of warm lemon ginger tea that accompanied dinner.

The seven of us gathered around for a satsang under an outdoor canopy. It was overwhelming for several of us that we are all on this sacred journey. There was a lot of healing, holding hands and clearing of energies. At the end of it all, we had such light hearts, feeling the presence of Mahavatar Babaji all around us. Om Shanti Shanti Shanti.