Tuesday, April 3, 2007

Way to Madmaheshwar




Last time I came to Himalaya, I failed to reach Vasuki tal. So this time lord send me to start with a Tal that is deoria tal.At that time I was with my family and blogger and his father tried to reach Vasukital from kedarnath without any guide and we followed the river Madhuganga one of the tributary of Mandakini and returned with failure but it was a total experience in the last day of august.

I started at 7am for Deoriatal.Though it was huge rain in the early morning, I started my trek quite in time. In between I met the pujari of the Vairav temple. He offered me tea and I found him divine heart.Tunganath Mandir was in view. Almost spending one hour I found the shopper as my guide to Deoriatal.
I reached there at 8am crossing a jungle in an unknown path .It is my first trek to any Himalayan lake. I felt gorgeous. I tried to relax. There was one Bengali group and one Delhi family. I took bath in deoria tal though it is risky.Then I took lunch and returned to sari gaon.As soon as I reached my hotel rain started vigorously.

After packing a little we left Sari gaon and found a share jeep to reach Ukhimath Bharat Seva sharam where my mother and my grand ma will stay for coming 10 day and I will complete panch kedar except kedarnath.

In the evening I fixed a guide who is prem, a local graduate and decided to accompany me in just Rs100 per day completing the trek in 3 days. He told me that we will go Madmaheshwar in a day from Ukhimath but I was not so confident. But it definitely made me think that it is possible. I was very excited about the place Kalshila(this place was not known to me).I decided to make a detour during return to kalimath to kalshila.But I was not very much sure of route and sechedule.Adventure begins. In the moment I saw the Mandir in Ukhimath(Panch kedar mandir and Gaddi of sankaracharaya).

After a dinner in the Bharat seva Ashram in the crowd of Bengali chardham tourist, I went to an early sleep. I dreamed that the man who is fixed as my guide is changed.

Dream come true in the morning.Prem had examination and he replaced himself with a 12 class student Ashoke as my guide.
Garwahal is really unpredictable.

I adjusted myself with a family(Bengali) in a taxi upto Uniana.I began my trekking at 9am.I was very fast to reach Gondar gaon at 12.30pm.I hour rest with lunch.
Madmaheswar ganga was the total attraction in that road.I thought it will be great to have a dip in that ganga.But there was no opportunity(previously I took a dip in Deoriatal).

We started again. Real ascend starts from here and I found we have no water in our bottle.so I decided to approach the ganga (sangam) to take water. I mate a saint who advised me to take a dip in the sangam as it is must for a Madmaheshwar pilgrim. I asked him to stay until I took a bath. He kept my request. He is returning from my destination,Madmaheshwar.

My trek stopped just 3km sort of Madmaheshwar at 5.30pm.We trekked 19 km.I failed to reach madmaheshwar in the same day. It is total forest. We took shelter in house of the last chati (tea maker) owner.I was very tired and became cold.The chati owner was very interesting. My first forest night was great.

We reached Madmaheshwar in the morning.Then after taking breakfast we approached Bura Madmaheshwar.It was really funny to see the entire road we came last day from there. But above all the clear sky view of Choukhmba was just unforgettable.