Monday 28 January 2019

Kedarkantha Trek

Kedarkantha, as the name suggests, is been derived from two words Kedar- meaning Lord Shiva and Kantha- meaning neck. So Kedar Kantha is the temple which is been built by Lord Shiva till his neck but it was not completed.
The mythological story of Kedarkantha goes back to many years. There was a demon named Bhasmasura, he wanted to rule the world. He performed severe prayers to please Lord Shiva so as to get the blessings from him. Impressed by Bhasmasura penance Lord Shiva appeared and granted him his wishes. He asked Shiva to grant him the power to burn anyone into ashes by just touching anyone's head. Being blessed with the wishes Bhasmasura wanted to try his power. He couldn't find any better person than Lord Shiva to try his power. Lord Shiva ran, trying to save himself.

KedarKantha Summit
During this time he reached the Kedarkantha peak where he started building his temple. No sooner did the temple was started than Bhasmasura arrived at the place so Lord Shiva left the temple as such and ran away to another place. Thus the temple was created till the neck of Lord Shiva, hence this peak is known as Kedarkantha.

I started my journey for the trek from Dehradun, Uttarakhand. The trek was organised by Indiahikes- a trekking community in India. We were around 22 people grouped together. I reached Dehradun from Delhi early in the morning. Transportation arrangement from Dehradun were organised by Indiahikes. Our first point of halt was at Kempty Fall, Mussoorie. We had our breakfast there and started on the journey ahead. The route is quite serene and beautiful. Once you move ahead Purola, Garwhal region you can see the Tons river. The scenic beauty is breathtaking.

Tons River
After having lunch at Purola we moved to Kotgaon, starting point of the trek. The stay was arranged by Indiahikes. We stayed at the GMVN guest house for one night. The next day we started our trek from the village. Kotgaon is a small village with many small houses. You can find children playing outside in open.

The village was snow-covered in the morning. Our next point was Khujey. Khujey was around 4km from Kotgaon and at a height of 94000 ft. The walk to Khujey was amazing. We could see snow-laden mountains. The snow was very soft and clean. We started from Kotgaon at 9 am and reached Khujey at around 2:00 pm. The campsite was exquisite. There was no one other than the 22 people with whom I was trekking.

Village House
 
Children playing
 

Snow covered trails
The next day was a small trail to Bhuja Dadi which was 4 km from Khujey at a height of 10,800 ft. Bhuja Dadi is a beautiful campsite with a terrific view of the Himalayas. The rest of the day was spent in acclimatizing and getting ready for the summit the other day.
Campsite
Hot tea with a view

The next day we started our journey early morning. We started from Bhuja Dadi at 5 am. It was already dark outside. We had our torch lights lit up for the trek. The climb to the summit was fabulous. We had many moments of merry and joy during our trek towards the summit. Gaiters and spikes were provided by Indiahikes so that we can move comfortably on snow. The view from the summit was amazing. We were able to see a clear view of many mountains from up there. We were able to reach the summit before sunrise. The sunrise from the summit looked beautiful. On the summit there is a small temple with a "Trishul"- Lord Shiva's weapon. 
Chandrashila Summit


Tungnath temple
PS: I have done 3 treks with Indiahikes and I find it one of the best trekking community. If you ever plan to trek, do check their website. The website contains a detailed version of the treks and how to do it. The services provided by them is outstanding and if you are a first timer do go with them to make your trek memorable.

The one with the team

Friday 11 January 2019

Mass marriage at Shantikunj, Haridwar

Have you ever been to a mass marriage? If not then you can visit Shantikunj, Haridwar to witness this event.
I witness this event on 13th December,2018. There were around 18 couples who were getting married on that day. The couples are all seated in a hall along with their families. Space is allotted to every couple for their family and friends.
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Each couple is allocated a priest who is responsible for performing the rituals. There is a main priest in front of the hall sitting on a stage who recites all the sholkas and explains everything about the wedding. The whole ceremony was performed in Hindi language. The marriage takes around 2-3 hours. There is no music and decorations. The wedding is done in a plain manner. Moreover, the wedding is done at free cost. You can give donations as a whole to the ashram. The priests are not paid anything from the respective couples getting married.
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You can bring your photographers to cover the event for you. The entry is from gate number 4. Parking facility is also available. The Ashram is beautifully built and has many spots for good photography. After the wedding is completed couples could get many good locations inside the ashram for  photo sessions. The bride and the groom needs to register, 10 days prior to the  marriage, along with their family members. They have to bring an identity proof along with them(for Indians adhaar card).
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If you are looking for a grand wedding this place will not be able to fulfill your wishes. If you plan to visit Haridwar go and visit this place. Even you can visit this place to pay a visit. The canteen snacks are really good and cheap.
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PS: The washrooms may not meet your expectations.

Durga Pujo in Kolkata

No doubt Kolkata is called the city of joy. It is a city with a soul. The soul that never sleeps and not only celebrate the festivals but also celebrate themselves.

Kolkata during Durga Pujo(as Bengalis will say) is an extreme delight. I had the opportunity to visit Kolkata during the Pujo in 2018. The atmosphere during the Pujo is full of energy and excitement. 

If you are not a localite, going during Durga Pujo in Kolkata might seem challenging to you but if you really want to experience the city, you must visit it during the festivities. 

I visited Kolkata during Durga Pujo for four days and the experience was enriching. I took a flight from Delhi to Kolkata. The flight took almost 2.5 hours.

If you plan to travel to Kolkata during Durga Pujo and have less days, I recommend to go on Saptmi(7th day of Navratri). Saptmi, Ashtami and Navmi are the main days for Bengalis during the Pujo. The 10th day i.e Dusshera is the day when immersion of the idols take place.
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I stayed at Gala time hostel in Patuli area. The hostel was good providing the basic amenities. The area was in the outskirts of the city. 

More stay options are available at Park Street(mostly foreigners go for this place). I landed in Kolkata on 17th October,2018. I took a bus to Patuli. 

The transport system in Kolkata is really good especially the AC buses. If you want to curtail your expenses travel by the local buses or metro. They are cheap and quite comfortable. Cabs are quite expensive as compared to NCR regions.

The journey began with Pandal hopping. I arrived at my hostel around 22:00 hours and started the ritual of Pandal hopping. 

During the Pujo every street is lit up. You will not find darkness anywhere. The Pandals are open for the whole night with a neverending crowd. I visited the nearby Pandals. There were around Pandals near my area and each one of them was beautifully decorated. Once you get out on the streets you will feel the energy and excitement of people. 
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Streets are lit all night

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Pandals at Patuli

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Pandal hopping is incomplete without the street food that Kolkata has to offer. The street food includes puchke(for only Rs.10), rolls, noodles, papdi chaat, gola(snowflake) and many others. The food is tasty as well as cheap.
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The mornings in Kolkata are quite. There are quite few souls on the roads. In the morning  I planned to visit other places of interest in Kolkata. I took a bus from to Victoria Memorial. The only place in Kolkata where you will find n number of foreigners. It has a beautiful architecture. It was built during the British era. The tickets are quite cheap. It is advisable to go in the evening on a hot day.
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Victoria Memorial

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After mesmerizing the beauty of  Victoria Memorial I made my way to Burrabazar. It is a crowded place. It is a wholesale market, that has various items like stationary, medicine,electronic goods and many others. 

The market is always crowded. In the midst of the market lies the Nakhoda Masjid. It is one of the largest and prime mosques of Kolkata.
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Nakhoda Masjid
 

The next visit was to Prinsep Ghat. It looks beautiful during sunset. There are many eateries around the ghat. Boat rides are also available which are very costly. I booked a boat for Rs.300(after bargaining). The boat gives a ride for half an hour around the Vidyasgar Setu.

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Prisep Ghat
 
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Vidyasagar Setu



At night I went for some more Pandal hopping. At night each street in Kolkata is heavily crowded. There is a huge rush for the pandals especially the famous ones. 

I visited the pandals at Ahiritola, Hatkhola, Kumartuli, Sovabajar, Mohammad Ali Park. The waiting time is around 1 hour during night. Each pandal was beautifully decorated. If you plan to visit the pandals during night buy a metro ticket to save yourself from the traffic.

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The other day I visited Dakshineshwar Temple. It is quite far from the city located near the sacred Ganges. The route to the temple is beautiful. It is surrounded by lush green forest. Try going to the temple during early morning to save your time.

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Dakshineshwar Temple
 

The other place I visited was Belur Math. It is connected to Dakshineswar through a ferry. The ticket costs around Rs.11 for one side. It is located on the west bank of Hooghly river. It is the headquarter of Ramkrishna Mission. The serenity of the place attracts people.
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Belur Math
  
Dussehra is bit more different in Kolkata as from the North India. In Kolkata it is the last day of Durga Pujo. All the idols are immersed in the river and it marks the end of Durga Pujo. The roads are filled with people dancing. You can see vehicles carrying the idols of Durga. 

Babughat is the place to go for seeing this vast celebration coming to an end. The ghat is filled with people carrying the Durga idol and immersing it in the Hooghly river. You can feel the happiness and excitement in the people. Walking on the roads will give you goosebumps.
 
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Durga Idol brought for visarjan


Trip to Kolkata is incomplete without the Bengali Sweets. I had the privilege to taste some of them like: kher khodom, rohogulla, mishti doi, darbesh and many others.

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Aam Mishti Doi


No doubt Kolkata is called the city with a soul.

Paragliding at Bir-Billing and a small detour to Barot

Paragliding at Bir Billing is one of the best paragliding experience in India. The elevation is around 2400 meters. I visited this place for 2 days from 23rd June to 24th June 2018. I took a bus from Majnu Ka Tilla, Delhi to Bir. Take the HRTC bus for a pleasant experience. The bus left Delhi at 8 at night. I reached Bir around 7 in the morning. The weather at Bir was quite peaceful. There is no bus station at Bir. The bus drops you in the market. I had an advance booking for the hotel and the paragliding activity. I stayed in a hotel for around 3-4 hours in Bir. Bir is a beautiful place with greenery all around. It is not so crowded so it makes it more desirable. I went for a walk to the nearby market to check out the attractions. I visited the Garden Cafe. The ambience is alluring. It had  variety of dishes. The food was amazing. After that I went to the Monastery nearby. It is a beautiful monastery with many sculptures.
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I had booked for paragliding, for the second day. I hiked from Bir to Billing. The hike was of 14km. It was an amazing hike amidst the forests. I hired a person who guided me for the hike. It took 3 hours to complete the hike. Billing is the point from where the paragliding starts. There was a huge amount of crowd for the adventurous activity. I had a stay in the tent for one night. The tents were nicely pitched in with all the facilities available. The network might be one of the problems at Billing.



The next day I did the paragliding. It takes almost half an hour to get ready for the activity. I did paragliding early in the morning. The person from whom I booked the tickets prepared us for the activity. We had the harness attached to us with the parachute. I was provided a gopro to record the whole experience. The person with whom I was paragliding was very experienced. He had done many flights before. We took off very quickly. The steps told by the paraglider should be adhered to, to prevent any injuries. I am not able to explain what an astounding experience it was. You cannot experience the thrills unless you do it. The scenic beauty was ravishing. Up in the air with such beautiful surroundings and an adrenaline rush, I didn't want anything more. The lush green mountain ranges were surrounding me. The clouds were trying to depict different forms in front of me. The sun was throwing a small light. The wind was passing by me sometimes slapping me and the other time making me realize that it can do wonders. The landing part was also smooth. At the time of landing there were photographers to take your pictures. You can collect pictures and videos from them. The flight is of 11-15 mins approximately. Do take our usb cable with you for smooth transfer of photos and videos.



Since I had the whole day available with me so I went to a nearby village Barot. It is a small village around 25kms from Bir. Himachal roadways buses are available which are very cheap. As no bus was available so I booked a cab. The cab took around 45 mins. The route is scenic. The best thing about this place is that it is less crowded and the view is amazing. Vast forest cover, sound of the flowing river, the famous trout fish and the simplicity of this place will capture your mind and soul. Try the trout fish whenever in Barot.

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PS: During paragliding they don't provide knee caps which is risky, as it may cause injuries if you are not able to takeoff properly which happens in many cases.

Caution: Public washrooms are not available at Bir. The one present is non-functional.