Bhaskara Kumar's Blog

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Wednesday, 5th September 2012. Final Day of the Trip - Kathmandu to Delhi

OM NAMA SHIVAYAH! OM NAMA SHIVAYAH! OM NAMA SHIVAYAH!

This was the concluding day of the trip of my life. I have completed Manasarovar Kailash Parikram and visited Valmiki Asram, Devi Ghat, Mithila, Mukthidam, Manakamna and last but not the least the Everest and was returning to Delhi. Rajan Simkhada, President of Earthbound Expeditions, was there to bid me farewell. My sincere thanks go to Rajan, Badri, Kedar, Narendra and the Driver and of course to all the rest of the crews and to all my co Yathris.

After breakfast the Driver dropped me at the airport. I had some problem at the airport in carrying such heavy loads of Rudraksha Malas but was able to negotiate with the securities. I was in Air India flight Number AI 0214 and arrived at Delhi at around 11:30 AM. I was at my brother-in-law’s home by around 1:00 PM.

What a memorable trip of my life. I am obligated and thankful to many of my colleagues, friends, relatives, co Yathris and above all to my wife, son and daughter.

OM NAMA SHIVAYAH!

MANASA SAROVARAM

KAILASAM

KAILASADESAM

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Tuesday, 4th September 2012. Third Day of Fourth Leg of the Trip - Trekking

Actually I was supposed to trek on this day also. The morning was extremely beautiful. From the hotel terrace we could have the most beautiful and panoramic view of the Himalayan Mountains and Valleys like the Everest, The Annapurna, The Dhaulagiri, The Kailash, The Kathmandu Valleys, etc. I was told the tourist stay in this hotel just for this view. This particular morning was specially decorated for us in the sky with a rainbow. How gorgeous was the view is really indescribable. I really consider that it was due to the blessing of Lord Kailash Natha I got the opportunity to enjoy this fabulous sight.

After having the view I thought I had the full taste of trekking also and was able to enjoy to the best of my satisfaction. So I told Narendra that I would like to go back to Kathmandu. We were picked up by the car in an hour and drove us back to Kathmandu. We reached Kathmandu by noon. This time my accommodation was arranged at Blue Diamond Hotel at Thamel, Kathmandu. The driver and Narendra accompanied me to the room with all bags and luggage.

I thought of some ideal gift for my friends and relatives and took the help of Narendra for some suggestions. He told Rudraksha Mala is the most ideal after Kailash Parikram. I also had the same in mind. He took to one of the dealers nearby the hotel. Originally I thought of buying thirty raw Rudraksha chains. When I noticed they were too heavy for me to carry because one chain alone was weighing more than a pound I had to be satisfied with twenty five chains.

A view of Himalayan Ranges from the hotel terrace

What a way to finish out trekking with the magical view of a Rain Bow (1)

What a way to finish out trekking with the magical view of a Rain Bow (2)

There are a few multistory hotels here as trekkers' paradise

Himalayan Ranges from the terrace of the hotel

Monday, September 3, 2012

Monday, 3rd September 2012. Second Day of Fourth Leg - Trekking

After breakfast we resumed our trekking. The second day trekking was relatively easier for me. I was more relaxed. At lunch time we were in a small village with a few restaurants and tarred road with public transportation. Again these restaurants do not keep meals ready. They will cook only on demand. So we had nice break for about two hours or so and then trekked in the plain road for about fifteen minutes before getting back into the valleys and hills. By evening we reached a fairly nice township with a few hotels. We already had accommodation booked in a decent restaurant.

This was a better trekking day for me. I was able to complete trekking within seven hours versus the normal eight to nine hours. So I was able to offset the previous days’ shortcomings. Narendra was also very pleased and I was satisfied too.

Our hotel had good heating. Our room was on the fourth floor. Many other tourists and trekkers were there. We had a three star dinner and nice sleep.

A View of Himalayan Mountain Ranges From Trekking Track

We are now above eleven thousand feet above sea level

This is the second day of trekking. A trekkers' paradise.

We are on top of this hill. See valleys and Himalayan Ranges

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Sunday, 2nd September 2012. First Day of My Trekking in Kathmandu Valleys As Fourth Leg of the Trip

As per my original schedule I was supposed to cover all above pilgrim places by 4th September and accordingly I had booked my return journey from Kathmandu to Delhi for 5th September. As we went in a group and never returned from Pokhara to Kathmandu and then go from Kathmandu to Janakpur I saved three days. When I asked Rajan, President of Earthbound Expeditions, how best we can utilize the three days, he without any hesitation told if I have the stamina he can arrange a trekking in Kathmandu valleys for three days. I was truly excited. I told him absolutely, yes. He told a senior guide will come and pick me up in the morning.

I was ready after a customized breakfast in the morning. I bid bye to all my co Yathris most of them were going to India for a brief stay and then returning to their hometown in USA.

Narendra Timalsina, a Senior Guide and Trainer for Trekking with Earthbound, came and packed dresses for four days and checked out from Radisson. We had a car ride for about an hour or so to the point we start our trekking. Narendra bought some bananas, apples, grapes and a few bottles of water. Within half an hour from the village we were in the Himalayan Mountain Valleys near Kathmandu. Another one hour or so I was almost up about six thousand feet above sea level. Please note that you have to obtain a permit to trek in Nepal. It seems that may be customary for anywhere. Narendra obtained the permit from Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park. The permits are issued by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Government of Nepal.

Trekking in Himalayan Valleys is not an easy task. So I can only visualize how difficult it would be to trek in the mountain peaks. As we were trekking in the wild forest with thick growth of tall trees and there was absolutely no heat of the sun. We were always trekking under shade and it looked very pleasant and cool. But when we stopped at the rest place I started sweating like crazy. I was not sure whether I had palpitation. It is so simple that I had to change all my dresses because they were soaked or fully drenched in sweat. My guide asked me to take complete rest for at least an hour. Not sure whether it had to do with the previous night’s local brew I had. So my advice is that please do not drink at all when you prepare for a trek.
A couple of bananas and apple and an hour of rest I thought I was back in a position to trek. Trekking is tough because you climb up for five or six thousand feet then you come down for a couple of thousand feet and then again you climb up for three or four thousand.

But you look at the absolute beauty of the nature. It is magical. It is mesmerizing. The hills, the valleys, the mountains, the peaks, the waterfalls, the rivers, the trees, the plants, the birds chirping, and so and so on and all these would definitely make you feel that you are in a different world. Yes, you are absolutely in heaven on earth. You can see the true undisturbed virgin beauty of the nature. Other than the trekking path there is no human intervention. But we can also see a few families living in the valleys on the trekking path. Chickens, goats, cows, dogs and other pets are all there. I was told that they will go once in a month or twice in a month to the village to purchase essential goods on a collective basis. i.e. one or two members will go and get the things for the three or four houses we saw there.

We rested at two other places and after trekking for more than eight hours we halted at a lodging facility in the evening.

My guide, Narendra, was not happy with my performance of this first day as normally it used to take only about six hours instead of the eight hours I took. He was not sure if would be able to complete it in time.
Another most important fact we have to keep in mind is that after trekking for two hours or so you cannot back out as the route for trekking up is not suitable to trek down. And if you have serious health issues it is very difficult to get access for helicopter or other safety measures for hospitalization. The patient has to be probably carried down manually and to get experienced carriers may also take a couple of hours. That means the guide has to leave the patient in the wilderness alone and go in search for carriers. So please consider all the possible risks involved before deciding to trek.

Our accommodation was not bad. It was two storied house facilitating three or four rooms for rental purposes. The owner with family was living on the ground floor with a tea stall cum restaurant. Dinner and Breakfasts are cooked on demand basis. Do not expect for many choices. But meals were really homely. A bucket of hot water was provided for bath. All in all it was manageable.

Trekking in Kathmandu Valleys (1)

Trekking in Kathmandu Valleys (2)

Narendra Timalsina my Trekking Guide

Trekking in Himalayan Valleys is a unique experience

We are now almost ten thousand feet above sea level

This is a rest place for the trekkers

We noticed a few small houses on the top this hill

Narendra. These flags are tied by the trekkers as a sign that they had been here

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Saturday, 1st September 2012. Seventh Day of Third Leg of Our Trip

OM SREE RAMAYA NAMAH!

As usual after an early breakfast we went to Janaki Mandir at Janakpur. Janaki Mandir is believed to be the place where Sita Devi was born. The story is that Sita is Ayonija, i.e. that is the one who is not born from womb or the one without a genetic origin which also means eternal, and she has been discovered in a furrow of a ploughed field. The word Sita means the one got from furrow. This Janaki Mandir is the temple of Sita Devi. Sita Devi is also known as Janaki which literally means daughter of Janaka. This temple is built at the same sacrificial ground where from Sita was discovered. We offered our prayers and homage to Sita Devi, the incarnation of goddess Mahalakshmi, at her own birth place. The temple is very large with the artistic beauty of a Mugal palace. Within this large and huge temple compound we can visit multiples of temples and I will just list a few here.

Then we visited the Pool or Pond where Sita Devi used to take her bath. It is a very large pond with an entrance like that of temple arch. I appreciate the local people and the Nepalese authority in maintaining it so clean and neat and preserving the serenity and thus creating the due divinity to the area. This pool is also very prominent in Valmiki Ramayana as per Valmiki Ramayana Sri Rama Swamy’s first glimpse of Sita Devi's face was through the reflections in water in this pool from the Garden of Janaka's Palace - At Janakpur. How lucky we are to have the opportunity to view the same pond with our bare eyes. We also had the opportunity to have tharpan here by sprinkling the holy water from the pool on our head and face.

Sita Devi’s Palace is on the side of the pool itself. We visited the palace. There are multiple temples within the complex. Each one has its own importance.

Sri Ram Mandir was another temple we visited. We had the opportunity to participate and worship Sri Ram Temple at the time of the morning aarthi or puja. Though some renovation was going on they had convenient arrangements for the devotees to offer prayers.

Sita Devi’s temple is attractive with a lion guard in front. It was not crowded while we visited and had a serene and divine calm atmosphere.

Sri Rajdevi Mandir is dedicated to, Queen Sunayana, the mother of Sita Devi and wife of Janaka.

Janaka’s Palace is very large and it has a Marriage Auditorium or Vivah Mandap. It is believed that this is the auditorium where the wedding ceremony of Sri Rama Swamy and Sita Devi took place. We can see Sri Rama and Sita Devi adorned in specially decorated thrones and on one side the parents of Sita Devi along with the precept of the dynasty, Janaka Maharaja, Sunayana Devi and Sathananda (Sathananda is the dynasty precept of Janaka and the son the great seer Gauthama and Ahalya) and on the other side you can see Dasaratha (father of Sri Rama), Vasishta (dynastic precept of Solar Race) and Viswamitra (the great seer Rajarshi who took Sri Rama from Ayodhya to protect the concluding part the Yenjas he was conducting and who actually brought Sri Rama Swamy and Lekshmana to Mithila).

There is a Museum where the Story of Ramayanam is depicted with animations. Please visit all the three floors and spend time to read the stories of Ramayanam.

Overall the three to four hours we spent there was more than worth. Please do not miss to visit these places if you get a chance.

After visiting the temples we came back to hotel and had our lunch. Actually all these days we were travelling by the same bus all the way from Kathmandu. After lunch the same bus dropped us to the airport in Janakpur. We took Buddha Air (See our EBC trip was also by Buddha Air) to Kathmandu. It takes only forty five minutes from Janakpur to Kathmandu which could have taken at least fourteen to sixteen hours by bus.

Though we had advance booking for accommodation at Crowne Plaza due to diplomatic reasons we could not be accommodated there. The entire floor was allotted to Malaysian Embassy on diplomatic priority. It was a blessing in disguise to us as we got accommodation at Radisson Hotel. Again I got a single room. Our bags were delivered to our rooms at Radisson.

As I mentioned earlier that Earthbound Expedition used to take all the Yathris for a Local Cultural Show after completing the Kailash Parikram and they asked us to be ready for the show with dinner. Badri and Kedar took us for the show. The dances, skits and other entertainments with appropriate costumes were really fabulous. But I have to mention that the Peacock Dance topped all. It was superb.

The specially prepared dinner was delicious with a large number of vegetarian choices. But more than the dinner they also served a local brew which was brewed from paddy. They serve it in a small earthen cup.
The way in which they fill the cup is very artistically stylish. They fill it from a kettle with a long tail and holding with their right hand above their head to the pot held in the left hand below their knee. Only very experts can fill it without spilling it away. Please do not try it. It is real spirit of some 70 or 75 degree proof. I think Badri and Kedar accompanied us back to hotel and from that you can imagine what conditions we were in?
Three Kudos to Earthbound Expeditions and all their Crews and to all the Yathris. Earthbound Expeditions ceremoniously concluded the Kailash Manasarovar Parikram by honoring each and every Yathri by conferring a Certificate of Completion of Holy Kailash Manasarovar Yatra. That definitely gave an additional boost to our achievement of completing the Holy Kailash Manasarovar Parikram.

OM NAMA SHIVAYAH!

Janaki Mandir (Temple of Sita devi) at Janakpur - the birth place of Sitadevi.

This is the Pool (believed to be the pool where Sitdevi used take her daily bath and tarpan). Also per Valmiki Ramayana Sri Rama Swamy first saw Sita Devi's face through the reflections of this pool from the Garden of Janaka's Palace - At Janakpur

Pankaj takes a look from the Pool to the Palace of Sita Devi

The Lion Guard of Sita Devi's Mandir

This is the temple of Rajadevi - Mother of Sitadevi at Janakpur

Dhani - Kamini - Dhruva after the Darsan of few Temples in Janakpur

Pankaj and Minal got married again at Sri Ram Mandir - Janakpur. It was Minal's birthday

Janka's Palace at Janakpur. Believed to be the place where Sita Devi and Sri Rama Swamy got married.

Museum at Janakpur showing the story of Sitadevi's - daughter of Bhoomidevi adopted by Janaka who got her while ploughing the sacrificial land - birth, wedding by Sri Rama Swamy, etc.

Sri Rama Swamy and Sita Devi in the Vivah Mandap

An aerial veiw from Janakpur to Kathmandu

We are concluding our pilgrimage trip with a cultural show and dinner at Kathmandu (1)

We are concluding our pilgrimage trip with a cultural show and dinner at Kathmandu - And the Peacock Danced topped all (2)

We are concluding our pilgrimage trip with a cultural show and dinner at Kathmandu Pankaj in active participation (3)

We are concluding our pilgrimage trip with a cultural show and dinner at Kathmandu Tarun and Badri in active participation (4)

We are concluding our pilgrimage trip with a cultural show and dinner at Kathmandu - with active participation of the whole group (5)

Hey the trip cannot conclude without a certificate of achievement for successfully completing Mansarovar Kailash Parikram. Each of the Yathris received the certificate of achievement. Here Minal is receiving her Certificate

We are back at our Ritz Carlton Hotels in Kathmandu - What a great Memorable Pilgrimage Trip

Friday, August 31, 2012

Friday, 31st August 2012. Sixth Day of Third Leg of Our Trip. Chitwan to Janakpur

After an early breakfast we proceeded from Chitwan to Janakpur. This was the longest bus trip we had throughout our tour. The arrangement was to have packed lunch served in the bus itself. Pankaj and I used the whole tour time in discussion of the incarnation of Lord Sri Krishna Bhagawan and about Sreemat Bhagawatham. I believe it was purely due to the blessings of Lord Kailash Natha and Lord Sri Maha Vishnu incarnated as Lord Sri Krishna Bhagawan and Lord Sri Ramachandra Swamy and all other deities of our discussion that we were able to conclude this divine discussion to our satisfaction.

By evening we reached Janakpur. Our first visit was to Sri Dhanush Mandir. Here is where Shree Ramachandra Swami broke the Thryayyambaka or Thryambaka Bow or Shiva Dhanush and won Sitadevi as his Consort – and that is why this place is called Dhanush Mandir. This is located at Dhanusha Dham.

The belief is that when Sri Rama broke the bow a portion fell here and another portion went into heaven and the tail portion went to Dhanushkoti near Rameswaram and the name Dhanushkoti is derived like that.
I think it is quite appropriate to narrate a story related to this Shiva Dhanush at this time. Once there was a duel between Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu to determine who is more powerful. Viswakarma, the architect of Heaven, constructed the strongest ever bow for Lord Shiva. But Lord Shiva lost the fight and he wanted to abandon the bow. But being a rare and strongest weapon he gave it to Janaka Maharaja, his ardent devotee, as a gift. Janaka kept it in his palace and worshiped daily. One day he noticed while little Sita was playing ball game the ball went underneath the bow. She single handedly lifted the bow and took the ball out. Janaka was noticing this incident. That is why he announced that whosoever wanted to marry Sita should lift the bow. Sri Rama was not only able to lift the Shiva Dhanush and was also able to break it in a snap while trying to string it.

The local people are maintaining the area with utmost reverence and pay homage and offer worship daily. What we see here is the mark of the bow on the ground. They have a small boundary of a foot high in a rectangle shape. They claim that mark grows little by little but noticeable by bare eyes. It is interesting to visit this place and listen to the stories explained by the priest cum guide.

From there we went to the hotel as it was late in the evening. Our hotel was another twenty miles from Dhanushadham. We had booking at Hotel Manaki International at Janakpurdham. Janakpurdham is the main city/town of Janakpur in Mithila state of Nepal. Janakpurdham is a crowded town with a number of temples, market place and administrative offices.

We are now at Janakpur (where Sitadevi was believed to be born). Here is where Shree Ramachandraswami broke the Thryayyambaka Bow and won Sitadevi as his Consort - which is called Dhanush Mandir

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Thursday, 30th August 2012. Fifth Day of the Third Leg of Our Trip - Chitwan Gardens

We had arrangement to go for an Elephant Safari. Our lodge was very close to the booking center. After breakfast we walked down to the center. Elephant safari is also a memorable event. Four of us were on one elephant. As soon as we entered into the jungle we had the luck to see a few rhinos in a pond or pool of water. They were not even ten feet away from us. We were confident that they are not going to charge on us as we were on top of the elephant. I never even imagined I can ever in my life be so close to wild animals in open jungle with no covers or shields. Chitwan is popular for Bengal Tigers. Bengal Tigers are now considered as an endangered species. We did not have the chance to see any Bengal Tigers during our trip. And Chitwan is the only place you can see Bengal Tigers. It seems they must be further inside the forest. We had the luck to see some very long tailed monkeys, leopards, bison or wild buffaloes, etc. It was definitely a fun filled two hours safari. If you get a chance do not miss it.

After the safari we came back to our lodge for lunch. This was the birthday of Badri. There was a surprise party with a cake cutting for him. Thanks to the restaurant for making all the arrangements and keeping it as a surprise. It was definitely fabulous to have such a party in the valleys of Himalaya.

After lunch we visited the Elephant Breeding Center in Chitwan National Park. From our lodge it was a good walk of over half an hour and then to have canoe ride in Chitwan Lake. This canoe ride was like a water safari. We had seen many water snakes and crocodiles. We were told that crocodiles used to steal sheep and claves from the neighborhood and also could be dangerous to the riders.

After the ride with a brief walk of about fifteen minutes or so we were at Elephant Breeding Center in Chitwan National Park. This is one of the only two Elephant breeding centers in the world. We were lucky to see twin calves. The center is very informative, educational and extremely interesting. We also visited quite a few elephant sheds. So many elephants in one place as a family with calves that too including a twin was definitely a varied experience. Though there were many visitors you may never feel crowded due to the vastness of the area.

We also had scheduled for a visit to the local village at Chitwan. I personally had a very nostalgic feeling about the area. While I was through the ridges of the paddy field to a small local temple in the middle of the field I was really taken back to late 1950’s as if I was going to Khandakharnan Kavu in my place in Kerala. The paddy fields, the coconut trees, mango trees, tamarind trees, etc. all looked exactly like those of my own village about fifty or sixty year ago. I felt it would definitely have been a terrible loss had I not visited this village. Visiting local village was also in our tour package.

We are at Chitwan National Park

A Folk Dance/Drama We Attended on August 29th Night (1)

A Folk Dance/Drama We Attended on August 29th Night (2)

Local Drama/Dance Troupe in action -This is not just an entertainment attraction for the tourists but also an acceptable way to maintain the customs and traditions as most in action are youngsters - Concluding Episode - see audience participation - at Chitwan