Ghost of Badrinath Temple (Part-02)

As per the meeting held before sleeping last night, we woke up at 5 in the morning, freshened up quickly and left the hotel at 5.30. Everything was fine but who gets up so early in the morning, that too at 5 in the morning, no one felt the pressure, everyone just washed their faces and sat in the car. The cold wind was wreaking havoc outside and inside, without freshening up, the four angels were burning their nose hair. After all, only humans are useful to humans and here this saying was proved when all four of them lowered the dew covered glasses to save their lives.

We crossed Joshimath in about 2 hours. Master told that “Badri Vishal is worshiped here for about 6 months of winter”. As we moved ahead, we came across a big bridge in front of which was a huge green board saying “Vishnu-Prayag Hydro Power Project, J.P. Group” and the tag line was “No Dream Too Big”. Vishal was speaking the truth of the bridge tag line in his own words. Vishnuprayag was the fifth and last confluence on the river ‘Alaknanda’, here the river ‘Dhauliganga’ surrenders itself at ‘Alaknanda’.

The world that opens after crossing Vishnuprayag forced me to lose my senses, these mountains became my favourite. As high as he was, my enthusiasm also became higher. Those black mountains standing like pillars had done their work, yes they had made me theirs. Sometimes I feel like I should touch them, sometimes I feel like they might fall on me as soon as I touch them. Forgetting everything, I just remembered to say, “Close the window, brother, you are feeling cold.”

Graphic created in Adobe Photoshop

Saying “Wahe Guru Ji Da Khalsa, Te Wahe Guru Ji Di Fateh”, we also joined hands with Govind. This is Govindghat, from here the difficult journey on foot to 'Hemkund Sahib Gurudwara' begins, Govind said while adding to our knowledge and started the car again. I had not yet lost my fascination with the high black mountains when I felt like becoming a kite and flying to 'Hemkund'. For the first time, after coming face to face with nature, I realized its automation, this is a developed empire.

The carpet of the developed empire had become torn and dirty in some places due to landslides. After getting stuck in a small landslide for 20-25 minutes, soon the vehicle again started running on the 'carpet of nature' at less than moderate speed. “Look, you have reached”, I immediately opened my closed eyes as soon as I heard Govind’s voice.
“Really we have reached, this place is even more beautiful than the photo”. As soon as they got down from the car, all four said the same thing together, “Welcome to heaven”. All four hung their bags on their shoulders and crossed the bridge over Alaknanda and started going towards Badrinath temple.

“Sadhus dressed in saffron clothes were begging for alms, the bridge over the river was shaking slightly as people walked, people were continuously taking photographs, the gate of the temple was wearing a crown of colorful colors, garlands of fragrant flowers. Below the Alaknanda river was flowing with its speed, on one side people were bathing and washing clothes, behind the temple two huge snow covered mountains were visible, white clouds were running on them like squirrels. were staying”, when suddenly I collided with a Sadhu Baba and my bag fell on the swinging bridge.

“Forgive me Baba”, seek forgiveness from Baba, not me, saying ‘Jai Badrivishal’ the sadhus disappeared behind the red flags. Baba ji himself disappeared after asking for forgiveness from God knows which Baba.

“Welcome to Baba’s city”, said a mother, placing her hand on my head and went away. What is happening, what kind of city is this? Have I reached someone's dream? Why are people so sweet here and who is this Baba about whom everyone knows? I would have remained lost in my thoughts if Master had not called me, who was standing across the bridge in only his underwear and was shouting, “What is Rohit doing on the bridge yet, come here quickly”.

“This is 'Tapt Kund', it is also called 'Karankund', very hot water comes out in which sulfur is mixed, hence one has to take bath only for 10 to 15 minutes, otherwise the child will start feeling nauseous", saying this, Sadhu Baba took a dip in the pond. Gave . Immediately I also lightened my thin body from the burden of clothes, but as soon as I put my foot in the pool, I took it out, “Slowly, child.” As per Baba's instructions, first I wet myself from head to toe and then I was able to get into the pond. Master and Praveen were already having fun in the pool. The pond became the center of wonder when Baba started swimming in the pond sitting cross-legged.

“How did you do this?”, Baba gave a very strange answer to my children's question, but first he spread his smile in the pond and then said, “I am not doing this, this is what is happening, if one day you will also stop doing it, then everything will be over.” Will be done" . Holding his hair in my hand, I asked another question in the hope that this time he would not give a strange answer. “Does everyone here talk in riddles like you do? , Ha ha ha he laughed very loudly. What a strange answer he gave, which I still remember as it is.

Of course, after coming out of the pond, I had changed my clothes but I was still feeling nauseous. Finally the moment has come when we will enter the temple of the photo. This was the first and last time that I bought Prasad and offered it to God. This very first time had given satisfaction till the last time.

It is prohibited to carry mobile phone, leather and camera in the temple premises but the master secretly took the phone inside and started making video inside but this act was seen and it became a scene of ours. A worker working there saw him and started threatening him to take him to the police. Looking at his serious face it seemed that he would take him to the police and even get him beaten as he was saying. The work was done with great effort and the master satisfied him by deleting who knows what.

How grand that temple was, what a feeling it was, the collective energy had mesmerized everyone. Even today it is difficult to remember what we saw inside the temple at that time, but one thing that I will never be able to forget is the idol of Lord Vishnu. Although there were many other idols there too, but only the idol of 'Lord Vishnu' was remembered. Whatever Pandit ji told got lost in the grandeur of that place. I don't know when the prasad was taken by hand and we came out. Everything happened automatically like a hypothesis. There was a very calm atmosphere inside the temple, but it seemed as if someone was knocking loudly at the door of the heart from within. “Was someone trying to get free from there or try to wake me up?” ,

“Let us quickly reach the village and then we have to leave”, the master reminded, we looked at him and he looked at us and all three of us looked at Govind. All four of them glanced at each other several times, then the master said, “We will walk on foot anyway, it is only 3 kilometers from here.” He counted one...two...and three on his fingers. Praveen and I felt a little awkward at first because we had to go 3 km and then come back 3 km. We were talking among ourselves that it would be more than 6 km anyway when one can go there by car then what is the need to go on foot. Perhaps Master had to do the trekking, so after listening to what he said to woo us, both of them immediately agreed without any further conditions.

“Mana is the last village of India”, now tell me whether we want to go or not?

I.T.B.P. After crossing the camp, we started moving rapidly towards our destination but as soon as we passed some distance, we started breathing as if we were asthma patients. After 1 km, all three sat under a tree, I don't know about the rest but I started thinking that if they had come by car, they would have reached there long ago. Praveen had sensed what I was thinking and then he said, “Call Master Govind to get a car and meet us at Mana, at the time of arrival, asthma patients will go by car only”. The drop falling from the temple made the Master ready to say yes to this proposal.

After trekking for one and a half hour, we were finally sitting at a tea shop in the last village of India and drinking tea. Mana is a small but beautiful village, where women were making socks, mufflers and caps from sheep hair. Had fun drinking tea at the last shop in the country. Here we saw Vyas Cave, Ganesh Cave, and Bhima Bridge. The uncle who sells tea told that there are stairs to heaven a few kilometers away from here from where the Pandavas went to heaven, if you want you can also go there. Thanks uncle for the information but now we have to go, we also have to go to office on Monday. Master should not have talked about office matters because the mind became upset just thinking about office.

We found only Mana village with Govind vehicle. Falling down, panting and dozing, we sat in the car and the sad return journey began. None of the three wanted to go back but it was surprising when Govind also said the same. The car was slowly crossing Badrinath bus stand, brakes were applied and the car stopped. All four once again visualized that scene completely in their eyes in the name of temple and mountains and said loudly “Jai Badri Vishal Ki”.

Probably everyone's eyes had become as moist as mine, it was feeling as if the life had gone out of the body, the past moments were being remembered again and again. “I was no longer the same me that I had gone there with, but now I was a new me that was not with me before, completely fresh and new.” I am afraid of myself, I am afraid of my own change. Govind's filmy dialogue woke me up, "Brother, it seems you have been possessed by the 'ghost of Badrinath'."

The journey which was straight while leaving has now turned upside down. All places started running in reverse order. Of course we were moving ahead but we had left the mind far behind. All four did not say anything, the bhajans continued with the car and one by one Govindghat, Vishnuprayag, Joshimath, Chamoli, Nandprayag, Karnaprayag were all left behind. By evening we reached Rudraprayag where we took a cheap room and camped. After dinner, after talking as little as possible, all three fell asleep in silence as if there was silence in the mind.

Next morning everyone got up at 6 o'clock, whatever fresh could be done was done, what could not be done would be done somewhere on the way, thinking that they left from there at exactly 7 o'clock. Today after reaching Haridwar we have to take today's bus and reach Delhi also because we have to join office from tomorrow. As per the plan, we walked continuously and had dinner after coming to Devprayag. Most of the time was spent sleeping and we landed at Haridwar at 2:30 pm. This was the moment of farewell, even though we did not know Govind but within 2 days we had recognized his pure humanity, after paying Rs 6500 for his hard work, we moved towards the banks of Ganga where all three took a dip each.

We caught the bus to Delhi at 4 pm which reached Delhi at 12 midnight. Some reached their home by auto and some by bus only at night. The cost from home to Badrinath and from Badrinath to home was Rs 3760 per person.

“Thus we saw ourselves playing in the womb of the Himalayas, and now he sees us dancing on it.”

Thanks for reading “Ghost of Badrinath”.

Disclaimer: I have also posted the content (text and photos) posted in this blog in Hindi language on my Hindi blog www.himalayanwomb.blogspot.com. The English version of the same Hindi blog on Hive has been posted here with the help of Google Translate.

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