Just Amazing Beginning

I opened eyes slowly. Was feeling fresh and energetic after a good night sleep. Looked at the clock on the wall in front. It was showing 7 am. Neha was awake too, looking completely refreshed. I opened door and came in the balcony.  That incessant rains of yesterday has stopped. The sky was clear, air was full of existing aroma. Still it was biting cold outside. Snow clad peaks were glowing in morning rays. It was difficult to take eyes away from this golden glow. I moved my eyes from peaks. Looked at those attractive white buildings in hills in front. My hands folded, I bowed down. "Jai Mata Di" were the words came out of my lips. In short time from now we were to move towards that hill, those buildings. A desire in our mind was to come true. A desire of visiting one of the most revered shrine of "Mata Vaishnodevi".

Quiet some time Neha was contemplating to visit Vaishnodevi.  It is one of the most revered Hindu shrine. It is near Jammu in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in India. It is the second most visited religious place after Tirupati Balaji Temple. She researched a lot about visiting Vaishnodevi.  How to travel? What to see? What is the history? and what may be the cost involved? He spoke to her friends and our relatives who visited Vaishnodevi earlier. She even googled the information. She visited some of the tour organizers, understood their travel plans and costs involved. Vaishnodevi is in the foothills of Himalaya, on Trikuta hills around 6500 feet above sea level. Visit involves treks and climbs, hence Neha started getting into good physical condition by regular exercise schedule. She even  arranged for necessary funds. But I was away from her plans in my own world.

It was a laid-back day Sunday. Neha was sitting in front of a computer and was engrossed in a you tube video. Curious me, asked her, what she was watching? I was surprised with her reply. She asked, will you accompany me? Together will enjoy a lot, she said. I saw what she was watching and said why not? Let's prepare then, without knowing her level of preparation. Almost last 3 decades I am touring and crisscrossing the length and breadth of India. It is necessary for my profession. Hence I like to plan my tours myself rather than depending on tour operators. Why travel with a tour organizer? I asked. She said, then you plan. I took to my mobile, saw videos, visited various websites and travel apps to prepare a plan. Then post lunch with  a pencil and paper in hand, together we sat for making plan. It was 18th January 2015.

A page from my writings

In the Holy city of Amritsar

Our bus slowed down when the driver applied brakes. This was enough to wake me up. Wife roads with surrounding buildings were enough to indicate we were in a big city. We were in Amritsar.  Our bus was heading towards "Fawara Chowk". Many Indian cities have a fountain on an intersection of roads. Such squares are called as Fawara Chowk or Karanja Chowks. Even in Maharashtra, I have observed this. Our bus stopped there.  We were in the middle of rickshaw drivers when we alighted from the bus. I selected a middle aged gentleman to drive us to the hotel. I fixed rate for the journey, it was rupees fifty. Once inside just opened a conversation with him. His name was Ramesh, a Punjabi Hindu. He enquired about our itinerary. We told him about Attari Border and other places we wanted to visit. He offered his services at a cost of Rs. 700/-. We reached here without any booking for this local journey.  Our idea was to hire a car from the hotel. One day eight-hour car rentals are about Rs. 2500/-, considering it, our deal was very good for 80-90 kilometers drive.

In about 15 minutes we were at Hotel City Park.  In every city visited, I have come across a hotel with this name. This hotel is located with all advantages. It is in a lane about 100 meters from Jalianwalah Baug.  It is a small walkable distance. Golden Temple is about 200 meters from Jalianwalah.  The building at the corner of that lane hosts one very well known vegetarian joint " Brother's Dhaba ". Coming out of the lane take a right turn and just ahead on the left is renowned market Katra Ahluwalia. Many have seen this market in a movie " Rab ne bana di jodi". One sees there a jalebiwala (a sweet shop specialized in Jalebi - an Indian delicacy), who is very famous for fresh Jalebis fried in ghee (clarified butter) always crowded. Another side of lane houses another famous market, Shastri Market. At the corner of that road on right is another famous eating house "Bharwan da Dhaba". I found this hotel ideally located for tourists.  This area has narrow, clogged roads. Barring e-rickshaws other vehicles are not allowed on most of them. As I am grown up in central Mumbai, this place was like my hometown.

Hotel City Park was to our liking. There was two tall well-built doormen with big moustaches holding red coloured scepter at the entry. But they were very jovial and not fearsome. I felt they were retired soldiers. This hotel was decorated in pure white. Hotel lobby and design of the hotel was impressive. This place was very clean and with pure white decoration, housekeeping must be taking lots of efforts. Our room had a very good natural light with central air-conditioning. I can't comment on taste and quality of food in this hotel. A good place of stay makes a trip memorable. We had tea twice in this hotel, once when we entered the room and next day morning. There was no need to try the food here as Amritsar has wonderful outlets to tickle the taste buds.

After tea, we came out of the hotel and turned to Brother's Dhaba for breakfast. We ordered for a local delicacy called "Amritsari Kulcha".  We enjoyed it other pickles, curd, and slices of onion.  One dish was more than enough for two of us. Without "Lassi" no meal is complete in Punjab. We both had a glass full of Lassi. I had Lassi without sugar but real Lassi has to be sweet. By the time we finished our breakfast Ramesh has arrived with his rickshaw.

At Hotel City Park Amritsar

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Bus journey to Amritsar

Our bus was luxurious with comfortable seats. Air conditioning was on, even at this early hour, but temperature inside bus wasn't as cold as outside. We were wearing our overcoats for protection.  It was a good decision. Bus started from Central Bus Depot right in time at 5.45 am. It was to pick up more passengers at various locations in Jammu city. It was taking us through lanes and by lanes apart from major roads. This turned out to be our Jammu tour. Our original plan included one day at Jammu. Due to bad weather, cancellation of helicopter flight and our decision to climb on foot has altered our original plan. We could not visit many interesting places such as Raghuvir Temple, Kedareshwar and Jammu market etc. This can be a good reason for another longer visit to Jammu.

Over last four and half decades I have traveled over length and breadth of India. Indian cities maintain their distinct identities, but most often look similar to each other, whether it is Jammu, Guwahati or Kanyakumari. Many times in the first visit to some cities I felt as if been there earlier. Most cities have a main road named Mahatma Gandhi Road. They have a large city square named after first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru. Old city usually has bit dirty, unclean narrow lanes, with shops in either side or small houses and during daytime heavily crowded. As one starts moving away from city center, a new city with wide cleaner roads and beautiful buildings around can be seen. In the morning, one can see men and women in bright coloured sport shoes taking a walk. Chubby kids and children in uniforms, going to school is also common scene. This hour traffic is usually very less. I always enjoy this scene on tour. This bus journey in Jammu was a revisit toy experience.  While I was engrossed in these thoughts our bus came out of city on the highway.  Distance between Jammu to Amritsar is about 225 kilometers.  This highway is parallel to Pakistan border, at a distance of about 25-30 kilometers from border.

The Sun started rising in the east.  As we were on western part of India sunrise was little late as per my watch. There was greenery on both sides of the roads. The fields were ready for harvest. These green fields were telling us that we were now in Punjab, a leading agricultural state of India. These different hues of green seen in early morning rays were spellbinders. One can see many canals providing water for irrigation in this part. Punjab has highest percentage of irrigated land in India. I felt as if molten gold was flowing through them due to reflection of early morning rays. There was many armed force's vehicles were on the road. It was obvious as we were traveling on a road close to border connecting many important army installations. For us who come from Mumbai this was unusual view. If we travel to extreme south end of Mumbai we see some army vehicles, otherwise in other parts of city and suburbs it's a rarity. It was cool and comfortable journey. We were crossing some villages also. I caught some episodes of sleep on the way. Every time I opened the eyes there was hardly any change in surroundings.

We saw a blue line at a distance. It was beautiful amidst green everywhere.  This state is called Punjab as it is made up of five tributaries of river Sindhu. Britishers started calling it Indus and hence this country as India. The ancient name is Bharatvarsha. These rivers have made the land very fertile. Only three of five rivers viz. Sutlej, Vyas (Beas) and Ravi flow from current state of Punjab in India,. The other two flowing from Jammu and Kashmir meet Sindhu in Punjab province which is part of Pakistan now. Human settlements in India, in the ancient times started in this Punjab province of Pakistan. The roots of Hinduism are at Harrapa, Mohanjadaro and Multan are on the bank of Sindhu (Indus) and it's tributaries.  They meet Sindhu before it empties itself in Arabian Sea. This Sindhu river originates near Mansarovar at the base of Mount Kailash and travels through Ladakh before entering Pakistan. In the thoughts I was travelling on the banks of Sindhu. Now that blue line came closer. It was one of the tributary of Sindhu called as Ravi. We crossed Ravi near town of Lakhanpur on Jammu Amritsar highway. Afterwards a canal on the left was running parallel to the road for a long time.

Our bus took a halt for breakfast at about eight in the morning. We alighted here. One sardarji was selling steaming hot tea there. We had that refreshing tea. Nearby a vendor was making cheese toasts. Many of our fellow travelers first went there, they were regular travelers on this road I felt. Then we also joined them. Cheese toast garnished with green chilly pieces was tasty. In Mumbai I may not venture out to eat on the road. But enjoy such moments on a trip. Our bus now resumed its journey. Five kilometers from this place was a turn which goes to Pathankot. There was a terrorist attack on Pathankot base two month’s back. It gave us realization how close we were to the border. Now sleep was catching up. In the thoughts I don't remember when I slept in my comfortable seat like a toddler.

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Night at Jammu

I become shopaholic at times. Neha is aware of it. She ensured we don't spend more time in market. It was must to reach Jammu. It was almost 8.00 pm now. Chandan took us to the main square of katra town. We booked a car for Jammu there from Royal Travels. After bargaining we got car in rs. 900/-. We found a roadside cart selling fried items nearby. The smell was inviting. I ordered for "Mirchi Bhaji" (Green chilly dipped in batter and deep fried) , followed by tea. I offered Chandan money for all the help he extended here in Katra, which he refused politely. We said good bye to Chandan and sat in the car. Car Started, we looked back, at the hills bright lights were visible. We once again bowed down in that direction. With blessings of mother (Vaishnodevi) we completed a pilgrimage of Trikuta hills successfully. With hearts filled with satisfaction our journey towards Jammu began.

Distance between Jammu and Katra is about 45-50 kilometers. As this road is hilly, it has many turns and bends. It was night with very little light around. Enjoying the nature was out of question due to this condition. Many shocks and vibrations were giving us idea of road condition. This road is close to Pakistan border, which used by lakhs of devotees and army too. How come road conditions can be so bad? This question came to my mind number of times. Owing to traffic and road condition our journey was slow. We took over an our and half to reach Jammu. Our car stopped outside "Saraswati Dham" , where we have booked our room. We were hungry, sleepy and it was must for us to get up at 4.40 am in the morning to catch a bus for Amritsar.

In front of us was a six floored tall, snow white impressive building.  Three, four such hotels are built by shrine board in Jammu. They are close to railway station for convenience of pilgrims.  It was having a mice garden outside. At this hour we never got a chance to see its beauty. We entered and shown our booking at reception. We were allocated a room on first floor. It was 10.30 pm. Receptionist told us the canteen time is only till 11.00 pm. So we went directly to canteen from there. Here rates were same as we found at Vaishnodevi, however more items were available.  Post dinner we went to our room. There was an elevator in the building, which came as a relief. Our room was very clean, well maintained and cozy. Cleanliness of bathroom and toilet was very good. I always feel this is a measure of cleanliness for any hotel. Room was air-conditioned to our satisfaction.  We changed and went to bed immediately. 

Alarm at 4.30 am woke us up. As our stay here was just for few hours we hardly had any packing to do. Both of us have a habit of taking bath before leaving the house or room, however early it is. After bath we left the room, deposited keys at reception and left this hotel called Saraswati Dham. We felt we shall be back sometime later here and enjoy a longer stay. We hired a three Wheeler outside for bus stand. In these wee hours he charged us Rs.150/- for a short distance of 5-6 kilometers.  We reached bus station in less than 15 minutes through empty early morning roads. It was cold outside.  Our bus was yet to come to bus station. We decided to have a tea and biscuits at nearby stall. By the time we finished our tea, bus reached platform. 

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Back in Katra

By the time we reached Himkoti, it was over three hours since our last meal. We enjoyed rice one more time followed by a cup of tea. It was cold even in the afternoon Sun. Our booking for Amritsar was there next day early morning. It was must for us to reach Jammu by night and catch forty winks, to get refreshed. It was 4/30 pm now. We still had to cover a distance of nearly 6 kms to Katra. We saw a group of palanquin men. I requested Neha to climb down by palanquin. I wanted to descent fast. Reluctantly she agreed to go alone. I gave her my backpack and reduced my load. I resumed my descent on foot. I was using road and stairs combination while climbing down. By6.00 pm I reached Banganga, from where we started our climb. It was a nonstop walk which I enjoyed with my natural speed. I controlled my natural speed for so long for Neha. At this place as described earlier there are lot of restaurants. I enjoyed Puribhaji and tea there and sat waiting for Neha. I informed Chandan to meet us at his brother's shop by 6.30 pm when we started from Himkoti. I reminded him again. Shortly Neha's palanquin arrived. She narrated her experience. She said initially she had to get used to palanquin. He sat tightly holding side bar. After getting used she enjoyed her journey. She had a cup of tea on the way to fight cold. Rate cards for all facilities are approved by Shrine board and displayed everywhere. Cost of palanquin ride was about Rs.1500/-. 

We deposited our stamped receipt "yatra parchi" at the security post while going out of Darshan Devdi. That is a door where one starts trek. Administration understands whether every devotee who has started climb, has reached back with this security arrangement. While crossing this security post we remembered yesterday's incidence. When we were climbing towards Hathimattha, we reached one security post. It was well lit and had room heater inside. We decided to sit there for some time and enjoy warm surrounding in biting cold. Some devotees using this road crossed this security post when we were sitting inside. They thought we are manning that post and opened there bags for a check. Such small funny incidences increase beauty of life, isn't it? Coming out of Darshan Devdi, we looked back. Adhkuwari was visible from here today as the weather was clear and visibility was excellent. 

Walking a small distance we reached shop owned by Chandan's brother. We returned our raincoats. We purchased some sweets instead of taking back deposit. We collected our baggage left there. He offered us a cup of hot tea. Chandan reached there by the time we finished our tea. I don't recollect name of this shop neither found it in my notes. Somehow I missed noting it down. Chandan took us to a dry fruit shop as assured by him. Good quality dry fruits are available here in Katra at a reasonable price. We wanted to buy walnuts as they are very costly in Mumbai. We bought a kg of We found dried berries there, they looked like black raisins. This dried berries are offer at Bhaironath temple, we were told. We bought a small quantity of them too. Due to time constraint, we decided to stop our shopping here. Now our next objective was to reach Jammu at the earliest.

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Vaishnodevi to Himkoti

It took us sometime time to come out of trance we were experiencing. We went to temple office once we were out of temple complex. They accept all type of donations here. Friends and relatives give money to donate and ask to pay homage at the temple, if someone is going for darshan. It is very common practice here in India. We carried a few such donations. We also offered our own. Both of us felt, shrine board utilizes donations in the best manner for providing excellent facilities. With satisfaction we went to locker room and took our belongings. Many devotees visit Bhaironath temple after visiting Vaishnodevi temple. It is about 6-7 kilometers further on the hilltop. In such a short distance one needs to climb 2500 feet. This trek is difficult, so we unanimously decided to drop a climb. Instead we took a right turn for our climb down to Katra.

We were to take new road via Himkoti for this purpose. There a large open space on the right. There were offices, restaurants, apartments, dormitories, shops and benches for pilgrims. It was noon by now. We lunched at a hotel there. I was very pleased with this shrine board eating houses, which provide simple, nutritious food. It is generally advised not to undertake long walks immediately post meals. It means a time to take some rest. We identified a bench under a tree and settled there. We were discussing about exploring more of Himalaya in future tours. Himalaya has a special place in Hinduism. A cup of tea and relaxing for half an hour was good enough to start now. There are eCars available from here till Himkoti for devotees.  Reading a board in front, I misunderstood that eCars are available only for old and handicapped.  I stressed on it to Neha and we started walking. This road is very well laid and maintained. At many places it is covered.  It is very helpful during rains and saves walkers from falling stones. Climbing up is test of lung capacity. Though legs give trouble while climbing, their real test is while descending. Knees, ankles and calf muscles get strained a lot. A view of Bhawan from this road is memorable. It must be giving encouragement while climbing, I felt. Taking a break after every fifteen minutes, we covered a significant distance in one hour and fifteen minutes. 

We were stopped by shrine board employees at one turn. When enquired, they told about landslide happening some distance away. We could see the falling stones and mud from a height. Some others devotees now joined us there as road was blocked from both sides. Shrine board administration stated working on removing loose land above hill top. Our legs were cramping and there was accompanying pain. We were messaging it ourselves. Suddenly from nowhere a group of masseur came there.  They started convincing us about their skills. We relented and at rupees 100 each got a foot massage. It was very relaxing and relieved us of aches. By now cleaning of boulders on the road was underway. Like elsewhere, on the road we found a tea stall nearby. A hot cup of tea was called for. As cleaning of the road was complete, we were allowed to cross affected area. They actually advised us to run fast to get clear of the area. Such landslides are very common in this part. Fortunately no one was injured today in the landslide. With all this eventful afternoon we reached Himkoti by 4.00 pm.

View Bhawan from road to Himkoti

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Divine Moments

A natural cave, which devotees used to crawl to sanctum sanctorum for darshan of Mother Goddess, was about 500 meters from security post. To make devotees life easier two new tunnels are carved our little ahead of this natural entrance.  At the natural cave there was a small temple outside.  A few devotees were singing prayers. Most often now, this cave entrance is not allowed to be used now. This cave route was waterlogged due to very heavy rains. We were walking barefoot. Stone surface was so cold my feet were numb by now. We reached entry tunnel. It is very well maintained with tiles and rainwater drain. There was a small queue, only up to half of that 60-70 feet tunnel. It means hardly 30-40 devotees were ahead of us. We were reciting Stotras (odes of praise) of Mata (mother) Vaishnodevi. There was a chant of “Jai Mata Di” (hail the goddess) around. In this trance we reached in the sanctum sanctorum. Here we were bowing down in front of goddess, a divine moment. As there was no rush, even priest were not in hurry. They allowed us to stand till I finished one recital of “Shaptashati Stotra”. Our minds were full of devotion and intense pleasure. We cherished this moment, we longed for, since we discussed about it 3 months ago. Mata’s (mother goddess) wish, call and blessings have brought us here for this divine experience.

There is no Idol of Vaishnodevi in this cave temple.  Three pimples like stone bumps are present. They are called as "Pindi".  The right bump (Pindi) is of Goddess Kali, central Pindi is of Goddess Laxmi and little distant one on left is Sarasota. As per mythological stories Vaishnodevi draws power from all these three goddesses. One can read stories about Vaishnodevi in books and in Internet as it is easily available, hence retelling is avoided here. I have penned down our experiences on this trip. There are carvings and photos of other deities. I don't recall most as our concentration was solely on Pindis. We came out from the adjoining tunnel, drenched in limitless joy. I looked at Neha, she too was in ecstatic state. Her desire to visit Vaishnodevi was very strong. With blessings from mother goddess, she overcame asthma and climbed the hills in difficult climate. It was unforgettable, unique experience. We were feeling blessings of mother everywhere. We felt our physical and mental strength has multiplied manifold. Still we were reciting "Jai Mata Di". In this supernatural joyful condition we sat under a large tree. 

We came back in our senses from this trance like condition hearing recital of psalms (bhajan) by group of elderly ladies. Once family consisting of husband, wife and a small girl came out of cave. Those elderly ladies ran towards her. They bowed down to her. I asked Neha in amazement about it. She said, as per mythology, first pre-puberty girl seen immediately post darshan, is considered as a form of goddess. Hearing this I felt, are we forgetting great teachings of Hinduism. Are we following these great teachings? No, I don't think so, otherwise why there are molestation, rapes and eve teasing?

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Worth all the pain

We started our walk towards Bhawan while saying "Jai Mata Di" (Hail the mother). Road was very beautiful. On our right was the hill from which this road was carved. On the left it was Valley. From Sajichat to Bhawan is a descent. Half a kilometer ahead a joined this road. It came from the hill. This road comes from Sajichat heli

pad. From many turns on this road, Bhawan is visible. Only nature around us was there for our company. This road is less frequented.  We saw a small road climbing on our right after walking for an hour. This road goes to Bhaironath Temple. Devotees visit Bhaironath temple after visiting Mata's (mother's) cave before commencing descent. Now on the either side there were buildings, numerous shops and restaurants. All the buildings had optical white exterior. It took us, quarter over an hour to cover this distance of 3 kilometers. We have reached near the gate from where queue starts for Darshan. Hey, finally we have reached Bhawan; together we shouted in excitement. Our hearts were filled with heavenly joy. All the pain was worth it.

Seven in the morning I first saw those white buildings of Bhawan. Those buildings were visible from many corners of the road we took from Sajichat. We were eager to reach there since we did booking on 19th January 2015. In incessant rains, inclement weather, chilly winds a climb of 4500 feet in a 13 kilometer trek of yesterday was possible only because of magnetic pull of the deity. We were coming to Vaishnodevi for the first time. Neha said Mata (Mother goddess) wanted us to come for darshan (visit) climbing the hills. It happened as per her wish. It was a realization of local saying in Hindi "Chalo Bulawa Aaya Hai, Mata Ne Bulaya Hai". It means one can visit mother goddess only if she wishes so.

It is necessary to take your number in the queue. There are special arrangements for this. After taking number one has to wait for announcement of their number before proceeding to queue. It is a god way of managing crowd. Generally it takes minimum of two hours before one proceeds in the queue except in the months of extreme cold. This was told to us by our friends who visited earlier. We went to the window indicating this service. Gentleman their asked us to proceed straight to the queue complex. One has to keep all the belongings, wallet, belt, mobile and shoes outside before standing in queue. A very good arrangement of lockers is done by temple management. Though safety is good it is prudent to carry your own lock and key for this purpose. Due to terrain one has to do lot of up and down in this process. Negotiating 100 odd steps i kept our luggage in locker. 

I and Neha walked towards security post near entrance gate. Cross boarder terrorism and religious fundamentalism is affecting most of the world today. Free movement even of a devotee is difficult. Security guard at this post spoke with us in our mother tongue Marathi. It is so soothing when you meet somebody from your native, 2000 kilometers away. I asked him about the time we will take for darshan of mother goddess. I was expecting, he will say one and half to two hours. To our surprise he said, twenty minutes maximum. He said due to inclement weather, incessant rains most devotees who have reached Katra did not climb the hill, only a few dared. As per information received by them, devotees from 150 buses were waiting at Katra, for weather to get normal. .

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Recharged, Refreshed at Sajichat

We were very happy reaching Sajichat. It was arduous climb in incessant rain and cold wind. We reached shrine board office. Reception counter for rooms was there. We were received with warmth.  After handing over our booking reception,  they allocated us room. There was an eating house opposite this office. We were told to have our dinner and then proceed to room. This eatery closes at 9.00 pm whereas eateries on the new road are open 24X7. I felt riding on a horse and saving a lot of time was a right decision. We finished our dinner. Room boy accompanied us to the room. It was 300 meters climb on a hill above. Oh no! It wasn't something we were expecting. Climb, rain and cold wind has taken a toll. In Mumbai, where iI come from even during cold, we experience 14-15 degree Celsius as lowest temperature. His words gave us goosebumps. With no alternative we climbed. Road was well lit. On both sides of road were flowering plants. The scent of different flowers was lingering in the atmosphere. At last we reached our room. It is difficult to express the feelings in words.

Both of us were very exhausted. We changed wet cloths. This room was very clean and cozy. There were found 4-5 blankets in the cupboard. We first took our routine medicines. I asked Neha to retire to bed. I gave her to blankets. A room heater was also there. I switched it on to get room warmer. I also spread all belongings, our shoes etc around it to dry. Many of our belongings were wet due to rains. It was warmer in the room now. I saw Neha, she was already fast asleep. I was impressed with her courage. She was told by her physician to take a helicopter and not to attempt climb. Her willpower an and devotion to Vaishnodevi Mata helped her to reach here. I was feeling sleepy. I too covered myself with two blankets. I slept while thinking about a wonderful day.

It was seven in morning when i got up. Neha was already awake. She switched on Geyser. Without hot water it was difficult to even wash hands or rinse. She asked me how you are. I answered her, awesome. I came in to balcony and looked at the hills above. They were capped with fresh snow. This view in the morning rays was breathtaking. We freshened up, packed our backpack again and descended to shrine board office. We were feeling very fresh and recharged with energy. The whole surrounding was multiplying our enthusiasm. We returned the keys. While discussing we came to know that shrine board provides dormitories free of cost to devotees. At a small fee they also provide blankets to all who need it. All these facilities for devotees were well thought of. So many shrine board employees, we met during our trip. No one asked for tips. Employee unions have kept donation boxes at various facilities and point. One may put money as tips in those boxes. Knowing this, i offered this tips to one employee. He politely pointed out to one such box. It was a pleasant surprise. Most often experience is of employees loitering around for tips.

We went to that eating house opposite office for breakfast. While discussion with manager there we came to know that night temperature was minus three degree Celsius. Today skies were clear and there was no rain. Pleasant run rays were increasing beauty of nature around. There came a loud sound of helicopter. This was the first sortie after three days, manager told us. Our hotel was about a kilometer away from Sajichat helipad. We came out of restaurant. Bhavan (Mata's cave town) was visible at a distance. We bowed down in that direction. With lot of excitement and enthusiasm, we started our walk towards the shrine. 

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Snow capped hills

Bhavan From Sajichat

Via Hathimattha

Adhkuwari is virtually half way through to Vaishnodevi Mata cave. There is a temple of "Eternal Virgin" form of goddess. We took darshan of Adkuwari ie we prayed at Adkuwari temple. We took some rest there, before proceeding further. From here two roads lead to Bhavan. Bhavan is a place of Vaishnodevi Mata's Cave. One road is a new road from Himkoti which goes directly to Bhavan. It is about six kilometers to cave temple by this road. Now most of the devotees use the new road. Other road is old road from Sajichat. to Bhavan. Old road has much lesser facilities and is very steep. It is much longer as It is 5 kilometers to Sajichat and 3 kilometers ahead to Bhavan. As our booking was at Sajichat we were having only option. It was to take old road. Our climb restarted. It was past 6 pm, darkness was setting fast. As such there was poor light through out the day due to clouds. The no of devotees on this road were negligible. We saw some of them climbing down after visiting Bhaironath Temple. Devotees generally visit Bhaironath temple after darshan (visit) of Vaishnodevi Mata Cave. On this road the gradient is very high. Hence the road looks like forehead of elephant. Hence this part is called Hathimattha. There is no eatery, Tea Stall or washroom facility on this road till Sajichat. Steepness was being felt. For first 15 minutes Neha was taking rest after about 150 footsteps, But later it came down to almost 30 steps. It was getting worried due to this, as in next one hour we covered only a kilometer.

On one of the bend we found benches under a shade. I decided to sit there and take rest. Neha was reluctant and wanted to continue walking. I was surprised with her enthusiasm in this difficult terrain. It was the power of Mata's calling was keeping her going, I felt. I too, started feeling little tired and hungry. We waited there for some time. I had biscuits which we were carrying. Hour hand was firmly past seven. Two horsemen were coming towards that spot. I told Neha, let us take a horse ride to clear this difficult stretch. They agreed to take us to check post kilometer away from sajichat. Horses were allowed only till that check post. Price paid for this horse ride was on a higher side. We paid Rs 1700/- per person. Both of us don't have must experience of riding horse. There was a fear of falling from the horse. Another fear was if horse gets out of control then will be straight in the valley. In less than 20 minutes we covered over 3 kilometers of distance. We got down from horses, hardly a kilometer away from Sajichat.

It was a much need rest to legs and lungs, Rain was not ready to stop and rather it was pouring still. It was very dark now. We decided to take rest at every 100 meter stone. It was over an hour of walking. After a steep bend we saw buildings at a distance of about 150 meters. It was a a feeling beyond expression. We found lot of energy and strength in our legs. Our speed of walking increased. We reached Sajichat after a memorable climb, a lifetime experience.

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Halfway through - we at Adkuvari

We were enjoying the surroundings while walking. Rain was keeping us a company. We started walking by about 12/30 pm. it was past 2.00 pm now. wWe saw ahead that there were no shops ahead after half a kilometer.  We took a halt for a cup of tea. in this hour and a half we covered little over 2 kilometers. Total climb to Adhkuwari is six kilometers. Some rest and refreshing tea recharged us. Enhancement in energy level was necessary in this chilly, rainy afternoon. We were walking continuously, yet cold was biting. We resumed our climb, still the gradient was low. In next one hour we covered another kilometer and half. Now there were no shops around. We had tea in a small outlet of shrine board; from here real climb has started. On some of the bends it was really steep. Neha is asthmatic from childhood.  Her physician was not in favour of her climbing the hills, but she was determined. We kept the pace low to ensure she is comfortable right from the beginning. We decided now to take about 500 steps in one go and then wait for some time to ease heavy breathing. We realized that we have climbed a significant height.

It was 4.15 pm. I was feeling hungry. There is a wash room, tea coffee stall and a restaurant at every half a kilometer on this road. These facilities are provided by shrine board. we decided to take a break. This restaurant had a scenic view compelling to take a snap. Restaurants run by temple administration provide very economical food. These outlets have a short menu. It has three rice dishes with rice namely Rajma rice, kadhi rice and dal rice. Each had a price tag of Rs. 40/-. There was Puri bhaji for Rs.25 and tea and coffee at Rs 7 and 10/- each. We decided to taste different varieties at every meal. We were there for about 30 minutes. After this good rest and relaxing time spent, we started our walk. About half an hour later I realized now Neha needed a short break to regain her breath every 300 steps. 

The hills were magnetic. Whole atmosphere here was radiating supernatural force. Devotees of various age group, gender and physical condition were climbing up and down happily. They were encouraging each other with a chant of "Jai Mata Di". The power I felt was a culmination of inspiration from nature, Devotion of pilgrims and force majeure (Daivi Shakti)). With heavy rains, biting cold, increasing steepness of climb and reducing oxygen in air nature was taken a test. Yet Mothers attraction and power was giving us strength and enthusiasm to overcome all odds and continue climb. In this transcendental state we reached Adhkuwari by 5.30 pm. 

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Me and Neha At Adhkuwari

Engraved in Memory

Both sides of road were crowded with numerous shops. They were selling variety of items. This is a usual sight on the roads leading to most of the religious places in India. We never entered one. Our focus was to reach Sajichat at the earliest. People were walking on the road. Some were riding on horseback. Horsemen were trying to control their speed. There was an unusual odour in the air. It was a mix of surrounding smell with droppings and urine of horses. Shrine board employees were continuously cleaning the road. There continuous efforts were falling short as it was getting dirty again in no time. In such a heavy rain it was dirty, what must be happening when there is lot of rush and it doesn't get cleaned naturally by rain? I need additional visits to know more about it. One has to be careful walking on the road. There is always rush of devotees and Pittuwalas (Bag carriers) walking on foot. Horses and palanquins are going up and down on that narrow road. Each palanquin is carried by four persons (doliwallas). Rhythm in their walking was a sight. Harmony in their movement is still in front of my eyes. Even after two years it plays like a movie when I close my eyes and rethink about it.

Vaishnodevi is holy shrine of Hindus, second most frequented by devotees after Tirupati Balaji. Devotees not only from India but all over the world visit here. Both this temples are managed very efficiently by respective temple administration committees', I felt facilities for devotees, cleanliness are excellent Here. We staying in Maharashtra always boast of it being progressive state. I thought to write temple administrators in Maharashtra to send study tour to these places. I think managing temples and creating facilities for pilgrims is progressive too.

We also observed the horsemen, doliwallas and Pittuwalas. Most of them were tall, slim and well built. They were very fair and had blue green eyes. They were impressive and hardworking. Whenever we opened a talk, they greeted us by saying "Jai Mata Di". It means hail the mother goddess. Every now and then we heard them saying' blessings of mother goddess'. They can work here only after registering with temple administration. Each one was issued identity card. Very economical food and free restrooms are available to all of them. Cost of food for them, was only 50-60% of cost to devotees in special dining rooms.  a striking fact was most of them were Muslims, They come from distant part of Kashmir valley. Poverty is a norm in that part of J&K. Income sources are far and few, we were told. Is this the reason that youth from this part is easily trapped for terrorism, from across the border? They find working here helps them with decent earning. They come here again and again for employment. There is restriction on number of registered workers.Those who are waiting for registration or don't get one work as masseur. There condition, I found is very bad. They don,t even get advantage of free rest rooms and economical food. Temple administration has created very good facilities for direct employees in the hills.They are provided with decent accommodation near their work stations. We continued our trek enjoying these visuals, discussions and thinking about them.

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Our climb begins

We left the market and reached the entry. This entry is called as "Darshan Darwaja" or "Darshan Devdi". From this entry point the entire Trikuta Hill is visible. Here first security checking is done. Lot of sitting arrangements is made here. It wasn't possible to seat in rains. As there was no rush there was no need to sit also. We cleared the security check. To make climbing for pilgrims easier there are various options made available past security post. One can hire Horse or palanquin. If one decades to climb but doesn't want to carry bags then there are backpacks carriers called as "Pittuwala". One interesting arrangement is a person who pushes you on the climb. I found it funny and difficult to imagine. How one can be pushed on the climbing roads when the person has lost energy? It was difficult to imagine. I asked Neha whether she want to hire Horse or Palanquin. She was very clear. She wanted to trek it on foot.

After some distance there was "Gulshan Kumar's Langer". Langer is a place where free food is distributed to pilgrims.  Gulshan Kumar was ardent devotee of Mata (Mother)  Vaishnodevi.  He was primarily instrumental in improving facilities here. Later on the shrine administration was taken over by government.  We passed this place and reached a control check post. Here one has to get pilgrim registration receipt, "Yatra parchi" stamped. Post stamping we crossed a small rivulet. This is called as Banganga.  In spite of heavy rains this rivulet was very dirty. It was more like a sewage carrier. Even in and around Mumbai there are rivers like Mithi, Dahisar and Wladhuni, where I get the same feeling. Can we humans be more civilized?  Ahead of this bridge there is a temple called "Charan Paduka Mandir".  Historically, this is where  pilgrimage starts. Like most often we do in Mumbai, I bowed down from a distance and continued walking. Little ahead opposite of this Temple there was a hotel. Name of this hotel is "Tulsi Bhojanalaya". We decided to take lunch here. This hotel has sitting arrangements for more than 100 persons. When we entered, there were not more than 15 people, having food. Due to inclement weather very few devotees very few decided to undertake this journey. We had "Puri Bhaji".  While ordering tea, my order was very clear now, ' without sugar without salt'. Even though cold wind was blowing and it was raining cats and dogs, I and Neha were full of enthusiasm. I secured backpack by wearing raincoat over it. Both of us took the sticks we were carrying and here we go. 

From this place two ways are available.  One is a plane road and other is by using stairs. As per the board, there were over one and half thousand stairs. Height of those stairs also was unusually more. At each stage stairs we found board indicating no of steps in that stage. There were boards advising against using steps, for those suffering from blood pressure, heart disease and other ailments. In cities we are used to elevators, hence not even a flash of thought came in mind of climbing stairs. Our trek for Vaishnodevi Darshan has started.

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No Second Thought

It was 10 am. We finished our breakfast. Chandan came to hotel with car. We left for helipad. It took us about 15 minutes to reach there. After going through the security we entered helipad. Chandan said he will wait for our message.  Helipad staff was very cooperative. We were told that, tickets can be canceled 15 minutes after scheduled departure. As there were heavy rains and almost nil visibility in the hills, there was no chance of a takeoff. We informed this development to Chandan. He was in the parking area. I will wait till you cancel tickets and come out, he assured. Past 11.15 am, that is 15 minutes past our departure time our tickets were cancelled. We came out of helipad, Chandan was waiting there for us.

Back in the car we started discussing next plan. What has happened was never thought of while planning.  We had to deal with it on the spot. We had two options, one was to trek the hills and other was to wait for improvement in weather till next day. We had details of trek, we reconfirmed it from Chandan. He said we can climb from Banganga. Horses, palanquins are available at Banganga. Katra is about 850 meters i.e. 3000 feet from mean sea level. Sajichat where we booked our stay was 7200 feet. So we had a climb of about 4500 feet to be done over a distance of 12-13 kilometers. Of course it was clear that, we will have to cover the distance in heavy rains. Neha was very enthusiastic about trek. It was very appreciable. By the time Chandan brought us to a shop owned by his brother. This shop was selling offerings to the deity. We took out backpack from the bags and packed it with necessary food, medicines and clothes sufficient for our trek. Though shrine board has made numerous free arrangements to keep baggage at Katra, we decided to keep our bags at the shop. I was not worried once even while leaving our baggage there. Shopkeeper gave us a written acknowledgement of the same.

We realized our umbrellas we were useless in this weather. The shops in Katra offer raincoats for hire. We hired raincoats from the same shop Chandan took us to. We paid Rs. 200/- per raincoat deposit.  The hiring charges were Rs. 100/- per Raincoat. Long sticks are available at every shop and on the road free of cost.  We took two sticks. They are useful as a support on a long climbing road. Chandan assured us to meet when we come down the next day. He was to take us to Katra market next day. Frankly staying market of Katra is incorrect. Katra means market. This place is called as Katra as it is a marketplace of Vaishnodevi Shrine. Now we were clear that will climb to the shrine.  If one does registration after reaching Katra and take "Yatra Parchi" then it is mustn't clear first check post at Banganga within four hours. We had a registration done on Internet. There was no such restriction on us. It was over 6 hours since we reached Katra. The first entry gate called as "Darshan Darwaja", was about 300 meters from this shop. We left the shop and started our walk saying good bye to Chandan.

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Shri Vaishnodevi Katra 2

It was raining incessantly with heavy winds, when we came out of the station. There is long foot over bridge connecting station to the auto stand. Umbrellas we carried were useless in this wind. we observed many tourists wearing a thin plastic raincoat. It was made from plastic material generally used in plastic bags we get in the vegetable market. At the other end of bridge we found a boy selling these raincoats. We bought two for Rs. 30/- only. Our look in raincoat was funny, but good for a photo memory, hence we captured it. It did save us from rain to an extent. I felt this windy, rainy morning was very pleasant. It may be more psychological than real.

Many rickshaw and car drivers rushed towards us when we came out. As it happens outside all railway and bus stations in India, they were dismayed to know we looking for a short journey. They went away, so did most of the tourist who came out of the station. Few cabs and autos were still there. Now these drivers walked towards us. They were agents of various hotels. We were also in search of a room for next 4-5 hours to take rest and get ready. A young man in his late twenties walked towards us. He was short, slim with fair complexion and was looking very confident . He gave his card to us. His name was Chandan Sharma.My trained eyes with long touring experience found him reliable. We negotiated with him a hotel room for 5 hours and a drop to hotel and from there to helipad for Rs 400/-. 

He took us through small by-lane to a small hotel. The name of this hotel was Hotel Amrit Palace. Many such small hotels calling them palace I have stayed in other parts of India also. This hotel cannot be found on Google even today. There we were given a room on the ground floor. It wasn't a great hotel but room was clean to our satisfaction. First we ordered tea. I wanted sugar less tea. Shortly room boy brought two cups of hot tea. I took first sip and just threw it out. It was first time I sipped a tea with milk having salt. I have indulged in salty tea earlier called as "Kahawa", but is without milk. Then i asked him to get me tea to my order. We had tea and biscuits. We freshened up,changed for journey for Vaishnodevi. We came out in the lounge and opened a dialogue with boys manning reception counter. We were told in last 2 days there was no helicopter sortie due to inclement weather. But as per rules it was must for us to report at helipad to cancel our tickets.

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Shri Vaishnodevi Katra 1

Neha woke me up with excitement, I was fast asleep. I got up; found the entire compartment came to life. All were excited and preparing to alight. We have reached Shri Vaishnodevi Katra railway station.  I wore my socks and shoes. We got our baggage in order and came out on the platform. To my utter surprise this platform was very clean. It was biting cold outside. Display on the station was showing 4 degrees Celsius. It was raining heavily with strong winds adding to the cold. We were wearing sweater, it wasn't sufficient to protect from cold.  Both of us wore a jacket, hand gloves also a hood. Our looks were amusing and ideal for a click. After taking a photograph I started searching for a hot cup of tea. In this whether early morning at 5.00 am what else is asked for, but a tea stall was nowhere in the sight.

We used Internet extensively while planning. It is good medium to gather information as long as one doesn't mislead self in this mega information web. Usually my search begins with Wikipedia. Wikipedia, Wikimedia are good to begin with but I am not sure about authenticity of information. We searched Google Earth,

Google maps also. Saw many videos on YouTube and tried to relate the information acquired. We went to all this places in virtual world so many times. The benefits were seen the moment we reached Katra. We felt that it's not the first time we have stepped here. We felt surrounding was just familiar to us.

Apart from Internet on our desktop we used many mobile applications for information and searching.  AccuWeather was one such application used extensively. The information we got from it was very vital for planning. After getting down from the train we found this weather forecast was absolutely right. It was raining heavily here. Make My Trip, Cleartrip, Yatra, Goibibo l. Trivalgo, Travel Yarri and Tripadviser were some applications we used. I particularly find Tripadviser useful. Many travelers share their experiences on Tripadvisor which I found very informative and in my opinion very useful during a travel. I started traveling across length and breadth of India as a kid. My father (Appa)  was very keen traveler and used to take the family out every year. I had seen more than 70% of India by 1984, I was 17 then. Even then we never went with tour operators.  Our trips were elaborately planned by him and two of his friends. Four, five families used to travel together then. Now with advent in technology and available information it was prudent to plan ourself and travel.

IRCTC has made very good arrangement of AC rooms in Katra station premises; which can be booked in advance on www.irctc.co.in. It wasn't done by us. We went there for spot booking. No rooms were available. We never took care of booking a room or some alternative arrangement for these 4-5 hours in Katra. One lacuna in our planning we realized. We also learned there was no retiring room on the station other than above rooms. Being frpm Mumbai, we are used to very heavy rush on the railway stations. There is a lack of basic amenities including cleanliness on many suburban stations. We still travel happily in Mumbai by trains. But we were pleasantly surprised with the cleanliness and facilities on Katra station. It has beautiful architecture with amenities like escalators.

Me and Neha at Katra Railway Station

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In the capital city

We Hand baggage helped to come out of the airport fast. It was raining in the northern part of India for last few days. Though it was mid-March there was cold weather outside. We had a cup of refreshing tea on the food stall outside. As it was past 1.30 pm we decided to head for lunch straight and do away with our plan to visit Rajghat and India Gate. We booked a prepaid cab for Connaught Place. Delhi airport is quite far from city. It is about an hour's drive. Delhi has lot of traffic too. We directly reached Kake da Hotel. It was full on this Sunday afternoon.  We waited for 20 minutes outside hotel for getting table. Though the food was tasty, there is no attention to cleanliness.

After sumptuous lunch we came out. It was 4 pm now. Though New Delhi railway station is close by one may get stuck in traffic in this area, especially due to VIP movement. We have already cancelled the plan of sightseeing. So we took a Three Wheeler commonly known as Auto or Rickshaw. These was to avoid the eager moments while catching train in case of delay. This rickshaw drivers are clever to charge more to tourist.  He charged us Rs. 100 for a small distance.

We reached station; it was little over an hour for the departure of our train. We went to waiting room on the platform no one. There is only one general waiting room this platform. It was crowded. Somehow we managed to get a seat. One problem faced is cleanliness in public utility services. This place too wasn't very clean but had no alternative.  I find it difficult to sit at one place. I went out, roamed on the platform and had tea. There I understood, IRCTC, an initiative by Indian Railway has very well developed waiting rooms on the other side of the station on platform number eleven. Very elaborate catering arrangements are also there. But we were not very keen to explore this facility. To pass time we were glued to our mobile.

Around five o' clock there as an announcement of our train "MA Shakti Express". It was to depart from platform number five. This train was recently started and travels through a very beautiful terrain of Jammu, Udhampur and Katra. We had no chance of enjoying this natural beauty as our journey was in the night. We reached platform number five to board the train.  Our compartment was very nice, clean and cozy. This train was not having a pantry car. I bought some Pulaw (Rice cooked with spices and vegetables)  for dinner. We arranged our baggage and relaxed on our berths. With a light jerk train left Delhi right in time at 5.30 pm.

This train is a superfast train. It travels 200 kms in three hours for first halt at Ambala. It covers a total distance of about 650 kms in 11 hours and 30 minutes. We once again reviewed our plan, the called up Ishan for the first time in a whole day. We briefed him about the day's experience. Both of us opened our books, all three of us  love reading, hence boredom is a rarity in travelling. It was around 8 pm, we had dinner. Train was reaching near Ambala and sleep catching us now. We never came to know when train reached Ambala.

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