| Char Dham Yatra – Yamuntori, Day 8 |


Char Dham Yatra – Pilgrimage to the Himalayas

Day 8 – Yamunotri Darshan

Having enjoyed the thrill & beauty of the mountainous route and having known the importance of each and every prominent place along the way, we arrived into Janki Chatti yesterday. This is the place from where travelers undertake the remaining 6 kms journey on foot because no vehicles can go beyond this point. One has to, if so necessitated, engage a horse or a Palki (palanquin) or a Peethu (a person who carries you on his back – who does this for a living) for the road ahead, which is both enjoyable and tiring too.

Come on, let’s walk ahead!

             Yamunotri Darshan on Foot

Now, get hold of a stick in your hand, sling a backpack on your shoulders and we are all set to trek the steep climb to Yamunotri. Those who wish to avail of the services of a horse or a Palki can do so, because we are due to travel over some very difficult terrain and otherwise inaccessible roads, not to forget the arduous climb! It is true that the Char Dham pilgrimage is not an easy one. However, these hardships are insignificant when viewed against people’s faith, belief and religious fervour. Women, men, the elderly and young, children and even those holding milk suckling infants, undertake this daunting climb. The horsemen too come along on the narrow dusty pathways making it that much more difficult for those traveling on foot. Scenic nature, diverse forms of vegetation, huge deodar (Himalayan cedar) trees and the cool breeze wafting through them, snow covered mountains peeping through the trees and dense foliage here and there; these sights render the steep climb and the difficult terrain, easier than it actually is. This is an experience that is comparable to very trying situations in life when one gives up and stops, feeling totally exhausted and defeated by the trials & tribulations of life and God or the Guru steps in at that point, to hold one’s hand. The exhaustion begins to melt away and one forges ahead with renewed faith and energy. In the same manner, the beauty of nature here is so very captivating and rejuvenating that when one is tired, nature’s energy does not allow anyone’s footsteps to stop. However, for this it is necessary that you learn to speak with nature. Only then can her voice be heard when she speaks to you in her sweet language, nudging and encouraging you to understand that she is in fact that Darshan, that vision you have set out to have or attain. “I am that Paramatma in whose search you are trudging ahead”. These sweet words of Nature will fill you with joy and you will be able to see Paramatma everywhere, all around you!

             Yamunotri Temple Darshan

After trekking through the difficult terrain for over 3 hours, when you arrive at the top, you get to see the very pure form of Mother Yamuna. You see only snow and more snow on the mountain heights all around you. From a distance, you also see a yellow coloured dome shaped roof. That is the temple of Mother Yamuna. This place with the Cupola shaped ceiling is Yamunotri. Yamuna ji flows from right across the temple, in the other direction. The rivulets of Yamuna flowing down from the mountain tops amidst the dense, lush green foliage and trees, look extremely beautiful. To save oneself from the fear of an untimely death and, to attain Moksha – liberation, people bathe in Yamuna. It is the inscrutable story of nature that is joyful to hear and even think of. The cold waters of Yamuna ji on one side and boiling water on the other side. There is a Kund – a reservoir here known by the name of Surya Kund, whose water is hot. One can gauge its heat or temperature just by looking at the steam rising from it. Every individual who comes here bathes in it. Bathing in it removes all of one’s tiredness. The calefaction of this reservoir can also be known by immersing a small bag of rice in it, which gets cooked in just a few minutes. There is a Divine slab of stone here. This Divine slab is worshipped before one goes to pray and have Darshan of Mother Yamuna. There is a cave-like entrance next to this slab, from where flows a very thin stream of water and that is where Shri Yamuna ji originates from.

             Yamunotri Temple Tradition

When the mountains drape themselves with sheets of snow and a very chill winter falls upon the region, it is not so easy to live in these places. Life comes to a standstill due to the heavy snowfall. So, on the day of Diwali (Deepavali) every year, the form of Yamuna ji is brought to Kharsali village near Janki Chatti. Mother is seated there and worshipped all the time. Thereafter, on Akhateej – an auspicious day in Spring (when the sun and moon are both exalted), Mother Yamuna is taken back to Yamunotri in a silver palanquin, amidst a lot of pomp and grandeur, from Kharsali. Mother Yamuna’s palanquin is accompanied by locals in large numbers. When Mother Yamuna arrives at the Yamunotri temple, one cannot find place to even set foot in the temple premises or around Yamunotri Dham – the dome shaped Cupola structure. The temple doors are opened only when Mother Yamuna’s palanquin arrives there, but there is no Darshan. First, the Mother is worshipped with rituals and offerings followed by Aarti – waving of the sacred lamp and the simultaneous opening of the temple doors. When Mother Yamuna enters the temple precincts, the entire area and the surrounding valley is filled with echoes of “Yamunaji Ki Jai – Hail Mother Yamuna!” and “Yamuna Maharani Ki Jai – Hail the great Queen Yamuna!”

Tomorrow, we shall know more about Mother Yamuna and sing in praise of Her Glorious Form.

(To be continued …)