KAILASH MANASAROVAR- AN UNFORGETTABLE YATRA

INTRODUCTION

MOUNT KAILASH NORTH FACE: PICTURE COURTESY-GANESH

Kailash yatra, the ultimate journey, was a dream for me like for every other Indian. I too had been nursing this strong desire to visit the holy mount of Kailash for long but was clueless about how to accomplish it. One day a post on Facebook luckily led me to an event where an introduction of the yatra was being given by the organizer Mr. Balaji Davey of Mantra Yatra. The destined journey started with that event. An hour into the presentation, I had made up my mind to go with Mantra yatra. I persuaded my sisters to come along too and in a matter of two months, a message from the organizer landed in my WhatsApp saying that the group is full and ready with 36 yatris. After the initial pleasantries, the discussion in the group took a practical turn where each person shared his/her knowledge about the yatra. Then came the part where Mr. Balaji prepared us mentally for the yatra. There were many meetings to caution us about the possible problems and hazards in the arduous journey and how with adequate precaution the journey would be smooth. Three imortant meeting where Balaji prepared us about technicalities was very helpful.

Just before we left, Balaji had arranged a Satyanarayana puja in Chennai attended by most Chennai yaatris

DEPARTURE

9-06-2018

We Chennai yatris assembled at Chennai airport on June 9th, 2018 at the right time looking forward to the journey. Suja, who came across as a warm person, was the only one whom we had not met earlier as she was not from Chennai. Balaji mentioned that one more yatri, Bala would be joining the group. Bala, a total stranger to the group, remained so until the parikrama day!  

The flight we took with enthusiasm was uneventful and landed at Lucknow. We were taken to one of the best properties in Lucknow ‘The Heritage’. We were greeted there by our co-yatris including my sister from Bengaluru who had landed there a few hours earlier. We were quickly allotted our rooms by Balaji. After freshening up we gathered for a very satisfying meal that was followed by friendly chitchat and banter interspersed with loud laughter setting a mood of bonhomie, Balaji, professional as he was, lost no time in briefing us about the programme for the next day. We had to reach Nepalgunj by the next evening with all the necessary arrangements ready. With Ramadevi, Arul, Narmada, and Parvathy reaching the hotel late in the evening, the enthusiastic group of 36 was complete.

10-6-2018:

BOISTEROUS BUS JOURNEY TO NEPALGUNJ

After breakfast and photo session next morning, we boarded the bus to Nepalgunj.  It was only during the bus journey, the hidden talents of some of the yatris came to light. I did not expect a dentist to be a singer. Ravi entertained us with his mellifluous voice. Thereafter it was a jugalbandhi between Suresh Joshi and Arul, both masters in their own ways.

Having enjoyed the medley of songs, Balaji announced that we would all be meeting a friend of Vasanti who was in our midst. Well! She with her inseparable green bag instantly reminded me of Karna of yore with his constant kavacha kundala. Wonder what she had in her bag that she would not part with even for a second. It remained a mystery to us till the end.  Her friend Mamata who lives in Bharaich, a place en route to Nepalgunj was gracious enough to host lunch for all the 36 of us. It was a sumptuous lunch. After yet another photo shoot with our annadaata, we thanked them profoundly and continued our journey to Nepalgunj. Crossing over at Nepal was not much of a hassle as Balaji and his team had arranged everything perfectly. We were lodged in a lovely hotel again at Nepalgunj.

 After checking in and relaxing for a while, we were asked to assemble in the conference room for a briefing by Balaji about the next day events. Nima, our main Sherpa from Shivam holidays with whom Balaji had partnered, joined us here. While Nima was making arrangements with the help of Arul and Narmada, Chakravarthy, the yoga guru from Hyderabad, initiated us into Omkara chanting. I must say that this exercise had a deep impact on everyone present in the room. After the chanting, Balaji and Nima briefed us a little more and handed over our jackets and bags. We then had a good dinner and dozed off happily.

11-06-2018

EN ROUTE TO NEPAL/TIBET

We were up early in the morning ready and rushed to Nepalgunj airport. After some initial hiccups, we left in batches of six in small planes to Simikot. The airport is very small with only a few small planes and helicopters flying on charter to and fro Nepalgunj. It is a serene hill station untouched yet by the growing civilization. People here are very friendly and it is one of those places which will instantly lure any traveler. I think these pictures will give you an idea about this tiny city.

VIEW FROM SIMIKOT AIRPORT

 With clear weather and acting on the instructions from Nima, Balaji decided to continue our journey by helicopters to Hilsa without a break at Simikot. Unlike Simikot, Hilsa is a dry place on the banks of river Karnali. The vegetation here is the bare minimum. Once we alighted from the helicopter, all I could see and feel was only dry dust. One of their local guides took us to a resting place at Hilsa till all the 36 gathered. We were served a great lunch with sweets as dessert After a short siesta, we proceeded towards Taklakot but after passing through Chinese immigration.

The bridge on river Karnali was known as the Hanging bridge connects Nepal to Tibet. The initial walk on the bridge was exciting until everyone reached the middle of the bridge when it swayed once but enough to scare us all. We were officially in Tibet once we crossed the bridge. 

OUR SHAHRUKH KHAN ON THE HANGING BRIDGE

OUR NIGHTINGALE NEAR THE HANGING BRIDGE

From there we were taken to the immigration center to check our bags and to give the biometrics. Everything went smoothly and we were on our way to Taklakot in a luxury bus. It was then the trouble started for some of us. With my head becoming heavy along with continuous vomiting, I knew AMS (acute mountain sickness) was rearing its head. The 40 minutes’ journey to Taklakot seemed unending. With timely help from my sister Indu, I managed to survive the journey to reach the Himalayas Hotel at Taklakot. We had to wait in the lobby till rooms were allotted and all I knew was Indu escorting Vasanti and myself to our rooms and our crashing into our beds. Indu nursed us both to near perfect health through the night before she herself was sick. It was only later we came to know that a few others were in the same boat.

12-06-2018 

We woke up to a fresh sunny morning. The weather was clear, so were our minds too. We were all fresh and looked forward to a new day. Since most of us had some health issue relating to mountain sickness, Balaji decided that he would give us all an extra day to acclimatized and that really helped. 

13-06-2018
Next morning After having a hot tasty breakfast, we were again on the bus bound for Manasarovar. The journey was comfortable with breathtaking views on the way.

RAKSHASTAL

Picture Courtesy:Ganesh

The first stopover was at a huge lake Rakshastal. The literal meaning of Rakshastal is Lake of the demon. It lies on the West of Lake Manasarovar and Mount Kailash. It is believed that the asura king Ravana created this lake when he did severe penance to Lord Shiva. Rakshastal, a huge crescent-shaped saltwater lake, is in stark contrast to the Lake Manasarovar. It is said there is no sign of aquatic life in this lake. We did not also see any kind of living creatures near it, not even birds. Locals keep off the lake fearing it is poisonous. Despite these, Rakshastal looked as beautiful as any other lake making us take our customary picture.

MANASAROVAR

Picture courtesy:Ganesh

From there we were again back on the road heading towards Lake Manasarovar and as we sat expectantly, the bus parked in a large compound. Lake Manasarovar means that which is formed in the mind. According to Hinduism, it is believed that this lake was first conceived in the mind of Brahma. It is a beautiful freshwater lake, so huge that you keep seeing different shades of blue wherever you set your eyes on till the horizon. The sapphire blue water is bordered with brown small hillocks and then with some snow-capped mountains. Superficially It looks just like the paintings we have seen but I assure you that it looks far more beautiful and enchanting in person. No words or pictures can describe the beauty of this captivating lake. I was not sure whether I had enough time to savour the beauty of this lake or the grandeur of Mount Kailash. There was a sense of inadequacy or wanting more. The birds were abundant here and so was the aquatic life. This lake is said to be very holy to Tibetans and Chinese. Hence one is prohibited to throw any waste on its bank.

PICTURE COUTESY: BALAJI DAVEY

Inside the huge compound, is the place where we stayed called as Chiugompa monastery. I could see many rooms on one side where we were allotted the rooms to stay for that night. These rooms had cots with mattresses and nice thick blankets and quilts. You could not ask for more

 On the opposite side of the compound, there was a small door which opened to the lake. On our left, we could see Mount Kailash very close. One view at it, followed by another and yet another, we ended up gazing nonstop at the grand spectacle till the biting chill wind started to freeze our faces too. Then Nima and his team of boys led us to lake Manasarovar where many of the yatris had the holy dip. Nima and the sherpas quickly pitched a tent for the ladies to change after the dip. First to go into freezing water was our very silent software professional Bala. Later Arul who is ever active and bubbly helped many of the yatris to take the holy dip. I wonder as to how he managed to stand in the cold water for such a long time. I guess some people go out of the way to help others and I saw this trait many times in Arul. Soon after everyone finished with his or her dip and prayers, we were back at our rooms. Here Rajamani started feeling a little uneasy but with timely help from Balaji and others, he was back to his normal cheerful self. We were then served yet another sumptuous lunch before we boarded the bus for the Parikrama of Lake Manasarovar. It nearly took two hours for us to cover the huge beautiful lake and after that, we had some time for ourselves now.

Some of us especiallyVasanti, Balaji and myself went a little outside the compound of this place to get a better picture of Mount Kailash south face. By now the cloud cover had risen and we could see the holy mountain clearly in all its splendor. Vasanti asked me how the mount looked like to me. To me it looked like a horse, for some it seemed as Nandi and for some, it appeared as Lingam…. perceptions obviously vary. After an early dinner, we retired to bed in the comfortable rooms.

CUSTOMARY GROUP PICTURE ON THE BANKS OF MANASAROVAR

Balaji had thoughtfully made arrangements for conducting RUDRAM HOMAM . One must appreciate the meticulous attention paid to details by Balaji and in bringing in all the materials and ingredients for this homam. Suresh Joshi performed the homam along with Mr. Ashok. Here again, the effort by Suresh is commendable. He removed his footwear, socks, and gloves and performed the Homam in detail braving the chilling weather on the banks of Manasarovar. The temperature was dipping but it did not deter any of us. When it started snowing mildly it appeared to us as a blessing as if Shiva was pleased with our sincere efforts to perform this Homam with devotion. We rushed back to our rooms, until the snowfall reduced and then started to Darchen in the most comfortable bus.

Picture Courtesy:Ramakrishnan

14-06-2018

DARCHEN

We reached Darchen, our next stop, and base camp. We stayed at Hotel Himalaya. We were all in an upbeat mood as we knew we had nothing else to do this day than to rest. Premila who was very sick the previous day was looking very cheerful and she was seen again with her DSLR. Some of the pictures that she had shot were very beautiful. As we lazed around, talked, gossiped and laughed, we did not realize that it was past lunchtime till. a knock on the door and a voice were heard saying Khana was ready. We stopped the chitter chatter going on about the next day and finished our lunch. Thereafter Balaji accompanied us to do the last minute shopping. I had to buy a raincoat and a walking stick. Everything was available at Darchen. Done with shopping, some of us went for a stroll, and then back on time for dinner. Balaji, as usual, briefed us about next day. We were free to explore Darchen. Suresh, Vasanti, Indu and myself went for a small walk and the veterans of this yatra, Suresh and Vasanti guided us through the walk.  After dinner, there was yet another briefing for the next day.

15-06-2018

PARIKRAMA ROUTE

PARIKRAMA DAY 1

SOUTH FACE-PIC COURTESY-GANESH

This morning everyone was busy getting ready for the parikrama. There was so much positivity amongst all of us. Having been treated to a healthy filling breakfast, we set out in the bus to Yamadwar from where the parikrama started. At the outset, we prostrated to the South face or Dakshinamurthy before proceeding to Yamadwar that is situated at Darboche. Yamadwar in Hindi means the Gateway to the God of death(Yama). There is a small stupa where prayers are offered before the start of the circumambulation of the Mount Kailash.

Picture courtesy: Balaji Davey

At Yamadwar, a few performed a small puja, and some said prayers. Here we were assigned our porters and ponies. Most of us opted to take the pony from day 1 itself as pony was any way needed from day 2. Ramakrishnan, however, was the only yatri who chose not to avail the facility of both pony and porter, He carried his own bag, walked all the 16 kms on day 1 of the parikrama. Our salute to his grit and determination despite a gum infection he was suffering from. Ganesh and Uma chose not to take only the pony and walked the day 1 of parikrama to Dirapuk.

While some went ahead on the ponies, a few of us walked for a while before riding on the ponies. The stretch from Yamadwar to Dirapuk is beautiful. The long journey devoid of any semblance of civilization made one unconsciously ponder and contemplate. Yes, I did too. The journey through the vast mountains, rivers, and lakes resplendent with nature’s beauty was overwhelming. Not once but many times, one realized the insignificance of human life and the feeling of the all-pervading presence of a supreme force overseeing and controlling everything in life, even your breath, was dominant and indescribable. It can only be experienced.

Picure courtesy:Ganesh

The walk/ pony ride was physically exhausting As Nyingma and myself talked about various things while walking, huffing and puffing, I saw Balaji and Vasanti sitting in the middle of nowhere eating their packed lunch. I was hungry too and without seeing anything else, I started to hog my lunch. Only then did Balaji showed me what I was missing. It was the west face of Mount Kailash.

Picture courtesy:Ganesh

According to mythology, the west face is also called the Satyajyot and white in color. This is the only face which is concave in nature. The majestic mount was so near to us and so enthralling that we sat there gazing at the mountain for a while before we resumed our walk. After crossing the tea shops, I realized the pain in the legs were hurting and took the pony for a while to ease the pain and then resumed walking. It was getting late and my leg was not helping me. It was then that I put my full faith on Him, forgot that I had a ligament injury and walked on till I finally saw some red jackets in the vicinity. I knew we were reaching camp 1 soon. After about 30 minutes I was relieved when I saw the big building with many rooms. Once inside the compound, the first person to come and greet me was Bala. He was truly worried about all of us. He walked very fast with his favorite Sherpa and he had reached the camp much earlier. He assured me that everything was fine and then I saw Indu in all smiles. She was worried about my leg. But by His grace, I could make it till then. A little later Balaji came in, then Vasanti and then in a while most of us were at Dirapuk except for Ganesh and Uma and it was worrying all of us. Then Balaji sent one more Sherpa to help and they arrived safely too.

Picture Courtesy:Balaji Davey

NORTH FACE: PICTURE COURTESY-SATEESH

Now let me show you what we could see all night while we stayed there. This was the sight. The north face. It is beautiful!!!! I have no words to explain it. I hope the picture should speak volumes about this. Now, don’t you think it is worth all the trouble if at all you consider it as trouble? That night was not comfortable to some of the yatris and they decided to go back to Darchen while others decided to continue with the parikrama.

16-06-2018

PARIKRAMA DAY 2

Next day after a very early breakfast, we set out on the next difficult task of crossing Dolmala pass. As we traveled some distance, we could see te final elusive face of Mount Kailash, The East face. Ravi was quick to take the pictures before the cloud covered it all again

EAST FACE OF MOUNT KAILASH:PICTURE COURTESY-RAVI

After this point, the gradient increased. The climb was very steep. The ponies struggled to climb and luckily most of us reached the top without any untoward incident except for Amsasuja whose pony buckled. She fell from the horse and had a very bad experience. Fortunately, Nima and others helped her to safety and she trekked all the way. Kudos to her for her endurance. Doctor Kalpana got down from her pony at the pass and sat down there looking into the oblivion. We were advised not to spend more than three minutes at the pass but Kalpana sat there dazed. I suspected the lack of oxygen was showing up on her. Again help came in the form of Nima to snap her out of the trance and bring her down safely.

Picture Courtesy:DOLMALA PASS -Balaji Davey

The ponies dropped us at the Dolmala pass and from there we had to descend on our own. Unfortunately, my Sherpa was way behind helping others and I did not even have the walking stick for support. Well, the obvious happened. I fell on the pass and fear overtook me now. I was worried to climb down and then Balaji helped me for a while but it was not easy for him to help me and climb down. The silent software professional came to my help asking his Sherpa to assist me. True to the saying daivam manushya roopena, I guess God came in the form of Bala and Sherpa to help me there. The descent started and we crossed Gaurikund. A beautiful serene lake with a lovely blue color and half frozen water. Mythology says that it was here that Parvati gave life to Ganesh a to guard while she went to take bath. I wish we should stand there and enjoy the beauty for more time but we had to descend faster.

Picture courtesy:GAURIKUND-Amsasuja

Again there was a steep descent till we came across a flat stretch covered with snow. The sight was fascinating. We descended further in a steep slope till we came to a tea stall much to my relief. My legs would not move any further. I was on the verge of giving up but then HE decided that I complete. After a cup of hot salted Tibetan tea, we continued another 6 km towards Zutulpuk. The stay here was comfortable though it was unbearably cold. Here as Sangeeta developed some breathing issue, she along with Sunil were sent to Darchen immediately in an ambulance.

17-06-2018

PARIKRAMA DAY 3

Picture Courtesy:Balaji Davey

The next morning the rest of us continued the short journey to complete parikrama. Here we all assembled in a place from where the bus took us back to our people who were waiting for us at Darchen. They were visibly happy to see us back safely and I saw Indu in tears seeing Vasanti and myself. These guys were kind enough to give us space to freshen up as we had not bathed for 2 days. We quickly went into the given rooms, showered, had a quick breakfast and then waited in the lobby for the start of our return journey. Only now did it sink in my mind that we had indeed finished the parikrama. It was unbelievable but yes we did it. Each of us did as much as we could but as a team WE DID IT.

Celebrating success!!!

The journey back to Taklakot, Hilsa, Simikot was a breeze. There was no delay anywhere. Balaji had made sure all of us reached Simikot by the evening before the weather turned bad. And there we were at Simikot in our respective rooms taking the necessary break and rest from the rush of the previous days. The evening we gathered in the dining hall of our Homestay and as usual Arul, Shrimathy and Renuka started singing. Slowly Kalpana, Sangeetha joined in the anatkashri. Then the atmosphere was so addictive that Padma, Madhavi, Harikumari, Sandhya, Prudhvi and Chakravarthy from Hyderabad also joined in.  Anatakshari went to the next level when Sateesh joined with the best Tamil songs. Ravi’s songs were melodious as ever. Bala sang a few songs. Vasanti, Indu, Amsa, myself were spectators but that evening was thoroughly enjoyed as Vijayaraghavan and Nagaraj recorded the whole show. Later Dwarkanath and Sunil Verma joined in the anatashari. I guess the owner of the homestay had never seen such a bubbly crowd ever. It was fun to be a part of such a family. The showstopper of the evening was Arul singing Hnajali Hanjali!!!!

18-06-2018

Next morning, we were sent in batches to Nepalgunj in small flights. We arrived at the hotel in Nepalgunj, showered, repacked and went to have lunch after which there was an official thanks giving by Balaji. I could see everyone very relaxed now. That night again there was a final music and dance time. Arul was at his best-motivating everyone. Ravi sang Ennavale which was amazing. Suresh sang some melodies and danced amazingly. Srimathy is best while dancing with her expressions. Renuka was the surprise at this event. We didn’t know she could dance so well.  Parvathy and Narmada sang some beautiful Telugu songs. Chakravarthy was again a surprise here when he sang along with Narmada and Parvathy. Ramadevi was thoroughly enjoying seeing everyone dance, silent as ever and graceful. It was amazing to see the camaraderie among all and the yatra ended well by HIS grace!!!! After a while, everyone hit the bed feeling totally exhausted.

These are the things that come to our mind readily when we think about some of us

1.Ganesh-Walking pharmacy

2.Kalpana-Walking medical encyclopedia

3.Arul-Bundle of energy

4.Mr. and Mrs. Dwarknath-Honeymoon couple

5.Ravi-Amazing singer

6.Srimathy-Great actor

7.Uma-Ever smiling face

8.Sateesh-Hacker

9. Ramakrishnan-Grit and determination

10. Nagraj-selfie expert

11-Balaji-Patience personified

12 Suresh-1.7 lakhs

13.Chakravarthy-Walking oxygen cylinder

14. Mr. and Mrs. Prudvi-  Silent Couple

15-Vasanti-Inseparable Green bag

16-Bala-An enigma

17- Amsasuja-Dare devil

18.Viayaraghavan-Official photographer

19-06-2018

MANTA YATRA FAMILY AT LUCKNOW!!

Next morning, we boarded the bus reaching Lucknow in the evening. After an evening spent in shopping, we dispersed to respective destinations.!!

I must record the appreciation of all of us for the well-planned tour that was executed perfectly without any hitch. The atmosphere was jovial and the journey was thoroughly enjoyable because of the bonding and bonhomie among us. We became a family in just 12 days. God bless each one of us!!

All these would not have been possible but for God’s grace.

NOTE: FOR THE NEXT YATRA, THE TECHNICAL DETAILS AND THE COST PLEASE CONTACT BALAJI DAVEY AT 9840188430/ 9445508070