Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Uttarkashi, Garhwal Himalayas



















In the heart of the mighty Himalayas, there lies an area known as 'paradise on earth', 'temple of nature'. In magnificent sublimity, there is no other mountain region in all of the world like the Uttarakhand Himalayas. Here came the ancient Aryans to seek divine knowledge and maybe they found something because of which they named it 'Dev Bhoomi'. Here were born pure thoughts unsullied by selfish passions, the greatest revelations explaining mysteries of nature, long before science was able to explain them - the atomic theory, theory of relativity and vibration. Maya and Tattavams proclaimed telepathy long before the human brain was found to emit waves. Deep within these mountains are memories of the great Gautama Buddha in search of salvation. There is something about these mountains that pulls a certain clan of men to it. We are a young species. I have had experiences in the mountains, which I rather not talk about in a blog, leading me to believe the ones who say that we don't know enough about the world we live in. Maybe there isn't sufficient stillness anymore for us to see it, feel it, understand it.

Changma-Stok village-Leh
















Monday, July 6, 2009

Thantik-Stokla(4900m)-Changma
















Zingchen-Rumbak-Thangtik
























































Leh-Spituk-Zingchen (Stok Valley, Leh-Ladakh)

















After a few days in Leh, I was itching to be back on the trail. The city was packed with trek agencies, I strolled around the city looking for a sign. I'm a sucker in my belief in signs. I believed if I walked around long enough, I'd get a sign which would tell me which of these trek agencies I should go into and talk. After a while, I slowly strolled by La-Yul Adventures on Fort Road. As I glanced inside, a young guy sitting on a desk inside looked up and smiled. I walked in. And that was the beginning of a friendship to cherish.

Javed Malik runs La-Yul Adventures and he made my journey into Stok valley possible. I told him I didn't have the kind of cash that one pays for a full fledged trek with agencies, all I needed was a map and a couple of beasts to carry the rations. I didn't think anyone running an agency would waste their time helping out a wanderer trekker when there's nothing in it for them. I was wrong. Javed bhai organised for mules, kerosene, lent me a pressure cooker, recommended a doc for my blisters, jeep drop and pickup from start, end point, etc. I guess there are still some people for whom their work is more than just a business...pity I never took a snap of us together. Something I will fix next time I'm in Leh. Needless to say, its only La-Yul Adventures for me !

And so I was away again. Jeep drop to Spituk. While I was grabbing a cup of tea and chatting up a couple of nice old ladies, Tanzing the 70 year old farmer from Stok village who had come with the 3 mules set off without me, thinking I had already started off on the trail. I walked briskly, took a wrong turn, doubled back to the trail, and caught up with him in half hour. He was relieved to have found me again...

Walked along the mighty Indus river and headed around the mountains into Stok valley. Reached Zingchen campsite in about 4 hours. Pitched camp and fired up the stove for tea. Tanzing eats only sattu so I'll have to cook my own meals on this trek. It was a nice starry night and I sat out till late watching the bright little wonders...ah the cosmos, it seemed so close

Phyang Gompa (Annual Festival)












According to tradition, the Phyang gompa was built in the 16th century. It belongs to the Drikung Kagyud school under the Kagyudpa sect, one of the 4 sects under Tibetan Buddhism. The festival is held on the 2nd and 3rd day of the 6th month of the Tibetan calender(usually July). Its purpose is to perform Chams-religious Tantric dances, a method of Vajarayana realisation practice. It is said that for all spectators(and not just the human ones), the dances plant a seed for good fortune Karma and connect them to the teachings...they remove obstacles which prevent meditation, cause illnesses and obscure the mind's tru nature...
I watched without the desire for any of these gains...maybe that's the only way to attain them?