Visit to Kedarnath. Unique it is indeed! When it begins near Sonprayag, it begins to appear hellish. You doubt your own wisdom in taking up such a trek. The road is as dirty as is possible, littered every which way. I was lucky enough to get a bike ride. Otherwise, one would have to walk through slush of every kind, made much worse due to the rain on the night before. "Shit" indeed!
I would have liked to hike it up. It seems there are seven Himalayan hills/ranges involved! Time tensions are forever present! I did check beforehand in any number of YouTube videos the difficulty level. Well, valour consists of discretion, right? Chose hence the doli as the horse ride indeed is tough.
Soon the hike begins. The slush recedes. Unusual flowers bloom beside the mountain road. Butterflies dance around you. Birds sing their own prayers, their unique hosannas. Natural waterfalls, with water crystal clear, jump down the cliffs.
It is sunny everywhere. Given the height, however, it is highly pleasant. After the Pune summer before the pre-monsoon mad rains began, the sun actually appears a friend. Then at an unexpected turn, HE appears. The master of this visit of yours! The Kedarnath glacier!
The glacier glimmers pure white in the sunshine. It is sheer silver gleaming in the bluish sky. Such is this wonder that the Kedarnath Yatra already appears absolutely fulfilled. Of course, the next morning, it is going to appear all golden glazed at the edges.
At last the forever doli alias palakhi ride finally ends. THE final trek from the base camp! Both the sides are littered with the building material. Hard work of the horses, most inhumanely ill-treated. Not exactly a happy site after such a difficult trek. You climb the steps listlessly.
And then the temple! Built by the Pandavas (or is it Vishwakarma?!?) with rocks possibly not available anywhere nearby, and with an interlocking system invented now ! Rejuvenated by the great Adi Shankaracharya! Intact! Defying time, snow, harsh winters! Kedarnath! All is said, and nothing needs be quoted!
Pratima@ Ah, to be at Kedarnath in June! When the crazy rush is done, and all is well with the God's world!
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