The enchanting Himalayas (2)

The enchanting Himalayas (1)

Day 4 - Drive to Renukaji lake, stop at Paonta Sahib on the way, stay at the HPTDC hotel "The Renuka"

Today we drove from Uttaranchal to Renukaji lake in Himachal, and it took us most of the day to get there. We also realised that we had taken good roads as a given, when it is not always so. And sometimes, it can take much longer to get somewhere if the roads are not what Google Map expects them to be.

On the way to Renukaji, the first part of the drive was going down the mountains; then a bit in the valleys, and the last part was back in the mountains. The drive down was stunning as before, but it did get too hot and sunny and we didn't get down the car much. Except at the maggi point 😁.

In the valley drive, part of the drive was next to a huge river canal. We also drove by a place called Asan Barrage which was a huge lake next to the canal and offered water sports during summer time. We stopped near there to have the Chakotra, a local fruit of the citrus orange family. Apparently it is known as Pomelo in English. It is much much larger in size than an orange, has a very thick skin (up to an inch or so), pinkish and longer slices and tastes yummy with sea salt. It took 5 of us 10 mins to finish one of those fruits! We also bought a few for the rest of the journey.

Paonta Sahib gurudwara

We next stopped at Paonta Sahib on the way, which is a huge gurudwara made of white marble, on the banks of river Yamuna, its history linked to the history of Sikhism. Guru Gobind Singh, the last Guru of sikhism had stayed here and planned some of his resistance against the Mughals from here. His weapons from that time are also kept in this gurudwara.

Banks of Yamuna

We had a quick langar there, and bought some local ber from town. We also did a short walk to the Yamuna which barely had any water flowing through it here. What was most appealing about this gurudwara was its location, right on the banks of the river and with the mountains surrounding the Gurudwara from all sides. I think its location added to its spirituality.

After a bit of drive in the valley, we reached Himachal and were back to driving through the mountains again. We got some grand views of the valleys below and the villages across the valley during this drive. The mountains were greener and covered in forests. The road was much narrower this time though.

We stopped at a chai stop on the way, where there was an old style khat kept outside, to enjoy the views below. The weather had got very hot and sunny by then too, so we were very happy to take a break and walk around. The route we had followed was through Mandara. We soon reached a dam, which had a huge lake next to it and from there, the last 4 kms to the lake were the worst ever. It was barely a road, very muddy and barely there. We started to have doubts whether the place would be worth it or not.

Renukaji lake

We were thankfully pleasantly surprised when we reached the lake. It almost looked heavenly. The lake is in the middle of the mountains, though not in a valley. Just surrounded by mountains. It sparkles, like a green emerald, all due to the reflections of the forests from all sides. There were loads of tourists there in the evening by the time we reached. But still it felt away from it all...

Renukaji lake is named after the temple of Renukaji, who was Lord Parshuram's mother. Legend says that Lord Parshuram used to stay in this area, in his father's ashram. His mother had once jumped into the lake to save herself from a king who was trying to abduct her. But once a year, she appears at this lake, to meet her son. And that's when a grand mela is held at the lake, every year. To celebrate the meeting of the mother and son. I think religion and mythology also added to the heavenliness of this place, somehow.

The Renuka

We were staying at the Himachal Pradesh government's HPTDC hotel called "The Renuka", right on the banks of the lake. It was a nice newly built hotel, spread over 2 floors, with simple, cheap and convenient rooms. Service though was quite average. We quickly checked in and then started exploring the area. There weren't many buildings there, just the Renuka, a few forest guest rooms, the Mandir, and an ashram. There were loads of tourists initially when we reached, some of them boating and the rest walking around. But they all left by 5 pm as they may have been driving back home the same day.

We first walked around the lake, along the pedestrian path which went all around. On one side were deep woods, and the other side was the lake. And at some places there were enclosures of the local zoo. We saw the barking deer, sambhar and spotted deer, all eating away to glory in their enclosures. Then we came to two of the black bear enclosures, one of which was walking around and entertained us. The second one was sleeping in its cave. And last were the leopards but they had been locked in their cages by then.

The zoo had closed by then and there was no one else on the walk other than us. But it turned out to be quite a refreshing walk for a few kilometres, right when the sun was setting. The lake was like a wetland and it had an interesting flora and fauna. It was full of birds, some of which migrate here during some seasons. We saw lots of monkeys and langurs in the forests around. And I heard there are leopards too. There were loads of grasses in the water and many types of trees on the side. The view around had everything - high mountains covered in forests, a lake, wetlands and tons of animals and birds. With no humans around, it felt like we were in the wild.

Ashram on the banks of the lake

Towards the end of the walk, we came to a small temple to Renukaji, which has a water spring right next to it. It is supposed to be holy and healthy, so we drank some cold mineral water from there. All along the walk, the lake reflected the green of the forests all around. And towards the end, the reflection of the local ashram. Every scene on this walk was breath-taking.

After the walk, and after layering ourselves with many other warm clothes, we went to the Mandir next door for the aarti at 630 pm. It had gotten very cold by then and it was tough to make oneself go out for the aarti, but we somehow did. There are three small temples here, one dedicated to all of Lord Vishnu's avatars, one of which is Lord Parshuram. Second is dedicated to Lord Parshuram. And the third is Renukaji's temple.

The old statue from
Treta Yug

The aarti happens in Parshuramji's temple and we all sat there while the panditji got the aarti ready. We talked to him during this time and it was a knowledge increasing and inspiring discussion. Apparently Parshuramji is not allowed to be in many places. So he has temples or can exist only here at Renukaji, in Orissa, at Mahendargarh (where he is said to have retired) and the Konkan. Panditji said that his last 9 generations have been praying at this mandir which was impressive. He also said that the statue of Parshuramji at this temple is from the Treta Yug. It did look old, but maybe not that much.

Another very interesting part about this mandir was that the prasad and dakshina that the Panditji gave us, included some money too. I've never seen this before! I was somehow very impressed with all I saw. We found the aarti to be quite a spiritual experience. Being in this remote place in the mountains, with barely 3-4 buildings and very few people around. And praying to God. It felt ephemeral and eternal at the same time.

After the aarti we were back to our hotel and had a Pahadi dinner. The local dishes of the state include dishes made in curd. All of which the hotel had run out of! But whatever they made was extremely tasty. Or we felt so after the long and cold day. Again, we called it a night soon as it was so cold; all we wanted to do was get into our blankets and go off to sleep.


Day 5 - Drive back to Dehradun and visit IMA

Morning at the lake

We had asked the hotel to get breakfast ready by 8 am and they had been surprised. We realised in the morning, why that had been the case! The morning was very cold, and no sunlight came into this gap till about 930 am as the place was surrounded by high mountains. And it takes a long time for it to reach the lower reaches of the lake. So everything and everyone wakes up late here. Also in the morning, the lake was lined with a layer of vapour which was blowing the whole time. It was quite a magical view. I tried capturing it on my camera and managed to capture a bit at least.

Morning at the lake

We had been unable to see the leopards last evening, so we went for a walk around the lake again in the morning. Around 9 am. And the leopards were not out then either. We waited a bit and then the handler let them out. There were two couples of leopards there. And they were majestic. One of the leopards jumped onto a branch and gave us nice poses. I hate seeing animals in constrained spaces. But I must say, I still enjoyed looking at them for some time. Lazing in the sun, ignoring us. But being alert at the same time. I still feel if I could keep any pet I want, I would want a leopard. I just love their eyes, and how they move. So royal and majestic!

We then spoke to the handler for some time. He told us that they only fed the leopards once a day in the evening. And fasting happens for all animals on Tuesdays (looks like they are also Hindus 😜 ). All the animals in this zoo are those that were found injured in the areas around and brought here to revive. He was also saying that these leopards don't come near the cage edges as people poke them with sticks. Also the bear stands on its feet entertaining people, as people then throw him food. Both are such wrong behaviours from the tourists, it pains me to hear such stories.

Parshuramji's mandir

As we were walking back, the sun had finally come out and the whole valley had brightened up. It had definitely become warmer. Back from our morning walk, we went to the mandir again. The whole place felt even prettier in the morning as the sun was out and everything looked brighter. I was surprised by how big and clean the mandir was, definitely an inspiration for other mandirs.

After the visit, we bought some rusk to feed the fishes in the lake. And we had just started when the monkeys around picked up our husk packets and made good with them 😮.

Overall I really loved the place. It had a very serene feel to it, especially in the mornings and evenings when no tourists were around. It was very peaceful, very quiet, very immune. I am sure this place can be made more tourist friendly, with more hotels and restaurants. But selfishly, I didn't mind not having it all then. We had the place to ourselves. And I definitely did not mind it. The lake did get busy after 11 am. But by then we had left, so it didn't matter to me 😊.

While coming back, we could have gone to Jamu peak from where you can get a good view of the lake and the ashram where Parshuramji's father used to reside. But we didn't have time. So we started back. This time we wanted to avoid the 4km broken road we had taken going in. So we took the route through a town called Sataun. The guys at the HPTDC hotel had told us to take this road. It was definitely a shorter route but much worse for much longer. And not as enjoyable as far as the driving was concerned. So clearly asking the hotel guys didn't help us much. (They had told us the wrong time for the aarti and leopard feeding too in fact). The road was broken for at least 40% of the time, till we got to the plains. The local drivers though are more used to these tough roads and drive very fast. They would swoosh past us while we were trying to avoid all the potholes.

This route was also along a huge valley with some stunning views of the villages on the opposite sides. There were large green terrace fields on the other side, next to the villages. We saw lot of locals out and about that day given how sunny it was. They were all smiling and wearing Himachali topis. They were dressed in the typical Pahadi clothes of this region and spoke in a singsong accent. This area is known as Sinaur, and the people are easygoing, relaxed and happy in their lives. Even though they lead quite a difficult life. We saw lot of women and children also walking on the road carrying huge loads of leaves on their heads. There were also lot of small schools on the way, so this place wasn't as godforsaken as it initially appeared.

During the drive, we ran into a person standing near a bridge in a village, asking us for a lift. We stopped to tell him that our car was already full. He said its ok, he will find another ride. Then he asked us where we were from, and so on, starting to chat with us as if he (and us) had all the time in the world to talk about normal topics 😊. It felt very weird, as no one just generally talks to people anymore. We are always in a hurry, aren't we?

Sataun

Sataun was the last village before the plains and it was on a plateau on the opposite side of the valley, where you could go using an aerial ropeway, across the valley. Like Henna did in the movie Henna.

This route was definitely shorter and then we were soon in the valley, on our way to Dehradun. The valley road was lined with litchi and mango trees and we bought some very tasty and huge local guavas from the roadside vendors. There were lot of river beds on the way which were full of trucks picking up the stones. My guess is they are all taking the rocks illegally? Coming down the plains felt like a downgrade, back to the heat and dust and too many people. And driving also felt much worse today. We also noticed people were on their phones more often than not, even on two wheelers :))

The rest of the day we spent in Dehradun, visiting some of the places we had lived in in the 90s. All the time feeling, how the city has changed since then. Dehradun has always been famous as an education centre, for its schools and universities. This has been the case since British times but even since then, there are newer institutes opening up all the time. And you can't miss it, with all the noticeboards put up everywhere. The entrance to Dehradun was full of trash, lining both sides of the road. For a couple of kms. It is a scene which stayed with me for a bit. What have we all done to such a beautiful city?

After entering town, we first went to IMA - the Indian Military Academy, which trains the officers of the Indian Army before they join the forces. This institute is a small standalone campus which was built by the British and it still retains some of the old buildings from those times.

Chetwode Building

The most famous of these is the Chetwode Building, where the graduation ceremony, called the passing out parade (POP) happens. Even after so many years, I found the building impressive. And it brought back memories of waking up at 7 am to go and watch the parade there in the cold winter mornings. We then drove around the campus to look at all the places we used to stay when we there. And again, I was again super amazed by the wide tree lined roads and the greenery all around. Memories from old times, and the trees are still there.

FRI main building

Right next to IMA is FRI - the Forest Research Institute - where the IFS officers are trained. The main building of FRI is grand and it too brought back memories of old times. And the icing on the cake were the Mussoorie hills right behind. They provide such a captivating background. The grounds at this building are huge and you can see it is very popular with the locals. There were 100s of people walking in its grounds, out for a picnic.

The FRI campus is full of forests and trees, and I remember us cycling here as kids. It feels like a different world all together, the safe and green life of cantonments! The accommodation in both these campuses include some massive British bungalows which stand tall and strong even till today. And it was a pleasure to see it all again.

After that, we went to visit one of the resorts in nearby areas and saw how wide and far Dehradun has extended. The road kept on going and there were tons of huge houses, located on the river beds. The govt just keeps selling all the land. Turning this hill side place to a normal huge city. The resort though was located in the lap of greenery and it felt like a good place to come away from the city for a short break.

In the evening, we celebrated 2020 New Year party in town, army style. And I again loved the twinkling lights of Mussoorie in the background. They are just so serene and calming. And being in Dehradun also made me miss the small town living in India, which Delhi and Bombay cannot offer.


Day 6 - Drive back from Dehradun to Delhi

The last day was quite lacklustre, as it was all about the drive back to Gurgaon. The weather was sunny and data connections were back, so that was helpful. We again took the Deoband road to Meerut. In Meerut we took a rural road to get to our friends' place for lunch which was through the back lanes through villages and sugarcane fields. It was a narrow road and felt interesting to drive through. Sometimes I am surprised how close to cities, life still goes on like it did many years ago. These villages were 2-3 kms from town but still felt years away from any city life.

Traditional kohlu

The highlight of the drive back from Meerut was us picking up a few sugarcane stalks from one of the farmers on the way, so we could eat it raw. He gave us more than what we wanted, and refused to take any money for it. How big hearts farmers have? We also saw a kohlu on the way which is the traditional way of making gud (jaggery). This is how gud was made in the villages before the sugar mills led to its downfall. The whole process looked quite unhygienic, though my parents insisted it was hygienic due to multiple rounds of refinement that the juice goes through. We also drank many glasses of the sugarcane juice while waiting to buy the raw gud and it was one of the tastiest juices I have had in a long time.

Diving back to Delhi was full of traffic jams and it brought us back from the mountains to the plains life very quickly. How people drive, are always in a hurry and that isn't changing anytime soon 😊.

We had a lovely time in the mountains, bringing back memories, but also a lot of peace and simplicity in our lives. I also reflected on the life of the people in the mountains. It felt awesome to be there, because it was so disconnected from the plains. But the downside is the Pahadi people still live their lives in relatively low modernity. What is development for them, should they or should they not change their lives? I don't know the answer to that, but would tend to go with - let them live their lives like they are living. And not corrupt it was the busy-ness we all have in our lives.


P.S. I know the state is now known as Uttarakhand, but the name Uttaranchal sounds so much more soothing to the ears that I prefer to use it 😊.