Tapovan

As a doctor, I am doing practice for the last 20 years. When you are in practice it takes about 10-15 years to get settled properly.

 

Five years back I decided that I have enough practice and now I will give time to myself and will go to different parts of India. My wife had the same views. 

 

I asked my sister who was residing in Delhi and was frequently going for trekking in the Himalayas lately. I asked him why not make a trip to both families this time. She was also interested and so started our trekking trips. To start with trips were small of about 4-5 kilometer trekking. We were all 8 persons, two families of four each.

My two sons and her two twin sons also started to enjoy the trekking thing.

 

I used to search the internet about newer places for trekking. One of my friends told me about Tapovan, a place about 5 kilometers from Gaumukh, the origin of Ganga. His friend had gone there few days back and used to call it heaven on earth. It has trekking of about 40 kilometer .when I searched on the internet this trekking comes in the tough category but the trekking was described as very beautiful. I made a mind that I have to go for this place someday or the other.

 

This time when we were making our programme I asked my brother in law why not go to Tapovan. After initial hesitation he agreed.

 

I was given the duty of making arrangement for all the medicine needed. Tapovan is at the height of 4500 meters and air is very thin there and you have to start some medicines 1-2 days before journey so that you may not experience mountain sickness there.

 

After all the packing and hiring a taxi we started our journey from Patiala. My elder son was not going with us as he was preparing for IIT. As we were entering Masoori, the beauty of Himalayas started unfolding and weather was also pleasant for June.

 

On the way to Uttarkashi about 7 kms from it, we saw a small hotel on the banks of Bhagirathi. I asked for the room rent there and it was very cheap, a four-bedded room was for Rs 800 only. The manager gave us the rooms facing Ganga (Bhagirathi). From the balcony the view of Ganga with tall trees on its bank was mesmerizing. We asked the manager if we can go to the bank of Gangas. He told us that there is an ashram half a kilometer from hare where you can go to Ganga having sand on its bank like a beach. We went there and enjoyed the sunset also there and clicked some lovely pictures.

 

Next day we vacated Narayan hotel (I still remember the name of hotel) and started our next part of journey to Gangotri the starting point of the trek.

 

On the way we came across Khedi waterfall and had the feel of its mist on our faces. Then we went to Gagnani hot water spring and had a bath in Vyas Kund. The hot water refreshed us from inside.

 

On the way we also saw some apple farms in Harshil. The trees were laden with apples and we plucked fresh apples and enjoyed the tasty and juicy apples in orchard itself. Gangotri was not too far now and we reached there at about 5 pm.

 

We contacted our guide Akhilesh there who had also arranged for our stay there. As I was transferring our luggage from taxi to our room I saw a golden mountain Sudarshan. Actually sunset was giving it a golden hue. I dropped my luggage on road and clicker some lovely pictures of this beautiful scene.

 We were told that there will be no signal for phones beyond this point and also no electricity to charge your camera. So I put my camera for charging but due to fluctuating light it was not fully charged.

 

In the morning we went to Gangotri temple and also visited Surya Kund, a very beautiful waterfall with multicolored rocks in the background. In the meantime our guide arranged for permission to go to the trekking area as it came under forest department.

 

Our trekking started with a proper path of trekking surrounded by deodar and pine trees. The river Bhagirathi was on one side throughout the trek. On the other side there were big mountains. The gushing sound of the river was breaking the silence. In about 4 hours we reached Chirbasa a place surrounded by a confluence of chir trees. We had some snacks there and journey continued to reach bhojwasa a place where we have to stay that day. On the way there were small waterfalls and at two places we had to cross wooden bridges on small rivers. At one of these places I saw a yogi in one cloth only doing sadhna. At that time we were wearing about three layers of cloths. I clicked the picture for my memory.

 

We reached bhojwasa at 6 pm. We were given hot tea and daliya. It tasted very sweet as we all were very hungry. Then we were stuffed in to a small hut and each of us was given three blankets, but we still were feeling chilly.

 

As we woke up in the morning, the rising sun was giving golden color to Bhagirathi peaks. As we were trekking again to Gaumukh we saw a group of bharals (mountain goat). At about 2 kms from Gaumukh the trek path totally disappeared and now we are going up and down on big boulders. We reached Gaumukh at 2 pm. On reaching the origin of Ganga we folded our hands in prayer. The view of blue glacier was something I had never seen. My brother in law even had a bath there.

 

Now to reach Tapovan, we had to walk on the glacier. The Gangotri glacier was all covered with big stones but at w=places where it is sunken it looked beautiful but sometime scary too. The last 1 km of the trek was most difficult. The ascent was very steep. When we touched Tapovan it was like we have conquered some mountain.

 

The view at Tapovan was really something very different. A small stream called Guptganga was there and on its banks tents of some foreigners. As we reached the kutia we had to stay we were given hot tea by mauni baba that manage that place and don’t talk. Tapovan is a big meadow surrounded on all sides by snow clad mountains. Its beauty you cannot describe in words. At night I had natures call I went outside and put a jug in a tin reservoir containing water but water was frozen, I see some wet wipes. The view of mountains with moon and clouds was very beautiful I clicked many pictures, in the morning we explored the area. Guptganga was all frozen the two mountains Meru and Sumeru were standing tall and the tallest of all shivling was standing like lord Shiva and we were standing at its feet like the devotee. I clicked so many pictures of this heaven on earth.

 

I made one big enlargement of a beautiful picture of Tapovan and put it on the wall of my bedroom and it reminds me of my visit to this heaven.