Old travel experiences to Uttaranchal and Kashmir

i just love it superb

I am posting the remaining pictures of Badrinath. After the valley of flowers, Hemkund and Badri our next trip was to Amarnath- not in Uttarkhand as everybody knows. Can I post this in this thread for continuity or shall I post it in J&K I wonder!After that we went back to Uttarkhand- still UP.

GOVIND GHAT ANOTHER VIEW:



NEELKAND PEAK-VIEWS FROM BADRINATH:





SO WE ARE AT BADRINATH - OUR LAST POINT IN THIS TRIP.

BADRINATH TOWNSHIP:



BADRINATH TEMPLE:



None of these places were crowded or busy in those days.See Lakshman Jhula then and see how it looks now.Just a comparison:

JHOOLA A 2008 VIEW



THEN:SEE THE EARLIER POST

wonderful......amazing

Amazing Sir - truly amazing. I am speechless. Badrinath looked so very different.

Amit.

Great stuff.



You can ask for this thread to be moved to the Travel Photologues section, and continue with your writings in this thread.

yes its a great suggestion .........hope mod. will do something

That was worth sharing, enjoyed the pictures. It would be great if you have, and could post some pictures of everyday life in markets, lanes, villages etc of that time. Just can't get enough of old times.
.

Sorry to say that we did not have enough pics-because of having only an ordinary camera & film developing an copies were very expensive.

I wonder how it has to be done.

you can directly request them by sending PM or wait they must see the thread

After our Valley of Flowers- Hemkund Sahib-Badrinath journey we had decided to go to GANGOTRI AND GOMUKH. But reading about AMAENATH we decided to go to Amarnath as Amarnath appeared to be more enchanting. We had been upto Sreenagar earlier but the Himalayan Ranges beyond that fasciated us and as we were young we decided to go there as we were not sure when our next journey could be. I WONDER WHETHER THIS POST HAS TO BE SHIFTED TO J & K SECTION.I AM POSTING THIS HERE FOR THE SAKE OF CONTINUITY AND IF THIS IS OUT OF PLACE HERE IT CAN BE TRANSFERRED TO J & K SECTION.
Amarnath had been one of our top priorities. But we were a little hesitant because of the tough terrain and the extreme cold atmosphere. We had been to Jammu-Kashmir in 1973 and we had gone up to Srinagar. From the details we got it was tough and it was a trek of 6 days to Amarnath and back and meant that we had to plan it well. As there were no places to stay on the way, we had to have a tent at the points we have to stay, added to our difficulty. As per schedule it was Pahalgam to Chandanvari 16 km; to Pissu Top to Seshanag 12 km; to Panchtarani 13 km; to Amarnath 6 km and back to Pahalgam. It was in July - August (Shravan) that Amarnath yatra was carried out. We did not have the money to hire men and materials from the tourism department which were available. We decided to make a tent of our own as we could not get a lightweight ready made tent. We got one; but it was too heavy. We were really not aware of the wind conditions and weather conditions and so we designed a tent with rexine and some plastic materials. Though later it proved to be inadequate, we did manage with it.
So we began our journey in July by train from Calicut to Delhi. As the direct train to Jammu from Kerala had not started we had to get the train from Delhi to Jammu Tawi. As computerized reservation was unheard of in those days we had to wait for the confirmation from Delhi.But hoping for the best we went to Delhi and our reservation was confirmed. Jammu Railway station had a very good new and spacious building inaugurated at that time and so we spent some time getting fresh and went straight to the bus stand to get a bus to Pahalgam. There was no time table as such, when one bus was full it departed and another arrived and so we got into a bus without any difficulty. The travel is really wonderful as the roads are well maintained by the army and the border road authority. The bus goes via Banihal-Khanabal-Anantnag to Pahalgam. Though there were some delays because of road blocks the journey was uneventful. For the night we had to stay enroute. We were at Pahalgam before noon next day. Pahalgam surrounded by mountains, in those days was a neat and clean place. There were so many tents all around all occupied by people on their way to Amarnath. We found a place on the side of the hill to erect our tent. The colour was conspicuous being of orange rexine sheet. By the time we erected our tent porters approached us offering their services. We had to get one as we knew that we shall not be able to carry our back packs. So we got one and fixed his charges. The porters who were Kashmiri Muslims were very co-operative and this was a source of income for them. When we asked them about Pakistan they told us that they were against Pakistan, but they wanted the government of Kashmir and India to do more things to support the poor people here and they were not getting enough support for agriculture and employment. We could see that what they told was true to a very great extent. Perhaps the apathy of the governments has also contributed to the situation there later on. Out of our ignorance we rejected the offer from persons who were making small bunds around the tents for payment. We did not know that it was a protection from water seeping in if it rained. So late at night we did pay for this mistake.

We were proud of our tent and it was comfortable and with our sleeping bags we were very confident. So the day passed off .In the evening we went to the temple where the ‘Chedi’ was kept and poojas were going on. That will be carried to Amarnath cave. We walked around enjoying the beautiful landscape. The river also was wonderful and we had a bath in the cold water. Our porter told us he will be there in the morning. So we went inside our tent feeling confident and comfortable. Late at it started raining and we did not know water was flowing under the plastic sheet on the floor and our sleeping bag and the bags were drenched in water. As water had not seeped inside the bag we were not aware of this at first. But soon we were and we were shocked and all our confidence just melted away. We woke up and we could not sleep after that and we understood why the bunds were. A very bad way to realize our mistake. We could not sleep after that, as our sleeping bags were soaked underneath and the thought about the next morning journey with all the wet items. So we sat inside and tried to get things as dry as possible and we hoped that if the next day is sunny these things will get dried.

In the morning the porter came and after breakfast we started. It was a long queue of pilgrims. Many porters and ponies lined up the path. We crossed the river and were on our way to Chandanvari our first stop. The mountains were full of pine trees and the river was gushing along on one side of our path.. The trek was not difficult at this stage as it was not steep. But towards Chandanvari it was steeper and the path was slippery because of the rain and a pony with the porter had slid down into the icy river and could not be saved. After hearing this we were more careful. We were slow and by evening we arrived at Chandanvari where we could see the ice clad river and the snow covered path. There were some Afghans with very healthy ponies accompanying some pilgrims. We had a foretaste of what was to come. Many tents already had come up and we looked enviously at the small, light tents of foreigners who were also going up. We found a place for our tent. We were dead tired and our leg muscles were aching. There were a lot of people and the whole area was a bit crowded. But compared to the present situation it was much less as we can understand from the reports. We did not meet any body from the South, let alone Kerala. We had dinner and went inside the tent. Our sleeping bags were almost dry. Fortunately it was not raining. The night was cold but not unbearable. We decided to start as early as possible next day morning.

Fortunately the weather was good. Our legs felt better but not fully recovered. We had to trek 12 kms and the path was steeper. The porter told us that if we allowed he will go before us and wait at Pissu Top where everybody will be resting, as it was difficult for him to keep our slow pace with our bags. Sheshanag, where we had to camp at night, we were told was very cold at night and the porter told us there will be strong cold wind. He told us that this was also called Vavgen as it was the origin of wind formation on this mountain range. We did not take him seriously. We who thought that we knew much more things than he knew were real fools. Over confidence and arrogance even a little of that can undo men sometimes. Humility always sves us and make us happy. We arrived at Pissu Top by early noon. It was like a meadow, level and full of grass. It was a beautiful place. We rested a while there and again the porter started ahead of us. The trek was difficult as our lungs were not used to these heights. Our pulse was rising to above hundred. But what we saw around us made us happy and relaxed and when we felt too tired we rested. Snow clad peaks were all around us and to us it was a rare sight. After Sheshanag there will be more snow and ice along the path as well as around we were told.

Slowly we went forward; careful as slipping down could be fatal. By late evening we were at Seshanag and the Seshanag Lake was a breath taking sight. All around us we saw white snow and having found a place for our tent I told Mohan that we shall go down to the Lake to have a better view. As he told that he was too tired I went alone and going down and climbing up I knew will not be easy with my worn out legs. But I wanted to go down to the Lake as it was a magnificent sight. I took some time reaching down and there were only 3 CRPF soldiers there taking bath. I did not know whether anybody had come down and left. They wanted to be photographed and they gave me their addresses. I took their photos and later sent it to their address but unfortunately it was not delivered. From the side of the lake it was a magnificent sight. The bluish, crystal clear water reflecting the mountains and peaks from all sides was awe-inspiring, magnificent and glorious, to say the least. I stood there looking into the lake which looked like a huge bowl. I stood there engrossed in this wonderful sight of nature and felt sorry that Mohan could not come. I took some photos which of course did not convey the grandeur of what I saw and felt; but it was good. I was alone as the CRPF soldiers had left telling me to be careful. It was getting dark and so I started my journey back. Though it was a bit tough, I did not feel the strain as I was exhilarated by what I saw. I went into the tent and shared my experience with Mohan.

The night was very cold and the whistling wind told us what our porter had said was true and all our arrogance was blown off with the wind. The wind blowing through the wholes of the tent made us shiver. We covered every inch of our body with whatever we had and the porters- the one who had arranged our porter- also came and spent the night inside with us. I am not able to remember their names as I have lost my journal of this trip but our experience is etched in my mind and so I can easily recollect the journey even now. Next day it was to Panchtarani.

We got up as early as we could. It was 13 kms to Panchtarani. The trek was along sand like snow filling the whole area in many places and in some places we just glided down the path. The snow and ice clad mountains all around was a new experience to us. We saw some people going higher up and when we asked our porter he told us that that they were people living there. There were sign boards telling us it was oxygen rare air there in some areas and so should not remain there for long. As we did not feel any difficulty to breath we did not take this seriously and only later did we understand that one did not feel any difficulty to breath but just fell unconscious when the brain did not have enough oxygen and thought how foolish we were not to take the warning seriously. We arrived at Panchtarni by evening and there were tents every where and we had our tent at a convenient place. All along the way for the last 2 days we were eating the dry foods which we had and it was feeling a little monotonous. So we asked our porter whether he can boil a few eggs which we had so that we can share it. He told us that it was a bad thing to do as we were going for darshan and he would not do that. Even though he was a Muslim his faith touched us though we were not believers of that sort. And later we wondered how our country had failed in gaining the confidence of the vast majority of people in Kashmir and turned many against our country.

Our stay at Panchtarni was comfortable compared to that at Seshanag. Panchatarni was not so cold. We slept well and the next morning we decided to proceed to Amarnath as early as possible. As it was only 6 kms we hoped that after darshan we could get back to Chandanvari. So in the early morning we started and it was a long queue all along as many people had started the journey very early. The journey was not very tough and we proceeded at reasonable speed. The path was a little steep at one or two places only. We arrived near the cave in the forenoon and as the chief minister was visiting on that day the security was tight. He came in a helicopter and we had a glimpse of Mr.Abdulla from some distance. Fortunately we met the CRPF soldiers whom I had met at at Seshanag and they helped us to get into the cave and have Darshan. The ice shivlinga seemed to be a natural formation of ice from the water seeping from above. It was a huge cave well fenced and protected and the priests had brought the “Chedi” and erected it inside. To be honest I did not feel the exhilaration I had felt at Seshanag or other places in these mystic mountains. Too many people and the priests and the atmosphere contributed a lot of made up grandeur perhaps. But the whole sight around was wonderful. We had to get out of the cave soon as possible as there was such a long queue- but compared to the number of people now going to Amarnath it was nothing. We started our return. Just a little distance down in the valley we saw the pilgrims being served food and they were inviting all the people coming after the darshan and we were happy to accept the invitation for free food. Nice roties and curry and sweets as much as any body could eat. We were told that those who were doing this believed it to be a sort of holy thing feeding those who had darshan. Later on at many places this was repeated and so we had to pass on without being noticed as we did not want to be overfed. By evening we were on the Pisu Top and the moonlit mountains filled our minds with joy and the joy of having accomplished our mission to visit Amarnath doubled that joy. So next day back to Pahalgam and I looked at Sheshanag again on our way back wondering about the greatness of these mountains and Nature as a whole. Our next trip was to Gangotri and Gomukh after a few years; with another friend.

I shall upload a few pics.from Phahalgam now and more, later. These pics are much better than the earlier ones.

AT PHAHALGAM WITH OUR ORANGE COLOURED TENT:







I AM THE BEARDED FELLOW.

THE YATRA BEGINS:





MORE PICS. LATER.

As the Amarnath yatra thread remains here I hope I can continue with the pics here.

CHANDANVARI - OUR FIRST STOP AFTER PHAHALGAM:







OUR TENT AT THE SNOW CLAD RANGE ;

I have already posted the details of the Yatra[Old travel experiences to Uttaranchal -under Uttaranchal"]and some pics. I am posting the remaining pics here as I feel that it may be woth to see these here.
THE VIEWS OF SHESHANAG LAKE-OUR SECOND STOP:





SHESHANAG LAKE



VIEW FROM THE LAKE:

Lovely pictures, thanks for sharing.

Wonderful memories and photos narayanvee, thankyou!

Mod note: I have merged your two threads and moved to the Trekking Photologues section. If you would like the title to be changed just let us know .

@ narayanvee

You did the job when we are learning from experience