Tungnath, Deoriyatal, Kalimath and Ruch Mahadev

anindyamukherjee

I went with my family to visit deoriyatal and tunganath from mathura. I had started from mathura by the night service bus to Haridwar and then took the GMOU bus to Ukhimath as we had decided to use ukhimath as a base for our tour. We had no prior bookings anywhere but luckily got a room in Bharat sevashram at ukhimath. Next day we went to sari village and then trekked 2&1/2 kms to reach Deoriyatal. we were trekking for the first time but the trek was relatively easy and we reached there easily. But the weather was hazy and cloudy so couln't get the famed view of chaukhamba in the waters of Deoriyatal. Next morning caught a share jeep to reach chopta valley. we then kept our big luggage at a restaurant in chopta and trekked with essential clothing and went up to Tunganath, one of the panchkedars. There is a bugiyal some 1kms uphill which is very beautiful. the trek is tough as u gain some 4000 ft in 4 kms trek.the route is very beautiful. we stayed the night at kalikamli resthouse. Again weather played spoilsport and we could not get the famed view of the famous peaks of himalyan range. next day returned to ukhimath. next day we went to guptakashi by jeep(14 kms) and then took another share jeep to kalimath(6kms). kalimath is one of the "siddhapiths". where kali maa had killed "sumbh" and "nishumbh" the two demons and had gone under the earth. the most interesting thing about the temple is that it does not have any idol there.Only for one day in the whole year the deity of the goddess is taken out and puja is performed in the midnight when only the chief priest is present. From there we took another shared jeep to "kotma" village and then went on foot 1kms to reach the starting point of the trek to "ruch mahadev". the trek was of 2 kms and we went downhill to reach a beautiful place. very few tourists visit this place. There is a temple of ma kotimaheshwari and there is a rock which is symbolical of the god mahadev right in the middle of the river. Here two rivers madhuganga and saraswati meet. you have to go down in the river water and walk on some stones to reach "ruch mahadev" linga.
it is said that devi parvati played there in her childhood and there is a small jharna where she is supposed to bathe. rest is human belief. Friends my personal feeling was that the place had something mystic about it.

If u want details please reply to this thread.

rajkumar

In 2004 November/December I visited this area. Deoriatal, Chopta, Tungnath, Chandrasila,Kalimath,Ruch Mahadev, Kalishila, Mansuna...My guide was from Sari village.
Ruch Mahadev is a secluded place situated in a narrow wooded valley. We stayed in a baba's place for night. And gave him the rations we were carrying with us. It seems there is a route from there to Kedarnath.
From there I went to Kalishila which is visible from Ukhimath. The route is through nice villages and orange orchards. At that time the fruits were ripe and the views fantastic. The last leg of Kalishila route is an uphill climb. From that place you have panoramic views.In kalishila, we stayed in a shop keeper's hut. and descended to Mansuna the next day. There we found a British lady YOGI who has been staying in the area for a considerable time.
Next morning we trekked to Deoriyatal all the way from Ukhimath. It took us nearly 3 hours. I suggest this to people who want to visit Deoriya Tal. If you have time do it from Ukhimath itself. No need to go to Sari by jeep and trek from there. This Ukhimath to Deoriya route is used by the villagers. You may not find many people on the track. The Chaukhamba views are magnificient.
Overall it's a trek hopping form village to village . And the scenary charming and people on the way very friendly. Usually people who go onto Kedarnath scurry past and miss these areas.
In old days, when pilgrims travellled from Kedarnath to Badrinath, they used these routes. And in some of the palces I came across the remnants of the old pigrim track.
Anindya's trek has made me remember those days and share my experiences.

anindyamukherjee

Thanks rajkumar!
The jeep driver who took us back from kotma to guptkashi told us about the route from talla village some 8 kms from kotma to kedarnath. He told us that some people he know have trekked on that route which goes directly to kedarnath.hope to traverse this route one day.
cheers