The ultimate soul safari

Akshaya Trithiya se Bhagvan Krupa Tak’ is a signboard which greets you everywhere as you reach the Devbhoomi, the popular name for the four ultimate Hindu religious spots in upcountry India. Simply put, it means the season begins with the auspicious day as mentioned and lasts only as long as Lord God wants it - before it gets interrupted by cloud bursts, landslides or any other act of the almighty.

From May 5 to 25 this year, as India blazed away touching crazy heat levels, we were blessed to be in the lap of nature which too had not been spared the ravages of avaricious human beings. Our trip enabled us to see two different aspects of nature- man-made forest fires on the one hand and cloud bursts, which fortunately struck the region as we landed on the plains of New Delhi and beyond.

A recent trip to the Char Dham - from Rishikesh to Yamunotri – Gangotri - Kedarnath and Badrinath, crisscrossing over 1,500 km on hilly tracks in Uttarakhand region of the country was a lifetime experience says M Abhishek, a Second Year BFA (Photography) student at JNAFAU. Here are some vignettes of his pictorial journey along with a 300 - member team including his family and a classmate

Not that we were totally in an assured frame of mind, even as the tour operators attempted to calm us down that post-Kedarnath floods, a few years ago, the rehabilitation measures had ensured that the devotees were confident enough of making the trip, safe and sound. For us, we could sense the change in weather - the sticky, humid conditions in Delhi replaced by a rainy, cool ambience as we travelled further and further upward to Rishikesh.

Since this was the mooring point of sorts, the schedule was from Rishikesh to Yamunotri then to Gangotri followed by Kedarnath and Badrinath. We could see the after effects of the flood devastation, through and through. While for Badrinath and Gangotri, we could travel till 2 km from the temple location, at Yamunotri and Kedarnath the experience was different and difficult.

While the youngsters and able-bodied bhakts trudged 12 km up and down to Yamunotri, for Kedarnath it was even stiffer - a to and fro journey of 32 km. There were helicopter trip arrangements, horses and even ‘dolis’ to ferry the unsteady devotees. Still, the sheer beauty of the hills, plains, the light and shade of the naturally breathtaking scenes that was visible to our eyes is indescribable.

For the faithful, it could not be a better blend of nature and religion, both at one go. If one were to look inward further, one can sense the five elements of nature residing in that tranquil space for which one needs a little extra: the ability to imbibe all that divine flow with a peaceful, pure mind.