Before I start my first Ghumakkar post I must Thank all the previous post editors specially Sahil Sethi and VinayMusafir..There posts are worth reading and extremely helpful..

• Time: Nov’2012 weekend before Diwali
• Mode : Hyundai i10 1.2
• No. of Travellers : 2
• Mood : Just wanted to get out of hustle bustle of Delhi and Relax in peaceful environment on the banks of river Ganga
• Places Covered: Mata Chandi Devi Temple, Har Ki Pauri, Ram Jhula, Choti wala restaurants, CCD, Peaceful ghat at Rishikesh.

So the journey Begins..We started at 3:30 PM from Delhi and followed the traditional route covering a distance of around 210 kms in around 4.5 hours

DELHI>Ghaziabad>ModiNagar>Meerut>Khatauli>Muzaffarnagar>Roorkee>Haridwar>Rishikesh 

We found a 24 hours open drive thru Mcdonalds on the way at Khatauli..so we thought of having some breakfast there however, there service was quite poor..the drive thru windows were closed so we went inside.. No one taking your orders and they were  still busy doing something..

The drive was smooth on NH58..road condition were quite good..However I must say the Single lane highway from Muzaffarnagar to Haridwar is a pain..with heavy trucks obstructing your way, you have to look in the other lane if someone is coming from other direction and based on your speed and skill you have to overtake the trucks before vehicle from opposite side crosses..Your eyes will pain a lot with those high beam flashlights :|

At Around 7:30 Pm We got the first glimpse of Haridwar..

A View of Haridwar from Mata Chandi Devi Temple

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हरिद्वार – ऋषिकेश
अपने होटल से हम गंगा स्नान करने के इरादे से हर की पौड़ी जैसे ही पहुंचे, हमारे होश उड़ गए, वंहा पर भयंकर भीड़ देखकर. फिर विचार किया कि ऋषिकेश स्वर्गाश्रम चला जाए, वंही पर माँ गंगा में डुबकी लगायेगे. हरकी पौड़ी और गंगा जी को पार करके हम ऋषिकेश मार्ग पर पहुंचे. एक थ्रीव्हीलर में बैठकर हम लोग सीधे स्वर्गाश्रम पर पहुँच गए. करीब ३५-४० मिनट का समय हम लोगो को लगा. और करीब २० रूपये सवारी के हिसाब से हमने किराया दिया. हम लोग शिवानंद झूला या फिर राम झूला पार करके स्वर्गाश्रम पर पहुँच गए. फिर हमने और बच्चो ने माँ गंगा में डुबकी लगाई. माँ गंगा में स्नान करके मन पवित्र हो गया. पता नहीं क्या बात हैं कि माँ गंगा में कितनी बार भी स्नान करो मन नहीं भरता हैं. और एक खास बात ओर हैं कि कितनी ही गर्मी क्यों न हो, गंगा जी में स्नान करके सुड़की आ जाती है.
ऋषिकेश हरिद्वार से करीब २५ किलोमीटर दूर हैं. इसको हिमालय का प्रवेशद्वार भी कहा जाता है. ऋषिकेश हिन्दुओ के सबसे पवित्र स्थलों में से एक हैं. ऋषिकेश को केदारनाथ, बदरीनाथ, गंगोत्री, यमुनोत्री आदि का प्रवेश द्वार भी कहा जाता है. यह कहा जाता हैं कि यंहा पर भगवान विष्णु ऋषिकेश अवतार में प्रकट हुए थे. इसलिए इस स्थान का नाम ऋषिकेश हैं. वैसे तो ऋषिकेश में सैकड़ो मंदिर आश्रम हैं, पर समय अभाव के कारण में कुछ ही मंदिरों और आश्रमो में जा सका.
यंहा स्वर्गाश्रम पर गंगा जी का बहाव बहुत तेज हैं, गहराई बहुत है, तो स्नान करते समय एक तो किनारे पर ही नहाये, और यंहा पर जंजीरे भी पड़ी हुई हैं, जिन्हें पकड़कर स्नान कर सकते है. बच्चो को स्नान कराते समय बच्चो का ध्यान रखे, उन्हें आगे मत जाने दे. एक बात का और ध्यान रखे कि यंहा पर अपने सामान का ध्यान रखे, यदि एक मिनट को भी आप कि नज़र चूक गयी तो आपका सामान गायब हो जाएगा. ये गलती हमारे से हुई थी. मेरी पत्नी नीलम का पर्स साफ़ हो गया था.

नहा धोकर फोटो भी जरा फोटो भी खिचवाले

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 17th June,2010 – Mana village & around

As you have read in my earlier post, we reached Badrinath and had Darshan.

Badrinath is at a height of 11,204 feet above msl. It is around 530 Kms from Delhi and the route is Delhi – Haridwar – Rishikesh -Devprayag-Rudraprayag – Karanprayag-Chamoli -Joshimath – Badrinath.  Badrinath route opens in first week of May and is closed for winters after Deepawali.

If going by own vehicle, one has to reach upto Karanprayag or Nandprayag and take a night’s halt. If there are two drivers, one can easily reach upto Joshimathh and stay there, saving one day.

For train journey, the last station is Rishikesh, from where hired taxis, chartered buses, route buses and jeeps are easily available for Badri Nath.

Neelkanth Peak - glittering gold during Sunrise

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Today we had a plan to visit Sahastra Dhara. But my cousin told that the place is now a very dirty picnic spot. So we had to cancel the plan. Earlier, it was such a beautiful spot with clean water but now it has turned into a messy picnic spot. Sometimes, I really feel disheartened that why do people make such natural spots ugly. So that day, we just remained at my relatives place and took some rest.

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Ganga River and Varanasi :- Combination of Shiva and Shakti

10^th , 11^th and 14^th March 2011 , 3 days we were in Kashi and many times again and again we went to banks of Ganga for having her mighty darshan. I will try to put some info on this mighty river and its ghats.

Varanasi mornings near Ganges are best and most beautiful I have seen

Morning in Varanasi from Raj Ghat

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It was an ethereal spectacle; the sun had just risen, suffusing the skies with its fiery golden hue. The gently rippling waters threw up shimmering orange reflections and it looked as if some divine finger had smeared a vermillion tilak across the breadth of the river . The panorama unfolding before my eyes was not just impossibly beautiful; it was an incredibly spiritual, transcendental and transformational experience. It felt as if one were gazing at the face of Divinity itself.

The sacred river as viewed from the Kedar Ghat