Hemkund Sahib Yatra 29/05/2018 (Part- 2)
After finishing my daily chores at 4 am, I had tea at the Gurudwara and boarded the jeep to go to Pulna. I started the journey from Pulna at around 5 am. Bhayander village is about 7 km from Pulna. The beauty of the entire route is worth seeing. Ghangaria village is 2km ahead from here which is also known as Govind Dham. Here also there is free arrangement for the stay of travelers in the Gurudwara. After Bhayander village the climb becomes steep. We were walking comfortably. The path is so beautiful that all the tiredness vanishes. Slowly we reached Ghangaria base camp. Ghangaria village is the last village of this journey situated on the banks of river Pushpavati. From here there is a way to go to Valley of Phulo and it is also the base camp for going to Kag Bhusund trek. Ghangaria is situated at a height of 3049 meters (9909 feet) above sea level, i.e. today I have gained a height of about 4000 feet which is a lot from the point of view of travel in the mountains. I reached Govind Dham at around 11.30 am. After paying obeisance in the Gurudwara, first of all I bought essential items like rain coat, cap, jacket, gamchha, water bottle and dry food etc. Taking out the thing which I have to take with me for my travel tomorrow from my bag I brought all the other luggage to the Gurudwara and deposited it in my room. After that, I got a bed reservation for my overnight stay. Then I tasted the Prasad and drank tea in the Langar. It was a bit cold and I went back to the Langar hall and did the dishwashing. The water was so cold that I could not do it for more than half an hour. I immediately came out and drank tea and set out to visit Ghangaria village. In the evening, after doing the Langar service once again, I tasted the Prasad, drank tea and slept. The distance to Hemkund Sahib from here is only 6km but it is a steep climb. I set out with a torch in the dark at 4 in the morning. Only 10-15 people had gone ahead of me. As I moved ahead, the climb became steeper. Many people were turning back either due to losing courage or physical problems. One should not follow someone else's walk in the mountains, but should keep walking comfortably at one's own pace and should not sit for long. I kept moving ahead by eating some dry fruits and drinking glucose water. Ahead, there were two paths, one was through stairs and the other was through the road towards the glacier. All were through stairs. We were going, I started walking on the road. The snow on this road was shining like glass. It was fun at first because the snow was breaking with the weight of the body as soon as I moved my feet forward, but after going a little further, my feet started slipping and it became difficult to walk even a single step. I was getting nervous because I didn't see anyone coming on this path. I felt like going back and taking the stairs. My mind said no, I will walk this way. Then an idea came to my mind, first I would hit the snow with a stick and then I would kick it hard with the front part of my shoes, the shoes would make a place in the snow and I would move a step forward. Walking like this, I was in front of the Gurudwara at 7.30.
Hemkund Sahib Gurudwara is at a height of 4632 meters (15200 feet) above sea level. This means that today it has attained a height of 5291 feet in a distance of just 6 km. Hemkund Sahib remained unknown for centuries. It was discovered by retired army man Sant Santosh Singh in 1934 and Guru Granth Sahib was established here in 1937. Tenth Guru, Guru Govind Singh had performed meditation in Hemkund Sahib in his previous life, he has described this in Dasham Granth. Laxman temple situated here is also mythological. But it is not being maintained properly. Hemkund Sahib Gurudwara is surrounded by seven hills on which Nishan Sahib of Sikhism has been established.
The lake surrounded by mountains was still not getting sunlight due to which a thick layer of ice had formed on the water of the pond
which the servants of the Gurudwara were breaking with the tip of the spear. I quickly took off my clothes and jumped into the lake. For a moment, I felt that my body had gone numb. I did not care about it and holding the iron chain, I took five quick dips and came out of the water. My teeth started chattering, my body was shivering, my fingers were not able to button my shirt. The servant of the Gurudwara smiled and buttoned my shirt. I wore a jacket and cap, went to the Gurudwara, covered myself with three blankets and started listening to the Ardaas. My body was still shivering from inside. After an hour, I went to the langar and tasted the prasad of khichdi and tea. Then I felt relieved. I visited the Laxman temple, talked to the priest there for some time and started going back down the stairs. Today, there was a great excitement in my heart. The journey was satisfactory as per the thoughts that I had left home. By the grace of Bholenath, everything was good. I had darshan from the temple. My steps were moving forward on their own, filled with happiness. A self-confidence was boosting my morale that I am physically and mentally fit. In this journey, I covered a distance of 200kms on foot in a difficult area. I reached Ghangaria at 12 pm, tasted the langar and took my bag from the locker and left for Govind Ghat. I reached Govind Ghat at 4.30 in the evening and made reservation for staying in the Gurudwara. From the same shop where I had bought the jacket, I bought another jacket for Rs. 600/-. Just then a bus driver came to book a ticket for Haridwar. I booked my ticket. The bus time was 5 am. I brought my luggage from the locker and packed it and after having langar, I started resting.
There is no expense in the Hemkund Sahib Yatra. Accommodation and food facilities are provided by the Gurudwara at all places. No religion in the world can compete with Sikhs in terms of service. Next day, I left for Haridwar in the morning. I started making plans and dreaming about the next journey.
Sat Nam Wahe Guru
Disclaimer: My mother tongue is Hindi and I have less knowledge of English language, so I have taken the help of Google Translator to translate Hindi into English.
