Jai Bhole!!!
Amarnathji
Yatra 2019(July14th to July 17th)
For someone born and brought up in Kerala (southern most
state of India), a trip to Jammu & Kashmir, the northern most state of
India can be really exciting. And if
the trip is to one of the holiest places
on earth and through one of the most
treacherous terrains, it becomes a prayer, a spiritual journey and an
adventure, all rolled into one. This blog is meant to help people plan their
yatra which falls for a
period of about 40 days in July August every year. The Pilgrims can choose to
take the longer route from Baltal/Pehelgam by trekking the entire stretch of
about 42 kms by foot, horse or Palki; this would take anything between 3 to 5 days
one way.; or the shorter route by booking a chopper ride from Baltal/Pahalgam to go to Panchtarini
which would leave only 6 km of trek to the shrine.
The holy caves is believed to be the place where Lord Shiva took Goddess Parvati to impart to her the secret of life and immortality. Mahagunas Parvat, Chandanwadi, Sheshnag and Panchtarini are some of the places associated with the
legend behind the Yatra. Mahagunas Parvat is the place where Lord Shiva left
Lord Ganesha behind. Pahalgam (Bailgaon) is the place where HE left
Nandikeshwer behind. It is also believed that Chandan wadi is the place where
he left the moon worn on his head behind and Sheshnag lake is the place where
he left behind the snake on his matted hair. Finally Panchtarini signifies the
place where he left behind the five elements Air, water, earth, fire and space
before proceeding with ONLY his divine consort Parvati Devi . The legend also says that the secret was heard by two white pigeons who remain immortal to this date and are sighted by devotees every year. This is also considered to be very auspicious and an integral part of the holy YATRA. The teaching of LORD Shiva to Goddess Parvati is mentioned in the work "DEVIKAALOTTARAM", where it is presented in the form of questions put forth by GODDESS PARVATI, the JAGANMATA to Lord SHIVA. The word " Kaalottaram" indicating that the teachings are beyond the limitations of " Kaala" or "Time".
The first step:
Once you have decided to undertake this holy yatra, you have
to download the Compulsory health certificate forms from the government website
and get your fitness certified by a Government doctor. Though I would not want
to dampen your enthusiasm at this point, a little forewarning would not be out
of place. Be prepared for 4 to 5 trips
to a government hospital to get your fitness done as there are number of tests to done. ( Blood, Urine, ECG,Chest Xray etc)
Yatra Begins:
Our Yatra from Mumbai to Amarnathji was of 4 days as we chose
to fly from Mumbai to Shrinagar and then take the helicopter route from Baltal
to Panchtarini. The journey started in Mumbai and we took a flight to Shrinagar
via Delhi with a brief transit time of about 2 hours. The flight itself was special as I was flanked by a lovely Kashmiri girl who worked for
Tanishq in Shrinagar to my right and a very young army guy to my left side. I
heard two different sides of the Kashmir story.
When I told her I was from Kerala, she said her uncle has a carpet and
gems shop in Kovalam, Trivandrum. She said I would be in for a pleasant
surprise in Kashmir referring to the hospitality of the Kashmiris. The
young man from the army was returning back after a 28 days leave of absence and spoke about how it was his childhood dream to join the army and serve the country. He would watch the army recruitment camps in his small village in Bihar and dream about joining the army one day. He joined the army at the age of 18.
The moment we landed at Shrinagar airport, all our phones
stopped working. We were told that only
POST PAID AIRTEL connections would work. So out of a group of 12, only one had
a post paid connection and thus the only person able to comminicate. Next thing we noted was the presence of army everywhere.
They had to ensure the safety of Amarnath Yatris as they were incidents of the
pilgrims being shot at by the terrorists, in previous years. The vehicles moving towards Sonemarg, Pehelgam, especially the bigger ones
had to be accompanied by the army convoy. In fact, till we reached Sonemarg,
there were CRPF and jawans every 50 feet of the road. They were standing in
sweltering heat with the finger on the trigger of their guns. I muttered a
silent prayer and thanks to them.
We reached Sonemarg at about 4 in the evening after a brief
stopover for lunch at a dhaba which had a scenic setting of Sindhu River
flowing right besides the dhaba. We were
greeted warmly on our arrival at Hotel SHEEN at Sonemarg. This was just a 15
minute drive from the helipad at Baltal. Our chopper ride to Panchtarini was
scheduled at 6 am the next day. After an
early dinner ,we retired to our rooms . Next day morning, we left for the
helipad at 5am as the services were on first
cum first served basis.
The helicopter
bookings were all done online in advance. The cost of a chopper ride one way is
Rs.1804/=. Next day morning, at about 6.15 we left for Baltal helipad. We
presented the tickets at a counter and we were led inside , each one of us were
weighed in a digital weighing machine as the chopper can accommodate only 6
people at a time and has weight carrying specifications. We waited for an hour
for our turn. (A word of warning: The waiting area of the helipad has horrible
dirty and poorly maintained toilets). The chopper services are operated by
private companies but the security is handled by CRPF here also.
This trip heralded many firsts in my life, like my first trip
to Jammu and Kashmir, first pony ride, first ever chopper ride, that too
sitting next to the pilot and enjoying breathtaking views, the pilot pointing
out the long pilgrim route below where thousands of people were trekking from
Baltal/Pahalgam.. The chopper ride ended too soon (7 minutes) as we landed in
Panchtarini, a 6km trek away from the Sanctum Sanctorum.
At this stage also, one can choose to walk the rest of the
way, or hire a pony or a palki. Since the waiting time of our chopper was just
five hours, we chose to take pony/Palki. When we landed at Panchtarini, we were
mobbed by hundreds of kashmiri men clad in their traditional attire asking us
to hire them as palki bearers or their pony.
Later we came to know that they have to await their turn and manage to get just one ride or
at times two a day. The rates for Palki and Pony vary from year to year and 10
to 20 % tips are expected over and above. This year’s rates for two way Palki were Rs.5600 and pony was Rs
1800/=.
The grand finale:
I decided to embark the final leg of the yatra on a pony. The final 6 kilometres path is very uneven,full of stones,
melted snow and mud. If one intends to
walk, special snow shoes would be required. The trek is on a hostile terrain
surrounded by snow capped peaks glistening in the sunlight making for breath
taking views. The Amaravati river flows with blue clear water alongside. The
chants of Jai Bhole, Har Har Mahadev, Barfani Baba ki Jai is heard every where.
Pilgrims greet each other saying Bam Bam Bole, Har Har Mahadev as their horses
and palkis almost touch each other in the narrow space, they share their
darshan experience, whether they sighted the pigeons in the holy cave. There
are many devotees who make this yatra every year unmindful of the unpredictabe
weather, For them it is a journey to affirm their deep faith and devotion. One can see many families undertaking this trip.
The weather here is unpredictable and often choppers are not able to go back to Balta/Pahalgam the same day. Then devotees have to stay back in tents for the night. It is freezing cold at night , with the temperatures going into minus. (put up by the local Bakarwal community and can be hired for a price). Many devotees voluntarily stay for a day or two soaking in the beauty and divinity of the area, braving tough conditions with hardly any toilet facilities. There are many langars providing free hot meals to the pilgrims all along the way. These langars are put up by charitable trusts.
The weather here is unpredictable and often choppers are not able to go back to Balta/Pahalgam the same day. Then devotees have to stay back in tents for the night. It is freezing cold at night , with the temperatures going into minus. (put up by the local Bakarwal community and can be hired for a price). Many devotees voluntarily stay for a day or two soaking in the beauty and divinity of the area, braving tough conditions with hardly any toilet facilities. There are many langars providing free hot meals to the pilgrims all along the way. These langars are put up by charitable trusts.
The pony stops about 1 km away from the shrine where as the
palki goes directly upto the shrine except for the final 100 steps. One can hire a palki for the final 1 km. Finally, there
are about 250 steps which are quite steep and because of the high
altitude(12756 ft), the climb is difficult for persons not very fit. The local
lads that accompany the pony/palki are very helpful and hold your hands to help
you make the final climb of the 250 steps. A generous tip and Chai expense
would not be out of place at all as this is their main opportunity to earn some
money. They walk with surprising ease
along the arduous route carrying weight, guiding their horses.
As I got down from the palki hired for the last 1 km, one of
the guys carrying the palki offered to climb the steps with me till the sanctorum.
I wondered whether there was really any need for this guy to help me climb the stairs . I thought to myself, "I can easily climb a flight of stairs”,. But the guy insisted. So we started the climb. After about 10 steps I understood the reason why he offered. At a height of over 12700ft, with hardly any accliimatisation, the reduced oxygen levels makes the climb tough.
After we finished climbing the steps pausing to pray at the shrine of Nandikeshwer half way through the steps, we reached the holiest shrine. There stood the SHIVALINGA in all its magnificence reaching the top of the cave (about 130 feet). Near the big Shiva linga there were two prominent smaller ones, symbolising Goddess Parvati and their son Lord Ganesha. Then the guy urged me to look for the pigeons, the white ones which are believed to be immortal having listened to the secret taught by Lord Shiva to Goddess Parvati.I knew this was one of the miracles associated with the legend . As I strained my eyes to catch a glimpse of the white pigeons in the freezing caves, my guide pointed them out to me. There, on the niche of the cave,two pigeons were sitting oblivious to the fuss around them. I closed my eyes and soaked in the humbling experience for a few minutes. Who else then HE could have made this possible.????
I wondered whether there was really any need for this guy to help me climb the stairs . I thought to myself, "I can easily climb a flight of stairs”,. But the guy insisted. So we started the climb. After about 10 steps I understood the reason why he offered. At a height of over 12700ft, with hardly any accliimatisation, the reduced oxygen levels makes the climb tough.
After we finished climbing the steps pausing to pray at the shrine of Nandikeshwer half way through the steps, we reached the holiest shrine. There stood the SHIVALINGA in all its magnificence reaching the top of the cave (about 130 feet). Near the big Shiva linga there were two prominent smaller ones, symbolising Goddess Parvati and their son Lord Ganesha. Then the guy urged me to look for the pigeons, the white ones which are believed to be immortal having listened to the secret taught by Lord Shiva to Goddess Parvati.I knew this was one of the miracles associated with the legend . As I strained my eyes to catch a glimpse of the white pigeons in the freezing caves, my guide pointed them out to me. There, on the niche of the cave,two pigeons were sitting oblivious to the fuss around them. I closed my eyes and soaked in the humbling experience for a few minutes. Who else then HE could have made this possible.????
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