For the short trip planned from
Haridwar in the interiors of Garhwal region, our highlights were a trek to
Deoria Taal, a trek to Tungnath temple ( and if possible, the Chandrashila
Peak) and stay at the Magpie Eco Camp in Duggal Bitta. With a preliminary
information, all I was agog about was our trek to Tungnath Temple (the highest
Lord Shiv Temple in the world and a part of ‘Panch Kedar’ group) and it indeed
turned out to be a wonderful trek. But I underplayed the grandeur of Deoria
Taal. Thanks to all the research done by my roadie friend, Ashish Sharma
(@ashish0712).
Saari Village |
After completing the 200 odd km
journey from Haridwar to Ukhimath, we were so relieved to see the first glimpse
of the mighty Chaukhamba peak which has four summits and the highest (Summit 1)
having an altitude of 7138 m being the part of Greater Himalaya. And the air
became cooler. After having a simple and yet sumptuous meal at Banswada, we
proceeded towards the Saari Village. There are many people who can arrange your
stay in the tents or forest houses on the top of mountain near Deoria Taal. We
had earlier contacted Mr. Negi. And he had arranged our accommodation up on the
hill top near Deoria Taal.
Rhododendron Bloom |
We reached Saari village by 3.15 pm and met Mr.
Negi. The plan was clear. We started trekking to Deoria Taal at 4.45 pm. It is
a steep gradient 3 km trek and if in no good shape, will make you huff and puff
every 5 meters. However, as you keep on
elevating, you are greeted by a wonderful view of the Saari village and the
distant snow caped Chandrashila peak which was our destination next day. We
were lucky to have arrived here in April as we were greeted by the full bloom
of buraans (rhododendron) everywhere on our trek. Such a beauty this Buraans
tree is! The flowers of Rhododendron are crushed to extract juice which is
supposed to be good for the heart. I rather will ask you to come all the way
trekking here both your heart and your eyes will be thankful to you! J
It took us almost 1.5 hours to
reach the top where the generous Umendra Bhatt who runs a small restaurant welcomed
us. We had the much deserved piping hot tea and Ashish had his power nap for
the next half an hour. We walked through the dense forestation for slightly
more than couple of minutes and we were simply zapped by what we came across.
Deoria Taal with Chaukhamba in the backdrop |
A huge bugyal with an extremely
calm lake surrounded by buraans trees on one side and on the other side, just
fabulous, Gangotri Range of Himalayas. In the hilly areas, as I heard and
confirmed, the weather changes drastically. So by the time we reached the hill
top, it had started drizzling and was getting cloudy. At 6.45 pm when the light
was fading rapidly, it was getting difficult for us to differentiate between
the Himalayan peaks and the clouds. However, the weather cleared slightly and
we realized that we were indeed gawking at the grand Gangotri range of Himalaya
and the most striking of the peaks was the highest in the region, Chaukhamba. We
had seen this first time.. a peak with four summits in four directions and
hence the name, Chaukhamba!
With the fading light, the air
started becoming colder and we bumped off with the fellow campers who had just
lit a bonfire. After spending some time at the bonfire, we returned to Umendra
Bhatt’s hotel. Being an eco camp, there is no electricity supply. I had
experienced it in the Binsar Retreat in Binsar, Almora in Kumaon region of the
same state and now I was in Garhwal. Again a crescent moon night with zillions
of stars in the sky. We hardly exchanged words as we were gazing at the sky and
were relishing the silence in the jungle. Deaoria taal comes under the
Kedarnath Wildlife Conservatory famous for musk deers. In the darkness, I could
only spot a leopard cat which looked more curious than me for getting
introduced but it shied away.
The hot rotis, potato subzi and
rajma (kidney beans) resulted in an exquisite dinner. We talked with Umendra
and Sandeep, Mr. Negi’s nephew for a while before falling asleep. How many
times do you go to bed at 9.30 pm? It felt as if it is already 12 midnight by
that time. Sheer silence and the rhythmic sounds coming from the jungle was
indeed a lullaby. It didn’t take much time for us to go to sleep and we had to
get up early to capture the morning beauty of the Himalayan range and Deoria
Taal.
Greater Himalaya, Gangotri Range |
One doesn’t need an alarm or a
special effort to get up early in the morning if you are staying in a jungle or
in
the mountains. We got up early and rushed towards Deoria Taal. And this
time, we were double zapped. The skies were clear and the snow peaks of the
Himalaya were glistening in the morning glory. And Mr. Chaukhamba stood like
the most handsome guy in the range directly looking at us. Simple answer to why
Uttarakhand is called as Devbhoomi (The Land of Gods). In so many years, I had
never come across such a beautiful site… a bugyal with a calm lake lined with
rhododendron trees and reflections of the grand snow peaks in the calm waters
of the lake.. and in all silence…the sound was silence!
Rhododendron Tree on the bank of Deoria Taal |
Deoria Taal is probably the most
mysterious lake I have ever come across. I was somehow getting the feeling that
there is something very very clandestine
stuff about this lake. The water is strikingly calm. You could see very small
fish swimming lazily near the edge. For the time we spent near the lake, no
bird came there to drink water or catch a fish. There is this eerie silence
surrounding this lake. I enquired to Umendra as well as the forest guards …lo and
behold…this turned out to be the most legendary lake I have ever visited in my
life.
The famous incidence of ‘Yakshaprashna’
of Mahabharata is believed to have happened at this particular lake only. The
same lake where all the Pandavas except Yudhishthir were poisoned to death
after drinking the water without answering the Yaksha (the spirit guarding the
lake) question. It was only Yudhishthir who answered the questions diligently
and revived his brothers.
I also observed stone idols on
the banks of the lake. They are dedicated to The Nag Devta (Serpant King). The
lake is believed to be the abode of the Serpant King and he’s worshipped there.
The lake’s depth is yet to be measured and is supposed to be abysmal. Many
scientists have tried measuring the depth of this lake but have failed. Some
things go beyond scientific explanation and you tend to believe them.
It is also said that if somebody
dies in the lake after drowning (Swimming is strictly prohibited in this lake)
the body comes up only after a month. That’s very unusual. In a normal case, it
floats in 24-48 hours. This lake certainly is very very beautiful but at the
same time very mysterious too. And it is thrilling to experience these feelings
together here at Deoria Taal.
Chaukhamba and The Deoria Taal - Dream Summit |
A Vipashyana meditation looking
at the Gangotri range of Himalayas and finally spotting a ‘Himalayan Magpie’
was the concluding part of our visit to this enchantingly beautiful place. All I
wish is to come back here as early as possible and savour the nature and the
stories to the maximum extent.
INFORMATION -
Deoria Taal (Altitude 2387 m)
12 km motorable road from Ukhimath till Saari Village
Recommended – Vehicle at disposal to roam in this area as the local
cabbies charge stratospheric sums for short distances. We hired cab from
Haridwar (204 km) and was at our disposal for 4 days for Rs.8400
Stay – Contact Mr. Negi - +91-94102 41543 Devria Tourist Home Stay for
very basic stay in Saari Village as well as near Deoria Taal (Rs.600 per head) –
No food included
Contact Mr. Nautiyal for accommodation in bunglows for family near
Deoria Taal - +91- 97592 44881
Food
– Umendra serves delicious but basic food at the hill top
Good information.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Trust the information is useful to explore the beautiful terrain.
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