Munshiyari-Thal-Sheraghat-Jageshwar-Almora-Bhimtal-Haldwani-Rampur-Delhi
Day 4 (Saturday):
Morning we got up by 6am to watch the peaks at sunrise. The
beauty of the snow capped peaks was augmented by the radiance of the brilliant
sun’s rays. But soon clouds ensconced
the peaks and thus our countenance with the majestic peaks ended.
The ominous dark clouds cautioned of the looming alarming weather conditions. After a quick breakfast, we checked out from the room and started preparing for the return journey. Way back could have been awesome had it not been for the rain and the clouds which continued to haunt us. Waving a farewell to the Himalayans which are no longer visible even from Kalamuni, we bowed at the Durga temple praying for safe journey. As we started descending, drive has become more dangerous as we were encapsulated by the misty clouds. The near zero visibility warranted extreme care and caution on the part of the driver. Thankfully my husband’s ace driving skills helped us to avert any kind of mishaps. The hair-rousing dangerous encounters retrospective of inclement weather kept us on tenterhooks till we reached Birthi Falls which at the base of the hill. We soon crossed all the villages and cautiously tread through few rough patches and reached Thal in 3 hrs. While the journey downhill was supposed to be cool bad weather played a spoiled sport.
Driving in rain
At Thal we visited an Old Bhaveshwar Shiva temple on the main
road which is accorded the status of protected monument. Locally referred to as
deepalay it was built somewhere in 11th century. But exact details
are not available. We had a brief conversation with the Pandit of the temple
who is a retired mechanic from army. He too couldn’t shed more light about its
ancestry. Some of the temples chambers in use are recently renovated. After
attending the harathi we resumed our journey and headed to Berinag, 28 km away.
From there we reached Sheraghat which was 34km head via Raiagar. Unfortunately
the spell of the bad weather continued to chase us all along the hills. The
road to Sheraghat doesn’t have much traffic and the drive was pleasant though
the roads were not up to the mark. In between impressed by an elegant temple
located uphill we stopped at the Sankat Hanuman Mandir at Jateshwar. But it was
closed so we quickly paced towards Sheraghat. Saryu River was running parallel
to our road, as we moved further we could see its river basin which was lush
green and pleasant. 2 km ahead of Sherghat, at Machikhana village we escaped a
landslide by a fraction of second.
Temple in Thal
Our next destination was Almora, 60 km from Sheraghat. Beyond
Sheraghat we started encountering more rubble and rocks that rolled from hill
tops. Clearly the disastrous effects of deforestation are clearly visible along
the hills. Denuded hill tops are cracking down during rains and contributing to
increased incidence of landslides. Sheraghat to Almora route is prone to
landslides and it also passes through number of hills each of them connected by
bridges. The road passes through scantly inhabited places and dense forests.
This route is almost devoid of any eateries. We were famished and were on a
look out for a decent to munch on. At around 18 Km from Sherghat was Dhaulchina,
we stopped there for a late lunch. As we enquired more about the place we were
informed of two important tourist attractions nearer to this place. A kilometre
ahead of Dhoulchina, the road bifurcates leading to Binsar (3km) on left and to
Almora. As we already viewed the Himalayan peaks we ruled out visiting Binsar
and continued to drive towards Almora. After driving for 12km, we hit upon a road
leading to Jageshwar, the famous Jyotirlinga at Barecchina. Though we vaguely
knew that Jageshwar was close to Almora, we weren’t aware of the route. Having
travelled this far we wanted to visit the renowned temple. So we drove to
Jageshwar, 17 km inside. Road was newly laid and is in excellent condition. As
we neared Jageshwar we were surprised by the serenity and splendour of the
place. The place was impeccably clean, first we encountered Dhandeshwar group
of heritage temples a kilometre behind the Jageshwar temple complex. These
reminded us of the temples of Khajuraho.
Sarayu River Basin
Jageshwar is one of the famous religious towns located at an
elevation of 6000 ft in the Jataganga river valley amidst dense Deodhar
forests. The temples were constructed near the confluence of the rivers Nandini
and Surabhi. Earlier pilgrims used to halt at this place en-route to Kailash
Mansarovar yatra.
Dhandeshwar Group of Temples
Dhandeshwar group of temples house 14 other subsidiary shrines
besides the tallest Dhandeshwar temple where all the rituals are performed
regularly. Dhandeshwar is one the tallest and biggest temples of the Kumaon
region and built between 9th and 10th century by the
Katyuri rulers. But the shikhara is different than other Nagar style temples of
the region. The temple dedicated to Lord Shiva is considered to be containing
Lord in sukhasana where the stone lingam is a natural rock and not carved. All
other small shrines in the complex are in dilapidated condition. We even
visited a Hanuman temple just outside the complex but located in the tranquil
deodhar forest next to the flowing stream of Jataganga. Little ahead of the
complex there is an Eco Park and an Archeological Museum was present near the
Jageshwar Temple complex.
Jageshwar Temple
While the records indicating the accurate dating of the
construction of these temples were unavailable ASI (Archaeological Survey of
India) ascertained that the temples date back to post-Gupta and pre-medieval
eras and estimated to be 2500 years old. Jageshwar is considered as the Abode
of Nagesh Jyotirlinga dedicated to Lord Shiva. The group consists of 125
temples of various shapes and sizes ranging between 7th and 18th
century. These temples are dedicated to Lord Shiva, Mritunjaya, Surya,
Navadurga, Navagraha, Lagulish, Kedareshwar, Baleshwar, Pushti Devi, Kalika and
Lakshmi. The temples were renovated by Katyuri King Shilavahandev. Later the
Chand Kings of Kumaon regions were also patrons of the Jageshwar temple. It is
believed that Adi Shankaracharya visited Jageshwar; he renovated and
re-established many temples before leaving for Kedarnath.
While it continued to drizzle uninterruptedly, we visited all these temples and luckily we had darshan of the deities. The truly mystic, tranquil environs and the surrounding beautiful environment augur great reverence towards the Supreme Power. For all the people who denounce any kind of ritualistic worship, this place would incite a humbling experience towards the transcendental bliss proffered by the Mother Nature. By and large these temples and its pristine locales undeniably bestow a mystical contentment. With fond memories of the place we soon started travelling towards Almora. With invigorated mind and spirits we soon sped fast towards Almora and then without entering the main town, we drove towards Haldwani where we wanted to rest for the night. Road from Almora to Haldwani was in excellent condition so our journey comfortable. After reaching Haldwani my husband decided to drive back to Delhi even if he had to drive throughout the night. I was flabbergasted by his idea as I was scared of the heavy trucks plying at nights. But he remained firm and drove us back to Delhi by early hours of Sunday (around 4:30 am). In total he drove around 600km in a day despite the inclement weather. Finally the real unsung hero turned out be our car Hyundi i10, Sportz of 2013 make.
Unlike our previous road trips, this was very special etching indelible experiences in mind’s eye. Travelling most of the times inculcates tolerance and toughens the mind to undertake challenges on at a time.
Photographs Courtesy: Dr. T. L. S. Bhaskar
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nice information shared..lovetravel
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