Mesmerizing Kailash-Mansarovar

Purple mountains, pristine blue waters, the perfect white snow, mesmerizing landscapes and serenity in the thin air welcomes you to this God's country. An undiscovered and untouched land Mt. Kailash and Manasarovar in Tibet is every traveler's paradise. As soon as one reaches Kathmandu and starts transceding towards Tibet, one gets a sense of how exciting this journey shall be. After crossing the Nepal Chinese borders we enter into Tibet where the local land cruisers play the traditional Chinese folk songs; well, communicating with locals is surely not easy.

As one starts ascending to the higher altitudes of Tibet, the air becomes thinner and breathing difficult yet the myriad landscapes are truly breathtaking; literally. We come across the beautiful small towns of Nyalam, Dongpa, Saga where one can hire decent and cheap accommodations and stay overnight. Altitude sickness and dizziness are a common phenomenon but once you look at the 'painting like world' you will let that pass.

A few days of ascending into Tibet and finally your body shall become friendly with the altitude. Located in the far reaches of western Tibet, just north of Nepal and India, is one of the most sacred mountains in the world; Mt. Kailash. For the last two thousand years, people from all parts of India, the Himalayan kingdoms of Bhutan, Sikkim, Nepal, Kashmir and Laddakh, Central Asia and from even further have devotedly as well as adventurously made the journey to Kailash.

Lying to the south of Mt. Kailash are two lakes. The western lake is known as Rakshas Tal. However, its neighbouring lake to the east, Manasarovar, is by far the more significant of the two in a spiritual sense. Lake Manasarovar is frequented by pilgrims almost as often as Mt. Kailash, and it is associated with many myths and religious.

The limpid blue to the emerald green colours of the lake in contrast to the arid landscape immediately around it and the silver mountains beyond make the lake a highly praised destination for pilgrims. Lake Manasarovar is at an altitude of 14,950 feet above sea level, and is noted as the highest body of fresh water in the world.

For many travelers the very sight of Mt. Kailash and the sacred lake Manasarovar has been an emotional journey for its sheer magnificence and aura. It is believed that the journey to this sacred abode is a spiritual journey of discovering one'sown being. There is no place more powerful for practice more blessed, or more marvelous than their abode of God.

The Parikrama around Mt. Kailash is a three day long and 52 km. trek that passes through some of the most secluded regions of Tibet. There are Yaks and Porters to help the Pilgrims through this tough terrain. The trek trail is usually pretty straight with occasional valleys and troughs. The testing factor is the continuous chilly winds, lack of oxygen and highly unpredictable weather. One only needs to pray that there are no rains as we need to cross river and walk on the snow patches for several km.

The Parikrama starts from Yamadwar and one crosses many beautiful places on the way. There is Shivastal - a place where pilgrims leave some of their belongings as offerings. Gouri Kund (5,608 mts.) is a group of five small kunds of different shapes containing emerald green water. It is also called 'the lake of compassion' where Parvati would go to bathe. Further, the various faces of Mt. Kailash are truly special in their own ways the west face, the north face and the south face.

One needs to be healthy state of mind and body for this may prove to be one of the most challenging experiences ever. However the satisfaction of having 'been there and done that' is beyond words. One needs to experience it and know what it is like 'to skip a heartbeat' at the most spectacular sight. One should also remember to spend a night or two at the most beautiful Manasarovar lake. The lakes beauty grows on to you with each passing moment and just feels like gaping at it for as long as forever.

Whatever be one's motivation-adventurous or religious, the Kailash-Manasarovar Sojourn is an experience of a life-time and surely brings one closer to understanding own self.

As is the belief that the truth of life is incomplete without self-discovery; 'Satyam Shivam Sundaram' - Truth is Eternal and Beautiful.

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Omkareshwar : A Spiritual Odyssey

Aquaint spiritual town offering you even quainter images of peddlers selling religious paintings and kitschy idols, malas and garlands, jewellery and toys and innumerable road side shops peddled on the steps to the holy Narmada River. This is Omkareshwar beatifically packed in hillock shaped like 'OM' and thus came the name Omkareshwar. Lying as a secluded island packed with natural beauty and holiness in the air to speak of, Omkareshwar presents a picturesque image one could only see in the most creative of landscapes drawn by most artistic of painters.

The magic of the image drawn from the MP tourism's Narmada resort with the temple on the other side of the river; its replection flickering with the waves of the river, the mammoth Omkareshwar Dam on one side and the dim lights of the distant and myriads of temples filling up the night sky is inescapable and unforgettable.

Omkareshwar is among the twelve jyotirlingas, a sacred shrine for Hindus but is also a lot of things unspoken of. This small sleepy town owes its existance in the travel books due to the jyotirlinga. As to who constructed the temple and when is all shrouded in mystery. The sanctum sanctorum of the temple is said to be originally a small temple and the major extensive part was later constructed. One very conspicuous thing about the temple is that the sanctum sanctorum and the main deity are neither in the front of the main door nor below the higher Shikhar. A priest there would be quick to tell you that the jyotirlinga is a swayambhu meaning that it appeared all by itself. The interesting thing about the temple is that pujas are done here three times a day - the first by temple trust, second by the Scindia Samaj and the third by the Holkar samaj.

While Jyotirlinga is most often the obvious reason for pilgrims to come to this place, the Mamleshwar Jyotirlinga on the other side of the river to Omkareshwar offers a striking  architectural stone work. One definitely need a photographer's eye to enjoy this. But the real vista comes as one crosses to the other side on a boat where the Omkareshwar Dam waits to portray the prettiest picture drawn on the watery canvas of River Narmada. As the steamer struggles to move, you feel closer to the prowess of the harmless looking water as it roars past you.

Numerous shops wait for you on the steps of the river. A right turn and you head towards the Omkarshwar and a left takes you on the parikrama route (circumabulatory path) - a 10 km stretch to be covered on foot. Seems a bit strenuous exercise as one moves from the river banks to the hill top at 300 mts. but equally enjoyable and thrilling. Myriads of temples significant and less significant gild your way. Half-way on the parikrama route comes the sangam the confluence of Narmada and Kabeni - the holy point for mingling of the holy waters. Even the daily ritual of hundreds of pilgrims bathing at this holy point seems nothing less than a happening. You can-not afford to miss the small temples on the way adjusting them in the spiritual aura of this place. Even if you are intersted in these ubiquitous temples, keep taking side turns for the kaleidoscopic natural portrait this place draws for you with the indecisive turns of Narmada and the hills painted in the colour of green staging a natural holi before you. It is a colour palette set before you. As you ascend the hills the picturesque image gets brighter and more enchanting.

Passing through the Omkar Math, Patali Hanuman Mandir and Barfani Gufa and a durshan of the Gauri Mahadev Mandir with a six feet tall Shiva Linga, the parikrama ends with the Sidhinath temple and there you see the Hindu style mixing with the Carnatic style. This is one of the most architecturally inspiring temples. It is one the plateau on the island hill supported by a huge plinth with all its four sides carved with singular correctness and excellence of attitudes.

The beauty of Omkareshwar doesn't die with temples, in its uncovered layers is hidden some history, some mythology. As one descends from the Siddhinath temple towards the jhoola which connects the island to the main land, one comes across numerous ruins said to be of the Mahabhart era; the worth mentioning of them being the Arjun-Bheema dwar. The strategic place at which it is located offers the closest and the most elegant look of the dam. You can just spend hours looking and pondering about the unimaginable power of the gushing water as the dam opens its gates declaring its unchallanged control over the island. The feeling is like being send to the territory of dragong where you can just admire the sheer power of the creature. As you go down the stairs towards the jhoola, you can lend your ears to the roars of water declaring that you are but in its territory.

Stranded markets left to be adjusted at the mercy of the water level, the delicate sound of the bells in the temple voicing above the thurnderous roar of the mighty, untamed Narmada, the natural surroundings guarding the packs of spirituality and history lost in shrouds of mystery, the rustic lifestyle which seems more defined when embellished with tilak, malas, bhajans and agarbattis and the temple becoming synonymous to the identity of the place - Omkareshwar is a place to visit. Not just the spiritual completeness, the place offers you the untouched natural settings and the rustiness for you to carry along with yours.

Source : The Hitwada

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