The Lovely Peaks of Vridh Jageshwar

Sunrise over Trishul and surrounding peaks

Someone once said that "All of life is peaks and valleys. Don't let the peaks get too high and the valleys too low". It may be true about life, but in the mountains the higher the peaks get, more majestic they look. 

The sunrise - I just cannot get enough of the
sight of the mountains particularly at
sunrise and sunset.

The rhododendrons flower in profusion, they say that rhododendrons tend to bloom the higher in altitude one gets, Vridh Jageshwar is not much higher but many rhododendron  trees are flowering in profusion.

Rhododendrons

‘Vridh’ means ‘old’ or ‘previous’, it is on a ridge top with a wonderful view of the Kumaon Himalayas up close. Jageshwar Dham is the group of temples in the valley not very far from here, but distinctly different. Many people stay at Vridh Jageshwar and worship at the Dham. "Praise the Lord, but we want to see the peaks also".

The temple at Vridh Jageshwar...

...and Jageshwar Group of Temples

Human society appears to sustain itself by transforming nature into garbage. It does indeed, ‘clever’ marketing and the ‘need’ to buy more. Walking down to the spring and caves behind the temple at Vridh Jageshwar one sees a lot of the detritus of ‘good’ living. It is a veritable garbage dump for almost fifty metres of the path. (I have done a reel on this at instagram click here)

The first of two caves...

...and the spring

Apart from being a downhill/uphill walk through some dense jungle, the caves and the spring are not much to see.

There are many walks to be had, and most of them are relatively less steep. There’s the Zero Point walk, atop a hillock not very far from here, it is a short distance but steep. Then there is the birding trail, the trail behind the temple, there are two ways to reach this, to the Spring and Caves. The walking track ahead of the temple, a trail to Jageshwar Dham (six Kilometres from the temple), and so on.

Sunset on Trishul and two temple bells

The view of the Kumaon Himalayas is breathtaking, one can almost touch them, from here one can see Nanda Ghunti, Trishul, Mrigthaini, Maiktoli, Nanda Devi, Nanda Khot (Ban Kutiya or the Sickle), and the Panchacholi Group.

The hues of pink and gold and.…. (one cannot even begin describing the colours), so I will leave it to your imagination.

At sunset...

 

My annual sojourn in the mountains-Joshi's Cottage revisited

Start of the path to Joshi's Cottage.  It is two Kilometers from here

Lemmings all, multitudes of tired, over-civilised people feel that going to the mountains is like going home. Crowds, loud music, parties, traffic jams and garbage, all go towards making it feel homely. Crowds bring waste, plastic waste, and all the villages, including Dalar, are slowly becoming a rubbish dumps.  

Nature, peace and quiet is the last thing on their minds.

Dalar Village is about two kilometers from the Binsar WLS road.

Until now I have to walk about two kilometres to Dalar, this keeps most of the party animals, except the most adventurous, at bay. I have told Santhosh that once a road comes up count me out. In any case being retired I go at the “off season” when there are the least people. 

The same cottage that I had stayed on my previous visit, now with a verandah.  See the mist in the background.

From my last trip here almost exactly a year ago, I can see visible signs of change to the old homestay, a new verandah, changes to the family cottage, the more expensive homestay is now ready, work begun on a new one and on it goes.

all construction is on mule or human back

The food is absolutely delicious, and Kewal outdoes himself in providing a variety of food which is piping hot. Earlier he was a chef at a nearby resort, but now he provides the same delicacies at his family's homestay.

The old Lady of the house.

This is the second time I go to Joshi’s Cottage and it is like coming home; the entire family is there to meet me. With everyone pitching in and making me feel welcome, there is Santhosh and his two brothers, his mother, his wife, sister-in-law, his nephews and niece. Meals are at a central facility, the only concession given me is that I get a chair to sit on as I cannot sit for long periods on the floor.

The path to Dalar

The Path to Dalar is through the Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary.  There is so much wildlife to see, we saw a leopard and her cubs twice, Barking Deer, Ghural, wild boar and lots of birds. In fact iI was advised not to go out on the path in hours of darkness for fear that a wayward wild boar or leopard make a substantial meal out of me (well fed that I am).

Sunrise on Trishul and Nanda Devi

One of the most beautiful walks is up the hill at the back, from the top I could see the sun rising on the Kumaon Himalayas. I must have been up at least four times, though I got to see the sun rising only once. It is a beautiful natural light show, the best I have seen.

Rain soaked sweet limes at a working village

It rained more on than off, often hail stones would fall and the mud would get gooey. Santhosh and his family bemoan the fact that there has been no rain or snow this year and that the crop is less because of this. 

Raindrops on a wire 

It rained almost every three days, in fact there was a storm on two days and when it cleared the drops had tiny, upside down images in them.

The school where I would walk

There are plenty of places to walk, and I would walk for three days and rest for one.  The rain automatically made me rest, so I followed a natural rhythm. 

Mist at near the water and clear above, a view from my room

It is curious to see that mist or fog sticks to the valleys where there is generally water and that the upper reaches are quite clear.

Silhouette of a Black-headed Jay with a oak nut

There are many birds close to the village and each sunny morning I would be treated with birds on the tops of trees, basking in the early morning sun.

Himalayan Woodpecker

Woodpeckers would embed nuts in a walnut tree and eat them at leisure. These appeared in mist or sunlight, this bold one, looking at us curiously, is in the mist. 

A pair of Slaty-headed Parakeets basking in the sun

Each morning a flock of Slaty-headed Parakeets would feed on the trees nearby, then, as if on a signal, they would cry noisily and fly away together. There is strength in numbers I guess.

A Himalayan Griffon resting on a tree...

Kamal, (Santhosh’s brother) once showed me a Himalayan Griffon sitting patiently on a tree, tired of soaring or was it waiting patiently for its next meal? 

...It didn't fly

It did not fly as long as I kept a distance, though it was alert all the while and looking at me. I saw many Himalayan Griffon soaring on thermals or flying above dead animals, but just this once I saw one sitting.

Rhododendrons

Rhododendrons are beginning to grow in this season, bright scarlet (at this altitude) punctuation marks in an otherwise multi-hued green forest. 

The view from my room on the last evening 

Keep close to Nature’s heart… and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.” – John Muir  

I did both.