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...

 

Life in the Mountains - Part 2

 “The mountains were his masters. They rimmed in life. They were the cup of reality, beyond growth, beyond struggle and death. They were his absolute unity in the midst of eternal change.” - Thomas Wolfe

Trishul in clouds

Views of the Kumaon Himalayas, like this, are only for us The Great Indian Tourist. For life on the mountains must continue, earlier the seasons dictated the pace of life, now it is calendars and global warming.

Mules are used where the walking track has been
widened

Building a house at the end of a walking track is difficult, all the supplies have to be brought by mule or by hand. Now that cutting and selling wood is not feasible (it’s mostly pine which is not good for construction), the building has to be of modern materials got from outside. Pathways have to be found for mules, where earlier a man trudged, now mules go.

A very tired mule

 Mules did four rounds where I was staying, hauling sand, and cement. The Tor rods were hauled all the distance by men. More and more people from the plains are buying or leasing traditional houses, tearing them down, and building unsightly monstrous behemoths in their place. 

the working man

Most of the labour is from other states, paradoxical though, as the younger generation from the mountains are leaving as there are no jobs to be had...

people who own houses, come infrequently...

...otherwise houses remain locked

clothes that have dried and are ready to be taken in...

Drying is with the sun, clothes are washed when it is bright and sunny and put out to dry. So are the vegetables, most of which are grown on the property itself. 

Pumpkins grown on the property, these are
being readied for Shivratri

And life must go on, the eternal cycle of drudgery. The Munni Devi's of the mountains gather firewood, look at the sky, if it is a clear day...

gathering firewood

"Your faith can move mountains, and your doubt can create them." — Swami Vivekananda

Mukteshwar - a great view of the Kumaon Himalayas

 

The rays of the sun illuminate Trishul and Nanda Devi.  I could see peaks to the left and right of this massif.

Maybe it was so destined and I just couldn’t get my breath back, the complete Kumaon range was so clear.  Complete with Badrinath and Kedarnath to the left and Panchacholi to the right before the range went into Nepal. But then I am getting ahead of myself.

Part of the view from my room

When I reached Mukteshwar it was snowing, actually snowing!! The snow would melt as soon as it touched the ground and it was magical. The next morning it was clear but cold, I got my eyes full of the Himalaya. I then realized that the view from Vineet’s Homestay (where I was staying) and the KMVN rest house was the best.

A langur pondering about its next meal?

Mukteshwar is dominated by the Veterinary Institute, I could not go anywhere without encountering some branch of this institute. The Vet Inst and langurs were all pervasive.

A family of Langur monkeys.
Other hill stations are dominated by macaques, (colloquially bunder) but Mukteshwar has predominantly langurs  

 

Madan, my guide, on the many walks i went for

Madan, came at about 10 am and took me for the first of the “jungle walks”. There are a lot of forests around Mukteshwar and so we went on many jungle walks. Though I suspect he was a "guide" for the many tourists that infest the place in season.

Oak forests abound

Large parts of Mukteshwar were built by the British and so the houses were archaic, with chimneys and corrugated tin roofs. In fact, major parts of Mukteshwar were made by them, though now “modernization” is creeping in. 

Sunset silhouettes the western part of the range 

I could never get enough of the view of the mountain range, whenever it was clear I would go out and look at the peaks. Though a clear view of the peaks meant strong winds and often  inclement weather. Mostly the clouds would rise and by midday obscure the view or make the range hazy. 

Bhaalugaad Waterfall

On two days I did the touristy thing, one day hiring a car and driving to the Bhaalugaad Waterfalls, a major tourist draw in season judging by the cafes and "adventure" activities along the route. Being mostly bereft of tourists at this time, very early and "out of season", I had the waterfall to mainly to myself.  It is a nice place when alone.

Mukteshwar Post Office

Post offices did thriving business in the days that people wrote letters and actually mailed them, now speed post and other schemes have taken over. This post office was made in 1905, I wonder what stories the walls could tell?

A Methodist Church I found along the way

On the second day I walked (with my guide of course), about 15 kms, going to Chauli Ki Jali, Mukteshwar temple and ending at the “organic goat farm” (whatever that is), on the way back we took a small diversion to see a Methodist Church. And yes...they do need donations for the roof...

Sunrise over Trishul with clouds about to obscure the peak

I was walking every day that the weather permitted which was almost five days of the week I was there. When the Great Indian Tourist is not there, making it "a home away from home" it is an achingly beautiful place.

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.

 

Rambling in the Mountains

This image of sunrise over Trishul affected me very deeply, so much so that I did a sketch from the picture that inspired it. However, no sketch or  photograph does justice to the scene which is immensely awe-inspiring and majestic.  I completely agree with John Muir when he said "I'd rather be in the mountains thinking of God; than in church thinking about the mountains".

...and this is the picture that inspired the sketch.
Though people often conquer mountains, I feel it is simply a privilege to be there, it is the closest to God that I can be. I  slow down completely and amble along, nothing is time-bound.

Rambling around and through mountains, I feel very close to myself, gradually leaving problems and urgent thoughts behind. I go without an itinerary, no plans, no hard stops, no reservations and very few electronic connections.  I find this liberating, very liberating from the shackles of electronic life, so for many days no buzzing or jangling.  The absolute peace is very calming.

I taste the place, soak it in, feel it, absorb it; not simply pass through.  I find the local ambience very different if I do not have a mission to climb or do such and such. I meet people, get friendly, eat what they eat, and be privileged to enter their lives.

Food for the soul is when I see sights when others are asleep or partying, here is Trishul at late sunset, a very different sight. It is a delight to see mountains by bright moonlight, see them before the sun rises, at dawn, during the day, at any time.  Generally the clouds descend in the afternoon and by evening the peaks are shrouded in white. 

  

This wooden peg  at a water driven grinding mill holds the door shut from wind and animals.  In the past houses did not need locks as no one stole, on my way down from a hill walk in Chitkul I came across this latch, designed to close but not lock. 

Sun dappled hillsides greet me as I get higher in Chitkul, up a small mountain behind the village to see the sunrise.  I started by the light of a head torch in total darkness, on the first day I took the wrong trail and climbed higher than I intended to. As Barry Finlay said "Every mountain top is within reach if you just keep climbing." On the second day I got the right track, and got to the top in time to see the sun peek from behind another mountain.  I am realistic in what I can and cannot achieve, so I climb what I can and admire from afar what I cannot.

Feel the texture of life at a slow pace, perhaps we have forgotten this ambling pace?  Walk amongst the houses, see old construction, the time when the wind was blocked with stones, real seasoned wood was used for beams and there was time to fit it all together precisely.  Time was dictated by the seasons and not the clock, and all work had to be completed before it got too cold. 

Natures light show is more spectacular than anything we can invent. The sun rising from a side, illuminates the mountainsides gradually, from tiny orange tips, then side-lighted mountains to the cold blue of the day. Kasauni enables a panorama of a beautiful slice of the Himalayas, here each day is different and the ever-changing scene is a joy to behold.   These peaks are above 7000m and for my aching bones, best admired from a distance.

The early sun is shrouded  partly in natural and partly in man-made mist and haze, here it peeps out from behind the trees.  The leaves of the tree are dew laden, possibly frost formed at night and now melted. The sun lights a new day with new hopes and plans, each day different from the previous. 

  

Dew drops on a tomato... it is cold at night and early mornings are usually wet.  On an early morning walk I came across this dew laden tomato in a field. Normally I am out walking an hour before sunrise to about mid-morning, then I get back to my stay and sit out on a veranda and read.  I am out again early in the afternoon till an hour after sunset. Carry spare socks as nothing will prevent them from getting wet.

  

Higher I go, the more stark is the landscape, till I reach a high altitude desert which has only very sparse vegetation in summer. Local human and animal life adapt to the altitude and the bitter winter cold, houses are made to insulate, fodder is gathered before the first snowfall, and the locals are prepared. It is us, the passersby, that cannot adapt to these  conditions and insist on the comforts that we are used to.

  

A Himachali Couple prepares for winter as there is not a moment to spare.  The cattle and other animals come down from the higher ranges as it gets colder and they eat the crop if it is not harvested. Every bit of the harvest is used, the grain and the stalks as fodder. Every aspect of life here is governed by the seasons and the weather.

  

The sky is deep blue as there is little pollution at this height, the clouds are cotton puffs against the inky blue.  The pollution is creeping up with rapid construction and expansion of road networks, now there is dust at many places. Almost all landslides that I have seen here and elsewhere, start at the cutting for a road in the mountains. I think if you leave nature alone it will look after itself.

  

...the shades of blue are infinite, the ranges are serene, vegetation on the lower slopes, stark and bare a little higher up and perpetually snow clad peaks in the distance.
To quote the evergreen John Muir:
“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.”