Gauri Kund!
I realised that I did not see Ashish, Piyush and Akhilesh on the way or at Charan Sparsh. I went looking for them to their room. They informed me that they came back as it was raining. I could not take it and urged them that they should leave and reach Charan Sparsh. I did not want them to miss the experience. I do not know from where so much of authority came to me and I insisted that they should go there. All these men are young people and hence I was surprised that they decided to come back without touching the peak!
Deepashree had come back half way through and though I felt sorry for her, I was alright as she is very young and might do the Yatra once again!
Vikrant Singh, Ashish, Piyush and Akhilesh and Sanjay Patel left at 8:30 pm to Charan Sparsh!
I went to my room - organised my things for next day's trek through Dolma Pass to Zunzhui Pu and went to sleep. I am a light sleeper, getting up at least 3 times every night, and getting up on hearing the slightest sound! That night I slept so very well with no dreams also! Literally Samadhi sthithi!
Next day morning we had to leave at 5 am - our cooks came to the room with tea and woke us up at 4 am. When I got up all others in my room had got up and were ready - the toilets in this place is a set of holes dug in the earth and some walls constructed to block! It was dirty and hence many of us decided to relieve ourselves in the open (as it was dark) and use toilet papers for cleaning! Quickly I got ready using the water in the hot water flask to brush and wash the face. With my Guru's prasad kumkum, chandan and vibhuti I wore my shoes and tied the scarf around my monkey-cap.
Deepashree told me that previous night Ashish was crying so much in front of our room - I was horrified with worry that may be he fell sick or something like that... how mind thinks of only negative things - I was worried but presumed that he should be alright by now.
We had to walk for some time from where our ponywallas would pick us up. While waiting for Renchan, Ashish, Piyush and Vikrant came and touched my feet and said they are very happy that they made it - thanks to my push that they got the beautiful experience of Charan Sparsh! Actually, he was so happy and overwhelmed with joy and wanted to come and meet me on return from Charan Sparsh and had cried with joy near our room - they had returned around 11:30 in the night using torches. They had good time at Charan Sparsh and had done pooja and harathi there but return trip had been in darkness! I was wonderstruck that I had slept that night in spite of all this noise, when almost everyone knew and talked of this crying of Ashish near our room! Om NamaShivayah!
Renchan gave me a bright smile and helped me sit on the pony. Renchan will not hold my stick and I had to sit with my bag on shoulder and the stick in front of me - at some places, other horses would be walking and Renchan would walk as though there is nothing in our way. The fear of poking the other pony or others on the way kept me very alert. I started chanting Om NamaShivayah, Om Shakthi Om, Om Namo Narayanaya and was looking around. A little ahead, Mount Kailash vanishes from our sight and a steep - real good steep climb starts. I saw the yatris who were walking. Now I realised that I am not seeing any of the other yatris who had come from Kathmandu. They all had gone back without even going to Charan Sparsh. Noone had proceeded beyond Deraphuk. Our group alone was proceeding towards Dolma Pass.
Deraphuk itself is at a height of 16600 feet above mean sea level and the oxygen level is low. This makes people who are not acclamatised to the weather get sick. Luckily, no one from our batch fell sick, as we were all well acclamatised.
Dolma Pass is supposed to be the nightmare of yatris, just after Lipulekh Pass. This is at a height of 18600 feet above mean sea level and hence is full of snow and oxygen content in the air is very less.
The tough walkers in our group were also going slow and I could see weariness on their faces while I was crossing them in my pony. At some places, where, other ponies were struggling to climb or refusing to put foot, my pony was climbing up with Renchan pulling it from above. As I did not want to instruct or argue with him (due to language and ignorance of the landscape of that region) I just kept chanting Naamaas and left my progress or otherwise to God! I must say I really was in total state of surrender with my mind blank - no thinking - and only my lips uttering the names of God! I wish I can be like that always, but alas, I have come back to Thane, to my home and office where mind works more than the intellect!
We reached a point where there was so much snow - the photo above shows that - this is the place of Parvatiji! She is worshipped here with flags - our batchmates had done some Pooja there with agarbathi and camphor. I was not aware of what exactly it is when I crossed it - but seeing so many flags, I presumed that to be a place of worship and did a general namaskar to that place and God there.
From this point, we have to start climbing down - and the path had snow - just like Lipulekh pass for some good distance. As always, my dear nephew, Ashish was there like magic, holding my hand and helping me cross the snow and the snowy water. Thank God for sending such a nice person like Ashish in the same batch! May there be many more Ashishs, Piyushs, Sachins, Narayans, Radhas, Anuradhas and Akhileshs in all the batches that undertake this Yatra.
Person in forefront is Sachin (the readers of my blog might be knowing it by now) and the person behind with yellow cloth is myself - the ponywallah in Red jacket is Renchan. Just after this point, we have to get down and start trekking.
Our climb down the pass takes us to Gauri Kund! The beautiful emerald green natural lake at that high altitude which is believed to be the bathing lake of Gauri, the mother of all! Yeah, she has to have such beautiful pool for Herself - the beauty cannot be described - it has to be seen to believe. We were warned not to attempt a climb down to the Kund. Hence, we requested the porters and ponywallas to bring a bottle of water from the Kund. They charged us 10 yuans per bottle and managed to climb down and up in 30 minutes.
Gauri Kund as seen through camera of Sachin.
The climb down was steep and tough and we all made it well! We reached a place where all ponywallas were eating and having soft drinks. This is where I bought soft drink for Renchan when he was not even expecting. This must have made him feel something special for me, he took my hand and walked me upto the place his pony was tied. I sat on the pony and then I went like Rani of Jhansi riding on the pony - only difference was that I had my stick instead of the sword and my backpack with silly things instead of the child that Rani carried on her back! There I went flying like a seasoned horse-rider - Renchan literally running with the pony and getting the surprised looks of others on pony who were moving as though they were in some death march under Hitler's command!
I did notice some sparrows on the way and some villagers and a Buddhist monk with his disciple on the way. A river was flowing on and off our route and it was all - mountains of rocks, river and steep ups and steep downs with only the sound of Renchan whistling something or the smell of his cigarette now and then! My state of complete surrender to God was still in me and hence, I was absolutely happy, fearless, and actually full of joy and peace!
Thus I reached the camp at Zunzhui Pu as the second Yatri ( Bakshiji is always the first one to reach any camp wherever it be). So, for the first time I got the luxury of choosing the room and I royally walked around picking the room which was facing Garud Mount (without knowing it is Garud Mount) and not facing the toilets :-)
Om Prakashji from Delhi also reached and we three along with another Delhi yatri sat down in Bakshiji's room and peacefully completed some snacks.
Now other yatris started trickling in and I had Radha, Anuradha and Deepashree as my room-mates. We had nice beds, nice quilts and also place to walk within the room! The toilet block in this place was much better (though with those holes) and cleaner and hence I used it!
The lady in pink head-cover is one of the ponywallas (yes, there are women ponywalis in Tibet) and there are women porters! They all put up small (portable) tents in front of our camp and stayed there that night. I heard a lot of giggling and laughing from their camp. A lot of young people - boys and girls - they were having good fun singing and chatting and making all sorts of noise!
Our cooks came and prepared poori, bhaji and we had lunch at around 4 pm or so! We were again in a happy mood having crossed the dreaded Dolma Pass nicely with no danger to anyone.
By then Deepashree narrated how Kismat's pony went mad suddenly and started running here and there - I believe that Kiran had even fallen from the horse and all the pony-riders had some story or other to narrate about the bad behaviour of the pony and ponywallas. I was silently thanking my Guru for sending an angel to me as ponywalla!
Narayan came and informed me that the mountain facing our rooms is called Garud Mount and it is considered very sacred by Vaishnavites. I was happy about this. Naturally the thought of Vaishnavas brought thoughts of Velukudi Krishnan Swamy whose lectures are adored by all our family members. This must have been in my mind, as I got the words "Chitran Chirukalai Vandunnai Sevithu" very clearly in my sleep that night and woke up to the thoughts of Andal and Thirupavai. I was wondering at this connection and decided that God wants me to recite Thirupavai that day.
Just before breakfast, Prasadgaru, myself and Anuradha walked up to the Buddhist monastry near our camp. This had some beautiful artistic Buddhas and other leaders of this religion. For payment of 5 yuans we could light a wax lamp and I lit a lamp praying for my friend Sarla in Delhi who is a staunch Buddhist.
The distance between Zunzhui Pu and Qugu is hardly one hour on pony or 2 hours by walk. Hence, all of us reached Qugu in the next 3 hours or so walking peacefully or riding the pony more peacefully.
Here I leave this post with thoughts of Qugu and what awaits us there! Om NamaShivayah!
