First sighting of the Sacred Mount
28th June 2013.
This is my official birthdate in the passport and hence, my batchmates greeted me with happy birthday song when I entered the dining room for breakfast. That was a nice gesture from Deepkiran, Sanjay, Jalpa, Charulata, Akhilesh, Piyush, Ashish, Mattaji, Radha and Narayan. Deepkiran presented me with a nice beautiful bracelet at Darchen! They made me take the bread and cut it thinking of it as a cake! We had good time; I was happy, thankful, grateful for all their great gesture! Since we were moving to Darchen that day, and we can get the first darshan of the Mount Kailash from there, and also glimpse of Mansarovar lake, I felt that this day is really a good day to start my 54th year!
That is the Tibetian bread that we got for breakfast - they had kept such mugs for tea and water! Some jam bottles were recycled as cups as the guest house had no enough cups or mugs!
The previous day, when we were at Taklakot, I went with our LO and Narayan to the Manager's room and deposited US dollars (801/- per yatri) to the Tourism department of China officials. As the room did not look like a normal office room at all, we took photographs of the depositing of money and also video recorded the event. They issued receipts to us (thank God!).
Narayan and myself went to the Agriculture Bank of China near our guest house and converted US dollars into Chinese currency for payment for porters and pony facility for all the Yatris. We had to wait a good number of hours there to complete this work. Conversion of Indian Rupees to Chinese currency is not done through the Bank and we had to depend on our guide who called a private person and gave us Chinese currency at the rate of Rs.10/- per yuan. I converted Indian rupees from our common money that would be enough to pay the cooks and helpers and to buy vegetables and fruits for use during the Parikrama days and at Mansarovar. So, now I had Indian Rupees and Chinese Yuans to account for from the common money.
As KMVN provided us with food till Nabidhang, it was now turn of Chinese Government to provide us with staying and food facility. They do provide place to stay but food is provided only at Taklakot. Beyond that place, we have to organise food for ourselves. Delhi State Government had given us enough rice, atta, dhal etc. We had bought some more grocery and maggie at Dharcula from the common money collected at Delhi. At Taklakot, our group's purchase committe was given 1000 yuans from the common money to buy vegetables and fruits and anything else needed for cooking. They spent around 750 yuans. Our guide brought 4 young guys to work as cooks and helpers who were paid at the rate of 150 yuan per day per person out of the common money. We engaged them for the next 6 days. Our common luggage and these materials were moved from place to place by the Tourism department of China using ponies.
We left Taklakot in two buses and went towards Darchen. By the way, Nabidhang is at a height of 16730 feet above mean sea level; and Lipulekh is at 12930 feet AMSL; Taklakot is 15320 feet AMSL; Darchen is at 16600 feet AMSL. The distance of 102 kms from Taklakot to Darchen was covered in 3 hours.
Photo courtesy : Sachin from Bangalore - this and many other photos are from Sachin's clicks! This is taken on the way from Taklakot to Darchen.
On our way to Darchen from Taklakot, we sight Rakshasthal... There is a small island in the middle of this lake and it is believed that Ravan did penance sitting in this island. Our guide told us this story : Lakshmiji showed her palace of gold to Parvatiji, who on seeing that wished that She gets a home of her own. She requests Shivji to build their own house and Shivji obliges by making Mount Kailsh as His abode with its golden palace etc. Ravan, being a great Shiv devotee wanted Shivji and Parvatiji to come with him to Lanka. Since he knew that they may not come to stay forever in his palace, he prayed and did penance asking Shivji to shift His abode - Mount Kailsh - to Lanka. In his anxiety to have them in his place, he attempted to carry Mount Kailash along with Shiva and Parvatiji - which made Parvatiji cling to Shiva and ask Him to stop this act of Ravana. Now, Shivji woke up from his Yoga-nidra and pressed the place with his big toe and stopped Ravan in his effort of shifting Mount Kailash. Disappointed Ravana had to stop his attempt and accept his defeat.
A huge lake formed in the place where Shiva pressed His big toe to stop Ravana from shifting the Mount. As that place had been used for penance by Ravana, that lake is called as Rakshasthal. There is no worm, insect or bird or vegetation in and around this lake. But it is believed that water from this lake cures people who have mental disability / problem. Hence, many people were taking this water in bottles to give it to those children / adults who have mental disorders. Something about this lake makes one admire the beauty and at the same time stay away from it.
As we have to return in the same route to Taklakot, I decided to collect the water on my way back. Following is what wikipedia has on Rakshasthal:
"According to Hindu scriptures, this lake was created by King Ravana for the express purpose of garnering superpowers through acts of devotion and meditation to the Lord Shiva who was presiding on Mount Kailash. It was upon the banks of a special island in this lake that he would make daily offering with one of his ten heads as a sacrifice to please the Lord Shiva. Finally, on the tenth day, Lord Shiva was moved enough by his devotion and granted Ravana his wish to obtain superpowers. This lake is set as a contrast to the holy god-created Lake Manasarovar.
However, despite its notoriety, Rakshastal bears no less beauty than other lakes in Tibet. Originally joined with Lake Manasarovar and later separated by geological movements, it is still connected with Lake Manasarovar by a short river, Ganga Chhu. Rakshastal covers a total area of 250 square kilometres (97 sq mi), at an altitude of 4,575 metres (15,010 ft). Though absent of nearby grasslands, the white cobbles, the hills and the island colored with dark red, and the deep blue lake water present another distinctive picture absent from many of the places more frequented by visitors."
We cannot see Mansarovar lake from this point. We spent some time on the banks of this lake - I saw stones, rocks, piled up one on another and white silk cloth put on some of them. Our guide explained that those are prayer stones. I just told one Yatri that if one puts up stones neatly in a nice manner there without making any of them fall, Lord Shiva will bless them with new house! This I said as a joke to him, and after a few minutes, I saw him religiously putting up stones. I hope now that Lord Shiva really blesses him with his own house!
We reached the small town of Darchen which has some shops named "The Super Luxury Shop of Darchen", "The Most Exotic Shop", "The Ultra Luxury Shop" etc...all these shops have momentoes that yatris can buy to take home. We had been already warned at India that these shops would openly loot the yatris, and we should offer 10 yuans if they say the price is 100 yuans. So, I found everyone trying their best to be the best bargainers and buying things that they need and do not need once they put their luggage in their rooms. There was some commotion in allotment of rooms here as well, involving an elderly couple. The senior lady, for first time in the Yatra was shouting at the top of her voice that the other yatris do not have good manners. I totally agreed with her, pacified her and told her to take my room if she wants. No one else bothered even to know what happened to make her lose her temper so badly.
I had Anuradha and Sunita Thayi as room-mates at Darchen. This room was very spacious and had nice bathroom and wash-basin but no running water. We had to fetch buckets of water from a big drum kept outside the rooms.
I made a phone call to India which cost me 3 yuans (Rs.30/-) and this shop-keeper had Spatika-malas (may be they are plastic malas looking like spatikas). Anyway, I wanted to buy a good number of these strings which I can keep in the holy areas of Mount Kailash and Mansarovar and give it to my relatives and friends as token of my yatra. He told me that it is 10 yuan per mala. I told him that I will buy 20 of them if he gives me at 4 yuan. He agreed; I paid and took the malas. Another yatri who saw this - I do not want to say the State from where he hails - told me that he will buy the same mala for half the price that I have paid.
My good friend Narayan urged me not to bother and he bought 10 malas at 4 yuan each. We returned to our room thinking that it is alright to pay Rs.40/- for each mala. We both had to complete the work of payment to Pony Association and to Porter Association. We went around confirming that whoever wanted Pony or Porter had given their names and money. We went with Dichi to the office of these Associations and made the payment and registered for the required number of ponies and porters. This I found is a good system, where the association takes the full money in advance on behalf of their members and makes them work and collect the money later.
These offices are also residence-cum-office and hence one can find all sundry things in the office.
The above photo shows the porter association head counting the yuans paid by us in the counting machine.
Seen above is the stove they use - it keeps warming the water / tea (read wikipedia for more explanation on Tibetan stove). When I asked him, he offered me a glass of water. Their jugs are also very good - keeping the heat in the water for good number of hours! Every room in our guest house had a flask of hot drinking water .
Narayan and myself came back to the guest house, feeling very relieved, as I had less amount to manage now. Just when we reached the guest house, 2 yatris wanted to get porters! I lost my cool and told him that I am not going to go back to the association asking for more porters now! Retrosepctively, I feel, I should have tried to understand and help him and not react that way. But, I made him talk to Dichi and she privately organised porters for him. So, problem was solved and I was left ashamed of myself for refusing his request.
Just then lunch was announced - and I shouted at the top of my voice to allow seniors in the queue first and others can wait and take a little later. There was no reaction from anyone, but one of the senior most yatris, and the youngest yatri - Piyush - volunteered to stand behind the food vessels and start serving everyone - instead of everyone pushing each other to reach the food items!
In the meanwhile, some yatris had gone by themselves to Ashtapad which is a sacred place for Jains. This place is supposed to have the garden where Vishnu took Avatar as Mohini and burnt Basmasur to save Lord Shiva.
In the official schedule given to us, Ashtapad was not included. Sanjay Kshirsagar from Nagpur, who is a Jain, wanted to visit this place as this is the place where their spiritual Guru took Nirvana and is considered very holy.
In 2 or 3 hours all those who attempted Ashtapad came back one by one - some had lost their way - some went in the wrong way - some got worried about the other yatris who followed them and did not want to take responsibility for them - some just got tired - thus, all these yatris came back having attempted but not succeeded.
I was happy that I did not get into that confusion due to my work organising the porter - pony - payment etc. By then, the yatri who said that he will buy those spatika malas at half the price that I paid came back saying that they all got malas at 3 yuans per mala. I was happy for them, but felt in one corner of my heart that I could have got 6 more malas for the amount I have paid. Narayan told me just to forget the issue and be happy. Still, I went to that shop where our guide was also standing and told him what had happened. He got a book of photographs from the shopkeeper and gave me and told me to leave the matter at that. He also added that Indians are very bad bargainers!
Though I was not much tired, I slept that afternoon seeing the clean bed and the quilt. I had also developed a slight headache and I wanted to take rest as a preventive step.
Many vendors came to the guest house with so many pieces of jewellery, momentoes etc. and I told a big "NO" to myself and went to sleep.
Suddenly someone came to our room saying that Mount Kailash is visible from our place and urged all of us to come and have a look.
Everyone ran with cameras in hand and many said that they saw - honestly, I did not see The Mount that day! The Sun was bright and we had a very pleasant weather the whole day. We had good dinner, chatted for good number of hours with each other. The Sun was golden by evening and the whole area had a "divine" feel and we all went to sleep happy and contented.
I stop this posting at Darchen... we will start our PARIKRAMA OF THE MOUNT KAILASH tomorrow from Yamadhwar!
Om Nama Shivayah!
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