Kailash Mansarovar Yatra - Part 19

Qugu  - Mansarovar

I am in this photo with Ashish, his ponywallah, Sasi and his ponywallah...

Our batch came walking / on pony upto a particular place from where two buses picked us up and took us to Qugu (15160 feet above mean sea level). The first sight of Mansarovar was on this journey to Qugu.  We spotted some golden swans moving around in the lake!

Rooms with 5 beds were here - all rooms with windows facing Mansarovar lake. Deepkiran called me to her room and I had Charulata, Sweety and Jalpa as the other room-mates. The minute we settled down in the room, we all went to Mansarovar lake. I had a holy dip in the cold water and rushed back to room. 

My friend's wife had given me a silver Bilva leaf to be worshipped at this holy place and brought back for her Pooja. I offered haldi, kumkum and mangalya sutra to the holy lake - Sweety's Spatika linga, one stone from the lake as Goddess Parvati, silver Bilva leaf - all were arranged nicely - we did abhishekam, applied kumkum and haldi - I recited Kaviyogi Maharshi Shuddhananda Bharati's Sivamandira Nadham which ends with "Nama Sivayah Om Sivam" - everyone joined each line with recitation of "Nama Sivayah Om Sivam". We offered some dry fruits and naivedhyam and lit wax lamps and camphor. I lit Moksha-deepam for all the departed souls of our family, for the soldiers of all the countries who die fighting for their countries, and for all those who died due to Ganges floods. All others also lit the lamps thinking of their dear departed souls. 

Photo given is taken from my room - window facing the lake!

Everyone was seen walking on the banks of the lake, collecting Om Stones, small shells, or dipping some silk clothes in the lake and drying them for use in Poojas in the house, clicking photographs enjoying the beauty of the lake which was showing different shades of blue, green and grey, Mount Kailash is visible from this point and we were feasting our eyes on the combined sight of Mount Kailash and Mansarovar Lake.

I was sitting alone with Charulata and we both were wishing that the setting Sun would throw its rays on the Mount and it will look golden - the way it looks in some photographs - we waited every second hoping that we will get to have darshan of Golden Kailash - and suddenly I turned and saw a huge - a real huge - a very big - rainbow with each colour in big band and the rainbow itself stretching in to a very big arch on the sky.

This sight was really awesome. Sachin posing in front of the rainbow....

The next day Piyush conducted a nice proper Havan with recitation of mantras and performing of Aasana Pooja, Shanku pooja, Dik pooja, Vinayaka pooja and Shiva Pooja. All of us participated with enthusiasm sitting in the hot Sun for nearly 3 hours. Poori, kheer and dhal were offered as naivedhyam. Pooja ended with nice lunch for all of us. All the young men served us, making the ladies and seniors eat first  - and they ate at the end. Kheer was prepared that day by Kamlesh from Delhi. 

The nights in Mansarovar (Qugu) were spent waiting for the arrival of the much-talked-about stars descending the lake for their holy bath. We were not fortunate to witness any magical / celestial happenings.

Late evenings and early nights were spent in singing Bhajans and walking on the banks of the lake. Two beautiful nights and one and a half days were spent in Qugu. Each yatri had a particular way of doing personal pooja - which every one did - and also participated in the group pooja and havan.

The custom there is to make 11 Shivalingas with the sand of the Mansarovar lake, sitting on its bank, and do Pooja to these Lingas and carry that sand home as Prasad after the Pooja. Every one picked up stones from the lake and also from the banks to carry home to give as momentoes to friends and relatives as every stone is considered as Linga and hence very sacred. I considered a stone there as Goddess Parvati and did Pooja - this Parvati is yet to reach me as it is with the other pooja prasads in my luggage which is yet to reach me from Gunji. I am sure that She will come home soon!

We left for Taklakot next day morning in two buses and reached a place near Taklakot which has a very big, beautiful, ancient Ram-Sita-Lakshman temple. Tibetians call these Gods by some other name. This temple has good number of prayer wheels; monks and student monks live within temple complex.

Now, all our desires fulfilled, the main goal of the Yatra completed, we were all very happy. We reached Taklakot and spent the half day shopping for winter jackets and such stuff. I bought two woollen tee-shirts for Himanshu and Bhim Singh.

Next day morning we left for Lipulekh pass - trekked on the snow - crossed the pass with some difficulty - and reached Nabidhang. Our common luggage was brought by ponies and porters upto Tibet side of the pass. On the Indian side of Lipulekh Pass, all our porters and ponywallahs were waiting for us and came running in the snow to take us up the high-point and make us cross the pass.

I was happy to see Himanshu and Bhim Singh. They were curious to know our experience and on Parikrama and also wanted to know about the pony porters on the Tibet side.

We walked upto Nabidhang, had breakfast and immediately proceeded to Kalapani. Our passports were stamped and we had lunch. Here we can buy Bhoj-patta which is a natural paper used for writing in olden days. We proceeded to Gunji. I walked from Kalapani to Gunji (10kms) as the weather was good, sun was warm, heart was filled with happiness and peace. I started realising that the Himalayan experience is coming to a close soon, and hence, I walked peacefully, drinking water from the flowing river - halting at some places to enjoy the view! 

We were all happy to remove the monkey-caps and other extra layers. We reached Gunji by 4 pm and called home to inform our safe arrival in India.

Om Nama Shivayah!