Accidental gain from Badrinath

 Accidental gain from Badrinath 

The kapat of the temple of Badrinath (UK) were closed on 17th November 2024 when we were in Haridwar. Our original plan was to spend one day in Haridwar, two days in Uttarkashi and two days in Rishikesh touching Devprayag. But while taking dinner on 17th, we changed our programme and decided to visit Panchprayag and replan the visit as we travelled. On 18th, we made halts at Devprayag, Karnaprayag, Nandprayag and reached Joshimath by evening. We visited Jyotir Math the northern peeth of Atharvaveda established by Adi Guru Shankaracharya by appointing his disciple Todakacharya as its first head. There is a cave in which we could see the two Shivlingas made of crystal brought from Badrinath and one ancient Shivlinga. The main hall of the Peeth has one side the seat of Shankaracharya and opposite to it the crystal Shriyantra in the shape of Shivlinga four feet above and four feet underground. The side walls have idols of 64 yoginis covering the walls. The present Jagadguru comes occasionally at the time of opening and closing of Kapat of Badrinath Temple and to attend to other events organised at the Peeth. He stays mostly in Varanasi otherwise. We visited the Narsimha temple. Lucky we were that we got a room and dinner service at NTPC Guest House. Next day morning, there was no water flow in the taps as we forgot to keep the bucket full with water as the water pipes get chalked in mountains in winter. The campus was empty and the service staff was to come at 7 AM. Considering the travel schedule, we somehow managed our daily routine using jug water and water bottles available and departed for Badrinath at 6 AM. 

We reached at Hanumanchatti at 7 AM and stopped for Darshana. One security man came out of the tent hearing the sound of the car and told us to return unless have a written permission of the authority to move forward. I requested him to allow to travel to visit the Badrinath temple from outside and also argued that had we not stopped for darshana of Hanumanchatti the road was open and we would have travelled ahead when he was in his room. He allowed us and we reached Badrinath at 7.20 AM. It was empty town with all shops closed and no humans except few individuals seen at the hot water stream near the temple. 

In the absence of the rush of the pilgrims we could enjoy the nature, the flow of river Alaknanda, the temple premises very well. We had no plan to take bath in the Tapta Kunda located in the courtyard but somehow when we went there it has attracted me. I didn’t carry a towel and changing clothes as there was no plan to take bath and the car was parked away. But the attraction of the natural hot water pool containing sulphur was pulling me in. In absence of rush for the bath, I took bath for an hour in that sulphuric hot water as my wife also went for a bath in the women pool. I allowed the inner garment to dry on its own, put on same clothes and moved forward towards Mana, the first village of India facing China border. It was empty village except the sound of couple of starlings. We visited Bhim pul, Saraswati Dhara, Pandavas route to heaven, Vyas cave and Ganesh cave where the epic of Mahabharata composed and returned. We halted at Vishnuprayag and Rudraprayag to conclude our visit of five Prayags and reached Srinagar (UK) in the evening where we got a room in HNB University guest house. 

I shall write the details of our journey to Uttarkashi and Gangotri later but the intention of this article is to narrate  how an accidental change in our tour programme pulled us to the Tapta Kunda of Badrinath which has resolved my health problem I was facing for 55 years. 

When I was 9 years old, my back was injured by the forceful jump of opponent players when I was touching the border line while playing kabaddi in the street of my chawl. After a pain for a fortnight, I forgot the incident but as I grew older the fracture was fused through sacralisation of L5-S1 vertebrae with the hip bone. It had restricted my mobility and weaken my left side of the body. 

When we returned home after the trip of Badrinath, it gave me a great surprise. My left hip fused with the vertebrae for 55 years suddenly got relieved, the neck was relived from the tension and with the removal of inflammation in the spine the irritation of mind has gone. Isn’t it an accidental gain out of a visit of a famous temple whose doors were closed?

Jai ho Badri Vishal ki😊🙏🙏🙏

Punamchand 

30 November 2024