Choukori

We broke journey at Chaukori,  while on our way from Jaageshwar to Munsyari.

We left Jageshwar in the afternoon and reached Choukori by evening.  It had been raining with heavy storms too.  The power lines had snapped and it was 2 days since they had electricity. 

Reading about Chaukori in the various travel blogs, I had assumed Chaukori to be a small town.  From what I saw it is but a small village.

KMVN is an accomodation option ,  but once again , hardly the best.  There are two buildings, the new one and the old one.   Do opt for the new one. Or probably the little cottages that dot the place.  The  old building , we were to find out later, is a disaster with  faulty plumbing, old furnishing,  insects.    The staff at the resort were not very welcoming either.  

Chaukori had seemed like a good place to unwind, relax..do nothing.  No crowds, no stores or shopping activities to distract you.  A clean room, a clean  bed and bath, and simple food is all that I sought.  We had booked a family room for four at Choukori. We had been allotted a room on the ground floor. 

The food as at all KMVN resorts was simple, limited in variety, but  served piping hot.  So have no reason to complain here. 

When closer to the Himalayas, you feast your eyes on the sights afforded by the snow capped  mountains, the pines.. your ears , to the silence... your nose to the fragrance of the pines..your skin to the very welcome nip in the air.  The other sense organ  - the tongue and the taste buds,.. we were willing to compromise on.  And there is always the daal khichadi to fall back on. The resorts dish up a yummy one.

In Chaukori, there is an ashram a small distance away from the KMVN resort,  a couple of pleasant walking tracks and a decent view of the snow capped mountains.  Go with no expectations and one is easily satisfied. The family was a bit restless though, with nothing to do,,, How could they forget ..that is exactly what a vacation is all about  !!  There is enough beauty around to keep you engaged... lots of birds...various species.. I take in the cacophony they raise with their chirping... the sight of them swinging on cables in pairs.

The power has not been restored .  The generators had worked for 2 hrs in the evening and by 10 pm, the resort was silent and dark

In the night as we strolled outside the resort, the sky is liberally speckled with stars.  Vacations are times when one can freely indulge in innocent pleasures like these....takes you back to the unsullied times of the childhood.  The children too are charmed by the sight.  And it is a happy family which retires for the night.

the rose tinted view... through my sun glasses!

Jageshwar and then on to to Chaukori

The KMVN resort opposite the temple complex at Jageshwar has 2 buildings.  While we were housed at the old building, the new one seemed really attractive.  For one it was spanking new.  Secondly, it had a balcony running outside the rooms.  From there one could gaze at the temples and the forest behind it, from the comforts of one's room.

Jageshwar is a temple town.  Jageshwar Dhaam is how it is referred to.  Jageshwar is a temple complex. There are shrines dedicated to Mrtyunjaya Mahadev and Jageshwar


We were up early and took a stroll down the street,  before the pilgrims and the faithful could arrive.

As in the poster I had seen 7 years ago, the tall deodars stood guard behind the temples   The deodars are also known as Daruka, the deodar forests - Daruka Ban

The temple complex was open.  The priests were  attending to the morning pooja rituals. The chant of 'Mahadev' reverberated from the sanctums of the Shiva temples... The air was pleasantly heady with   the fragrance of the incense sticks, the dhoop, the camphor , while tendrils of smoke  arose out of a havan accompanied by the fragrance of the  'samagri' being consumed  .. the tinkling of the pooja ghanti, the occasional clang of the temple bells, the rhythmic hum  of  the shlokas being read out of pooja books.

The vendors outside the temple were just opening their shops and setting up their wares.   Flowers, prasaad, metal ware, idols and the damroo.

It was quite a feeling, being there, soaking up the atmosphere... spiritual almost.

 

The Jageshwar Jyotirlinga

Maha Mrutyunjay Mahadev

 

A mighty deodar

A temple dedicated to Lakulisa also stands in the complex,  On the arch of the temple is depicted Lakulisa with his characteristic staff in hand.  He is shown flanked by four disciples.

 

Another temple closeby, in the same complex is dedicated to Nataraja.  The arch depicts Shiva as Nataraja, flanked by musicians and  Kartikeya and Ganesha

 

Do notice the latticed windows on the side.

The amlaka at the top of the temple sphire is something which draws me to the temples of Orissa and I find it here in Jageshwar in Uttarakhand .  Amlaka - the carved stone disk with serrations, on which rests the kalasha. The amlaka is typical of the Nagara style of architecture.The amlaka is suggestive of a lotus, and also of the sun.  The lotus as a seat of the deity - the association is acceptable.  It is said that the deity in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple is directly below the amlaka and the kalasha,  which is the highest point of the temple.

  Someday I must get to reading on temple architecture. 

A temple here has the characteristic Buddhist Chaitya like architecture.

 

A very drowsy monkey astride a 'lion'

Jageshwar town is a typical chaotic  mish mash of the old traditional homes and the modern constructions.  I couldn't help notice the contrast.  The old buildings, with their  dark wood, seasoned with time, the jharokha like windows,  the decorative motifs carved on the door frames.... each home distinct in its appeal from the other . For me, the traditional appeals... always!!






 

Jageshwar has a small museum which houses idols  recovered from the temple complexes.  There are very beautiful stone idols with intricate carvings.  An idol of Surya and another of Shiva Parvati......I couldn't take my eyes off them.  The museum is maintained by ASI and photography is not permitted.  However a google search brought me to this page where there are  pictures of  few of the exhibits.  The pictures do not do adequate justice though.  http://www.asidehraduncircle.in/museums.html

A little away from Jageshwar is the Dandeshwar temple.   Here the Shiva linga is not like the carved image we are so used to seeing.  The Shiva linga here is  in the form of a rock.  The priest had told us the story of Dandeshwar where  Danda meant  punishment.   Sadly,  I did not make a note of it and am unable to recollect it .  While looking up the internet for the same, I came upon a blog which explains the same.  Copy pasting the same with a link to the blog. 

http://bugshead.blogspot.in/2009/12/jageshwar-deodar-heaven.html

After Parvati dedicated herself to Yagya-Kund, Shiva got depressed and started to roam in the daruvan (deodar) of Jageshwar as a nude sage. Saptkeshwar’s wife who was collecting the kandmool phal (beat roots) got horrified at the sight of nude sage and reported this to husband. The sage Saptkeshwar agitated on this and without knowing that it was Shiva, cursed the nude sage. This place is called Dandeshwar Mahadev – a km before Jageshwar temples. Though it didn’t affect the lord Shiva but then to honour the Saptkeshwar’s word, Shiva himself disintegrated his ling

Dandeshwar temple

Dandeshwar.

We   leave for Munsyari in the morning, breaking jpurney at Chaulori for the night.  We  will spend 4 days in Munsyari and return back to Chaukori for a day or two and visit Patal Bhuvaneshwar.  The drive promises to be a beautiful one.  The roads are in good condition.  On either sides we are flanked by hills and valleys, covered with pines. 

a rose tinted view.. through my sun glasses

 

Mumbai- Haldwani-Jageshwar

In 2007 we had been to Nainital, Kausani Almora and Binsar.

The KMVN resorts at Kausani and Binsar displayed a poster of  lush green mountains several stone temples in the foreground. The temples of Uttaranchal and Orissa have a distinctive temple architecture. They have  a beautiful shikhar..a stone disc atop the temple sphire.     The temple complex in the poster was Jageshwar.

Another poster had a mountain range with five peaks bathed in a golden hue.  This was the Panchachuli range. And it was best seen from Munsyari.

We had decided we would be back some day and visit this part of Uttaranchal  -  Jageshwar, Chaukori and Munsyari.  It took us seven years to  honor this promise made to ourselves and we were back in  Uttaranchal, in the summer of 2014.

We reached  Delhi in the afternoon of  22nd  May.   From there,   the Uttarakhand Sampark Kranti Express took us  to Haldwani.  We were to stay the night with our Uttaranchali friends.

Staying with friends allows you a dekko into their culture, traditions, cuisine, which are so different from the ones you are born into..and sometimes very different from the ones you are familiar with.

I loved the way they dot their forehead with a red and  yellow teeka.  I loved the expressions on their faces when we undid our shoes as we entered their home.  "nahi nahi....aap yeh kya kar rahe ho" they had exclaimed !   At my home, we do not   walk in with shoes, which are worn outside the house. 

I loved the fuss they made over a garam roti.  Yeah, for them, 'atithi devo bhav' implied that the guest has to be served every roti straight off the griddle,  piping hot.  The Pahadi raita - a cucumber raita spiked with a liberal dash of mustard paste, seems to be a Uttaranchali favourite and it was served with minor variations at all homes where we dined.  I  just couldn't have enough.

Haldwani is a small town.  Beautiful, once you are out of the main market streets.  Lots of open spaces and a whole lot of bungalows - well designed ,spacious and lavish. Our friend too, owned a  sprawling home..Kothi is the term which comes to mind.  Well manicured lawns, rooms on two levels, drawing rooms -a  formal drawing room  and another  for the family. Huge rooms, high ceilings, a kitchen as big as my drawing room, a backyard, terraces... oooof ! so much space.!!  The baths were huge too and they all had a ceiling fan whirring above  :-)  The Haldwani experience was about everything Mumbai was not.

Haldwani is so named as it abounds in Haldu trees. Haldu Van - Haldwani. The Haldu tree looks like our peepal tree, only not as dense. The leaves which resemble the pipal tree are placed at a distance on branches and hang flat from them. they glimmer ever so slightly in the sun, and they are a beauty .

Haldwani is a couple of minutes away from Kathgodam. By rail, it is one station away. Nainital is a uphill drive, about 50 kms from Haldwani and 40 kms from Kathgodam.  On the other side of Haldwani, Jim Corbett Sanctuary is about an hour and a half away at a distance of   40 kms, if I remember right.

From  Haldwani , we drove towards Jageshwar.  It's a four and half hour drive, passing through Nainital.  The mountain roads are choc a bloc with traffic....it's vacation time after all !

Once again we found ourselves at the Fruit Market outside Nainital.  Fresh apricots had made an appearance at the fruit stalls, as also peaches and green plums.  The apricots were a delight, small yellowish fruits, extremely fragrant  and juicy.  The same fresh apricot, when purchased in Mumbai was nothing but a bland fleshy ball

The drive to Jageshwar is via Almora.   Almora is known for the Anand Shankar Institute of Dance and Music. Almora is also well known for the baal mithai . And while you are at the shop, the "toffee" is also a must try.

The four and a half hour drive towards Jageshwar was enjoyable.

Upto Almora we were seeing and recognizing landmarks from our trip of 2007-  "Do you remember this place… we had eaten lunch here"  … "but that one had a swell valley view".  One more sharp turn and Yippee!!     "Yeah this was the corner..the Himalaya View Point., where we had had  our first sighting of the Himalaya".. oh yes!!

Combined memories worked full time and we were able to recall quite a bit. This was fun..

All along the drive we were accompanied by the pines. Different kinds of pine. On one stretch, a heady fragrance ticked the nostrils….  smelt like frankincense.

Our driver,  as most drivers in the north tend to be ,  was chatty and  well informed . "Yeh pine ki khushboo hai, yahaan iska gond (resin) nikalte hain. Usiki khushboo hai. Taskari bi khoob hoti hai, par pakde bhi jaate hain. Khushboo hee itni hai ki chupaaye nahi chupti."  It was the resin/ gum which was being tapped out from the pine trees. And soon enough we found pines with gashes made on the bark and little holders to collect the tapped resin.

.

 

After Almora, the fauna changed . Our friends had told us that as one approaches Jageshwar, the deodars would make an appearance.  The deodars...  tall conifers, with a wide girth. They looked imposing as they crowded the mountain slopes along the road.

The driver came up with another tidbit.  The deodars are a sturdy tree he said. "Sau  saal khadey, sau saal badhey,  sau saal sadey," they say of the mighty deodar. "Unki life 300 saal ki hoti hai"

The deodar forests  reminded me of our geography  class in school where we had learnt about  forests...deciduous, evergreen, coniferous...

The deodar also brings forth a childhood memory. We moved residence in 1980. The wood work in the new apartment was undertaken… wall units, show cases etc. I was   used to seeing  floral mica in blue pink and green on furniture, at my neighbors homes. But dad had insisted on using veneer.  Veneer looked elegant.... more different actually. I loved the grains on the veneer and I remember touching the sheets, and feeling the texture. "This is a deodar veneer",  dad had said.  "The bark of the deodar is compressed to form the sheet of veneer."  Well,  today when I saw the deodar forests… I remembered my maaika and the me of 1980.

And in all this, we reached Jageshwar

We are staying the night in Jageshwar, at the KMVN resort .   The temperature at Jageshwar is a very cool 12 degrees. The sweaters are out.. there is a slight drizzle outside and I can also here the gurgle of the stream which runs along the temple,  bang opposite the resort..

It's been 2 yrs since our family of 4 of us has been on a vacation together.  I look forward to the bonding which  will take us through one more year.  A 12 day trip where we make some more happy memories..

Amen to that!   Touch wood!!

Uttaranchal, November 2007... Nainital, Kausani, Binsar

In  2007 , the husband  suggested a winter vacation destination... Nainital and places around it - Ranikhet , Ramgadh - Mukteshwar , Kausani and Jim Corbett.

Of these , I hadn't heard about Ramgadh-Mukteshwar and Kausani.  Kausani, I confused,  with Kasauli.

Ramgadh- Mukteshwar and Kausani were locations from where we could have a breathtaking  view of the Himalayan range, starting with the peak of  Trishul and ending with Panchachuli.

Mid  November saw us take a  flight to Delhi and  an overnight train  to Kathgodam.  Nainital is about 40 kms away froom Kathgodam

Alighting at Kathgodam, in  the very early hour of  a winter morning...the chill,  the mountains, the quaint railway station.. beautiful !!

Nainital is like any other hill station,  a pretty town. The  lake, the promenade, the people walking past you , wrapped in woolen, the colourful little stores.

Nainital has its share of must see destinations and attractions- the 'points', the governor's bungalow, , the temple, a zoo - the attraction being the rope way access to it and the white tiger.  The 'points' can be given a miss.

I am always on the look out for local handmade products/handicrafts when travelling.  Nainital has its candles.  Candles shaped like fruits, candles embellished with dried flowers.

Nainital also has a huge fruit market  on its outskirts,  a sort of a wholesale fruit traders market. Do indulge!

While in Nainital, we happened to visit a Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam office where they insisted we add Binsar to our itinerary, along wth Baijnath and Bageshwar… “Kausani se Trishul, Binsar se Nanda Devi aur Munysari se Panchachuli ka nazara dekhte hee banta hai. Bahut kareeb nazar aatey hain”, they said. Jageshwar, Patal Bhuvaneshar, Choukori and Munsyari were must-see destinations too. . We had only planned for a 10 day holiday and we could not pack in so much , in our schedule.

Eventually we ended up visiting Nainital, Ranikhet, Ramgadh Mukteshwar, Almora, Binsar, Kausani , Baijnath and Bageshwar. Jageshwar, Patal Buvanehswar, Choukori and Munsyari.. we bookmarked them for another vacation, another time.

Ramgarh Mukteshwar...

Ramgarh was the place  from where we got  our first good view of the Himalayan range.  From here one can spot the  Trishul,  Nanda ghunti and the Panchachuli peaks  at  a distance in the horizon.

The 'must visit' destinations  in Uttaranchal are Kausani for  a spectacular  view of the Trishul.. Binsar for Nandaghunti and Munsyari for Panchachuli.

Mukteshwar is one of those idyllic villages that you hear of.  The Tudor style houses, with their sturdy stone chimneys ..the pines, the firs.  It sort of  recreates a Grimm fairytale set up

Ramgarh Mukteshwar Almora and Ranikhet  are easily covered in a day. Ranikhet is another pristinely beautiful location.  The town  is a military cantt.  'Must visit' places here include the Jhula devi  temple and a 'must do' activity is a leisurely drive through the town.  Stop where you want to, step out, stretch out on the grass...Life is beautiful !

One afternoon,  we started for Kausani via Almora.  .

When in Almora do not forget to try the Bal mithai,  a sort of a barfi covered with tiny balls of hardened sugar syrup.  Also available is a sweetmeat called toffee.  Both, the  bal mithai and the  toffee are highly recommended treats.

Uttaranchal has it's typical metal kitchenware, mostly copper.  Almora is a good place to look for them if interested.

Also, the Uday Shankar Dance Academy is in Almora.

The KMVN resort at Kausani,  offers independent 2 room cottages as an accommodation option. The resort is well maintained and the rooms are equipped  with room heaters..    Stepping out of the cottage,  right ahead is the Himalayan range with the Trishul  in prominence.

Soon it was evening and we geared ourselves to watch  nature  unfold her spectacle.

The sunset... From where we were, the sun wasn't visible.  but the setting sun cast a golden orange shadow on the snow white mountains.   It was as if  the range was on fire.. the mountains - a pile of burning embers.  It was an exquisite sight. Ethereal

In the glow of the sunset and of the sunrise the next morning, the 'trishul' outlined on the peak is clearly visible. The name is justified.

 

 

The KMVN resort staff offer to  arrange for  a bonfire outside your cottage at an extra cost.  Later, in the chill of the night, it was more than a welcome option.

From Kausani, the next day we drove to Baijnath, Bageshwar and then Binsar.

The winter of November of 2007…. the weather was simply perfect for a clear viewing of the Himalayan range from Uttarakhand. Winter is the best time to visit Kausani, Binsar and Panchachuli.   The skies are clear.  In the summer months, condensation creates clouds in the sky ..the clouds sometimes simply shroud the peaks

We reached Binsar around lunch time.  The KMVN  resort at Binsar is located inside a forest.  There is no electricity.The generator is switched on in the evening from 7 to 9pm. The KMVN office had mentioned this to us, and had made it sound thrilling too. “Yeh anokha anubhav bhi kar lijiye”, they had suggested.

Binsar was beautiful.  As mentioned by them, the view was breathtaking. The sunset, even more so. .But when the sun set around 5.00 pm, one is left shivering. No light, no heat – it was a painfully bad experience.

KMVN offers  excellent accommodation options at all these places.  Binsar had one too.  Just one catch though.  The resort is located in a forest and is devoid of electricity.  It operates on generator from 7 pm to 9 pm .  After 9 pm, one  is in the dark - literally !

"Yeh anokha anubhav bhi kar lijiye ", the KMVN staff at Nainital had   insisted.

The rooms.

We were in Binsar in November.  It was cold. The Binsar KMVN resort has rooms on two levels.  the lower level is more like a basement level.  The rooms are huge with an even bigger bathroom.

The rooms on the upper level have wood paneled walls,  wooden panels mounted  on the brick and cement wall. That much more insulation against the cold nights.

The resort has a huge terrace.   And from here one gets an unobstructed, uninterrupted view of the same Himalayan range.   The Nanda ghunti is right ahead ...staring at you. The peak really looks as if a face has been carved into it.  There are the many  little dark mountain ranges between the Binsar resort and the range...but they are simply dwarfed.  Nandaghunti rises, in all majesty

The evening hour approached as did the sunset..The terrace buzzed with activity.  Cameras were set up. Chairs were drawn. and soon there was pin drop silence. The sunset, a repeat of the sunset of the one at Kausani.  Breathtakingly beautiful.  The crowd on the terrace was drinking in the sight, in pin drop  silence, according the moment its due respect.

The last traces of the gold on the peaks disappeared and they lay there, bare,  again.  White.. a bluish white.  The chill set in. A first lesson mankind learnt is that the sun brings warmth.  The truth of this statement is proved so very right here in Binsar

We move into the resort.  It is cold inside.  There is no power.  The mugs of piping hot tea and the hot chocolate are more than welcome.

Soon it is 7 pm and the whirr of the generators is heard.  The lights in the resort and in our rooms are  glowing and our faces light up too

The staff urges everybody to have dinner before 9 pm which is when the generators are turned off.

Candles are handed out and flasks of hot  water are placed in all rooms. The staff is generous when handing out warm woolen blankets. The thermals, as they call them are light in weight and  great in warmth.

It's 9 pm and  torturous times await us.  The lights go off.  We had underestimated the warmth that a regular 40 watt bulb could provide. The chill sets in, almost immediately.    It is really very cold.   The sweaters, the body warmers, caps, gloves, socks, none of these help soothe us. The candles are lit.. a sip of very warm water.. and we snuggle into bed. The kids are excited at first. We huddle together while we play rounds of 'family' Uno.  But it is unpleasantly cold..and everybody is soon very restless and irritated. . Sleep evades us.  The candle stick melts away darkening the room, bringing shivers to the bone. Each time a candle extinguishes, the temperature in the room dips.

The night passes looking at the clock which ticks audibly but moves painfully slow and in lighting candles every few minutes. There remains  the added fear -  the room has wood on the walls.

It was one long night.

The winters in Uttarakhand are cold. To the average Mumbaikar, it is unpleasantly cold. Like all govt resorts, KMVN resorts too have enviable locations. But at least in Binsar, it would be prudent to stay elsewhere, where there is electricity and generator back- up.  Especially if one  happens to be there in winter.  There are other accommodation options available at Binsar outside the forest area. 

  Mahindra, was one of them. These resorts have electricity and thus offer room heating options.   As for the sunset and sunrise, there is the zero point.. a vantage point from where one could view the sunset and the sunrise.

Binsar was beautiful  As mentioned by the tourist office, the view was beautiful. The sunset, even more so.  But the late evenings,   with no light, no heat – it was a painfully bad experience.

That apart, I think it was this trip which got us hooked to the Himalayas. A sight of a snow peaked mountain range.however far in the horizon , still generates  a  huge excitement.

So this year, when it was time to plan a vacation..MUNSYARI was the common consensus.

It was the month of May. We knew we were really taking a chance.. the clouds could  affect visibility. We  would not be able to see the Panchachuli 'on fire',  in the evening hours. Yet we zeroed in on Munsyari.   "Ek baar dekh toh lein... we could always come back."

And what a trip it was... we are definitely coming back again