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Our Trek to Hemkunt

DYA SINGH

 

 

 

I promised to write on my family's trip to Hemkunt which we did June 12-15, 2013.

Before I begin, I also recommend that you read/reread the narrative by Michael Benanav on the same subject published here on sikhchic.com a couple of weeks back (see link below), because I should also forewarn you that mine is not going to be as complimentary.

For a number of reasons.

I am no longer a fit young man who can whiz up the last 7 km trek from about 10,000 feet to about 16,000 feet in altitude, all in 2 hours, as described by Michael.

I was told it would take me at least 5 hours (it took me 6, overweight and with two knee ops.). I also had my grandchildren - Miss Saahiel (12) and Master Saffal (10), my daughter Jamel and her husband Andrew/Menjit Williams.

We also took a day out to go to the 'Valley of Flowers'. So, generally our trip was similar to Michael's but if you are looking for another piece promoting a trip to Hemkunt, then you should stop reading now, and go straight to Michael's.

The following are the hard facts and the truth - as we saw and experienced it.

This narrative is also in conjunction with my grandchildren. I try to give them the experiences they need to face future challenges and there can be no bigger challenge than India - period!

Hemkunt is part of it.

I had written them an email as to what to expect and that it would be an experience they would remember the rest of their lives! When on a holiday with me, they do not go to holiday resorts in romantic places without having truly experienced the local culture and environment.

Hemkunt was certainly no 'holiday resort'!

Like many Sikhs, the lure, romance and spirituality of Hemkunt has always been there in my mind since I heard about this mythical place, and at age 63 I finally got the opportunity.

I like 'gur-itihas' -- the tales of our Gurus -- and do love to visit places associated with Sikh history. Hemkunt to me is special because it is not based on historical fact but myth - stuff that legends, folklore and 'faith' is made of.

Thousands of Sikhs make this fairly hazardous trip to visit a place where, supposedly, Guru Gobind Singh -- as ‘Disht Daman’ -- had done 'tapasya' in a previous life, before he received the call to be reborn as the Tenth and final Master and completed the spiritual/life path laid down by Guru Nanak and eight other Guru Sahibs.

Some even believe that Guru Sahib is back in this place - now! Devotees talk of miracles, even sightings and miraculous cures!

If nothing else, it is a great trek in the Himalayas alongside thousands of devotees and those who believe that all past bad karam can be overcome by visiting this holy abode and taking a dip in its freezing lake amidst the Sapat Sring (the Seven Peaks).

Some mock those who go there while others go regularly and find peace and tranquility and spiritual upliftment.

I was looking forward to an invigorating experience and hoping perhaps that some of the piety of the others might rub off on me - good sangat and all that. I was prepared even to take a dip in the freezing waters of the Henkunt lake.

To begin with, the two-day trip from Delhi to base camp at Gobind Garh is a bone-jarring and terribly uncomfortable 500 km journey by road, through some of the worst traffic anywhere on this planet. Add to it some of the worst roads and  terrible driving habits you‘ll find anywhere.

Highway 58 takes us north from Delhi through Ghaziabad, Meerut, the twin Hindu ‘holy’ cities of Haridwar and Rishikesh, into the mountains of Uttar Khand. 

Accommodation, langar and camaraderie in Gobind Garh and enroute is very good and one can see the start of the 17 km gently elevating track up to Gobind Dham - Base camp 2.

This journey is pleasant and a good track. It can also be done by helicopter - a five minute ride up a valley. One is already struck by the awesomeness and immensity of the valleys and the towering snow-capped peaks.

It’s a fairly gentle walk of 17 km the first day to Gobind Dham - which is about 10,000 ft. above sea-level.

My grandchildren were very impressed wit the langar stops along the way and the enthusiasm and friendliness of those serving -- almost begging -- pilgrims to stop and eat! They also loved the gangs of Sikh youth resplendent in saffron and black on their motorbikes making the journey in packs, as they went by.

The weather stayed pleasant for the second day at Gobind Dham - nice and sunny. We decided to visit the Valley of Flowers the next day as a prelude to the 'real thing'!

One has to pay to go to this park. Current prices are Rs.125 for Indians and Rs. 600 for those from abroad.

Yes, you guessed right! I suddenly became very, very Indian and local (from Ludhiana)! Even my son-in-law -- a caucasian -- was accepted as a 'local'. Well, it was the difference between paying Rs.750 and Rs.3000! Simply to be able to experience nature in the middle of nowhere! Some smart cookie had decided to set up a gate and a ticket booth!

It was a very pleasant 3 hours up into (and back from)  an amazing valley where the flowers are not in full bloom yet (in early June). We even drank from streams running down from glaciers - in fact we had to walk over a glacier much to the joy of the kids. They plastered me with snowballs. The air was crisp and clean. It was all O, so fresh!

There was already an unpleasant smell of horse/donkey manure in Gobind Dham and we thought nothing of it. Soon, it became part of the scene henceforth.

It rained all night and turned bitterly cold. Everything seemed wet and cold. We arose early, at 5 am, and after a cup of 'cha' and 'matha-tekna' at the gurdwara, we set off. There was a slight drizzle but we had light raincoats on over our jackets and small haversacks.

There were devotees along the path in all shapes and sizes. First, you have to run the gauntlet of horses, donkeys and their handlers, including 'pithu' (human back-cradle for one passenger, carried by a hill tribesman) carriers and palanquin (four human carriers for a single-passenger wooden contraptions with hammocks for the passenger) carriers and the over-powering smell of dung, instead of fresh mountain air.

But, we thought this would pass. We were wrong!

This part of the trek is about 7 km. For the first 5 km. one only experiences The Smell - of overpowering 'dung' that goes down to the pit of your lungs because one has to breathe deeply as one gets higher, due to the thin air and lack of oxygen.

The sun came out to reveal some beautiful, nay, in fact, spectacular scenery … marred only by The Smell.

Horses pushed you out of the way and the pithu and pallanquin carriers shouted for the way to be cleared as they came up. I could have been in Janpath Market at the Connaught Place in New Delhi, but for the scenery, the steep climb … and the chill! The sides were strewn with rubbish - plastic bottles, newspapers used as wrappings, plastic plates, plastic bags, etc.


At the 5 km mark, a glacier marks the boundary where the donkeys and horses do not cross. Suddenly, we felt the calm as we finally gulped fresh and crisp mountain air for the first time! It was almost worth having run the gauntlet - all of 5 km we had just covered!

Exhaustion had stepped in by now but the fresh air lifted us and we continued to inch up the path. Up above, way above us, we could see the gates to Hemkunt like the pearly gates of heaven. We awaited expectantly as we dragged our tired bodies closer.

Then, as we reached the gates -- best described by my grandson: 'Nana, it was like stepping past the Pearly Gates into ... rubbish!' -- more bags of rubbish on both sides with more lying in the open, having been thrown over the tied bags on the melting ice.

Pilgrims jostled past each other, turning the track into a treacherously slippery slide of mud and black ice! Stones, straw mats and wooden planks had been thrown onto the stream of black rivulets for pilgrims to gingerly step over. No one cared for old folks, women or children as all jostled forward to get to the gurdwara and the sarovar first. Sevadars stood around with their black and blue Nihang-style 'banas' and spears, not really doing anything except  ... standing around.

One solitary corrugated double ladder (yes, ladder, not stair-case) was the only entrance to the gurdwara which is on the upper floor. Pilgrims pushed and shoved to get up and down this one ladder. We managed to get up the ladder but found it impossible to get in to 'mathha-tek'.

So, we sat outside for a while.

My daughter had promised to take a dip in the serovar if I did so too -- an item on her 'bucket' list. There are no change rooms for men -- just two benches on which we threw our clothes. Remember, it is all wet and ankle-deep in melting black ice!

Our minds were made, though. We stripped down to our bare necessaries and before the sevadars could stop us, both of us stepped in and dipped down,  immersed up to our necks, three times! Two sevadars rushed towards us threateningly because, they yelled, men and women must not bathe together!

The deed was done, though, so my daughter was led away to change in the “women's side“.

Clouds had appeared and suddenly it turned bitterly cold. The mere thought of the climb down was not very appealing!

After the 'dip,' the body warmed up but the clothes were wet, what with all the sweating and climbing we had done. With the clouds and mist moving in and cold setting in, the walk down proved very challenging.

Shivering, we reached Gobind Dham by nightfall. After two buckets of hot water each to bathe in, and a few cups of 'cha', we warmed up somewhat.

My grandson's comment was: "Nana Ji, if Guru Gobind Singh is here in spirit, I think he probably lives in the Valley of Flowers, not at Hemkunt!"

Though both grandchildren completed the trip, I do not think that they will be coming back again.

But the experience will live with them for ever. For me, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience - the operative word, again, being 'once'. I shall look for a quieter, fresher, less smellier spot in the Himalayan foothills for my next trek.

What I had imagined, remains in the imagination. A tranquil, mystical, remote lake with Guru Sahib staying close to it, perhaps in a cave, and meditating in this remoteness, getting close to Waheguru. I do not think he is in Hemkunt now ... but do not let me stop you from searching for him there. You might still find him!

Note: Two days after we left, rains came down with a vengeance, causing some of the worst devastation -- starting right from Gobind Garh (Base Camp 1) where even the car park has been washed away, all the way down to Rishikesh and Haridwar and other parts of Uttar Khand. Pilgrims remain stranded, though days have gone by, still waiting to be rescued. Lives lost could be in the thousands.

The gods were certainly smiling on us. We made it back!

An American (‘white‘) Sikh friend, Nanak Singh Khalsa, a gatka master, who travels frequently to Hemkunt and even camps there, told me that, "At Darbar Sahib in Amritsar, Guru Ram Das is all love and welcomes all with open arms. Not so, Guru Gobind Singh in Hemkunt. He says, come and see me if you can, otherwise, stay away!"

Sikhi is for all, but Khalsahood is only for the committed. 

 

To read Michael Benanav's account of his journey to Hemkunt, please CLICK here.

June 21, 2013

Conversation about this article

1: Sangat Singh (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), June 21, 2013, 8:05 PM.

We made our only trek in the late 60's. Things were simpler then. The visit to the Valley of Flowers was free. The first stop was at Gobind Ghat where we stayed two nights to acclimatize to the altitude. The second base camp was at Gobind Dham. In the fervour to see 'miracles' every eagle that flew by was taken to be Guru Gobind Singh's Baaj -- falcon. I had seen a number of pilgrims going into a swoon amidst jaikaaras. The langar facilities and saintly camaraderie were visible everywhere. Glad to read about Dya Singh ji's trek despite his repaired knees and carrying all that bulk was indeed commendable. His flowing beard in nearly full glory except for the missing round white turban would anoint him as 'Sant' Dya Singh. He looked every bit like Bhai Chaman Lal Singh except for a tiny knot at the flowing end. Don't you think your good karam and a miracle saved you from the devastating torrential downpour that is now in the international news? As I write this comment your flight MH 191 has already landed in Kuala Lumpur for your 24 hour break. Welcome back to terra firma!

2: Harinder Singh 1469 (New Delhi, India), June 21, 2013, 10:48 PM.

I've been to Hemkunt Sahib five times. My last trip was about 20 years ago. I have no desire to go again, neither do I want to take my kids, as my last experience was very bitter. Our bus was smashed by local residents, due to hatred. This all happened because of the government's military actions in the Golden Temple (Operation Black Thunder), I was told. Sikhs from all over provide over 70% of the annual revenue of all local shops/hotel/taxi, etc., all in the span of 4 months. I feel we Sikhs are not being treated fairly in this country. Even though we provide the best ideas and expertise, disproportionately defend the country, feed it, create its wealth, guide and shape it ... What more can I say?

3: Harminder Singh (Jalandhar, Punjab), June 22, 2013, 12:22 AM.

I visited Hemkunt Sabib in 1983. Then the situation was different altogether. We stayed at the gurdwaras in Rishikesh, Joshi Math, Gobind Dham and Gobind Ghat. The behaviour of the sevadars was very nice and they were always ready to serve and help the pilgrims. The valley is quite beautiful and worth visiting despite all the challenges during journey.

4: Kirpal Singh (New Zealand), June 22, 2013, 7:27 AM.

I am disappointed with Dya Singh's negative narration. Either he would have not taken this journey or should have not written in such a style. I would have expected some useful directions from Dya Singh.

5: Simran Gupta (Kolkata, India), June 22, 2013, 9:00 AM.

I went to Hemkunt and the Valley of Flowers in August 2010. It was a fantastic experience. The steep 6 km climb to Hemkunt Sahib took a toll on our knees but it was worth it. As we were walking up the never-ending path, other pilgrims kept encouraging us with kind words and offering us toffees and sweets. It was drizzling when I reached there and the ardaas was going on. The whole place was just magical. I had tears of joy in my eyes. They gave us "garam chai" and hot parshad and hot kichhrri which was so-oo-ooo delicious. I spent four hours there. Took a dip in the freezing cold water. I hope the pilgrims there are brought down safely with the current floods and landslides in Uttarkand. May Waheguru be with them.

6: Karamjeet Singh (Chicago, Illinois, USA), June 22, 2013, 10:36 AM.

Sardar Daya Singh's narrative is a travelogue, nicely and succinctly described. I never recommend anybody going there as a pilgrim with the hope of getting any reward from the Guru for doing so. For tourism and testing your guts and skills for endurance, yes, you may. Visit to the gurdwara, yes, of course. But, since Guru Sahib lived in Paonta and Anandpur Sahib and breathed his last at Nanded, that is where we need to go learn about history and discover what he said. They are cool places, easily accessible. You don't need to burden yourself and your relatives crying for help. These are my thoughts, a penny's worth.

7: Sangat Singh (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), June 22, 2013, 4:57 PM.

#5 Simran is our daughter and I had forgotten that she had trekked up to Hemkunt and the Valley of flowers. I might add that she has trekked almost all the difficult mountains including Leh, the base camp of Everest, and 'Chadder Trek' which involves walking on/across a frozen river. When she is not trekking for a hobby, she is a cardiac thoracic anaesthetist.

8: Sangat Singh (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), June 22, 2013, 8:22 PM.

It is the sadh-sangat that makes the place holy, no matter where it is. Here is 'Sikhi' getting down to business in its intrinsic form as enjoined by the Gurus: 'seva, with naam juppna.' You can't find a better example when you find someone step in to knead your tired limbs silently with 'Waheguru' jaap. This is what made Hemkunt so special an experience.

9: Ranjit Singh Dhillon (Tanjung Rhu, Mukim Ayer Hangat, Langkawi, Malaysia), June 22, 2013, 9:09 PM.

Dya Singh has narrated his experiences and the reality on the ground. People in general are too scared to say it as it is, especially in respect of places of worship. Good job, Dya Singh.

10: Amrinder (Melbourne, Australia), June 23, 2013, 12:58 AM.

I had the great privilege of being at the Hemkunt gurdwara on my 23rd birtday. It was a life-changing moment for me and I will never hesitate to visit again.

11: Mohan Singh (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), June 23, 2013, 9:39 AM.

A Sikh is gifted with the most valuable gift of 'gyan padarath' - spiritual knowledge - enshrined in Guru Granth Sahib, the most ideal tool to get connected with Akal Purakh, the Almighty God, the ultimate Supreme Power and the Creator of the entire universe. Hence, a Sikh needs no pilgrimage, other than to the divine within himself/herself.

12: Ajit Singh Batra (Pennsville, New Jersey, USA..), June 25, 2013, 8:49 PM.

Rare are the Sikhs who awaken to the reality that the Divine is within us, not outside. Divinity is a life of peace and happiness, and it grows up only through naam simran. Naam simran is not a mechanical process, it comes with practice of the Word in Guru Granth. Without the Word, the gift of life goes to waste and the global world acts madly.

13: Avatar Singh (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada), July 01, 2013, 6:12 AM.

I just saw a video of water rushing down the track which leads to the final destination of Hemkunt - the last 7 km. part from Gobind Dham. I was not happy about Dya Singh ji writing in such a manner about this journey, but what I have now seen has proved him right. It appears that Guru Sahib too read what he wrote and decided to clean it all up Himself! Perhaps those who do seva there, or the so-called kar-seva babas who keep bringing down heritage buildings and putting up marble gurdwaras, will perhaps do some good by now ensuring that the path to Hemkunt will have dustbins and also regular clearing-up services daily to remove the foul smelling horse dung that Dya Singh ji wrote about. Dya Singh ji wrote truthfully and I now commend him for being honest.

14: J M S Sohi (Adelaide, Australia), July 01, 2013, 11:37 PM.

I am disappointed with S. Dya Singh ji's negative narration. Either he should have not taken this journey or should have not written in such a style. I would have expected some useful directions from him.(Kirpal ji, If speaking the truth was painful for you, then why not volunteer your time and clean up?)

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