BHPian sachinayak recently shared this with other enthusiasts: INTRODUCTION This was a poorly planned, poorly executed, yet an absolutely divine and wonderful trekking experience. This is a recount of my solo trekking experience of Rudranath Mahadev Temple, in Uttarakhand. Having tried trekking solo in the Himalayas earlier (Mardi Himal Trek in Nepal, a link to that here – https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave…mal-nepal.html), I was itching to trek solo again. Being in nature, all by yourself, is a feeling that cannot be expressed in words. Listening to the rustling of leaves, the beautiful chirping sounds of birds and crickets, coupled with amazing views of the Himalayan peaks is so magical, that one needs to be truly blessed to experience it. However, this year, monsoons have wrecked havoc on Uttarakhand (and other places). Weather patterns have been unpredictable. We should have seen the end of monsoon by now, but we have had cloudbursts and loss of lives till very recent. With all these variables, decided to keep my plan fluid (thankfully). Was continuously monitoring weather forecasts (across multiple websites and unfortunately none very accurate). A short window of decent weather seemed to open up towards the end of September, and thus on Thursday evening, booked a Friday afternoon flight to Dehradun. The plan was to cover Rudranath Temple initially and then Madhmaheshwar. I am not a devout/religious person. That said, I respect everyone’s beliefs and faiths. Temple treks are a great option for solo trekking (non-alpine style). The trail has multiple stopover points where local stalls will provide you basic food and accommodation. The trail is well marked and not completely isolated, thus the risk of losing your way is very limited (unless you trek in the darkness, highly discouraged, but some folks do it). These temples are a part of the Panch Kedars in Uttarakhand. MYTHOLOGICAL BACKDROP A folk legend about Panch Kedar relates to the Pandavas. The Pandavas defeated and slayed their cousins – the Kauravas in the epic Kurukshetra war. They wished to atone for the sins of committing fratricide (gotra hatya) and Brhmanahatya (killing of Brahmins – the priest class) during the war. On the advice of Krishna, they handed over the reins of their kingdom to their kin and left in search of Shiva and to seek his forgiveness. But, Shiva wanted to avoid them as he was deeply incensed by the death and dishonesty at the Kurukshetra war and was, therefore, insensitive to Pandavas’ prayers. Therefore, he assumed the form of a bull (Nandi) and hid in the Garhwal region. Not finding Shiva in Varanasi, the Pandavas went to Garhwal Himalayas. Bhima, the second of the five Pandava brothers, then standing astride two mountains started to look for Shiva. He saw a bull grazing near Guptakashi (“hidden Kashi” – the name derived from the hiding act of Shiva). Bhima immediately recognized the bull to be Shiva. Bhima caught hold of the bull by its tail and hind legs. But the bull-formed Shiva disappeared into the ground to later reappear in parts, with the hump raising in Kedarnath, the arms appearing in Tungnath, the face showing up at Rudranath, the nabhi (navel) and stomach surfacing in Madhmaheshwar and the hair appearing in Kalpeshwar. It is believed that Shiva’s throat fell on the Kedarkantha mountain. The Pandavas pleased with this reappearance in five different forms, built temples at the five places for venerating and worshipping Shiva. The Pandavas were thus freed from their sins. Source: Wikipedia [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panch_Kedar] ABOUT THE TEMPLE Quote:On one side of the main Rudranath Temple, is the Van Devta’s temple. Here, Van Devta, the forest deity, is worshiped before Lord Rudranath. There are five small temples built on the right side of the temple, which are dedicated to the five Pandavas. Saraswati Kund is located and is around 200-250 meters from the backside of Rudranath temple, The place is secluded and perfect for meditation. It is said that a long time ago, the tune of Goddess Saraswati’s Veena was heard here.Source The main temple Temples dedicated to the Pandavas The temple dedicated to the Van Devta ORIGINAL PLANDay 1: Fly to Dehradun (6E 852). Dep: 1500, Arr: 18:00. Overnight stay in Rishikesh.Day 2: Early morning bus to Gopeshwar. Cab to Sagar. Trek to Pung Bugyal.Day 3: Trek from Pung Bugyal to Lwiti BugyalDay 4: Trek from Lwiti Bugyal to Rudranath TempleDay 5: Trek from Rudranath Temple to Pung BugyalDay 6: Trek from Pung Bugyal to Sagar. Transfer to Agtolidhar via Ukimath. Trek to Gaundhar/BantoliDay 7: Trek from Gaundhar/Bantoli to NanuDay 8: Trek to Madhmaheshwar TempleDay 9: Trek to Buda Madhmaheshwar and decend back to Agtolidhar. Drive to Ukimath.Day 10: Early morning bus from Ukimath to Rishikesh, transfer to airport. Return flight to BLR (Dep: 1745)In hindsight, this plan had some key flaws. The Rudranath Temple trek is quite tough (details below). Trekking to Madhmaheshwar after this trek would be extremely challenging (physically) and also logistically (there is no public transport from Sagar to Ukhimath). If you are in a group and opting for a private cab, this is logistically fine. In terms of location, it is more practical to combine Kalpeshwar Temple with Rudranath Temple, though the former needs no trekking. You can drive right up to the temple and can get darshan with minimal effort. Also, Madhmaheshwar Temple (located near Ukhimath) is closer to Tungnath Temple (located near Chopta). There is decent connectivity here (I am told) and can be combined together. Continue reading on BHPian sachinayak’s solo trek in Uttarakhand for BHPian comments, insights and more information.
