[Text and photos by D.B.]
As the name suggests, Panwadi Tales for the first time,
introduces a Photoblog or a ‘phlog’, as is termed in blogging language. This
blog post is all about a trek recently conducted – A trek to a ‘holy’, rather a
‘heavenly’ place Devi Pindian, a
temple near the well-known Vaishno Devi shrine,
in the laps of The Himalayas. “Sometimes
the path traveled is better than the destination”, describes this trek the best.
It started off on a cloudy
Saturday morning, when four purposeless guys decided to ‘explore’ the places
around their college campus. The earlier reviews of the place were like, “heaven”,
“amazing”, “a must-visit”, etc. One could start the 5 km trek after reaching Panthal, an important bus junction of
the district. The starting point is well denoted by a foundation stone,
confirming the validity of the path, which could not be seen anywhere around. Although, it seems that the government is trying to construct a way for the shrine. With few kutcha- dwellings built of
mud, stone, thatch, basically vernacular in nature and very few shops the path
lead us to the ‘real’ start-point of the journey.
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| One of the 'many' temples on the way |
We started walking by the side of
a drain which was flowing with full thrust. That is the only way to access the
holy shrine. One has to walk or rather ‘balance’ on one of the drain sidewall, on
one side of which is the ‘deep’ valley and on the other side, a mountain-wall.
The whole path is full of ‘elements
of surprise’. On each and every turn you may find things which you have never
seen. Amazing variety of flora and fauna is another thing that surprises you as
you ascend.
 |
The place is full of ‘natural
enclosures’, a term which we used to study in Landscape Design, but could never
experience. Huge peaks and hillocks overpower your existence as you progress in
the journey.
There are ‘n’ numbers of sites
where you get the perfect panoramas – delight for a photographer.
We were shocked to see people
residing in such remote places. We saw the ‘local-residents’, few school kids,
some women, travelling all the way down to the point where we started, for
their daily activities.
Soon we were welcomed by the stream, the source point of the drain we had been following.
The temple was half-way in its
construction. We came to know that the construction started few months back
when someone donated a good amount to the shrine. We could see only one pandit ji who was managing the things
over there.
All in all, the shrine could be
termed as a ‘clone’ to the original Vaishno
devi shrine. Here also, three pindian
or three naturally existing bulges in the mountain, represents the goddess. We
were told that it is believed that the goddess resides in main shrine for three
months and for rest of the year, in this place. “Maa toh har jagah rehti hai”, he compensated.
The place is not bounded by the
restrictions of photography unlike other ‘famous’ places but we were told to
ask for the permission from Guruji - a
middle-aged man, full beard and long hair, wearing a dhoti and kurta, in short
a perfect portrayal of a ‘guru’, as
mentioned by the priest. He was ‘in silence’ since nine years and been living like
that since last seventeen years. Although he had a Samsung smart phone but
looked like as if he has left the world for peace. After meeting him, we forgot
about clicking picks of the place. Maybe it was the thought to maintain and
preserve the secrecy of the place that bounded us to do that.
We decided to leave soon keeping
in mind, the weather and the location. Many times we even started recalling the
techniques by Bear Grylls, when we thought we lost our tread. But finally we
reached the stream and decided to jump in.
The returning journey was
monotonous but we all had a smile on face. The captivating site left us spell
bounded. We all had the feeling of not doing anything for the rest of the day. It
could be termed as a ‘limit’. We touched a limit, we saw heaven on Earth.
The journey, indeed, was
mesmerizing and I could capture only this much through my cam.
Special thanks to my friends Himanshu, Sahil & Abhishek (the guide)
for providing me with moments and a ‘once in a life – time chance’ to see and ‘enjoy’. I experienced how it feels to be 'contented'...
Destination : Devi
Pindian, Katra, Jammu & Kashmir
How to reach : A mini bus
ride to Panthal from Katra and rest of the journey, by foot,
on a NOT defined path. Search on Google Maps with the name Devi Pindi Mata Mandir.
Trekking Tips : Keep yourself
full with food items. Chose monsoon time and feel free to explore. For maximum
enjoyment. NOT for families, as there is no road. The most important tip – MIND
YOUR STEP. Keep the environment clean, as it is, and do not miss the colors of
nature – the flora and fauna of the place.
Request : Respect nature and try to preserve it. Share your
experience on panwadi.tales@gmail.com , if you
visit the place.
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