Lord Shiva

by anilrajput

Zoji – la, Ladakh

Zoji – La is a high altitude pass  11575 ft from sea level on Indian National Highway NH-1D , connecting Kashmir valley from Sonmarg to Ladakh Valley , it is 9 km long the second highest pass on Srinagar – Leh highway always covered with snow it is closed in winters due to heavy snow fall.

Zoji-la , frozen river and Leh – Srinagar highway


The pass links a Valley of Kashmir with Ladakh. For many centenaries various trade routes took merchants to China, Tibet, and Central Asia. Renchen Shah of Leh moved into Kashmir via this pass and was the ruler of the territory in the 14th century. Mirza Haider Doughlat also marched on through this pass to raid Kashmir. The previous name of the pass was Shurji La, which stands for the mountain of Lord Shiva.

Rock called the India Gate , entrance to Kashmir valley Zoji-la


Zoji-la , at a height of 3,528 meters, which  is the lowest drivable pass on the Great Himalayan Mountain Range. It witnesses violent winds  because of the conical shape and severe snowfall. Over 60 risky landslide spots have been identified on this route. Every year the young enthusiast  motor cyclist from all over India cross this pass with a high adventure spirit to visit the Ladakh from Kashmir side.
Historically this pass till 1815 was in control of Amir of Afghanistan as Punjab Hill States, it came under Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s Flag of a Sikh state , in 1846 after the Anglo-Sikh war the East India Company and Sikh Empire had a Treaty of  Lahore , as an indemnity the Sikh State could not pay then Rs.1.2 Million , the Dogra King  was allowed to take Kashmir by paying Rs. 750 Thousand to East India Company , Gulab Singh became the first Maharaja of a new state of Jamu & Kashmir. After the partition in 1947 India signed the accession document with Maharaja Hari Singh to be part of India.
It was here in 1947 when Pakistani army who had reached till Srinagar had a surprise to see the Indian army’s Battle Tanks and artillery guns , had to withdraw from this area , since then the Zojii-la pass is under the controls of  India .
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by anilrajput

Yatra Chardham – Sri Badrinath

Sri Badrinath Dham is situated at a height of 3415 meters from the sea level on the right banks of river Alaknanda between Nar and Narayan mountains , in the back drop is the Neelkanth peak , this place was re established by Adi Shankarcharya in Eight Centenary , legend is that the black Shaligram stone idol was lying in the bed of Alaknanda river and was taken out by the Shankaracharya to establish it in the cave near the Tapt Kund .

Main Entrance Sri Badrinath Temple


The present temple  was built by King of Garhwal afterwards there were changes and renovations done because of the earthquake and rebuilt in the year 1803, it is a 50 ft tall stone structure with top covered with gold gilt roof , there is a tall arched gate after the flights of stairs the walls are painted blue, red and yellow giving a view of a Buddhist Mut , the Garbha griha is having the main idol of Lord Badrinath sitting in a Padmasan mudra under a gold canopy Badri tree , surrounded by the idols of Nar and Narayan, Narad , Ganesha, Udhava, Narsimaha ( the forth incarnation of lord Vishnu) Ma Lakshmi , Kuber and Garuda Nav Durga ( nine incarnations of Ma Durga ) , before entering the temple pilgrims consider to have bath in the Tapt Kund just next to the main entrance .
Legend
When Lord Badri was meditating here the Ma Lakshmi was standing next to him sheltering the Lord from the harsh weather and turned into a Badri tree .
It is said once Lord Shiva and Ma Parvati were in deep meditation here , a small child came crying disturbing the  Lord , Ma Parvati asked the child what he wanted , the child replied that he wanted the Badrinath for meditation, they discovered that this child was none other than Lord Narayan they left the place and moved to Kedarnath.
In Bhagvat Puran it is said that Lord Vishnu in his incarnation as Rishi Nar and Narayan are in deep meditation for the welfare of all the living beings , according to Skandha Puran there is no better palace in this universe than Badrinath , according to Padma Puran this place is full of unlimited spiritual treasures.
 
It is also said that the person born with Birth Sun Sign ( Rashi ) Sagittarius ( Dhanu), Leo (Shimha) and Taurus (Maesh) must pay a visit once in their life time at Sri Badrinath Dham.
 For more information and packages contact +91-9810506646 or email : promark@promarktravels.com
Visit our website  www.yatrachardham.com

 
by anilrajput

Yatra Chardham – Sri Kedarnath

Sri Kedarnath Dham  is situated at a height of 3584 meters above the sea level on the head of river Mandakini surrounded by snow capped mountains , it is a plateu having the most popular Hindu pilgrimage in the Chardham. The temple here is dedicated to Lord Shiva and worshiped here of his back which is conical  in shape. This place is accessible from April till October , rest of the year the idol is kept and worshiped at Ukhimath near Guptkashi . Out side the main entrance there is a big stone statue of Nandi Bull facing the temple , upon entering the hall there are statues of five Pandava brothers , Lord Sri Krishna , Vidharba the guard of Lord Shiva. It is said that one who pays the visit here and bows his head is relived of Sorrows , it was from here onward towards the Swargarohan the Pandwa were blessed and relived of guilt and sorrow of killing their relatives in the Mahabharata war.

Sri Kedarnath Temple main entrance


Legend
This land was once ruled by the King Kedar who is also father of Vrinda , she had worshiped for sixty thousand years , to honor him this region was called as Kedarkhand. It is said the  Pandu the Pandva King died here while trying to  love  Madri .
When Bhim tried to stop the Lord Shiva who had disguised as bull had a fight with mace which hit the Lord Shiva , Bhim having guilt of hurting the Lord massaged the body with Ghee , today the pilgrims follow the ritual by applying the Ghee at the triangular Jyotirlinga along with offering of Bel leaves and milk in the puja .
Their existed a temple of Mahabharata time before this temple was constructed  in Eight centenary by the Adi Shankracharya .

Adi Shankarachrya took samadhi at this place in Sri Kedarnath Dham


When to travel
This temple opens along with the other temples of Chardham on Akshya Tritiya and closes on Depawali for winters , mid June till August is monsoon period , there are land slides and roads blocks quite common and during this period journey is not recomended.
What to see
The main place is the Sri Kedarnath temple , just behind it is the Adi Shankaracharya Samadhi , little above at a small distance on the left side of the temple is the Bhairo temple . Chorbari is a crystal clear snow water lake about a kilometer trek from Kedarnath with floating ice in the water. Vasuki Tal  is 6 km at a height of 4150 meters in the snow caped mountains , one can have a beautiful view of Chaukhamba peaks from here.
Where to stay
There are many guest houses and dharamshalas here but all are with basic facilities only.
How to reach here
There are Buses and trains available up to Hardwar or Rishikesh connections from all over India , one can also reach Dehradun by air onward journey could be performed by buses, cars and jeeps , opening of Helicopter service is a big relief for old age people , the helicopter service is available till Kedarnath from Guptkashi ( Phata) and Dehradun . There is a good road till Gaurikund from here the 14 km trek can be done by walking or hiring the mules or palkis .
Delhi to Rishikesh                      230 km
Rishikesh to Guptkashi            201 km
Guptkashi to Gaurikund            32 km
Gaurikund to Sri Kedarnath      14 km
 For more information and packages contact +91-9810506646 or email : promark2promarktravels.com
Visit our website www.yatrachardham.com

 
by madhu

My Yatra Chardham by Helicopter


Yatra Chardham in Uttrakhand Himalyas is one of the wishes of any Sanatan Hindu, it is the salvation of soul , our life of birth and rebirth is free from this cycle after making prayers at these places, the soul rests in peace or it attains the “Moksha“. Reaching by road to all four Dhams is long journey , difficult treks at Yamunotri and Shri Kedarnath , road journey from Joshimath to Shri Badrinath is very tiring . The opening of Helicopter services to all these places have cut down the journey from 12 days to 2-3 days it is a boon for the old aged and people with time constrain can fulfill their wishes.

The helicopter used in this tour were state of art BELL407 four seater along with the Pilot and Flight Engg. From Dehradun Sahstrdhara helipad, it takes 35 minutes flight to Kharsali , helipad is on the left bank of river Yamuna there is no motor able road from helipad one is to walk across the foot bridge to reach Janki Chatti, from Janki Chatti there is a 6 km. steep trek one is to climb from 2650 meters to reach Yamunotri temple at a height of 3293 meters, one can take a horse or Palanquins a chair which is carried by four porters . One can perform the puja and return to Janki Chatti and then crossed the river to helipad at Kharsali in 4 to 5 hours. There is a oldest Lord Shani Dev temple at Kharsali which is constructed like a fort made of stones and wood it is also called the Someshwer temple .

Flight from Kharsali to Harsil is of 30 minutes located at a height of 2623 meters from sea level , Harsil the Maha Prayag of nine rivers in to Bhagirathi and a temple didicated to lord Vishnu, place where lord Vishnu is in form of Shaligram at the confluence of river Jalandhari , Vishnu Ganga and Bhagirathi, we stayed at Harsil Retreat cottages next to the confluence , the Mah Prayag at river Bhagirathi, a beautiful village Dharali the last village on Indian side on Indo-Tebitean border is about two km from Harsil
Rishi Markandey Ashram which is marked by a white temple didicated to  Ma Bhagwati on the right banks of river Bhagirathi where he wrote the Durga Saptshati the first ever written text on the Godsess Durga .

After the night stay early morning we took a car arranged for us from Uttarkashi , road to Gangotri is 24 Km drive along the river Bhagirathi which crosses the Asia deepest Gorge near Bhairon Ghati , road is good, passing through dense pine forest and Apple orchards, except for few rough patches , before the temple there is an arched gate from here the main shrine is about 600 meters this temple is at a height of 3120 meters from sea level was built by Gurkha Army commander in early 18th century. the actual source of river Ganga is at Gaumukh which is a climb of a beautiful 18 km trek at a height of 4120 meters the Bhagirathi glacier which is fed by three glaciers namely the Raktvarn , the Chaturangi and the Kirti , the impressive Aarti is performed at Gangotri temple it is a stately affair on the banks of rushing holy river  Bhagirathi here, we return to Harsil for the night stay . Harsil is beautiful landscape full of Deodar and Pine trees with apple orchards and nine rivers ( Jalandhari, Vishnu Ganga, Bhim Ganga , Telangna, Lakshmi Ganga, Him Ganga, Pawan Ganga, Khir Ganga and Hatya Harini ) criss crossing and joining the Bahgirathi to form a Maha Prayag , from here there is a beautiful view of Mayank Parwat and Banderpunch range.

Mayank Parvat



Next morning after the early breakfast we reach the helipad at Harsil on the banks of river Bhagirathi it took a 45 minutes of flying over the Tehri Dam a lake a massive water body fourth largest in the world ,we change the helicopter at Phata and flew over the Mandakini river in a narrow valley to reach Kedarnath situated at a height of 3553 meters surrounded by snow-capped mountains , the main temple is about 600 meters from the helipad , one is to be careful not to walk fast here because of thin air low in oxygen can result in head ache and breathlessness.

deepest Gorge in Asia near Gangotri


Kedarnath is one of the twelve Jotirlings of Lord Shiva , the present structure is built by Adi Shankarcharya at the site which existed at the time of Mahabharta , Lord Shiva is worshiped of his Hump over ground at the entrance there is a Nandi Bull , it is also one of the Panch Kedars the body parts of Lord Shiva others are Tungnath , Rudranath, Madhmaheshwar and Kalpeshwer are in Uttrakhand while Pasupatinath is in Nepal. This temple is a massive rock stone structure fixed without the mortar surrounded by high snow covered mountains standing on a plateau in a glacier , there are several Kunds (pools, tanks) are known for their religious significance – Shivkund , Retkund, Hanskund , Udakkund, Rudhirkund are the most important. A little away from Kedarnath is a temple dedicated to Bhaironathji who is ceremoniously worshipped at the opening & closing of Kedarnath temple . The belief is that Bhairavnathji protects this land from evil during the time when temple of Kedarnath is closed in winters . just behind the temple is the Adi Shankaracharya samadhi , it is said that after establishing the Dhams The Shankaracharya at the age of 33 took the “Jal Samadhi” here. There is a priority darshan slip for the pilgrims arriving by helicopter at the main shrine .

It took about an hour and half to have darshan and to perform the pooja , we took our flight back to Phata where helicopter for flight for Sri Badrinath ji was waiting , 35 minutes flight over Rudra Pryag, Joshimath and having the view of Nanda Devi peak, Choukhamba peak and Hathi , Ghora, Palki peak we landed at helipad after taking a circle of the main temple which looked beautiful, from helipad the main temple is a small distance passing through the street with restaurants and shops on both sides, after crossing the Alaknanda river bridge is the main shrine , from out side the Blue , Red , White and Golden colour of main entrance, impressive gate look like a Budhist Mutt ,

This temlpe is about 1200 years old built by the Adi Shankaracharya to re establish the Sanatan Dharma which was being over took by Budhisim and Jainism , we were taken inside and seated just in front of the main deity for 15 minutes with the help of main pujari to perform the pooja The image of Badarinarayan here is made out of Saligram. Sri Badarinarayan is seen under the Badari tree, flanked by Kuber and Garuda, Narad, Narayan and Nar. Mahalakshmi has a sanctum outside in the parikrama Lord Badari Narayan (also called as Badari Vishal) is armed with Shankh (Conch) and Chakra in two arms in a lifted posture and two arms rested on the lap in Yogamudra.The principal image is of black stone and it represents Lord Vishnu seated in meditative pose.
We were overwhelmed after completing the pilgrimage which is one of the life time wish of a devout Hindu in a short time of just two days which normally takes 12-14 days if done by road , the flight back to Shastradhara was an hour flying over the river Alaknanda ,

confluences at Karnpryag , Rudrapryag and Devprayag from here it is known as the Ma Ganga , flows onwards to its journey to Rishikesh and down plains of North and East of India as a holy mother giving birth to the civilasations and making the land most fertile in Asia before entering into Bay of Bengal at Ganga Sagar , making a world famous delta in the Sundarbans with mighty Bharamputra river .
All above arrangements were handled by M/s PROMARK TRAVEL SVCS PVT LTD NEW DELHI  phone 09810506646

About the Author

[author]

[author_image timthumb=’on’]wp-content/uploads/sites/2/authors/madhu.jpg[/author_image] Mrs. Madhu, Joint Director, Govt of Indiais currently in Parliament House Secretariat.She loves to travel to Religious Places in India.

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by anilrajput

Shiv Khori near Katra, Jammu & Kashmir Pilgrimage

Shiv Khori is situated in Jammu & Kashmir state and one can combine it with Mata Vaisno Devi Pilgrimage, it is located about 80 Kms from Katra, 140 kms from Jammu and 120 kms from Udhampur upto Ransoo village and then 3 Kms trek to the holy cave. Regular buses and taxis are available at rates approved by the J&K Tourism Department, from Katra, Jammu and Udhampur. Pilgrims may also travel from Jammu on Akhnoor-Bhambla Road, Ransoo is 6 kms from Kanda More (turn) on Reasi- Rajouri Road.
The Starting Point of Shiv Khori Pilgrimage Trek
The Starting Point of Shiv Khori Pilgrimage Trek

The Cave

This cave which was discovered about 100 years ago by the local shepherds is more than a kilometer long but pilgrims are allowed upto 150 meters, it has two chambers, outer chamber is little large and after crossing a narrow and low passage, one enters the inner chamber which is comparably smaller, the cave is illuminated and pilgrims take help of ropes to walk and even at places one has to crawl to move ahead in the chamber, there  is four feet tall natural Syambhu Shiva Lingam which bathes in a milky water dripping from the ceiling of the cave,  just above the Lingam is a structure which gives impression of Kamdhenu Cow, one can even recognize the structure near the Lingam Goddess Parvati, the other deities are Lord Ganesha, Lord Kartikeyen, Lord Hanuman, Lord Ram, Laxman and Sita even one can recognize Sheshnag here, in the center there is a hollow structure giving impression of Lord Shiva’s Jattas, all these are sourrounded by self made Shaligrams in the cave, pilgrims call it a Home of GODS, it is a miracle.
The Shiv Khori Cave
[quote]The Shiv Khori Cave[/quote]
The View from the Outside, Shiv Khori Cave
The View from the Outside, Shiv Khori Cave
Legend
The demon Bhasmasur meditated and pleased Lord Shiva,  received the blessings that “If he put his hand palm on any ones head, that person will die“, to test this Bhasmasur wanted to put his palm on Lord Shiva’s head, and had a battle, Lord Shiva to save himself  threw his Trident ( Trishul) which created this cave, along with Devi Parvati and Nandi Bull entered , leaving behind Bhasmasur,  Lord Vishnu who visualized the ill designs came here, disguised as Apsra, lured Bhasmasur to dance to her steps, each step and move was so planed that finally Apsra (Lord Vishnu) made him to put his palm on his own head thus killing the Bhasmasur of his own powers, after this dance and killing, Lord Vishnu entered the cave along with other Devtas, it is said that 330 million Devtas are in this cave lying as Shaligrams and Pindis.

Around Shivkhori

Around Shivkhori one can visit the shrine, Dera Baba Banda Bahadur, the army commander of Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji about 20 kms from here on the banks of River Chenab.
Nau Pindian, this is about 9 kms from Katra on same road to Reasi, there is a natural formation dedicated to the Nine incarnations (Avatars) of Maa Shakti in the form of Pindi.
Dhansar Baba, this place is about 10 kms from Katra , 17 kms before Reasi , off the main road trek for 1 km, it is a natural formation of Shiva Lingam and natural dropping of water on the lingam.
River Chenab and The Bridge over it near Reasi Village
[quote]River Chenab and The Bridge over it near Reasi Village[/quote]

Other Places

Siar Baba situated on the banks of River Chenab near Talwara about 6 kms from Reasi, famous for its beautiful waterfall.
Kalka mandir is just near the bus stand of Reasi.
Bhimgarh Fort, it is also known as Reasi Fort, originally constructed of clay but later it was reconstructed using stone, the main entry gate is having Rajasthani carvings, there is a statue of Goddess Maha Kali and Lord Hanuman Ji, there is a water pond and a temple in the fort and rooms. This fort though small in size was built by Maharaja Gulab Singh in 1817 when he was the commander of Sikh Maharaja Ranjit Singh under the supervision of General Zoravar Singh who was responsible for driving the Chinese out of Ladakh.
For more details contact 09810506646 or email at  promark@promarktravels.com

About the Author

[author]

[author_image timthumb=’on’]wp-content/uploads/sites/2/authors/anil-rajput.jpg[/author_image] Anil Kumar Rajput – Managing Director Promark Travel , is in the travel trade since 1980, has worked in India and abroad. A boxer, a Rifle Shooter and a Para Jumper in his college days, as a Boy Scout and NCC cadet, attended camps at many places which developed his interest in traveling and to explore new places, trekking and photography, loves driving to adventurous places , owns a business (promarktravels.com) which caters all the travel needs of it’s clients. Connect with him on Facebook (htttp://www.facebook.com/anil.k.rajput) and Twitter (@PromarkTravels)

[/author]

Some Shots on The Way

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by anilrajput

Sri Badri Kedar Do Dham Yatra by Helicopter

 
24th April 2012 first helicopter flight for Yatra Char Dham
Day 01: Sahatradhara Helipad (Dehradun/Haridwar) to Badrinath and Kedarnath
Yatra starts early in the morning from Shatradhara helipad for temples Kedarnath and Badrinath. Return same evening.
The Abode Of Lord Vishnu
 In the twin mountain ranges of Nar and Narayan is the holiest of the four main shrines, Badrinath along the left bank river Alaknanda with the splendid Neelkanth mountains in the backdrop, it is an important destination on the scared itinerary of every devour Hindu. Once the spot was carpeted with ‘Badris’ or wild berries and hence was famous as ‘Badri Van’.
Mythological Legend of Badrinath
 Legend has it, when the Ganga was requested to descend to earth to help suffering humanity, the earth was unable to withstand the force of its descent. Therefore the mighty Ganaga was split into twelve holy channels. Alaknanda was one of them that later became the abode of Lord Vishnu or Badrinath. The temple of Shri Badrinathji on the banks of the Alaknanda river, dates back to the vedic times. Situated at an altitude of 3,133 mts., the present temple is believed to have been built by Adi Guru Shankaracharya- an 8th century’s philosopher-saint, who also established a ‘math’ here. Also known as ‘ Badri Vishal ‘, Badrinath is one of the Panch Badris.
The Celestial Jyotirlingam
Amidst the dramatic mountain scapes of the majestic Kedarnath range stands one of the twelve ‘Jyotirlings’ of Kedar or Lord Shiva situated at an altitude of 3584 mts. on the head of river Mandakini, the shrine of Kedarnath is amongst the holiest pilgrimages for the Hindus. Kedarnath is a majestic sight, it is in the middle of a wide plateau surrounded by lofty snow-covered peaks. The present temple, built in the 8th century by Adi Shankaracharya, stands adjacent to the site of an earlier temple built by the Pandavas. The inner walls of the assembly hall are decorated with figures of various deities and scenes from mythology. before the main entrance of the temple door a large statue of the Nandi Bull stands as guard. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, the exquisitely architecture Kedarnath temple is said to be more than a 1000 years old. Built of extremely large, heavy and evenly cut gray slabs of stones, it evokes wonder as to how these heavy slabs were handled in the earlier days. The temple has a “ Garbha Griha” for worship and a Mandap apt for assemblies of pilgrims and visitors. A conical rock formation inside the temple is worshipped as Lord Shiva in his Sadashiva form
Helicopter capacity: 04 adults with weight not more than 300 kg

  • Baggage: only hand baggage

Helicopter services from Delhi is also available
For more details contact Promark Travel Services 09810506646