Rishikesh – The abode of Ganga

This little city in the Northern part of India in the district of Dehra dun though well known for its temples, culture and more, nothing takes your breath away like Ganga flowing in Rishikesh.

When we went to Rishikesh it was a blistering 45 degrees heat, we were completely famished, sun burnt and dehydrated, the cruel summer upon us and a tedious journey to add to it but the one view of Ganga evaporated all the pain all the heat from our minds and bodies. She was flowing in full force, inspite of the weather she was cold, and it was refreshing to just dip ourselves in her.
The most wonderful part of this was the white water rafting, the rafting starts way up in the Ghats with a view you will never forget, mountains on all sides, sandy river beaches, and the sky kissing the waters. We were spell bound by the beauty of the sight not worried about the dangers or rafting, only when we were strapped up with life jackets and were sitting in the raft did we feel the adrenaline.

Looking at Ganga there, no one would believe she could be fierce, but as the rapids come, that’s when you see what natures force is, making you feel infinitesimal. At the same time the happiness, the glory, the adrenaline and the feeling of euphoria as man and nature combine forces, sets in and you are in for one hell of a ride.
As our adventures ended, we visited all the places of interest and packed our bags and headed out of the city and back to Delhi and then back to Bangalore. Inspite of all the colours, the brewing culture, the boat rides, the temples, the bridge and food, one image never leaves your mind the image of Ganga , one feeling never leaves you the feeling of euphoria when you were wrestling in her arms in a raft.

Shimoga - The different shades of green

I have been to Shimoga on many occasions and this time it was purely to welcome the rains.
The rain in shimoga as many of you would know is just splendid. We went to Sagar and from there on our first day went to an old “ Aghoreshwara” temple in Ikkeri .

This temple though quite well known isn’t hoarded with tourists and has maintained its pristine peace, it’s a very calming experience to just sit there and look into the old sculptures, into the rain and sketch the temples out in the mind and leave it etched for posterity. The walk to Ikkeri from the main road is absolutely beautiful, with a variety of shades of green encompassing your view, many small lakes and ponds shimmering in the rain, the small house laid across , looking peaceful in their existence, it was a walk to remember. After having visited this beautiful temple the walk back to Sagar was also equally enthralling, the green never stopped, the rain became a light drizzle leaving mercury droplets on the large leaves, glinting and glistening.
The next day we went to Holebaagilu , the backwaters. This is a really splendid place, very calm and very little people , with a spread of watery grassland, trees and water with ripples forming on its surface.

This is shallow waters and good for a quick swim, but when you go a little further it gets real deep real soon, so taking precautions is better. It makes an excellent spot to read, write and have a little picnic of your own. The way to this place is to get on the ferry which unbelievably just costs “ One rupee” and the ferry takes people buses, cars, bikes and everything and goes across this vast water body. It is very unlike the Kerala back waters. The last ferry is at 5pm and so heading back is better unless you carried a tent that can hold heavy downpour. Heading back from a place so serene is as painful as ever, yet we had to and so we did, then having had a cup of hot coffee in the hotel near by we retired for the day.
The next day which also happened to be my Birthday we went to the Varadahalli Sadhguru Sri Bhagavan Ashram, I am not one who believes in god people, or people who are considered gods, but the Ashram was just so absolutely beautiful, surrounded by nature, by greenery every where. With a fresh water bathing place. We went on the top of this hill, the view from which is breath taking, the clouds had given away finally and some sun shine barged through, the warmth was much appreciated, we lazed around and headed back down. The catch was the hike was to be made bare footed, the pebbles hurt every time I stepped on it, but the sound of the crickets, the lush green was enough to keep my mind of the crunching sound inside me every time I stepped on a sharp stone. I liked the Ashram a lot at the end of it and considered the idea, whether a person is god or not as long as he is good willed and shelters people and animals alike he could be considered god. For me god lay in all those leaves, in the blue skies but that was a different story all together.