Known as the land of yoga, Uttarakhand has attracted celebrities and tech wizards from across the world in search of spiritual bliss and tranquillity
BY SUBHASISH CHAKRABORTY
In a world reeling under global warming and climate crisis, Uttarakhand comes as a breath of fresh air. With the snow-capped high Himalayan peaks like Nanda Devi, Chaukhamba, Panchchuli and Trishul standing like sentinels.
The North Indian state’s topography is challenging, with the mountainous state of Himachal Pradesh to the northwest, Tibet to the northeast, Nepal in the southeast and the state of Uttar Pradesh in the south. Both the Greater Himalayas and the Lesser Himalayan zones fall in Uttarakhand. Not surprising then that some of India’s highest peaks like Nanda Devi and Badrinath too are located in Uttarakhand.
Uttarakhand is the land of yoga and Rishikesh is regarded as the yoga capital of the world. From ancient times, mystics and yogis have preferred the Uttarakhand Himalayas to engage themselves in yoga.
In fact, the Kasar Devi Hill, an eerie spiritual hub, has attracted not just the saints or the “rishis” of yore, but also great men and women of contemporary times. Celebrities who have spent quality time here at Kasar Devi Hill in search of spiritual solace include Bob Dylan, DH Lawrence, George Harrison, Allen Ginsburg, Uma Thurman and Steve Jobs.
Not many are aware that an exclusive spiritual retreat in Rishikesh was the place where the British rock band Beatles stayed and experimented with ancient Indian spiritual practices like transcendental meditation way back in 1968.
Beatles Ashram was originally established by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in the 1960s and the Beatles rock band were mesmerised by Maharishi’s spiritual quest and the path he followed.
The epoch making visit by Beatles in February 1968 was a defining moment for spiritual India and the Western world’s perception of the ancient Sanatani Hinduism tradition. The band, consisting George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr came with their wives and the whole of India, particularly the paparazzi, went berserk as the news of their arrival to the country was officially released.
Once the band settled down at the Rishikesh Ashram and began taking lessons from Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, they dived deep into their spiritual realms and the typical ashram life on the foothills of the Himalayas, inspired them to compose some of their all-time best songs.
There must be a reason why the great swamis, Hollywood celebrities and tech wizards chose the Uttarakhand Himalayas, over all others, to immerse themselves in meditation and yoga! Perhaps, these wizened souls preferred Uttarakhand Himalayas due to the tremendously pure combo package consisting of pure high-altitude oxygen, carbon neutral surroundings and blessings of ancient saints.
MEDITATIVE TREKS & TRAILS
To explore the rarefied beauty of Uttarakhand Himalayas, the quaint hill station of Almora, could be an ideal base. Almora is beautifully perched at an altitude of 1,642 metres and I must confess, the profundity of the jaw dropping Himalayan peaks touches you immensely.
Kasar Devi: I would give Kasar Devi a five-star rating. If you are in search of true bliss, this is the place to be in. Just a few kilometres away from Almora, the Himalayan panorama surrounding Kasar Devi is breath-taking. And, when it comes to soul enrichment, the entire Kasar Devi hill is actually a massive geomagnetic radiation field, courtesy, the Van Allen Belt. There are only two other such Van Allen Belts – Machu Picchu in Peru and Stonehenge in England.
Pindari Glacier Trek: This is a moderately challenging trek and meant for experienced trekkers. You need to be reasonably fit as the trek advances through thick forest and one has to encounter swift flowing Himalayan streams and rocky crests.
Located at an altitude, which is all of 12,300 feet above sea level, the awe-inspiring sight of Pindari Glacier at Zero Point has mesmerised trekkers from the world over.
For an exhilarating trekking experience you can embark on a journey from Almora to Kharkiya on a 4x4 drive and from thereon on foot. The stretch from Khati to Dwali is particularly challenging as the terrain is steep and the topography changes dramatically.
However, all your trekker’s fatigue vanishes once you set up your camp and relax on the backdrop of the magnificent Pindari Glacier.
Dunagiri Trek: One of India’s most hallowed yoga and meditation hub is Dunagiri. This has been the preferred place of practicing Kriya Yoga as propounded by the ancient Rishi – His Holiness Mahavatar Babaji. The meditation chamber (cave) is tucked up in Kukuchina on the Pandukholi mountain.
Spiritual seekers engage in deep meditation and Kriya Yoga as espoused by Mahavatar Babaji centuries back. Kriya Yoga has caught the attention of the world’s spiritual seekers as a tool towards attaining an elevated spiritual plane.
The trek to Dunagiri and the time you spend there in contemplation could be a life changing experience. Here in the lap of the Himalayas, India’s ancient wisdom and Kriya Yoga techniques will lead you to the path of divinity. It is one of India’s best off-grid spiritual experience to savour.
WILDERNESS VISTAS
Corbett National Park: The world famous Corbett National Park is spreads over an area of 525 square kilometres, the park initially covered 323.75 square kilometres but it was felt that the area was too small for species like the tiger and elephants which at times moved into the adjoining shooting blocks. These shooting blocks later on were included into the National Park and today, of course, there are no shooting blocks as such. The only shooting allowed is with a camera.
This grassland is home to elephants, cheetahs, deers, sambhars, hogdeer and tigers, of course. Corbett National Park’s altitude varies in between 385 metres to 1,210 metres above sea level. The average temperature in summer is 42 degree centigrade and the average winter temperature is 4 degree centigrade.
Jim Corbett: James Edward Corbett, one of the world’s greatest hunter-conservationist, was a British-Indian hunter who was naturalist, famous for hunting renowned for hunting a large number of man-eating tigers and leopards in Kumaon.
In the days of yore, the entire region was teeming with man-eating tigers and leopards and Jim’s expertise was often sought after by the then British government. It is believed that these man eaters of Kumaon had killed more than 1,000 people, leaving behind a trail of devastation on the entire populace.
The manner in which Jim made Kumaon free of man-eaters is the stuff of legends and finds expression in biographies and films. Corbett documented his exploits as a hunter in his best-selling books Man-Eaters of Kumaon and Jungle Lore wherein he lucidly explicates his wild encounters with tigers and leopards of Kumaon.
As a mark of admiration, an exclusive wildlife reserve – The Jim Corbett National Park, considered by many as one of India’s top five wildlife reserves – is dedicated to the hunter-conservationist.
Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary: Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary is classified as an IUCN Category IV Species Management Zone and is home to leopards, Himalayan gorals, musk deers, wild boars, jungle cats, sumatran serows, rhesus macaques, giant flying squirrels, to name just a few. However, it is for leopards that Binsar is most famous for.
Binsar might not be on the bucket list of India’s wildlife parks like Ranthambore, Bandhavgarh, Corbett National Park, and Kaziranga yet, it is unputdownable and off the beaten track.
No other wildlife zone in India offers the kind of Himalayan spectacle; an uninterrupted sight of a 300 kilometres stretch with powdery peaks like Nanda Devi, Nanda Kot, Kedarnath, Panchachuli, all lined up as if a beauty pageant was on!
In spite of the onslaught of modernity, Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary has fiercely kept its biodiversity protected, vehemently forsaking attempts of commercialisation of the tourism phenomenon, which finds reflection on the solitary single road that criss-crosses the entire sanctuary.
SAFARI EXPERIENCE
In India’s Devbhumi Uttarakhand (Abode of Gods) a silent revolution is on, courtesy Kumaon’s renowned wildlife safari operator – the Koranga family’s Wood Villas Safari.
Chandan Singh Koranga, a proud Kumaoni native, whose forefathers, the late Dewan Singh Koranga and later on Shri Nandan Singh Koranga, in particular, served with great distinction in one of the Indian Army’s oldest and most decorated infantry units, the Kumaon Regiment, has been operating wildlife safaris to Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary with tremendous zeal and innovation.
With so much going for it, it is hardly surprising that people from across the world come to the Himalayas in search of peace and solitude. Practising yoga and meditation in the Himalayas can be a very purifying experience.
The Uttarakhand Himalayas, which has been the hub of yoga and meditation since ancient times, has emerged as contemporary India’s most idyllic region for yoga practitioners. The oxygen concentration being high and with the easy availability of carbon neutral sites, the Uttarakhand Himalayas offers an irresistible invitation to indulge in a rejuvenating body, mind and soul purification journey.
