The 1200+ Km Bike Trip --- Day6- Ghangharia to Hemkund Sahib

Hemkund Sahib:

Ghangharia to Hemkund Sahib:

After relaxing on Day5, we were determined to start our trek towards Hemkund Sahib ASAP. We woke up early, got freshened up, had some Tea at the Langar Hall, deposited our luggage at the Cloak room (at the Gurudwara Sri Gobind Dham) and then started the trek towards Hemkund Sahib at around 4:30 am in the morning.

The trek from Ghangharia to Hemkund Sahib is a moderate to difficult trek, which would take anywhere between 4-6 hours depending on your speed. Carry minimal luggage/load while trekking as with heavy load you would tire yourself early. We deposited our excess luggage at Gurudwara Sri Gobind Dham at Ghangahria & trekked with minimal luggage.
Trek on your own speed and keep yourself hydrated to avoid cramps & muscle pins. If you wish you can take breaks during the trek. If you wish you can stop by at the roadside vendors who sell Tea, Biscuits, Snacks etc.
One of the pilgrims suggested us that if we keep walking slowly and gradually without stopping, i.e. if you keep walking slowly/very slowly even when you are feeling tired, you will save energy and at the end of the day feel less tired. Somehow it worked for one of us who tried the approach.
Just adopt a trekking style that suits you. Walking continuously or taking breaks in between depends on your will and stamina.

As you reach the higher regions of the trek, even in the rainy season, you start seeing snow clad mountains, frozen rivers, glaciers, waterfalls and a flowing river which you cross via bridge. One could stop by to take some snaps and capture the beauty via the camera lenses.

Waterfall on the way to Hemkund Sahib

We kept trekking for 4- 4.5 hours before we could see the Gurudwara. As we approached the Gurudwara we saw some construction work going on. The toilets which were at some distance away from the Gurudwara were being repaired and renovated. Anyhow as we walked some more distance we could see the Majestic Gurudwara.

"Gurudwara Sri Hemkund Sahib Ji", as it is formally known, is a site of pilgrimage for the Sikhs and the Hindus. On the bank of a lake having crystal clear water there is a huge star shaped Gurudwara and a Lakshman Temple. The Gurudwara is visited by thousands of pilgrims and devotees every year. The Lake is known as Hemkunt or Lokpal. The snow clad mountains, surrounding the Hemkund Sahib Gurudwara, are collectively called Hemkund Parvat. Hemkund is surrounded by seven snowy peaks and glaciers. Hemkund which literally means "Lake of Snow" is the best metaphor that can be given to the high altitude lake and its pristine waters. Fed by the glaciers from "Hathi Parvat" and "Saptrishi" peaks the lake stretches' around 2 km in circumference. A small stream named " Him Ganga' originates from the lake. The lake remains frozen in the winters.

As per the holy Guru Granth Sahib, Guru Gobind Singh Ji had meditated on the bank of this lake in one of his earlier births.
Folklore associates Hemkund Sahib to be place where Lakshman, younger brother of Lord Ram, was brought after he fell lifeless succumbing to the injuries he received from Meghnath in the Ram-Ravana War. He was later administered with Sanjivini ( a magical herb) that brought his consciousness back. There is a Lakshman Temple built on the bank of the lake at the place.

For information on Hemkund Sahib, its history, places to visit around Hemkund Sahib and Photo Gallery visit my Blog on Hemkund Sahib.

Hemkund Lake

We deposited our footwear and cleaned ourselves before entering the Gurudwara. As we entered we took the stairs taking us to the Prayer Hall. We saw Granthi Ji (one who organizes daily services and reads from the "Guru Granth Sahib") reciting the Guru Granth Sahib. One could walk down to some distance to the Guru Granth Sahib, kneel and bow down your head in front of the almighty to seek his blessings. If you wish to sit in the prayer hall for some more time, you can take one of the piled up blankets wrap yourself and sit down to hear the Gurubani.

After spending sometime in the Prayer Hall, we took the stairs towards the exit. If you wish, as we did, you can do some voluntary donations. As you come out of the Gurudwara you can have the Prasada (a material substance of vegetarian food that is religious offering in Sikhism and Hinduism). 

We had Khichri ( a dish of rice and pulses), Panjeri ( a sweet dish made of whole wheat, sugar, ghee, dry fruits etc.) and Tea.

After having the Prasada, we headed towards the lake to enjoy its sublime beauty. The crystal clear water of the lake, the snow clad mountains, the reflection of the mountains in the lake and the surroundings are so soul-nourishing. We could also see the Brahmakamal that was displayed for the visitors. The Brahmakamal is a rare alpine flower that is seen on the mountain slopes and in the Valley of Flowers region. We were lucky to see the rare flower.

After clicking some snaps we headed towards the Lakshman Temple. Before starting our downhill journey we spent some more time to imbibe the beauty in our minds and soul.

The downhill journey was much faster. While trekking downhill avoid any slipping, ankle twisting or any other injury. In some time we reached Ghangharia. We had Langar* at the Gurudwara Sri Gobind Dham, collected our luggage from the cloak room of the Gurudwara and started our journey towards Govindghat at around 1:30 pm. The plan was to quickly trek down to Govindghat and head towards Joshimath and spend the night at Joshimath.

* Langar- Langar is the term used in Sikhism for the community kitchen in a Gurudwara where a free meal is served to all visitors, without distinction of religion, caste, gender, economic status or ethnicity.

Ghangharia to Govindghat:

Just as we started trekking downhill it started raining heavily. We had to halt at many places and take refuse from the heavy rain. Somehow we reached the Bridge on Lakshman Ganga. By then the rain had turned into a downpour. We had to halt for some more time in a makeshift shed just after the Bridge on Lakshman Ganga. When the rain turned into a light drizzle we started our downhill journey again. By now we were completely drenched. As we moved some more distance downhill and Pulna was just 2-3 km away it again starting raining heavily. We had to take refuse for an extended period of time in a tin-shed that was on the way. The shed also had benches. Sitting in the shed we enjoyed the Jungle, the beauty of the place and the downpour.

Shed on the way

After resting in the shed until the rain stopped, we gain started our downhill journey towards Pulna. We reached Pulna between 5-6 pm. By then we were completely drenched and hungry as well. We reached the parking area and contacted the person in-charge. We noticed he also had a makeshift shop opposite to the Parking area. We decide to head to his shop to have some Snacks and Tea.

The guy prepared fresh Pakoras and Tea for us. Chit-chatting with him, he revealed that he has a MBA degree. He narrated his story, that after completing his MBA from some college in Garhwal, he did job hunting for some time. But in dearth of a job he had to return to Pulna and open a Snacks shop and a parking area. His story was painful but he had a smile on his face. We just realized that sometimes we tend to be sad on our circumstances, but when we hear such stories we feel that we are so blessed.

After the evening snacks we picked our Bikes and rode back towards Govindghat. It was already dark. By the time we reached the Gurudwara at Govindghat it was completely dark. We had to hence abandon the thought of riding back to Joshimath as we wanted to avoid driving in the hills at night.

We collected our luggage from the Cloak room, got ourselves registered and got a room to stay. We collected blankets etc and headed towards our room. We packed our entire luggage and made ourselves ready for the next day trip back towards Rishikesh via Joshimath and other towns/cities.
We had our Langar and went to bed early as we had decided to start our journey early morning. An eventful day had come to an end.

Our Journey:

Day 1: Gurgaon to Shivpuri-Rishikesh (Stay at Shivpuri)

Day 2: Rishikesh to Pakhi-Joshimath (Stay at Pakhi)

Day 3: Pakhi to Badrinath/Govindghat (Stay at Govindghat)

Day 4: Govindghat to Ghangharia & Valley of Flowers (Stay at Ghangharia)

Day 5: Rest at Ghangharia (Stay at Ghangharia)

Day 6: Ghangharia to Hemkund Sahib (Stay at Govindghat)

Day 7: Govindghat/Joshimath to Dev Prayag (Stay at Dev Prayag)

Day 8: Dev Prayag to Gurgaon

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The 1200+ Km Bike Trip --- Day7