The celestial lake-Hemkund Sahib/Badrinath

The trek to hemkund statred at 6.30 am and we reached at 10.30 am.The day greeted us with a smile,clear sky,crisp mountain air and the sound of the waterfalls splashing as they hit the floor.My eyes dancing over the greenery and eager to sight anything,focussed on the long line of pilgrims who had a head start on us.Hmmm, so that's where our trail leads to,I was excited.We started with a vengence to conquer Hemkund at the shortest possible time,only to realise after sometime our capacity was not up to the mark(this shows the ill effect of easy living in the city).While walking, I felt better when I crossed people,and consoled myself that I am still in good shape ha ha.

This is Ghanghariya from above.

The climp uphill is a steep one,however the scenery makes you forget everything.If you feel too tired just stop to take few photographs ,you will be refreshed to walk again.

The winding road crossing the Glacier.

The vegetation grows thinner and thinner however the little flowers and blue poppy which fills every inch of the hills,looks outstanding.I thought while walking uphill,if I had just planned for the valley of flowers,I would have missed the opportunity to experience such beauty.The blue poppy was sighted more abundantly on the trail to Hemkund,than the valley of flowers.I noticed it flowers in rocky outcrop,with less soil.But wherever you look you get to see the blues,pink ,white ,yellow and of course the green grass covering the landscape.

The blue himalayan poppy

The climb after the glacier is a steep one,and from here onwards,the famous Brahmakamal,which is often mixed up with the water lily kind of flower,found in the plains(I found this information in the net,you type brahmakamal and you find lots of discussion between these two flowers).The hills are dotted with the light green flowers(one more information I found on the net is the yellow petals are infact leaves protecting the flower in harsh conditions).

The brahmakamal

Finally as the road twists and turns and we walk with the remaining energy reserves we heard the sacred hymns resounding from the mikes above.A little smile escapes my heart at the realisation that, the destination is near.

After the tedious climb we are greeted with heavenly chantings from the Gurudwara.The weather was foggy and the winds had carried them from the valley below us,Ghanghariya.The lake was not visible,I could barely see 1m ahead.We decided to climb up the hill to get a better view of the lake.We tredded carefully to avoid slipping from the hill.We sat on the hill,amongst the beautiful flowers, just gazing at the foggy lakeAs the wind blew again it carried away the fog ,unfolding the beautiful lokpal lake in front of us.WOW!!There is no words to explain the feeling,it was awesome

The Hemkund lake with wild flowers covering the hills.

The Hemkund Gurudwara below,its a pilgrimage spot for the sikh's.

The glaciers around the lake contributing, to the mirror below to look at their own reflection..I took some photographs of the outstanding place and soaked in the beauty,the purity and the serenity,to reflect it from my soul.

Badrinath Temple

The Badrinath temple is one of the holiest for us,Hindus .One among the Char dhams,this temple is the easiest one to reach in comparision to the other dhams.

The temple complex from outside.

The mana village the last village towards the Indian side lies three kilometers from Bardinath.We hiked uptill the village and further 5 km to reach Vasudhara falls,on the way we came across the river Saraswati which emerges out from the glacies and disappears into the Alaknanda.The river cuts thru the gorge to make its way towards the waiting Alaknanda.

Mana Village

The roofs are made of stones still an ancient way of survival and resourse utilisation.

The Bhim pul(bridge) which cuts across the River Saraswati is believed to be made by Bhim one of the Pandava brother.As per mythology , Bhim did not want to walk on the river Saraswati so constructed the bridge with a huge boulder,which stands till today ,to cross over to the other side.
Bhim Pul

The river Saraswati as it gushes out of the Glacier.

The river as it cuts thru the gorge below Bhim pul

Once we crossed the Bhim pul we hiked up till the vasudhara falls which is 125 m in height.The torrents of water come gushing down and are diffused in fine showers and soft mist by wind blowing from different directions.You can actually see packets of water cascading down.

The Vasudhara falls