Did the Advaita saint Adi Shankara visit the exotic Valley of Flowers while visiting Badrinath and Kedarnath? That could be a matter of conjecture. But we bag packers (for six days) had an exhilarating experience in the valley.
Indisputably, the one place where a walk through a valley brings rapturous contentedness during our trek. Neatly nestled among the snow-clad peaks of the Himalayas, there are abundant places of scenic beauty to witness.
The rich bio-diversity of the area is also home to recherché and endangered animals, including the Asiatic black bear. “My goodness screamed my cousin in amazement,” as we spotted one.
Our guide informed that it is above 3,352m to 3,658m above sea level. We were astounded to see the landmass encompass a sui generis transition zone between the Zanskar mountain ranges and the robust great Himalayas.
Apparently in 1931, three British mountaineers losttheir way while returning from a successful expedition to Mt. Kamet and happened to stumble upon the valley, which was blazing with radiant flowers and was christened by the eponymous name.
In 1939, Joan Margaret Legge, a botanist deputed by the Royal Botanical Garden, Kew arrived at the valley to examine the rich tapestry and abundance of flowers. While traversing some rocky slopes to collect flowers, tragedy struck as she slipped-off and a precious life was snuffed out. Her sister later visited the valley and erected a memorial near the spot. Our team of hitchhikers paid silent homage as tears welled up our eyes.
As we footslogged over peaks breathing heavily over treacherous precipices, we paid obeisance at Sri Hemkund Sahib, among the holiest pilgrimage sites of the Sikhs.
The six of us witnessed natural splendours throughout the grandiose trek. The trek usually begins from Govindghat, which is about an hour away from Joshimath.
I realised all intrepid adventurous can plan their itinerary to include more destinations like Haridwar, Joshimath and Rishikesh. Besides undertaking the arduous yet fascinating trek and rafting on the waves of the Ganges near Rishikesh or Haridwar, there are several other standout points and vignettes in the vicinity.
Incidentally various operators and tourist agencies decide for travel to Haridwar. The fascinating itinerary is indicative of the impossible. We discovered the tailor-made holiday package catered to the specific interests of our team and left us numbed with an indelible impression on the mind.
These included a visit to Har-ki-Pauri, witnessing the consecrated evening Ganga Aarti at Haridwar, trips to the Panch Prayag, (Vishnuprayag, Nandaprayag, Karnaprayag, Rudraprayag and Devprayag, which are five points of confluence of the Alaknanda River with other rivers) and breathtaking sightseeing in Rishikesh and its environs.
These were some jaws dropping vignettes to which our group of six were exposed to and carried with us sublime memories as clouds wafted across the panoramic view of swathes of land.
A trip to the Valley of Flowers and other splendid locations made us firmly believe in the words of American author, John Burroughs, “You are always nearer the divine and the true sources of your power than you think.”
