Tattva

This is the last of a 3-part series on Sowmya Ranganathan’s Kailash Yatra, a journey that was a life-changing experience for her. She was 15 years old at the time that she embarked on this 18-day yatra. Below, Sowmya shares her diary account of the pilgrimage. To read Part 1, please visit http://www.hinduyuva.org/tattva-blog/2008/05/kailash-yatra/

DAY 12
This day’s trek is the longest, covering a distance of 28 km. We started at 5 30 am IST. It was cloudy and we were all grateful it was not raining. The route is rugged and both the climb up and the fall are extremely steep. The highest point we reach is called the Dolma La Pass. It is at an altitude of 19,500 ft. This is the closest we get physically to the peak of Kailash. We were constantly being advised to walk slow and steady but this is certainly easier said than done. The climb to Dolma La Pass is the most strenuous and the only words I uttered were ‘Om Namah Shivaya’. It is definitely not easy. It is important here to conserve as much energy as possible and so I refrained from talking. Chocolates came in handy as they were an immediate source of energy. In some parts we had to walk on ice. It seemed like forever before I reached the pass.

Dolma Devi is Tara Devi and the spot is considered very holy by the locals. There were lots of flags of worship tied here. From the Dolma- La, we could see Gowri Kund, that is said to be Parvati’s bathing place. The spot is perfectly serene and the sight of the crystal clear water is soothing to the eye. As soon as I reached the pass, I heaved a sigh of relief at having finally done it. I was catching my breath sitting on a rock when the tour leader immediately told me to get going as the oxygen at 19500 ft was very minimal. The climb down was equally as hard as the path was very steep and the mud was loose. During the climb down, there was thin ice on the path and I accidentally drenched my legs. Walking with wet shoes and socks was getting increasingly uncomfortable but I did not have an alternative as my bags were with the porter who was nowhere to be seen just then. In some places, there was no trail to follow and I had to find my own path over the rocks. The indication of the end of the descend was a tent where I could see my fellow yatris resting. What a relief!

After a short break, we proceeded our trek. This stretch was not as strenuous as the previous one but just as tiring. We crossed many streams on the way and my bad luck my feet got drenched again! We also had to endure a bit of hail during this time. Otherwise the weather, thank God, was pleasant. We camped at Zuthul Puk and we stayed in a mud house again. I reached there at 5 30 pm – exactly 12 hours of trekking. When I removed my wet shoes and socks, my feet had become very pale and almost numb. It took me the whole night to get back to normal. As soon as we reached the camp, we were served hot soup by the Nepalese staff. I drank it to my heart’s content. There was nothing on my mind that night. I was simply experiencing the place; and I thanked God as I had never done before. As I lay in my bed, I realized the full magnitude of the Parikrama. I felt as though I had offered my life to god and he returned it back, just as we make an offering during a puja and get back prasad.

DAY 13
We started at 7 30 am IST. We were informed that our vehicles would be waiting for us at the end point at 12 noon. I assumed IST. The walk was not difficult. At 9 30 am IST, I was completely taken by surprise when I saw the vehicles. They had meant Chinese time 12 noon, implying 9 30 am IST! There, many yatris could not stop crying from happiness at having successfully completed the Parikrama. From there, we went back to Darchen. We immediately called home. After lunch, we proceeded to Manasarovar. We camped there for the night.

DAY 14
We started at 7 00 am IST for Paryang. The journey passed quite uneventful.

DAY 15
We started for Saga. I felt that the journey back was somehow going faster.

DAY 16
The 9 hour journey from Saga to Nyalam was worse than I had expected. It was extremely backbreaking and tiresome. When we finally reached Nyalam Hotel, I was quite exhausted.

DAY 17
In the morning, we were told there had been a land slide on the road from Nyalam to the border. The only two options we had were either we walk over the landslide or we wait at Nyalam for a week until the landslide was cleared. The latter was immediately ruled out as our Chinese visa expired the next day. So we all prepared to walk the distance of 5 km over the land slide.  It was clear that every yatri was determined to reach Katmandu that day.  There had been two landslides and the spot was 15 km away from Nyalam.

When we reached the place, we were told to stand back as a dynamite had been placed to break the huge boulders on the way. We finally reached the other end and here we were to wait till the vehicles that were to drop us at the border arrived. We spent a whole 3 hours waiting there. I had my lunch here. I was getting increasingly tensed every moment as the Chinese office closed at 4 30 pm IST. When we at last reached the friendship bridge it was 4 30 on the dot. A minute’s delay could have done all the damage!

We got into our buses after the Nepalese formalities and loading all the bags took almost an hour. We then got our currency changed back. When we started from Kodari it was 6 00 pm exactly. Nobody talked much in the bus. In half an hour everybody was asleep. It was 15 minutes to midnight when we finally reached Katmandu. We then had our dinner and slept.

DAY 18
In the morning I had a long shower after which we went to Pashupatinath Temple. After Darshan we went back to the hotel and packed our things. After lunch we stayed for a bit and we started for the airport. Our flight to New Delhi was scheduled for departure at 9 30 pm. By the time we completed all formalities at the airport and reached home, it was midnight.

At Delhi, I felt as if I had just been brought back from a stupor. The whole experience seemed to me like a dream. The numerous difficulties and hurdles posed to us now make the Yatra all the more memorable. Although we had obstacles at every stage of the Yatra, there is absolutely no doubt that God was with us throughout. For every problem He gave us, He also gave a solution. In this pilgrimage, there is very little humans can do against Nature’s wishes. This was evident during the landslide. Moreover, there is no guarantee for getting Darshan of Kailash. Even after enduring all the difficulties, the sky may be so cloudy that Kailash is hidden from view.

Also, this is one place where human beings are not allowed to make their own rules- every one follows nature’s laws. For instance, nobody can disturb the quiet of the place by shouting or talking loudly. This is ensured by nature for, at that altitude, we are so in need of oxygen we only care to conserve our energy by not talking. This is the place where I realized that we humans are absolutely nothing in front of God. Finally, after reaching home, everybody asked me the same question: how was your experience? My answer to them was always the same: excellent; although I was perfectly aware that this word only expresses 1% of really how amazing the experience was!

Sowmya Ranganathan is currently an undergraduate student at the University of Waterloo, Canada. She can be contacted at rsowmya90@gmail.com.

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