150 145-153 General A Trip to the Himalayas M. Kamal Naidu* Flat No. 414, 6th Floor, Alladin Mansion, Begumpet, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh (500 016), India Article History Abstract Manuscript No. 150 Owing to its awesome beauty and rich biodiversity coupled with a sense of spirituality Received in 13th April, 2011 the Himalaya has always been one of the most desired destinations for people around Received in revised form 19th April, 2011 the world. For India, the Himalaya is the home of god Shiva and considered as the Accepted in final form 10th May, 2011 sacred place where many saints and sages did meditation to realize the Ultimate Truth and for salvation. Being an Indian Forest Service officer, the author shares his experi- Correspondence to ences of divine serenity on his trip to various parts of the great Himalayas. The paper also describes about the flora and faunal diversity of the region. *E-mail: [email protected] Keywords Himalayas, biodiversity, sacred © 2011 PP House. All rights reserved In November, 1974, I took charge of the Special Refresher the swirling, crystal clear Ganga, where the fish could be seen Course (SRC) under the purview of Indian Forest Academy clearly deep within it. These bridges join the famed Sivananda (IFA). This course was for brushing up of Assistant Conservator Ashram and the Swargashram and Tryambakeshwar on the of Forests on promotion from Forest Range Officers (FRO), either banks. The latter jhula is believed to be the spot where mostly in new trends in forestry after their training at Forest Lakshmana crossed the river with the help of a rope. Between Ranger Colleges (FRC), some 15-20 years back. these two bridges is the Triveni Ghat, immortalized by Bharat Since Mr. DC Pande, Director, Forest Education was from Uttar Mandir. Just 15 km away, we visited the Neelkant Mahadev Pradesh (UP). I asked if there was an alternative to Himachal Temple, where Lord Shiva as in our mythology, swallowed the tour, besides Chakrata in UP. He promptly suggested to see poison being churned by the gods and demons from the sea, and the forests in the outer and middle Himalayas of UP (now thus saved the life of the world from a great disaster. Starting Uttaranchal), known as Dev Bhoomi, the ‘Land of Gods’, from here we made a beginning, delving into the divine and graced by the two major rivers Ganga and Yamuna, a land in divinity of the famed Dev Bhoomi. From here we moved on harmony and proportion, and the original home of the Indian towards Haridwar. culture, giving it a universally rich history and well preserved A visit to Haridwar is believed to fulfilling one’s life ambition. heritage. The place is shrouded with so many mythological stories. I had seen so many other places of lesser sacredness, but the One remembers the stories heard as a child, on the lap of visit to the Himalayas was the most divine for its sheer majesty grandmothers of yesteryears. It is believed to be one of the and grandeur. seven holiest places according to Hindu mythology, and a Starting from Dehra Dun we first touched Rishikesh, a major Shaktipeeth of devotees. According to ancient scriptures celebrated spiritual town on the bank of the Ganga, surrounded it was called Gangadwar, Mokshadwar and Mayapuri. It is here by Shivalik range of the Himalayas on three sides. It is said that the Holy Ganga emerges out from the mighty womb of the here when Raibhya Rishi did hard penances, God appeared by Himalayas, through the ‘Shiva Hills’ called Siwaliks, into the the name of Hrishikesh, and so the place got its name. Here fertile Gangetic plains. Thus, is the most sacred places for the Rama, Lakshmana and Bharata are believed to have spent a Hindus being the ‘Doorway to Hari’ or Hari-dwar. The whole good part of their early days. We saw the Ram and Lakshman region beyond it into the Himalayas is called the Char Dham jhulas, very unnerving swaying suspension bridges, spanning or the start of pilgrimages to the ‘spiritual source’ of the four IJbSM 2(2) JUNE 2011 145 sacred rivers Yamnotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath, with his personal effects, rifles, fishing gear, letters and books. which have spectacular locations in the snowy Himalayas. Here I saluted the soul of the greatest of all wild lifers, who Here, Lord Vishnu is said to have left his footprint on a rock enlightened the readers of his books with an excitement and called Hari-ki-pairi, at the main bathing ghat, so that every thrill. He ultimately settled down in Kenya at his luxurious human being can follow the ‘path to salvation’ after touching ‘Tree Top Machan’, which I saw in recent years before retiring. this rock. It is also believed that the Suryavanshi Prince It was here that he had his proudest moment in 1952, when Bhagiratha performed his penance here to salvage the souls of Prince Phillips and Princess Elizabeth were his honored guests, his ancestors, who perished due to the curse of Sage Kapila. when King George V died. He wrote of the occasion. For In response to his penance, Lord Shiva sent Ganga gushing the first time in the history of the world a young girl climbed out, cascading through his matted hair locks, which in today’s into a tree one day a Princess, and climbed down the next parlance, we consider was a good soil conservation measure. day a Queen. Corbett died in 1955 a satisfied old man amidst This bountiful holy Ganga water revived the sixty thousand nature. sons of king Sagara. In the tradition of Bhagirath, devout Leaving Kaladungi, we reached Haldwani, with a large forest Hindus stand in the sacred waters, and pray for salvation of complex, training school, etc. This place is renowned to their departed elders. It was an opportunity to at least remember forester for having the first large scale mechanized plantations them in great gratitude. We waited till the evening to attend of eucalyptus and poplars, which I had seen in 1963 as a the aarthi worship, considered very auspicious. We saw the probationer. It was now a fabulous sight of regimented pilgrims in great devotion and sincerity leaving lighted diyas greenery from the height of the tall watch-tower. After a floating down into the river by the hundreds, making the Ganga thorough study and discussions on forest management with virtually glitter like the starry galaxy on a dark night. the DFO (District Forest Officer), we proceeded to see a few Little away from the city is Daksha Mahadev Temple, the spot forest-based industries like resin, and its several by-products, where Daksha, Sati’s father had a family sacrifice, to which before proceeding to ascend the mountain slopes to Nainital via he refused to invite Shiva. Sati was enraged at the insult to Kathgodam, absorbing the beauty and enormity of the receding her husband Shiva, so immolated herself in protest. Shiva in view of the plains. great sorrow for His beloved wife; carried her body around, Nainital is famed for the Naina Devi temple, where as per performing His Cosmic Dance, threatening to destroy the mythology the eye (in Sanskrit ‘naina’ means eye) of Sati, world. It was then Lord Vishnu came to the rescue of the world wife of Shiva, had fallen when Lord Vishnu flung the several by cutting Sati’s body into several pieces with his disk, and pieces of her body in different directions near Haridwar. It was flung them all over the country. Wherever these sacred pieces of told that the emerald green lake now famous was caused by Sati fell, has become important places of pilgrimage to devotees the blue-green eye of Sati. of Durga (Sati). After all these visits at Haridwar, we traveled We set of fairly early in the morning to Naina Peak (8,560 through the dense forest where the elephants roamed to reach ft) studying the changing vegetation starting with the Chilla late in the evening. ‘Himalayan subtropical pine forest’ below 1,500 m (4,900 ft) Early next morning leaving Chilla, we traveled through the elevation, which we encountered while reaching Nainital dense virgin forest to Kotdwar, thence via Kalaghar to Dhikala from Kathgodam. From here at Nainital up the hill we saw on Ramganga, the core of Corbett National Park. Enroute we the transition to ‘temperate broadleaves forest’ to 2,600m saw a wide array of animals like the elephants, chital, wild (8500 ft) along with deodar, kail and the three species of oaks boar and barking deer in plenty on the wide flats bisected depending on aspect and altitude. As we got to the peak, we by a multitude of tributaries of the Ganga, accompanied saw the ‘temperate conifers’ of fir, spruce with rhododendron by shimmering carpets of dizzy butterflies in thousands. At and the ‘western sub-alpine Western Himalayan alpine shrub evening the elephant ride at Corbett gave the trainees an and meadowa’ beyond 2,600m (above 8,500 ft) at the peak. opportunity of seeing a tiger for the first time. Oh! What thrill This was a very vital exposure to the trainees on the distinct it had sent through them. After the ride, before a late dinner, change in the vegetation and their management by the DFO, we were enlightened by the DFO, my batch-mate Mr. Ashok which made a good understanding of the forests beyond to Singh, on the park management, together with spirits for our the region of Char Dham. In the process of the climb we went tired limbs.