The trip which i was planning from last 3years but couldn't make it..As they say "JABTAK BULAWA NI AATA TABTAK JAA NI SKTE"(When you get a call,automatically evrything falls into place).
A week trip full of peace,trekk,amazing views,religious,sprituality,Strangers turning friends,no network zone,Bike-ride,Some devastating views of floods in 2013.Overall it was amazing experience which i would love to endure again and again.
Hemkunt sahib gates get open by the end of may.If you want to experience heavy snowfall and low temperatures you can plan it may end itself.
My friend had a problem of sinus so we chose to go by end of june when the weather is almost clear .
Day 1..
We(me & my friend) started off from lucknow by Bus.
We boarded bus by 6p.M. and reached Rishikesh at 9a.M..(Bus can be booked online i booked it from red bus).
After reaching there we hired royal enfield classic from ranjeet motors rishikesh,walking distance from rishikesh hemkunt sahib gurudwara..
For bike they charge 1000rs/day. As we hired for 7 days we payed 7000 in advance.If you return bike beforehand your money will be refunded & they ll keep your adhar card in return. It was around 280kms ride from Rishikesh to Govindghat.We rode at 11a.M.& reached to destination by 9p.m. On the way you'll find many dhabas,small restaurants for tea break,and sikh community giving free sewa of langar,water,first aid services. Ride in the evening was bit scary as it is open forest area.. & as you go high temperature goes down. At Govindghat gurudwara you may face some netwrok issues & for me it was a blessing as no business calls,no personel calls so i was more focussed on my religious trip & that peaceful environment with low sound of kirtan coming from gurudwara sahib was a flawless combination to cure my Over tired body. By God's grace Govindhat gurdwara sahib,Has recouped itself so nicely after 2013 flood in uttrakhand,that you cannot imagine of any mishappening there in past. Open langar is available..And for accomodation you can hire rooms but i chose to sleep in open area.In whole gurudwara sahib you can see people sleeping evrywhere the best thing is all you need to show your ID you ll get blanket and mattress for free.Neat and clean bathrooms where you can fresh & up and lockers in other building where you luggage ll be safe
For bike they charge 1000rs/day. As we hired for 7 days we payed 7000 in advance.If you return bike beforehand your money will be refunded & they ll keep your adhar card in return. It was around 280kms ride from Rishikesh to Govindghat.We rode at 11a.M.& reached to destination by 9p.m.
On the way you'll find many dhabas,small restaurants for tea break,and sikh community giving free sewa of langar,water,first aid services. Ride in the evening was bit scary as it is open forest area.. & as you go high temperature goes down. At Govindghat gurudwara you may face some netwrok issues & for me it was a blessing as no business calls,no personel calls so i was more focussed on my religious trip & that peaceful environment with low sound of kirtan coming from gurudwara sahib was a flawless combination to cure my Over tired body. By God's grace Govindhat gurdwara sahib,Has recouped itself so nicely after 2013 flood in uttrakhand,that you cannot imagine of any mishappening there in past. Open langar is available..And for accomodation you can hire rooms but i chose to sleep in open area.In whole gurudwara sahib you can see people sleeping evrywhere the best thing is all you need to show your ID you ll get blanket and mattress for free.Neat and clean bathrooms where you can fresh & up and lockers in other building where you luggage ll be safe.
You ll find pretty good market in gurdwara premises,where you can find sikh religion related ornaments,religious books,fast food counters and many other things.
Morning 8 a.M. get urself ready for long trekk of 13kms from govindghat to gobind dham gurudwara.Park you bike/car in parking area,and take limited items with you as it ll be taking two days to come back to govind ghat gurudwara.
Items ll be clothes for two days,glucose,a stick,winter apparels,boots or good quality sport shoes to trekk,raincoat and small bag.
As you go higher cost of edible items goes higher.
For ex. Soft drink worth rs 35 may be of 55-75rs as you go on higher altitude.
I mixed glucose with water that helped me a lot.Coz oxygen level goes down you may face breathing problem as you go higher.
Second day was really adventurous ,different expressions of people made by day. Admiring Strangers,watching old people walking with passion to reach there destination ,reciting WAHEGURU WAHEGURU on the way was the amzing site.
13km trekk took 8 hours time to reach GOBINDDHAM.
This beautiful Gurdwara, has been built at a very beautiful place by the Hemkunt-Trust where the Rivulet Lakshman and the Rivulet Pushpa meet each other. The gurdwara is located in the village of Ghaghria.
You ll find cheap hotels,or you can stay in gurdwara.Cheap restaurants to heal your hunger.GOBIND DHAM is no network zone area.
Take rest coz next day is gonna be very tough.
For more information you can search on wikipedia.
Final day to the place devoted to Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru,the place of utter peace.I won't say negative for other hill stations but this is something else.Reaching Hemkunt sahib gurdwara after 8kms trekk is an experience which can never vanish from my mind & heart.
This is standing hill which ll take atleast 5 hours to reach.Gates open by 8 a.M. if you want to reach early you can take help of horse,baggi coz walking is really tough.
I went on foot steps i left my hotel by 5a.M. & reached by 9:30a.M...On the way i observed many cute faces,beautiful nature,dediaction of people & devastating views the a mishappening(flood) took place in 2013.
I was completely exhausted but as i reached there all my tiredness melted away..All my cornerstone was to reach darbar sahib and feel the environment ..my heart was literally pumping after reaching there. As i reached i went for holy bath in chilled water then i ran inside took blessings,Thanked God for my successful trip & requested to come again next year.
after 2 p.M all the ceremony gets over & people out there are requested to go back as temperature starts falling down and area turns foggy.If you are lucky enough you can see the rare site of Guru Gobind singh's falcon flies over NISHAN SAHIB..In Gurdwara premises & flies away.I wasn't lucky that day..But would stay next time for it.
On day 4, i left Gobind dham by 9a.M. and by 3 o'clock i was back to Govind ghat gurdwara sahib.Coming down was really fun.At 4p.m i planned to go BADRINATH TEMPLE which is just 25kms away,i chose to ride my bullet,it took me no less than 45-50min to reach as the roads were very good.
After visiting temple,i chose to spend interact priest's sitting outside temple to know the back story of that area .I'm kind of person i can interact anyone anywhere,anytime.
After that our next spot was MANA GAON..Last village of india just 24kms away from indo-china border.
This area is not that developed,you'll find people doing odd jobs fir their survival.People out here are very friendly,going through narrow roads i saw last tea shop of india,the point where village ends and you cannot go further than that.
& then finally i moved back to Govindghat.
Day 5 was totally swallowed by bike ride.It took almost 13hours to reach back rishikesh,& i was hell tired.As temperature was really high i chose to hire a room in gurdwara sahib,all i did i ate langar and took long nap,coz next day i had to cover dehradun pontA sahib gurdwara.
I left at 11 in the morning.Rishikesh is famoud for its ayurveda practices so i went to Ayurveda bhavan for good ayurvedic massage.Moving onto Lakshman jhula thenafter i left rishikesh & moved to ponta sahib around 96kms from there.
It rained at that time,it was hot summer so it was really soothing &we didnt stop. At 5:30 i was in Gurdwara premises waiting for the famous aarti for which i went there.
Hotels are available near gurdwara so accomodation is not an issue.
I returned my bike as they had pickup service & i boarded my flight from JolLy grant airport to lucknow.
i wanted to explore mussoorie,but due to time issue i had to return back.
this trip brought lot of changes in me,i gained confidence in me,satisfied.Im looking forward to explore many other places.
If anyone liked my story,who loves to explore new places,do contact me.
Thank you