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Triund - A Spiritual Adventure - Part 2 - India
by AK | Date >
2006-09-08 | Country : India | City : Triund
| Area : McLoed Ganj |
| My Body was tired, yet my spirit soared. Such is the effect of the tranquil mountain breeze in McLeod Ganj.
Body won over the soul, and I slept. I slept for a few hour and woke up in the evening. After a steaming shower and a hot cup of tea in my fascinating courtyard, I set out to visit a man I have admired for a while, The 14th Dalai Lama, leader of the good people of Tibet. The 23 year old Dalai Lama reached India in 1958, evading capture from a poorly orchestrated Chinese plot, he sought asylum in India. Dalai Lama moved to McLeod Ganj in 1960 with almost thirty thousand refugees. This man won the Nobel Prize for his determination to free Tibet with Truth, Justice and Courage as his sole weapons. I have great respect for this man and his beliefs.
I reached the monastery at early dusk. I could sense the peace this place held as I walked up the stairs leading from the entrance. I crossed a huge prayer wheel standing in heavenly splendour in a small room along the steps, It was made of Gold, or so was my first impression. The steps lead to the temple courtyard. Overlooking the beautiful valley, the courtyard is filled with a few pine trees with benches under them. Another flight of steps leads to the first level, here there are two large rooms, one is the Temple where young monks worship and recite religious Tibetan text. The other room is a Meditation hall with a gold statue of the Buddha, this is my favorite place, the meditation hall though open to public is scantly filled with a few people, two monks, I and another traveller or seeker perhaps. I spent some time meditating in this near silent chamber, connecting to this peacefully magical place. My meditation was interrupted by sounds of a gathering of devotee Tibetans singing prayers in honor of an ascended master, while taking rounds of the Temple and the Meditation hall. Although, I wasn't expecting any action knowing Dalai Lama was in the US, I was in for a treat. As I walked out of the Meditation hall and put on my shoes, more people joined the gathering. The party then moved to the Courtyard below, I followed, curious and strangely excited. This was no mourning, it had the quality of a celebration. I was awe-struck by the sheer dream like quality of the courtyard, lit with a thousand candles on a moonless night, candles everywhere, around the pine trees, on the railings, the grass, in the hands of almost all people gathered. I was mesmerised. What followed was a little speech by on of the elder monks, a lot of singing, a few religious hymns followed by a lot of patriotic songs. I couldn't understand the words, but only a dead man could not feel the sentiment. The sweet sound of hundreds of hearts remember home, praying for the day they go back. I stood on the railing under one of the pine trees, touched deeply by these ever smiling people of Tibet, the land of the Enlightened. By now, night had gripped the town in near total darkness, lit only by the candles still held in the hands of people as they moved out of the temple, and down the streets. I followed. McLoed Ganj is a town filled with many residents, mostly Tibetan and Himachali, a lot of travellers have come here and never left. Therefore, the town is a spectrum of cousins, no matter what country you come from, you will find your food here. I was in the mood to try Italian, safest bet for a Vegetarian not wanting to eat Indian. I walked thru the streets dotted with restaurants, eateries and bakeries, looking for a good Italian place. After a little asking around and a long flight of stairs, I stepped into an authentic Italian restaurant. I settled in a table next to the window, overlooking the dark valley twinkling with dots of light for the villages below, and ordered my PIZZA. As I walked back to my room, I stopped at a site I had seen in the day. A temple like structure surrounded on all sides with small prayer wheels, I started at one corner and went around the building, turning all the prayer wheels with one swaying motion as I passed. As I stepped out of the temple, I felt refreshed, lighter in a way, peaceful. A few smokes on my dark courtyard and a hot shower later, I fell asleep feeling deep joy in my being. I awoke to the sounds of birds chirping in my garden, seven am, time to get up and start my trek to Triund. From the moment I started my journey I was thankful that I was alone. Although, I did suffer a little from an undying old habit of not asking for directions, this only added to my experience, as I unknowingly avoided the travelled road for a lesser known path. The path to Triund from McLeod Ganj is simple, you can take a cab/taxi or walk from McLeod Ganj to Dharamkot about 5-6km away, from Dharamkot to Triund another 8km trek, passing some of the most breathtaking scenery in Northern India. Not knowing the distance to Dharamkot and then to Triund. I walked from McLeod Ganj, taking a beautiful pine forest covered trail to Dharamkot, the trail is made of poorly aligned and scattered stones, very easy to get lost. I travelled light with a small backpack filled with a bottle of water, a notebook and two books. Asking occasional shepherds and locals using this little know route, I navigated my way to Dharamkot, I was beginning to realise the true extent of the physical labor involved and that this was only the beginning. At Dharamkot I stopped for a cup of tea, taking in the beautiful day stretching its arms over the mountains. After enquiring the route and a brief chat with a group of travellers I had shared the road with nearing Dharamkot, I set out on the mountain trail to Triund. I was to climb from 1800metres (Dharamkot) to 2900metres (Triund) in the next 8 Kms. Starting out I crossed an interesting shepherd, a thin almost frail girl in her teens, taking care of a herd of mountain goats. She had dark attractive eyes, dark hair tied with ribbons, a shy smile which reminded me of myself in my teens. The mountain goats are interesting animals, they have an intimidating appearance with their short, spiral and sharp horns, and long legs, but, are quite docile and tend to cluster to one side when approached. The trail is a winding ever ascending path with beautiful wild flowers, trees and plants on the hill side, and heavenly views of the valley below on the other side. At points the trail runs so narrow, it is only a feet wide, adding an element of danger, and rightfully warranting attention as one treads. About 5kms on the trail is a small cafe' called the Mid-way Cafe', although it lies 5kms into an 8km trip, its is considered mid-way as the trek from here become more grueling and steep with every bend taking longer to cover the remaining 3kms to Triund. Well, I had the Customary Smoke and Tea combination, with few breads and biscuits. The Mid-way cafe' has an excellent collection of Bamboo Sticks used by the locals on treks, a good momento. The cafe's is owned by a third generation Punjabi man, who was born in these parts and has managed the family business like his forefathers before him. He was kind enough to help me choose the right stick for my height and purpose. After testing the stick against the only pole keeping the roof intact, he handed my new travel mate to me. The cafe is built on a mountain bend, giving it an excellent view of the Valley and the surrounding mountains. It drizzled for a bit as I rejoined the trail with my new dark brown bamboo stick. As I turned the first bend, I noticed a woman sitting on a stone on the edge of the bend, I felt like saying hi, but I got this feeling that she needed to be alone, I moved quickly. The last kilometer to Triund is quite a physical challenge, which is why a smart young Himachali man has setup a small Tea Cafe', a stone enclosure with a tent for cover, a great place to relax pressured limbs and friendly conversation with owner of this smart business venture. I sat talking to him and enjoying the view on a large rock, which becomes part of a waterfall in the monsoon months, now dry and warm. My new friend warns me of snakes in the rock crevices as I cross this rocky patch and start my final ascent to my final destination. As I start the almost vertical climb, a group of Tibetan Teenagers are running, yes, running down the trail with their tents and stoves and backpacks, they seem to effortlessly glide defying gravity and fear alike. I felt my energy levels replenished seeing this young group and their ease....... |
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