At the onset of the post, I think I need to confess that that I'm not a believer and visiting shrines for wishes fulfilled or to be fulfilled aren't in my 'to do' things actually! Then why did I embark on this journey... I read somewhere when someone asked Edmund Hillary why did he embark on such humongous journey after Everest his answer was ' Because it was there!'
Well so because it's there and I did not have any trip in the pipeline and when my colleague remarked that she needs to do Vaishno Devi, automatically the traveller inside me jumped in. ' I'm ready...let's plan'. She wasn't of course a travel freak as me and me with my reel and real memories interspersed as always...with staple Chitrahar song with Rajesh Khanna walking into the cave with his infant and ' Chalo bulawa aya hain ' in the background and my real memory of the six year me limping, sometimes in Baba's shoulders, wading through the night to Vaishno Devi and the following morning found myself slung in the back of professional human carriers called ' Pitthu 's for the way down hill! Me and my cousin wailing when the Pitthus stopped for a puff as we felt lost and forsaken!
But those were way back in early eighties, now with a quarter approaching past twenty first century and two independent women deciding for a visit to the shrine is almost well not a cakewalk but so doable. We booked tickets via Shree Shakti express to Katra from New Delhi and a flight from Jammu for our return journey. And following my travel gurus and convincing my friend, booked two nights in a JKTDC cottage at Patnitop. Saving leaves, squeezing in Patnitop in the itinerary we started from office for catching Shree Shakti express at seven in the evening.
This was our first trip together though we have travelled in groups earlier, mid forties aren't a good time to adjust I guess and we were a bit apprehensive. But for me it's the joy of traveling, the preparation beforehand, the salon visit, planning outfits, checking itinerary and I tried to inspire my friend as well! A trip is a trip..we will trek, make reels so what it's Devi darshan! My colleague remarked ' Your preparation doesn't seem for Vaishno Devi 🤭'..hair cut and facial and the colourful outfit I assembled in the day of departure. We planned to leave tad bit early from office and catch the metro to New Delhi station.
Bharatiya Rail always romanticised me and yes the vegetarian meal in the train was a bit disappointing. I mean I've been traveling in Bharatiya Railways since time immemorial and always knew I had to choose between veg, egg and chicken. This train had no such option and I was whining to my colleague ' Is this a vegetarian train!' The remark was overhead by the aunty sitting opposite and pat came the gyan , ' Beta...don't have non veg before Mata Rani ke darshan!'
This is so familiar in our country, plenty of advice galore everywhere. Though I know aunty was just offering what she felt was good faith for us. Anyways after the heavily spicy , devoid of taste meal, we tried to drift off to sleep. I made a huge fuss and was unable to climb the upper berth of AC 2 ( 🙈🙈), my athletic colleague offered me the lower berth! I was wondering how I'd make the fourteen kilometres to the top and back when the upper berth seemed like Everest! We huddled off to sleep, I tried some reading since the reading light was not working had to give up in sometime!
Day I
The train ran before time much to my surprise and irritation.... It was barely five in the morning! Beautiful view of the shrine atop the mountains welcomed us and we boarded an auto to Army Cantt where we put up in a guest house, courtesy my friend's Left Colonel brother.
After freshening up and a breakfast of alu parathas and tea, putting our stuff in the cloak room...we chanted Jai Mata Di and started our journey. Our pass was issued from the Army office and also we were informed that if we can make it by ten thirty in the morning to Ardhkumari, we can catch the battery operated car to Bhawan. I was sure we can't make the steep climb of six kilometres within two hours. Here I need to inform all the battery cars can be pre booked around two months in advance. In our case my friend's brother used some VIP protocol to arrange our tickets in battery cars. To such caring sweet brothers 😍... with whom my friend like all sisters argued, groaned and didn't take him seriously at all! Like ' oh he's irresponsible and useless '
Somehow the initial climb wasn't comfortable, felt warm in sweat shirt and jacket, also my friend was in a rush for catching the battery car and the non believer me felt like giving up and there wasn't the Himalayas or anything to stop me dead in my tracks!
That's when Baba called, like many times in my life with the much needed ' You can do it ' mesage. The sun , the breakfast beforehand I was beginning to have a slight chest ache with all the huffing and puffing. Vaishno Devi wasn't that steep comparing to the smallish Himalayan treks I've done...that's what Baba said as well but then those trips were done and this just began! Besides I wasn't here for a race and also there was hardly any breathtaking view and with my friend in for some relay race I was clueless for sometimes. She asked me to take a horse or a palki, well with little bit of ego I had I refused and also because they won't be comfortable as well. Gradually we understood that we won't get the ten thirty car, my friend relaxed, we clicked photos, shot reels and I was coming to form 😎.
I chanted and played the Chitrahar song ' Chalo bulawa aya hain' ...it resonated in the hills and I remembered Rajesh Khanna Shabana Azmi again. The song sprawled to life amidst the mountains and gave me the much needed kick!
With little bit of drama, huffing puffing we reached Ardhkumari at around eleven fifteen and decided to wait for the next car at one thirty. The car would save walk upto five kilometres so we stayed put in the waiting area. Though Baba wanted me to climb the entire way like he did but may be that's what Mata wants...that we reach comfortably me and my friend were in mutual agreement! After having some below average Vada Sambar we waited for the battery car in between more pics and videos. The army people saw to it that we were seated in the battery car and we reached the temple in next twenty minutes. Queue wasn't much or may be because we entered through VIP gate sort, there wasn't much rush. Visit to the shrine was quiet and peaceful surprisingly and crowd was controlled inside the concrete cave. Infact the casual me took the main temple to be one of the subsidiary temples and when I heard the priest showing Kali Mata...I thought Maa Kali was so bong... Dakshineswar, Belur...Kali Badi at so many nooks and corners back home, I wondered what she was doing here in Katra! Later I was surprised this was the main temple...like all I joined my hands, closed my eyes thought about my loved ones for some fleeting moments...some power or some weaknesses what draws people since ages... questions were unanswered like life itself!
Next Bhaironath was easily done through cable car , the folklore about Bhaironath wasn't much much pleasing so I skipped the main temple. I was wondering how Maa, Baba did the entire trek in their sixties! The glance of Himalayas from Bhaironath lifted my spirits somewhat and was making my journey worth while ! Towards Vaishno Devi, entire road was fenced with net and hence no place to sink in the view. The unfiltered mountains from Bhaironath top was refreshing and for sometime I forgot my hunger pangs. As suggested by all we climbed after light breakfast , I didn't have anything on the way before Ardhkumari because of chest pain , also our Army brothers suggested to finish Bhaironath darshan by cable car timely and then stop for lunch at Sagar Ratna.
The warm crisp dosa at Sagar Ratna breathed life into me like nothing else 🙈. My own temple I guess, we devoured the food with our heart and soul. Might be one of the soul satisfying meals I ever had! After some mad rush at the queue for battery cars and prolonged wait, me and my friend hopped in to the vehicle. I was exhausted and sleepy. Even then the journey downhill was fast, relaxing...we chatted, had tea maggi in between, shopped for Prasad, walnuts and we were down in almost no time. We had dinner on the way and then walked to the army cantt guest house. My friend slumped in almost after reaching and me after phone calls and texts had a nice sleep.
Day 2 : Drive to Patnitop, Horse ride to Shiv Ghati
Next day we were up in decent time , showered and got ready for Patnitop. We hired a car for the next three days for taking us to Patnitop and drop us at Jammu airport after one day.
From my travel freak boss and colleague I heard a lot about Patnitop and raved at the lush meadows and mountain ranges. As I heard from my boss quite a few years earlier about his stay at the beautiful JKTDC cottage I didn't think twice before booking one cottage there and convincing my friend it's just ' Dekho Maine dekha hai ek sapna ' wala cottage! Well truth can be stranger than fiction and let's see what's in store for us.
Though beautiful from the car, the distance between two cottages seemed overwhelming. It seemed JKTDC got the entire deodar forest and some cottages were scattered over it and distance between two nearest cottages would definitely be more than one hundred metres! Finding the reception was a strenuous task as it was almost non existing, and when we could trace it finally, the caretaker seemed straight out of haunted bungalow in Ramsay movies. Some rooms were facing the small market, mostly two bedroom cottages, I tried to convince them to shift us there. But as it was we were shown a cottage in the remote jungle with other cottages around one hundred metres away and as we doubted correctly not a single one was occupied. That wasn't of course the end to our woes, JKTDC cottages did not have a restaurant, there was a kitchen with utensils, burner and of course no groceries! My friend chose one cottage with a neat washroom, though we had the feeling we were stuck in the deadly deodars but the breezy feeling made us drive away for lunch and some ride on horses towards Shiv Ghati.
Lunch was by the roadside, simple homely pahadi Rajma chawal and Kalari bread as in local cuisine as suggested by my husband. I devoured Kalari bread with Kahwa, it was warm at the roadside joint with delectable food. I repeated the Kalari bread with chutney.
Next though a bit hesitant initially regarding horse ride but at my friend's insistence and pony wala's persuasion we took the uphill ride to Shiv Ghati. Though we were scared stiff , the mountains lured us and we kept humming songs to ward off the fear of broken limbs if slipped from the galloping Sheru and Veer over the rugged mountains.
Shiv Ghati was Bajrangi Bhaijaanish landscape where we tried to shoot a reel and fail miserably! The mountains were mesmerizing and the galloping pony ride was worth while!
Making a fuss over getting down from the pony , we let go of the pony walas , paying them. Our driver took us to the nearby Mansa temple and we winded up the evening with my favourite chai and pakodas on the roadside 😍.
Now waited the dreaded part in the isolated cottage ! Soon we discovered the cottage was dreadfully unhygienic, torn stained bedsheets complete with hair strewn all over! Curtains, walls had layers of dirt and stains. The caretakers appeared after call, changed the bedsheets which were as bad if not worse! Seems they were helpless! Luckily they brought us food from the market. The room was warm enough and we danced and made reels to ward off the uncanny feeling in the jungle. Called husband and daughter and showed them our plight, the eerie jungle, the one off cottage, the dirt laden upholstery, the torn stained curtains , they were squealing with laughter! Later sent me voice messages making eerie sound, the little and the big monster taking the life out of me. Finally after dance, reels and food...we slipped uncomfortably in the bed and with a resolve we will be shifting out the next day! Deodars peeped through the ventilators...it was some night! Morning was beautiful though with chirping of the birds and hooting of monkeys!
Day 3: Natha Top, Salasar Lake
We checked out bag and baggage from the horrific place after having breakfast with the left over food, heated up in gas. My friend kept fast for Shiva Ratri. Our first point would be Natha Top and next was Salasar lake. On the way there was onslaught of guides, shopkeepers selling warm clothes and snow boots on rent. We hired some jumbo sized clothes and ended up looking hilarious! But few kilometres drive nature changed her course from snow peaks to roads laden with snow. It wasn't my first time, I remained cool but it was breathtaking and almost gave the feeling of first time!
We didn't hire any guide, but stopped car on the roadside and played with snow as much we liked. We slipped, fell, giggled...had all the girly fun we could.
Sound sleep, decent veg dinner and a well furnished room what more we can dream of! Next morning we started for Jammu.
Day 3: Drive to Jammu Airport
Shopping Kud ke Patise, some pheron type kurtas for me and daughter, shawls for my mother and house help. No trip is complete without shopping, they essentially remind you of the moments spent. So I always have these words for travellers...little shopping doesn't harm, they take you back to those moments, pricey stuff doesn't count, the moments return with the souvenirs 😍. Same is the case with trying local cuisine ...gives a real hang of the place. We stopped on the bank of Tawi river, where our driver had lunch while we clicked pics.
