Char Dham Diaries : A journey beyond travel.

 Every journey leaves behind a story , but some journeys gift us memories that last a life time . Our Char Dham yatra was not just about travelling 💖it was about embracing the beauty of nature , feeling the divine energy and living moments that touched the soul.

I still remember that Sunday morning when we board the train . There was an unusual excitement in the air, as if some positives vibes was calling us Sometimes the journey begins even before stepping out , it begins withing the heart and that was exactly what I felt . So after a long journey by train we reached Haridwar were we paused for a while ,had a lunch and then continued ahead and yes our excitement level was on the top . We witnessed the sacred Ganga river . The river enters from the Himalayas that's why  it is also called gateway of Ganga .

The scene was so peaceful , so divine , that words cant define the feelings. After almost 10-11 hours of a long tiring ride , we finally arrive near Yamunotri Dham which was first Dham , it was around 11 at night. we were soo tired but our hearts were filled with joy and Devotion . We checked into a hotel, had dinner and decided to leave early the next morning .

By 4:30 am , alarms starts ringing and the whole members slowly got ready , the ice winds outside pierced through us, but our determination and devotion kept us warm and excited . By 6:45 AM we had breakfast and thought about taking extra warm jackets but then the first ray of sun fell on us . That worm felt like a divine blessing as if the Universe was guiding us to start walking forward. It was a reminder that when faith is strong no distance feels long no path too difficult . Before starting to climb we bought wooden sticks because without them it is almost impossible to climb these Mountains, we began walking chanting HAR HAR MAHADEV 😍together encouraging one another in every step . I must say the arrangement for devotees were really thoughtful , water and food stalls and even washrooms were available almost every 1.5 kms , which brought us much relief😅, but still the real strength come from within . After hours of walking we finally reached Yamunotri around 3:30 PM 

The views and scene was breath taking ,  the journey was much tiring but the moment we arrived it all felt  worth it . Imagine almost 3 to 4 lakh devotees walk here everyday and we were one of them 😌

Taking a dip in the holy water of Maa Yamuna was moment beyond words. The freezing water touched our skin but it touched our souls much deeply , we felt truly blessed and humbled by the divine energy around us . After the sacred dip we sat quietly for a while near the temple ,offering our prayers. No grand rituals needed just few silent moments was enough to feel that connection, we bowed our heads ,took blessings from Maa Yami . My heart whispered your dream came alive🙇

By 7:30 in the evening we returned to our hotel , we were exhausted but filled with strange peace. During dinner we talked about the next destination of Char Dham that was Gangotri Dham . The next morning after getting ready we had a simple breakfast with a hot tea uff cup of chai😂the worm sip of chai tested like a Heaven itself I guess all tea lovers can relate to this😉😂. I thought how little moments become sweetest memories of all. Our Yatra continued .....

The road way was so beautiful and serene I mean to say much beautiful than Yamunotri way ,every curve of the road was beautiful . We began early morning around 6:30 AM and by 2:30 PM we finally reached Gangotri Dham 😇😁. The air was crisp and much colder than Yamunotri Dham because here flows the sacred Bhagirathi river it is a original source of Maa Ganga river coming straight from Gomukh . The temperature of river was between 6 to 16 degrees ,yet we took a holy dip in river and the cold water just numb our bodies, it felt like a deep soul cleans  and all negativity was washed away leaving behind only blessing of Maa Ganga . And yes the Dham was well organized for devotees so nothing felt lacking . Along the way the small shops everything from essentials to souvenirs , the walk from the parking area to Gangotri temple was around 1.5 kms .

Standing in front of Maa Ganga Temple overwhelmed me , it was as if I was living inside a dream and praying the time to please stop for once let me just live this moment😳💗💖 . The Temple was surrounded by huge snow caped mountains . 

As we began our return journey from Gangotri , we asked a few locals how far Kedarnath was . They told us the distance was around 300kms. At first it felt overwhelming but then we decided _ lets cover 100km for today and the rest tomorrow .Tired yet blessed , we carried forward , hearts 💓full of faith and devotion for the next chapter of our Char Dham Yatra .Do you know something fascinating that no matter where you begin the route that will eventually bring you  back too Uttar Kashi , for instance you wish to go to Gangotri you first come to this scared town because the Char Dham are on 4 directions and Uttar Kashi is in between its like for ways in 4 direction !😳ok so coming to topic..😅 now 200 km was yet to complete and believe me it was not easy task! yet when you are determinant everything seems possible .

The road to Kedarnath was unlike any other pleasant weather , breathtaking views and yes undeniable chill that pierced our bones . This part of Yatra was the coldest of all! not just in terms of weather but in its aura too _mysterious and powerful  too means you can really feel the presence of Mahadev . And what I personally experience was a Deja Vu as if my soul has been here before . So after completing 200km we reach Sonprayag from here devotees proceed towards Kedarnath . So we just booked one hotel name Shivam  which appears to be a 5 star hotel but in reasonable rates awesome  right! so we booked 2 rooms and had dinner around 7:30 pm  because we decided to rest at least 6 hrs. because the next day was our turn for Kedarnath treck . Kedarnath is considered to be the toughest in all Char Dham  and that's why its the extraordinary .

Early in the morning after a simple breakfast and a hot cup of tea we started our Kedarnath yatra , with every step we chanted HAR HAR MAHADEV . After walking for 2km , we suddenly a long line for security checking , but the time passed because there were countless devotees around us and we can see that every face has that same glow and devotion so everything melted away . At last we started our trek ,first came Gauri Kund and then Rambada and finally the steep ascent . Let me clear one thing that the climb of Kedarnath is much difficult and challenging than Yamunotri , each kilometers test your body but at the same time your heart and strengthens more. Every step was taking us closer to Mahadev . There are certain journeys that cant be explain by words or distance its beyond everything . It seems like you are walking into different world were the time stops and silence steps in your soul and mind . I know I cannot capture it all here in just one blog because its that place where anyone literally anyone would fall in love ! the moment you reach there its like you touched heaven 

So please forgive me because I am writing it in short but I promise my next blog will be based on  Kedarnath because there are several experience that I want to share in brief I hope you will cooperate but yes I will share some little glimpse 😉💕. Coming to point after spending 2 days in Kedarnath ,our bodies were exhausted and seriously none of us was physically fine! but yet we have to complete the journey and the last destination was Badrinath Dham . Our driver took a deep breath and said we have to complete our journey no matter what happens so lets take a rest for today . The next morning with restless  and sleepless eyes but heart full of energy began our journey to Badrinath Dham 

The road to Badrinath was not just a journey it felt like pilgrimage of souls . Despite all the physical struggles we were happy because it was our last Dham and we were about to cover it successfully and at the same time  we all where sad and emotional too . After long journey we reached Badrinath Dham around 8:30 PM . The first thing we did was booked a hotel 😁😂tired but strongly fulfilled , we were hungry and the food which we ate was soo simple and tasty , it just filled the soul . So after dinner we decided to take max 9 hrs. of sleep ! yes you heard right because body was too tired . Honestly the real excitement was to meet our King Badri vishal Maharaj 💕💗💘. So again the same morning but felt with different vibe, different energy. As we step out of the hotel a bright sun was on the sky providing Vitamin D to all devotees . After reaching the corridor of Temple we saw 1.5 kilometers of queue , I couldn't believe my eyes ! yes you heard me right 😂

Not a single devotee was tired , every soul was energetic and the atmosphere was much powerful . Everyone was chanting JAI BADRI VISHAL MAHARAJ , every single step and vide feels like a direct connection from Heaven 

As you can see from the image above ! how much positive vibes was present at that time . With that divine grace we finally had the Darshan of Maharaj . After the darshan we had a simple meal  and done some shopping and exploring the place ,literally each corner seemed to whispers some secret hidden stories . Before ending my blog I know I skip many precious topics which I will continue in next blog 😉😇.

with love 💘

Mellow vibes