Figuring out a way to escape Delhi this weekend and experience some serious cultural shock? – Join us to Tarkehwar Mahadev Temple trek- Lansdowne

THROUGH THE PATHS LESS TAKEN- TARKESHWARA-MAHADEV TEMPLE

Experiences speak louder than research and every word I write is based on my personal experiences around India, specially around my favorite Indian state- “UTTRAKHAND”

Like every Delhi-based professional (or an incompetent sloth bear like me), the million dollar question is- How to survive the weekend? How to beat the killer heat? How to make your Saturday worthwhile? How to run away from the social bunch of obnoxious morons and escape into the Himalayas? (well, I know you secretly ask that too :-p) .

  

Answer is never easy- We research the crap out of Google and end up cursing Larry page for not being good enough(and day dream about what it would be like to own Google 😛 ). When nothing comes easy, we find that good ol’ pet couch sitting on the same corner we left it on last weekend and feel miserably content lazing on it.

We fail to notice how blessed we are, owing to the geographical location of Delhi, the center point for the whole of North India. Among thousands of hidden gems nestled in the North, the one that we choose was this little-known Shiva temple, Tarkeshwar Mahadev.

We were sandwiched some where in the center for 3 hours before we came out and took this faith dripping picture

How do I put this in words?- Something like this, “The wilderness will magically spin its wand and transport you to an unknown valley of deodar and pine trees with culture crawling like wild ants and religion dripping like honey from a massive beehive”. Okay! I got a little overboard here..but the whole journey was nothing less than a fairytale.

Hiding between the massive Deodar and Pine trees…religion and faith has no boundaries

 Hiding between the massive Deodar and Pine trees…religion and faith has no boundaries

We left from Delhi on Friday night and reached our destination at 9AM Saturday.

And this is how we did it- Compiled in a table, which I very patiently decorated 😛

From where to where	Mode of transit	Distance/ Time	Comfort level
Delhi to Kotdwar	Train	212KMS/ 8 hours	Medium
Kotdwar to Lansdowne	Prepaid Taxi	42KMS/90 minutes	Medium
Lansdowne to Tarkeshwar Mahadev	Prepaid Taxi(same)	36KMS/1 hour	Zigzag route- Low

Stupefied by the charm and ridiculed by the elevated greens touching the pale sky, the aerosphere surged oxygen into our ordinarily deprived lungs, habituated to the pollution and ruckus of Delhi.

Temples bells surrounding the entire temple and jingling all the way- not a single second during our 9 hour stay in the temple did the bells stop ringing.

Temples bells surrounding the entire temple and jingling all the way- not a single second during our 9 hour stay in the temple did the bells stop ringing.

Bouncing through the topsy-turvy hillside, we asked our driver to park at a distance, giving us an excuse to hike our way down to the temple gates. Humming through gigantic deodars and bursting into an infinite world of aimless wandering, we heard some distant calls of “Har-Har Mahadev”(Everyone has Shiva within). Locals told us how devotees from nearby villages gather in the temple to offer their first production for the season, carrying the utensils on their heads and cooking for the Gods and fellow travelers.

Dancing in the trance of SHIVA- A devotee with TRISHULA, the weapon of Shiva, the destroyer

As the parade came closer, we encountered something highly spiritual. Pilgrims spinning in the rhythmic beats of drums, in absolute trance of Shiva- swaying like a butterfly. We were able to capture some excellent shots, although it became very crowded.

No Caption here- We were dumbstruck

Moving on to the main temple, snuggled between the pine and deodar trees, dedicated to the prime deity Shiva, enveloped inside an endless array of brass metal bells. We waited in line for 2 hours before receiving the Darshana(holy blessing) and not for a single second did the bells stop jingling.

That’s me in the picture 😛 If you look realllly close

Exhausted by the sentiment, we hiked a little uphill from the temple and there it was- PEACE and that very moment we knew we have it all, even if we don’t have any(cheeky >:<). Anyways, clicking our way through the lush green mountain peaks, we returned to our car and took a Hotel at Lansdowne for the night, followed by another epic day..

 

 

Additional info:

 

Mussoorie Express(Delhi to Kotdwar & Kotdwar to Delhi)– Train No. 14041; Timing – 10:20 PM & 10:00PM ; Departure point- Old Delhi railway station ; Station code- DLI ; Pre-booking required; INR 490/830

Kotdwara– City code- KTD ; Train reaches Kotdwara at 6AM ; Availability of Taxis from station- Easy and frequent(inbox us-digitalbatutta@gmail.com for help)

 

Kotdwara to Lansdowne– If you don’t wish to book a taxi, take a regular jeep from the station. Tickets can be booked then and there. Fare- Approx INR200/- or less.

 

Lansdowne to Tarkeshwar temple– It’s recommended you pre-book your taxi ‘coz transportation back from the Temple is difficult. Lansdowne bus station and railway station are the places to hunt for taxis.

 

Dress Code– It is recommended you dress up conservatively. Rest is your faith

Making of Mass-Prashada(holy-sacrament distributed in the temple)