Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Thiruvananthapuram
Visakhapatnam
Call of the Himalayas
|
A pilgrimage to the Himalayas is being conducted by the School of Santhi from August 28.
|
A TRIP to the Himalayas is considered to be an intense spiritual experience.
A 21-day pilgrimage to the Himalayas is being conducted by the city-based School of Santhi from August 28. The itinerary includes visits to sacred spots such as Hardwar, Rishikesh, Gangotri and Badrinath.
Hardwar is believed to be the gateway to the abode of Gods.
According to legend, Prince Bhagirath of Suryavansh performed a penance here to salvage the souls of his ancestors who had perished due to the curse of Sage Kapila. The Ganga trickled forth from Lord Shiva's locks and revived the 60,000 sons of King Sagara. Surrounded by hills on three sides, Rishikesh is located on the banks of the Ganga. Gangotri is believed to be the place where the Ganges touched earth for the first time. The Gangotri temple was built in the 18th century by a Gorkha commander, Amar Singh Thapa, and later rebuilt by the Maharaja of Jaipur.
By November, Gangotri is snowbound, and so the deity is taken 25 km downstream to Mukhba. Sri Neelakant is believed to be the place where Lord Shiva tried to swallow the poison discharged by Vasuki while churning the `palazhi'. Joshimath is nestled in the Himalayas enroute to Badrinath from Rishikesh.
There are temples of Narasimha and Vasudeva here, built by Adi Sankaracharya. Joshimath is the first mutt established by Sankara, and is located 14 km from Helang enroute to Badri. And there is the Vashisht Cave, where sage Vashisht is believed to have meditated. Badrinath is one of the sacred pilgrimage centres situated on the Tehri-Garhwal hill. The route to Badrinath is a most arduous one due to the lofty hilly terrain, curves and cliffs.
The image of Badrinarayan here is fashioned out of Saligramam. At Badrinath, one sees the hot water springs of Taptakund on the banks of River Alaknanda. The temperature of the water here is 55 degrees, whereas the normal temperature here for most part of the year varies from 9-10 degrees to sub-zero levels.
It is this luminosity of Himalayan life that has inspired the School of Santhi to conduct the pilgrimage, which includes yoga and meditation sessions at dawn and dusk.
The itinerary also includes visits to Delhi, Agra and Mathura.
Details of the pilgrimage are available with School of Santhi here (Phone: 338323; e-mail: santhischool @satyam.net.in.).
A.V.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Thiruvananthapuram
Visakhapatnam
|
