Yamunotri

This weekend we went to Yamunotri, which is a Hindu pilgrimage site. It's the head of the Yamuna river, one of the four rivers to feed into the Ganges. On Saturday we took taxis for the six hour drive, including two chai stops and a stop for lunch. The amount of chai we are forced to drink is slightly ridiculous. We have chai at least three times a day. We switched to jeeps at the end of the paved road nine kilometers before the town we stayed in and drove up this road that is in the process of being built. We then walked a kilometer to the dharamsala (like a very basic guest house) we stayed in. The guest house was extremely damp and cold and only had electricity and running water a few hours a day. the sink drained directly onto the floor and the first night we didn't want to get under the covers because they were so damp and moldy so it was probably the worst night I've ever had. A hotel worker pounded on the door at 6am with the same urgency and intensity that one would expect if there was a fire....bringing chai.

Sunday we walked five kilometers up an extremely steep hill to the temple. There were a few different options for getting up- walk, ride a horse, be carried by four men on a sedan chair, and be carried in a basket on a man's back. The latter was popular amongst the very elderly women who make up the majority of pilgrims. I walked. The temple is built around hot springs that are extremely holy and if you take a dip all of your sins are allegedly washed away. There are separate ones for men and women with the women's being below the mens in an area that sort of feels like a dungeon. Many of us went in and it was a wonderful experience. The Indian women were so joyful and were splashing around in their underwear and laughing and pulled us in.

In the afternoon we visited a nearby traditional village with slate roofs and very ornate woodwork. This village has a temple that is at least 1400 years old. I asked the keeper of the temple if I could go in and the whole group followed. He led me up four ladders made from entire tree trunks to the attic where there was a small shrine. It was pitch dark climbing up until we reached the top where daylight came through holes in the ceiling. above the shrine are two metal water jars that apparently switch places every full moon- they lock the temple that evening and the next morning they're in different places, and this has been happening for centuries.

Sunday we walked nine kilometers down to the paved road to get the taxis back to Mussoorie. For the first few kilometers we walked on the old pilgrim trail that used to be the only road to Yamunotri. The car road was built fifty years ago and many villages along the pilgrim trail were abandoned due to people moving to the road.


Now we're back in Mussoorie and it feels great to be back in "civilization". I forgot to bring my camera this weekend so I'll put other people's pictures up eventually.