To gain some respite
from Delhi’s heat, planned a trek to Madmaheshwar in May, 2012 with Rajesh.
Boarded the Uttarakhand state transport corporation bus from Anand vihar bus
station (fare Rs. Rs. 400/-) the normal fare (Rs. 200/-). The start of journey was inauspicious, as a langur got
trampled under the max just a few kilometers away from Rishikesh. People throw
food on road for monkeys and langurs, in the process attracting hordes of them
towards speeding vechicles, and causing their death (Please refrain from doing
this). Stopped 10 kms before Deoprayag for breakfast. Various outlets for
kheera and nimbupani ( Rs. 50/litre) were thriving on the yatra rush and scorching heat.
At Deoprayag, clean desilted waters of
Bhagirathi merge with sediment laden waters of Alaknanda. A haze starts to follow
from shivpuri onwards and travels with us throughout the trip. It was caused by
the smoke arising from forest fires. Reached Rudraprayag (137 kms) after about
5hr 30 mins.
Boarded a shared taxi
(Rs. 60 per seat) from Rudraprayag to Ukhimath (43kms). Reached Ukhimath in
about 1hr. Stayed overnight at Neelkanth tourist lodge on Omkareshwar mandir marg. During yatra season the simplest
of double bed room can be rented for as high as Rs. 800/-
. Omakareshwar temple is one of the ancient temple and the
winter seat of Kedarnath and Madmaheshwar
idols. The temple priest has a sonorous voice which fills the entire
valley with Sanskrit shlokas over the loudspeaker.
Next morning started
for the main market taxi stand situated a 15 mins walk away. Boarded a shared taxi for
Uniyana (Rs.40/-). The road had good and bad patches and it took about 1hr
to cover the distance of 23 kms. Met the porter and guide Tajwar singh panwar in the taxi. The porter charges around Rs.
Rs. 400 per double bed room,
and the bathroom is attached. The food costs Rs.
Next morning started
for Khadara (2100m) which is a 2km steep climb ahead and takes about 1hr to reach. Panchvati huts owned by devender singh and
other lodges provide staying facility. Room rate is about Rs.
400/-. Attached
bathroom facility is not available. The climb to Nanu (2360m) is very steep and 2kms was covered in about 45mins. Nanu to Moukhom is also a steep climb ( one
and a half km in 45mins) and Moukhom to Koon is steep climb and 1km is covered in about 45mins.
Lodges are available at Nanu , Moukhom and Koon. These are the places to stay
if you get late in the evening because the next
4kms are through dense forests and will take around one and a half to 2
hrs. Koon to Madmaheshwar (3289 m) is a beautiful trek with pink and purple
coloured rhododendron blossoms ( mid
april to late may) on both the sides of the road. Don’t go by the altitude
displaying board at Madmaheshwar as it is wrong and nobody has bothered to
replace it. Infact the trek is not a famous one and most people come by word of
mouth and nowadays, internet publicity.
After arrival took a bath in the chilled
spring water ( after letting the sweat dry for about half an hour; should not
be attempted in winter months as the water is at very low temperature). Had
lunch @ Rs.
30/-). Stayed at mandir seva samiti guest house ( Rs.
Rs. 300/- for a double bed room with attached bathroom). There is
an ancient Rakeshwari temple situated at Ransi, run by Bhatt purohits. This
place is also rich in birds during summer months and the view of hills, sunrise
is also beautiful. Started early next morning for khadrakhal to catch shared
taxi.
(Total expenses : from Delhi to Delhi : Rs.
Some important points:
1) Shared taxis end and
start at Khadrakhaal. They usually don’t run after 12 noon to 1 pm. After this
the taxi has to be booked for about Rs.
2) Rooms with attached
toilet facilities are not available in Khadarakhal, Nanu, Moukhom, Koon and Madmaheshwar.
3) Don’t expect luxurious
city hotel rooms. These are just places to sleep overnight.
4) Locals are simple,
honest and poor people. Mix with them, have the local foods and be generous, as
tourism is a very important source of income for them. Carry
some sweets with you. Local children will keep on asking you for them.
5) Ideal trekking
months are mid April to June and October to November. But if you want to see
the colorful flowers and beauty of meadow, the ideal months are late July
to mid September. The lodges are open from mid April (few days prior to opening
of kapaats of the Madmaheshwar temple) to November. So if you are venturing
beyond Gaundar and Banatoli between December
to April you need to enquire at Gaundar.
6) If you are a
photography buff and want to catch reflection of peaks in kunds of Boodha
madmaheshwar, the ideal time is November as the kunds are filled with water and
the skies are clear. The kunds are dry in May-June.
5) In summers carry a
warm jacket and beyond monsoon months always carry heavy woolens.
6) Mobile connectivity
is an issue beyond Ransi. BSNL connectivity is available even at Madmaheshwar,
but for others connectivity is patchy. Also, there is no electricity beyond Ransi.
7) If anybody is linked
to any organization which can help the people in generating income using the local
resources and also in water harvesting or educating people about man
environment relation, please do come forward and help.
8) The time given to
cover various distances may vary according to individuals trekking speed and
age. So do not focus too much on destination and time taken to reach there,
rather enjoy the beauty of trek.
P.S : In yatra season
there is an acute shortage of buses from Rishikesh onwards. Take shared taxis.
Places to stay and
phone numbers:
Tajwar panwar (porter
cum guide) resides at Gaundar:
09690645235
Ramesh panwar (lodge
owner, guide) resides at Gaundar:
09759238178
Komal tourist point at
Ransi: 09756568976. Email: kttpoint@gmail.com
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View from Ukhimath. Smoke screen throughout the route from Shivpuri marred the view |
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Ancient Omkareshwara temple at Ukhimath, the winter seat of kedarnath and Madmaheshwara idols |
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Road running parallel to madhganga, on the way to Uniyana from Ukhimath |
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Waterfall en route Gaundar from Ransi |
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View of village Gaundar |
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Confluence of banatoli ganga and madhganga at Banatoli |
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Newly constructed Ashutosh lodge near the confluence at Banatoli, and the owner Shiv singh panwar aka lalaji |
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Resting place for sheep and goats at the banks of banatoli ganga |
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The shepherd Karan singh panwar |
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Sign at Madmaheshwar displaying height of 2500 metres which places it 280 meters below Koon. An unpardonable error |
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Koon's altitude in metres |
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Madmaheshwar temple |
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Purple rhododendron. One of the many colored rhododendron found in the madmaheshwar slopes |
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Small, pretty yellow flowers dotting the meadow of Boodha madmaheshwar |
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Temple at boodha madmaheshwar |
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Peaks visible from boodha madmaheshwar. Note the smoke screen due to forest fires |
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Peaks from boodha madmaheshwar |
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| Our guide cum porter Tajwar singh panwar |
Rocks in the shape of Ganesha by the roadside in front of Komal tourist point at Ransi |
