Trek to Madmaheshwar in May, 2012

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.177/-). Arrived at Rishikesh, at a distance of 222km from Delhi after 5 hrs 30 mins. Travel touts were creating panic about the unavailability of buses, stating that all the buses were engaged in  Char dham yatra. Therefore, boarded a Mahindra max on shared basis, paying double ( 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.400 to 500/- per day.  The road takes 1km beyond the market of Uniyana to Khadrakhaal, and the trek starts from here. Extra luggage can be kept in the safe custody of Mr. Narayan,  running a tea stall at Khadrakhal , for a small sum. Though the road has been made till Ransi (1.5kms beyond the start point), the connecting bridge is yet to be made due to some legal hassle between PWD and forest department. If the bridge is made, the trek will be shortened by 3.5kms.  Khadrakhaal to Ransi is 1.5km easy trek on kuccha road and takes about 30 mins. From Ransi to Gaundaar (1600m) is a 7km trek of which first 2kms are on a level kuccha road and the next  5kms are a downhill easy trek, though the last part is a bit of a climb. At Gaundaar had delicious khichdi with desi  ghee  (Thali @ Rs. 60/-) as lunch at Ramesh panwar’s hotel. Gaundaar has quite a few lodges.  It is situated near the river madhganga. From here Banatoli is situated at a distance of 1 km (30 mins) and the climb is semi steep. Banatoli  is situated at the confluence of madhganga and banatoli  ganga, and is an ideal place for camping. It has newly constructed Ashutosh lodge run by Shiv singh panwar (lalaji), a jovial and genial fellow. The room rent is around  Rs. 400 per double bed room, and the bathroom is attached. The food costs Rs. 70/- per thaali. Had a conversation with a shephered karan singh about his lifestyle, and had a taste of goat’s milk. Surprisingly, we found that as projected neither does it stink, nor it tastes different. Stayed overnight at Banatoli. There is another guest house 500ms up the road.

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. 300/- to  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. 70 per plate (Other items: Maggi Rs. 30/-, hot water bucket Rs.  30/-). Stayed at mandir seva samiti guest house ( Rs. 300/- for double bed room). The bathroom is common but is within the complex. Other lodges do not provide this facility. In the evening trekked to boodha madmaheshwar  (3500m) a trek of about 1km steep climb. On the last leg of the trek towards the upper part of the mountain slope are myriad coloured rhododendron blossoms. It is a beautiful sight. Boodha madmaheshwar is a meadow with a shiva statue and few kunds at the top of the hill. But the kunds are dry in months of may and june, and the peaks were not visible due to smoke. The mountain slope was dotted with pretty yellow flowers. Trekked around the madhmaheshwar complex in early morning. The summer season is ideal for bird watchers (collared blackbird, varieties of rose finches, minivets, woodpeckers and thrushes were easily spotted). Offered pooja and started downhill trek. Reached Ransi in about  five and a half hours excluding the stoppage time for tea and lunch. Stayed overnite at Komal tourist point ( 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. 5500/- (Room on twin sharing basis). Could have beenRs.  5000/ but the last leg of our journey from  from Rishikesh to Delhi cost around Rs. 525/-: Ac Volvo bus).

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. 1000/-

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

View from Ukhimath. Smoke screen throughout the route from Shivpuri  marred the  view

Ancient Omkareshwara temple at Ukhimath, the winter seat of kedarnath and Madmaheshwara  idols

Road running parallel to madhganga, on the way to Uniyana from  Ukhimath

Waterfall en route Gaundar from Ransi

View of village Gaundar

Confluence of banatoli ganga and madhganga at Banatoli

Newly constructed Ashutosh lodge near the confluence at Banatoli, and the owner  Shiv singh panwar aka lalaji

Resting place for sheep and goats at the banks of banatoli ganga

The shepherd Karan singh panwar

Sign at Madmaheshwar displaying height of 2500 metres which places it 280 meters below Koon. An unpardonable error

Koon's altitude in metres

Madmaheshwar temple

Purple rhododendron. One of the many colored rhododendron found in the madmaheshwar slopes

Small, pretty yellow flowers dotting the meadow of Boodha madmaheshwar

Temple at boodha madmaheshwar

Peaks visible from boodha madmaheshwar. Note the smoke screen due to forest fires

Peaks from boodha madmaheshwar

 

Our guide cum porter Tajwar singh panwar

Rocks in the shape of Ganesha by the roadside in front of Komal tourist point at Ransi