Vacation - Summer of 2010 - Part 5 : The Mandakini - She who flows calmly

April 21st, 2010

Woken up by the sounds of myriad birds in the morning. Another visit to the river, which looks even more beautiful in the morning light. Today, we would be following the course of the Mandakini as we visit the temples of Guptkashi and Ukhimath, followed by the Chopta valley, before our nightstop at Joshimath. Another place of interest nearby for those who are fascinated by these tales is the Triyuginarayan temple, which is apparently the site of Lord Shiva and Parvati's marriage. The eternal flame around which the marriage was solemnized, still burns here, it is said. As this was off our planned route, I reluctantly agreed to skip this temple, but made a mental note to visit at some point in the not too distant future.

So, we set out after a hearty breakfast, to Guptkashi (1319 mtrs), set against the scenic backdrop of the Chaukambha peak.  The story goes that the Pandavas, seeking salvation for the fratricidal crime of killing their cousins - the Kauravas, went in search of Lord Shiva, who not wanting to oblige, went into hiding at this very spot, and hence the name - "gupt" meaning hidden. The Pandavas are said to have used their arrows to pierce the land here, resulting in the Ganga and Yamuna emerging at this spot and the place is now called the Manikarnika Kund. Today, there is a tank with two spouts - one with a bull head and the other with a elephant head, from which the streams of the Yamuna and the Ganga are said to be flowing into the tank.

Guptkashi's main temple is the Vishwanath (Lord of the Universe) temple  - another legend has it that when the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb demolished the Kashi temple at Varanasi in the 17th century, the idol of Shiva was shifted to Guptkashi for safe keeping and has remained here ever since. 

There is also an Ardhanareeshwar (half man-half woman) temple next to the Vishwanath temple- this is said to be the form in which Lord Shiva finally appeared to the Pandavas, after much persuasion by his consort - Parvathi.

For the above reasons, Guptkashi is considered next to only Varanasi in terms of religious significance for Hindus. The architectural style of the temple is typical of the temples in these parts and akin to the Kedarnath temple. In winter, when the Kedarnath temple is closed because of inaccessibility, the priests of the Kedarnath temple migrate to Guptkashi and stay there until the temple opens again in the month of May.

We crossed the Mandakini to go over to the other side where the winter seat of Kedarnath is located - Ukhimath.