12 July 2002 I clearly remember the date as the journey which I embarked upon that day, changed the way I looked at the world. This was the day we started the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. Those 27 days we were literally in the lap of nature, so pristine so beautiful and so calming. In the hum drum of city life, I had forgotten how melodious are the birds in the morning so many time while trekking I instantaneously remembered so many of the long forgotten verses of Wordsworth from school.
I gazed — and gazed — but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought
What wealth the show to me had brought
Nature till then never seemed so overpowering.
We had to trek for 6 days on Indian side the trek to my unexercised city muscles was seeming so strenuous and suddenly I heard the running footsteps and looking back I saw a girl and a small boy running and trying to get ahead of us. When asked where they are off to pat came the reply to the next turn on the mountain where the pilgrims will take rest there they will sell these fruits showing us a small basket on their backs… such simple pleasures of life the trek was worth it just to be in touch with reality.
On the way there came a village (Garbyang) which was all tilted and deserted because of earthquake threats. To me it seemed straight out of the pages of Vikram & Betal it was so enchanting just to be lost in the bylanes.
Words can never describe the experience of seeing Kailash Parbat for the first time we were in the bus and then suddenly we saw Mount Kailash in all its glory, it was the vast expanse of Tibetian Plateau and the sky was deepest blue I had ever seen and there it was Mount Kailash abode of gods I still have goose pimples when I remember the scene. The sight I remember had different impact on each one of us. The oldest of all a Gujrati ben (54 years old) just couldn’t stop her tears, some went into total trance chanting OM NAMAH SHIVAY. It seemed we were finally in the beneighing presence of almighty and like an eager child I looked forward impatiently for the 3 days parikrama which would bring us closer to this enigma Mount Kailash.
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Hello , Thanks for sharing your experience with us , It is seriously wonderful . You have written it with the deep feeling . Mansarovar Yatra is really amazing which connects a human to lord .
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