Day 5 : Neelkanth Peak - Hanuman Chatti Temple - Exploring Joshimath - ENROUTE TO RISHIKESH (JOSHIMATH  - SRINAGAR) - Rishikesh Dayanand Ashram - Haridwar - Char Dham Trip Concludes Finally....

After exploring Joshimath, we set off towards our next destination Srinagar. Roads beyond Joshimath were quite smooth.

The Joshimath - Srinagar Highway on the Badrinath route

We kept clocking miles in good time whilst at the same time also savoring the beauty of the same fields and meadows, the gorgeous Himalayan mountains and the towering green trees that we had encountered on our way up to Badrinath.

Savor some of the Himalayan Beauty

After driving for about an hour, we made a brief halt once again; this time in the middle of the highway itself to take the blessings of, quoting the words of our driver, ‘some highly venerated local temples’.

It was quiet all around and the place was completely devoid of any tourist population. A fleet of stairs down from the highway take you to the Garud Temple. It was the first and the only temple that I remember visiting till now where the chief deity was not Lord Vishnu but His vehicle - The Bird Garud. According to the local belief, it was at this place that he performed rigourous penance to please Lord Vishnu and acquired from Him the boon of becoming His mascot.

The Garud Temple

Just besides the Garud Temple is the Laxmi Narayan Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu and His consort Goddess Laxmi.

The Laxmi Narayan Temple just besides the Garud Temple

These temples face the Bhagirathi River which flows swiftly with the polished river stones making for a picturesque setting.

Listen to Her soft murmers…

Any amount of time spent in Her company is just never enough for me…

After a few quiet moments, we made our way back up once again. On the way up, we came across a local villager selling some sticks calling them as ‘Narsinghji (half-lion-half-man God Narsingh) ki Lakdi (stick)’ and asked us to take one back home.

A villager stacking up 'Narsinghji ki lakdi(s)' (Lord Narsingh's sticks) for sale

He said wrapping the stick up with a red cloth and tying it at the entrance will bring us good luck and well being for the family. We weren’t very sure of buying it but he persuaded and we eventually gave in.

After having a quick lunch in a nearby dhaba (shack), we got into the car and proceeded towards Srinagar. We were pretty much on track with time till we passed RudraPrayag (more on Prayags later) from where our luck with smooth roads was about to change.

Changing our route after RudraPrayag

News of a massive landslide ahead forced us to take a different route and we encountered the first of the many hairpin turns that lay ahead.


Dusty narrow tracks

On one side, were majestic crags towering up a thousand feet or more while on the other side, was a wild chaos of debris, boulders, big rocks and loosely cemented track-ends which could ditch you any moment for the dark gloomy ravines below.

Debris piled up on the sides of the pathway

The route was so narrow that it made 2 lane vehicular advances almost impossible. It took us over 3 hrs to navigate the 40 kms, so the state of the entire stretch is apparent.


The only beauty enroute this rough and rocky terrain was the magical canvas of the caramael colored horizon at the extreme end – a long chain of mountain peaks with their rugged summits glowing in the light tint shades of orangish strokes by the receding sun - that more than made up for the rattling at the end of the day… The strokes also reminded me that this trip was finally inching towards an end... This was to be our last night in the Garhwal Himalayas...

Nature art: The sun takes cover behind the Himalayan Mountains...
A Beautiful Sunset in the Himalayas

Srinagar – An Introduction, Where to stay

A dusty 2 hr drive later, we found ourselves at the GMVN Guest house at Srinagar.

An Introduction

Situated in a sprawling valley about 8 km long, it is here that the Alaknanda spreads out as if preparing its course in the plains as Ganga. Though it is not associated with a major shrine or a confluence, still it is one of the most prominent towns in Garhwal as it is a major economic, cultural, and educational center in the region and also home to some sacred ancient temples like Kilkileshwar Mahadeo and Kamleshwar Mahadeo dedicated to Lord Shiva. Since we left early for our downward journey the next day, we couldn’t explore the town or any of these temples this time around.

Where to Stay in Srinagar

The GMVN Guest house at Srinagar

It was only 9 PM but the tiring journey had completely sapped my energy leaving me craving for some much needed sleep. I ate something in a hotel opposite our rest house, the quality of which was nothing to write home about and just packed off for a good night’s sleep.

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