Up the Ganges – towards Rudraprayag

“The caress of the silken zephyr, enchanted the senses.
The enchantress blowing forever downstream,
the mighty vales giving her shelter, path and guidance;
over the Turquoise waters-shimmering in symphony.”

– from ‘Up the Ganges’ by RS

The ostracized senses were one again aching for some calm. And lo, it did transpire. The stage was set for a trip up to  Rudraprayag, a remote part of India up in the highlands of Uttarakhand.  The roads forever tested our patience as we glided our way along NH-58 which followed the course of the river Ganges. Precipitous drops, steep inclines and  ravines irked our nonchalant spirits throughout.

The adventurer in us never died down, forever there to lead and march forth- forever onward. We realized en-route that our Geography textbooks were indeed right- “the higher we go the colder it is”. The ascendancy towards the clouds was a frenetic experience – each metre higher was another step  closer to the peripheries of civilization. The vegetation had a marked transition from dense forest groves near Rishikesh to that of scrubs and pines in the higher altitudes. The road up the river valley brought us to our first stop – Devprayag.

Devprayag – is a little town nestled in the hills of Pauri Garhwal. What makes it all more important is the fact that it is the confluence of the Rivers Bhagirathi and Alaknanda. Thus, the physical birth of the Ganges occurs here, and then makes its onward torrentious run down to the Indian plains. From a point strategically perched upon a nearby ravine, one can be witness to the confluence – apparently two sisters in a tight embrace. Each sister river has a color of its own- thereby adding more beauty to the spectacle.

From Devprayag – the road ran up higher into the hills, chartering a serpentine run about the river Alaknanda. An hours drive away, one came to a the quaint little town of Srinagar. The chilly evening did really catch us unawares. Our destination was still another hour away!! We had never made our way through such an infinitesimally desolate piece of highway. It was apparent that the next soul was incontestibly, hundreds of kilometres away!

Dusk loomed large. At near nightfall, did we catch a glimpse of our destination – another confluence. This time, it was Rudraprayag – the sacred confluence of the Alaknanda and the Mandakini;. From here, the roads bifuracated to Kedarnath and Badrinath – two of the holiest shrines in the country. A tunnel was situated towards the end of town, the darkness of which enticed us ever further. Being intelligent adventurers, we knew that ship has charted its course and our trip had come full circle.  Perhaps, fate intended us further for a later date – who knew when.