Tapovan And The Future Badrinath

Last month I had written two travel articles on my trip to the Garwhal Himalayas. This is the third and the last article in the series of my trip to Garwhal.

Road with overhang of rock

The road to Tapovan, leading to the border of India, passes the villages of Lata and Manari. It is a dirt road in parts and carved out as an overhang of rock face. I felt I was going through a portal into God's country only to confront a scene from the Devil's domain.

Traveling 15 kilometers on this road, I passed the village of Tapovan, actually situated a half-kilometer below the road. Although, I could climb down a steep path and numerous steps to reach a small bridge to the open baths with hot water running through them, I passed up the opportunity for a rainy day. A short drive onwards and suddenly, the smell of sulphur assailed the nose. As I rounded a bend, I came upon an astonishing sight--a huge mound of brilliantly coloured clay crowned by plumes of steam! The heap looked as if a baby giant had been playing with mud and patting handfuls of it into a small hill. It was a strange yellow, orange and red amidst the green, grey and brown of the surrounding hillside.

I climbed up the side of the mound to find it quite smooth and slippery and soft in places. Someone had recently dug out chunks of the clay and taken it away. A local said to me that they were using it for research and medicinal purposes. On the top of the heap was a small crater that was gushing hot water and steam. It flowed down the sides of the mound, over the road and down the hillside. There wasn't a signboard telling me about the history of the mound, but in this cold and windy place, it must have been a boon for sadhus and pilgrims.

Sulphur Spring - A view from the top.

There is an interesting story to Tapovan which the Garwha Vikas Mandal has omitted to tell. The story has been there since the Ramayana, our epic says. There is a mountain called Dronagiri that is close by. It can be seen from Auli and from the Kuari pass a few kilometers from Tapovan. When Laxman was wounded in Lanka during the war with Ravan, Ram was told that only the Sanjivani Buti, a plant found on the mountain Dronagiri, would save Laxman. It had to be plucked before midnight. The job was given to Hanuman, the son of the wind and the lord of the monkeys. Hanuman flew to Joshimath and then towards Dronagiri. Ravan knew of Hanuman's plan and had already positioned one of his henchmen, a demon called Kaalnemi, at Tapovan. Seeing that Dronagiri was now close and tired and cold from his journey, Hanuman decided to stop at Tapovan for a bath and a drink. The demon, in the guise of a sadhu, offered Hanuman a drink of poisoned water. Hanuman told him that it would not be enough to quench his thirst. The demon advised Hanuman to have a bath in the hot water. Now, there was a fairy that had been cursed and changed into a spider living in the water. Hanuman unknowingly stepped on the spider, killing it, and freeing the fairy from the curse. The fairy, in gratitude, warned Hanuman about the demon. Forewarned, Hanuman fought the demon and after killing him, went on to get the magic herb. That is how old Tapovan is!

Further on this road, there is an astounding waterfall that has carved a corkscrew into the rock face. Water falls into a cave-like opening which it is slowly making deeper and deeper. Near Tapovan there is a small stone arch and steps leading up the hillside. There is a small board here telling a little of the history of the place to which the steps lead-a place called Bhavishya Badri-the future Badrinath.

This is, at present, a little village with a small temple to Badri Vishal. The people say that a rock shaped like a 'Shivling' is slowly emerging from the earth. At the same time, the temple of Narsingh in Joshimath is also taking a part in this strange drama. This complex of temples has a small black stone idol of the God Narsingh. He sits with his arms and hands resting on his thighs, cross-legged. One of his arms is growing thinner and thinner. The day it separates from his thigh, the route to the present Badrinath will close forever. By then, the deity in Bhavishya Badri will have been formed and it will be the temple where pilgrims will worship Badri Vishal. As I witness massive landslides and rock falls I am not in the least skeptical that this might well be the state of affairs some day. The future Kedarnath is already in Joshimath where a rock has split to form a 'Shivling' and this is where worship takes place when Kedarnath is closed for the winter.

Another place worth traveling to is the Kuari pass. There is a trekking path from Tapovan which is shorter than the one past Auli. The latter passes through numerous alpine meadows which are full of flowers, especially in September. This is the land of the strange flower called the Bhram Kamal. It is a light green, sweet smelling flower found only at very high altitudes. Many stories and stranger sights await you in the Garwhal Himals.

Happy traveling until the next time I write about the Garwhals.

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Credits

Edited by Reeta Sinha.

Reeta Sinha is a librarian living in Northern California. In her spare time (she makes sure she has plenty of it now) she reads, writes, walks, takes photos, watches movies, listens to music, and reaches out in as many ways as possible to new friends and old, and her family that is spread around this world.