Sacred Rendezvous By: Arun Ganapathy
At Rudraprayag, where gods, rivers and legends meet, ARUN GANAPATHY felt close to attaining nirvana
The river on my right is placid; her surface is disturbed only occasionally by the leap of a flying fish. Briefly, there is a flash of silver and then the khaki green surface is as smooth as glass again. This is the Mandakini.
On my left flows a river that’s quite the opposite. This river roars out of the valley in foams of silver and white; as the water crashes into boulders, a little blackbird flicks his cinnabar tail in anticipation of the small fish thrown up in the spray. This river is the Alaknanda.
The two rivers meet and there’s a brief struggle. The Alaknanda tries to force herself. She is younger, faster and a bully! The Mandakini is older, calmer and wiser; she seems not to mind. She slips under and soon the two rivers are one. The confluence is called prayag in Sanskrit — the word forms the second part of the place’s name. I am at Rudraprayag. What does the first part of the word mean?
Like many pilgrimage towns in Uttarakhand, the origin of the name Rudraprayag has many legends. One of the more popular ones says that sage Narada came to this place once and meditated on Shiva, seeking his help in learning the mysteries of music. Pleased, Shiva appeared before Narada and gave him the knowledge of ragas and raginis of Indian classical music. Since Shiva appeared here as Rudra, the place came to be known as Rudraprayag, and according to this legend, the small temple of Rudranath was built at the exact place of his appearance.
Temple Of Rudranath
The town of Rudraprayag is located along the main road that leads from Rishikesh to Badrinath. The road turns and twists through the town; halfway down this road, you will come to the town’s centre. I encounter Garhwali men, their wizened faces criss-crossed with deep lines, chatting. “Where is the temple,” I ask one of them. He waves his hand ahead and says, “Just round the corner”. This, I discover, is in fact a long walk downhill, and is followed by another, shorter one, up the hill. I finally reach the temple at the top that stands in a large courtyard and looks like a hall. It has whitewashed walls and a brightly painted exterior.
Temple Of Rudranath
The town of Rudraprayag is located along the main road that leads from Rishikesh to Badrinath. The road turns and twists through the town; halfway down this road, you will come to the town’s centre. I encounter Garhwali men, their wizened faces criss-crossed with deep lines, chatting. “Where is the temple,” I ask one of them. He waves his hand ahead and says, “Just round the corner”. This, I discover, is in fact a long walk downhill, and is followed by another, shorter one, up the hill. I finally reach the temple at the top that stands in a large courtyard and looks like a hall. It has whitewashed walls and a brightly painted exterior.
Did Narada meditate here? And why? I walk some more and reach a smaller temple that is shuttered and barred; but just standing on this landing and looking around it suddenly dawns on me why Narada perhaps chose this spot.
The temple and the landing are on the ridge of the mountain from where you get a grandstand view of the mighty mastiffs, draped in forests of deodar and pine. The river valleys on either side are marked by gorges cut deep by flowing water. The two rivers meet directly in front and below the temple. You can see them dancing and leaping in the valley, before finally disappearing into the blue-grey of mountains and horizon. A song bird’s call fills the air. A mate across the valley calls out in reply. Perfect place to meditate, undoubtedly.
Panch Prayag
My reverie is interrupted by the noise of approaching pilgrims who walk purposefully past the temple and down the steps and I follow them. We reach a small ghat fenced off from the river by rails. Here I sit at the edge paddling my feet in water, while the pilgrims take a dip. The water is freezing. The Panch Prayag of the Garhwal Himalayas are second only to Allahabad’s famed prayag where the Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati meet.
When I finally get up, I realise that I was there for four hours, just watching the river flow. It was the swirling waters, the swish of wind through deodars and the occasional tinkle of temple bells that had left me spellbound. Was I close to nirvana?
Getting There
Go up to Haridwar or Rishikesh by train or bus and then take another bus up to Rudraprayag. During the yatra season, buses are full, so you might have to buy a ticket
right up to Badrinath and hop off at Rudraprayag. Buses are available from the main bus stand in Rishikesh.
Other Attractions
Spend some time walking around Rudraprayag; there is a lively market and lot of temples to see. Also visit the Koteshwar Temple, a cave temple of Shiva on the banks of Alaknanda in Agastyamuni, 19 kms away, where sage Agastya is believed to have meditated.
My reverie is interrupted by the noise of approaching pilgrims who walk purposefully past the temple and down the steps and I follow them. We reach a small ghat fenced off from the river by rails. Here I sit at the edge paddling my feet in water, while the pilgrims take a dip. The water is freezing. The Panch Prayag of the Garhwal Himalayas are second only to Allahabad’s famed prayag where the Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati meet.
When I finally get up, I realise that I was there for four hours, just watching the river flow. It was the swirling waters, the swish of wind through deodars and the occasional tinkle of temple bells that had left me spellbound. Was I close to nirvana?
Getting There
Go up to Haridwar or Rishikesh by train or bus and then take another bus up to Rudraprayag. During the yatra season, buses are full, so you might have to buy a ticket
right up to Badrinath and hop off at Rudraprayag. Buses are available from the main bus stand in Rishikesh.
Other Attractions
Spend some time walking around Rudraprayag; there is a lively market and lot of temples to see. Also visit the Koteshwar Temple, a cave temple of Shiva on the banks of Alaknanda in Agastyamuni, 19 kms away, where sage Agastya is believed to have meditated.
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