The yatra and its seasons: the doors, the snow and the winter seat

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Namaste. Welcome back. Sit comfortably, and take a slow breath in, and let it go.

In the first three sittings we heard how Kedarnath began, in the Shiva Purana and in the hills, and we followed Adi Shankaracharya to the memorial behind the temple. Today we come down to the ground. We will follow the year of Kedarnath as it turns, and we will walk the path that pilgrims take, from the valleys below to the temple in the snows.

Please keep one thing in mind throughout. We will not give any dates in this episode. The dates of opening and closing change every year, and they are announced by the temple committee. If you are planning a visit, check those announcements, and the state government's guidance, for that year. What we can give you is the shape of the year, which has stayed the same for a very long time.

Let us begin in winter, because that is where the Kedarnath year really begins.

For about six months, the temple at Kedarnath is under snow. The doors are closed. The paths are buried. But the worship of Kedarnath does not stop. Before the snow comes, the festival image of Kedarnath is carried down the mountain to the Omkareshwar temple at Ukhimath, a town lower down in the valley, across the river from Guptkashi. There, through the whole winter, the daily worship continues. Pilgrims who come in the cold months have their darshan of Kedarnath at Ukhimath.

Ukhimath has its own old stories. A local tradition links the name of the town with Usha, the daughter of a king in the Puranas, whose marriage to Aniruddha, the grandson of Krishna, is remembered here. Like so much in these hills, a small town holds a long memory.

By custom, the day on which the doors of Kedarnath will open is announced at Ukhimath, with worship, early in the year, as spring approaches. The whole valley waits for it.

Then comes the journey upward.

The festival image of Kedarnath, seated in a palki, a decorated palanquin, leaves Ukhimath and travels up the valley over several days. It is carried on the shoulders of devotees, with drums and music, and villagers come out along the road to see it pass. It stops for the night at temples along the way, in places like Guptkashi and Phata, and then at Gaurikund, at the foot of the walk. From there it is carried up the mountain to Kedarnath.

Near Kedarnath, on a ridge above the temple, stands a small temple to Bhairavnath. Local tradition holds that Bhairav is the guardian of this sacred area, and that he watches over the shrine through the winter, when no one else is there. Pilgrims often climb up to pay their respects to him too.

And then, on the announced morning, with the Rawal and the priests performing the rites, the doors of Kedarnath open. For the people of the valley, it is a morning of great joy. The mountain is awake again.

Through the summer, the temple is full. Pilgrims come from every part of India and far beyond. Then, as autumn cools and the first snows threaten, the season draws to a close. On the announced day, the doors are closed with special rites, and the festival image is carried back down, in its palki, to Ukhimath. The snow returns to the temple, and the worship returns to the village.

There is something very gentle about this rhythm. The temple does not try to fight the mountain. It goes up when the mountain allows, and comes down when the mountain asks. The people of these hills have lived this way for generations.

Now let us walk the path, as a pilgrim would.

Most people travel by road into the hills, along the Alaknanda river, to Rudraprayag, where the Alaknanda meets the Mandakini. From there the road turns up the Mandakini valley, past Guptkashi, to Sonprayag, where the Mandakini meets another stream, the Songanga. A little further up is Gaurikund.

Along this road, the stories of the earlier sittings keep appearing. Guptkashi, whose name means the hidden Kashi, has a temple to Vishwanath, the lord of Kashi. A local tradition says that this is where Shiva first hid from the Pandavas, before they found him higher up, which is how the town got its name. And a short way off the road near Sonprayag is Trijuginarayan, where a local tradition holds that Shiva and Parvati were married, with Vishnu present. Pilgrims there keep a fire burning in the temple hall, which tradition connects with that wedding, and many take a little of its ash home. Traditions like these differ from telling to telling, and each village holds its own with care.

Gaurikund has a hot spring and a temple to Gauri, the Goddess Parvati. A local tradition holds that Parvati performed her tapas here to win Shiva as her husband. Many pilgrims bathe or wash their hands and face at the spring before starting the walk.

From Gaurikund, the footpath climbs to Kedarnath. It is about sixteen kilometres, and it rises steeply, along the river gorge, past waterfalls and forest, and then out into open, high country. Some walk it in one long day. Some take ponies or are carried in a palki or a basket by porters, men from the hill villages whose work makes the yatra possible for many elders. Helicopter services also run in the season. However you go, the last stretch opens out into a wide valley, and there, at the end, is the grey stone temple with the peaks behind it.

Now, please listen carefully to this part, because it matters.

Kedarnath is at a high altitude, about three and a half thousand metres. The air is thin. The weather changes fast, and a sunny morning can turn into cold rain or snow by afternoon. In the monsoon months, the roads in these hills can be blocked by landslides.

So please go with care. The Uttarakhand government asks pilgrims to register before the yatra, so follow the official process and keep an eye on the weather advice. If you can, spend a night lower down, at Guptkashi or Sonprayag, so your body can adjust before the climb. Carry warm layers and rain protection, even in summer. Drink water through the day. Walk at your own pace, and rest often.

If you have a heart or lung condition, high blood pressure, diabetes or any other health condition, if you are elderly, pregnant or travelling with small children, please speak to your doctor before you plan the trip, and follow their advice. On the way, if you feel a headache that keeps getting worse, breathlessness while resting, dizziness or confusion, stop, tell someone, and go lower. There is no shame in turning back. Kedarnath will still be there.

One more request. The ponies and mules on the path work very hard. Please choose operators who treat their animals well, and do not ask them to carry more than they should. And please carry your waste back down with you. The valley is sacred, and it is also fragile.

What do pilgrims do when they arrive? Most stand in line, sometimes for a long time, for darshan. Many bring ghee to offer to the rock. They touch it, bow, and move on so the next person can come. Then they walk around the temple, sit before the stone Nandi, and go behind to the memorial of Shankaracharya. Some climb to Bhairavnath. Many simply sit on the stones of the courtyard and look at the mountains for a long time.

It is often that sitting, more than anything else, that people remember when they come home. The cold air, the sound of the river far below, the bells, and the peaks catching the last light in the evening.

Let us gather what we heard.

The year of Kedarnath turns with the snow. In winter the worship moves to the Omkareshwar temple at Ukhimath. In spring the festival image is carried up in a palki, the doors open, and the temple fills with pilgrims. Before winter, the doors close and the image comes down again. The path climbs from Gaurikund, about sixteen kilometres, to the temple. It is beautiful, and it is high, and it asks for care.

One thing to take with you. The temple of Kedarnath goes up and comes down with the seasons, without fighting the mountain. This week, notice one thing in your own life that has its own season, and let it be what it is, without forcing it.

In the last sitting, we will speak, gently and with respect, about the waters of 2013, and how the valley and the temple are remembered after them.

Keep going

• Listen: The yatra and its seasons: the doors, the snow and the winter seat
• Previous: Adi Shankaracharya and Kedarnath
• Next: After the waters of 2013: how the valley remembers
• हिन्दी में पढ़ें
• All episodes of Kedarnath: the shrine in the snows