Author: Nilanjana Bhaduri Jha
Publication: The Times of India
Date: July 25, 2002
URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?artid=17054855
One lakh people, one destination.
A small cave high up in the Himalayas with an ice stalagmite that waxes
and wanes with the moon. What drives yatris there? Religious fervour, curiosity,
promise of immortality?
Fourteen thousand people have already
had darshan at Amarnath, the cave shrine of Lord Shiva, since the yatra
began two days ago. Almost 4,000 left on Wednesday to trek their way up
the 30-km stretch from Chandanwari or the steeper 14-km climb from Baltal.
Young people, old people, rich people, poor people.
Amarnath yatras have been called
off due to inclement weather, they have been ambushed by terrorists. But
nothing deters the yatri. More than a lakh would have visited the shrine
by August 22 when the yatra closes for the year.
In the Capital, a team of young
sadhus prepares to leave for Jammu by bus. They will join a convoy of other
yatris there. Having come from Rishikesh and Varanasi, they make an incongruous
sight in their yellow-and -saffron dhotis and trendy shoulder bags slung
across the shoulders.
They discuss the trip animatedly
with a family of three. Bhola, clearly the most articulate of the sadhus,
has been to Amarnath before. "There are lots of policemen and the weather
is treacherous. But when God beckons nothing can stop you." The elder in
the family of three nods wistfully: "You are blessed if you can get darshan
more than once. Many don't even get one chance."
Vimla Verma is blessed. "I went
the first time for a pilgrimage. and fell in love with scenic Kashmir.
So I went back, for God and for sightseeing," reminisces the 70-year-old.
Verma kept going back till she was well into her 50s.
"There is something surreal about
it once you are in the upper reaches. It takes five days to walk up to
the cave and back. Night merges into day, it is like a giant picnic in
the most beautiful surroundings."
Satish Jain, a Delhi-based businessman
who visited the shrine a few years ago with his family, is still awed.
"For a moment, at the end of it all, I was a little disappointed. It seemed
such a small lingam. But the next moment a sense of exuberance overtook
me. There is a presence there."
Would he make another visit? "Definitely".
Not everyone goes looking for God.
"Curiosity" and a sense of adventure made neurosurgeon Dr Pranab Mishra
agree to accompany an insistent aunt. "We took the more unconventional
route from Baltal. That is a steeper climb but takes only a day."
"But it was stunning, so scenic.
I regret I did not enjoy it more."
Thirty-year-old journalist Aradhna
Sharma made the climb seven years ago. "I went because I am a semi-religious
person and thought I could combine it with a trek through beautiful terrain.
It was very pretty, very tiring. I want to go again."
In the five days that Sharma was
in Amarnath country there were two blasts, in Pahalgam and Sheshnag. But
that is not the first thing that comes to mind. What does is the "amazing
sight of old people, old women in saris and slippers walking up resolutely.
Looking at them you would think they couldn't even walk a few steps. But
they keep climbing."
"I had a strange experience. I had
had a foot infection for some time. When I got back to the base camp and
soaked my weary feet in hot water, I saw it was completely gone."
Faith, valour, joy. They all converge
at Amarnath.
