Author: Arun ganapathy
Publication: Times of India
Date: November 28, 2010
URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/spirituality/spiritual-destinations/Pandavas-last-stop/articleshow/7009302.cms
Introduction: Arun ganapathy checks out Mana,
the last village on the Indian border with Tibet, where the Pandava brothers
from the Mahabharata are believed to have passed through before their final
ascent to Heaven.
Mana is the sweetest little Himalayan village.
Picture a page out of Tintin in Tibet and you will know what I mean. A one-street
village cut into the tilt of a snow-capped mountain; wizened old men with
hooded eyes urging unwilling big black yaks with shouts of Hai hai Haiiiii!
Such is the last Indian village dotting the
border with Tibet.
Mana lies 3 kilometres from the Himalayan
dham of Badrinath in Uttarakhand. The legend goes that the Pandavas passed
this very village on their way to Heaven and that it was here too that Veda
Vyasa compiled and wrote the Mahabharata and organised the Vedas.
Quaint Village
It is still early in the morning and the sun
is just cresting the snow-clad peaks to my left making each of them brilliantly
white, as if they have been laced with royal icing. I am on a highway that
twists and turns; all along it are signboards announcing that the geographical
boundaries of India are ending. This is what one of them says: 'Mana Gaon,
last village in Indian territory. Under 100% financial inclusion of the State
Bank'.
After an hour, a large archway appears, signalling
the entry to Mana. From here, a paved pathway runs through the village. On
either side are stone-slated houses with wooden balconies and shops where
colourful knitted jerseys and shawls are displayed. As I walk, I can hear
the crackle of flames from the cooking fires for the midday meal and smoke
curls out of the chinks in the doors. A little way down this pathway, I come
to a fork with a signboard that indicates local landmarks, some from the Mahabharata:
Vyasa Gufa 100 yards; Ganesha Gufa 50 yards; Bhim Pul 100 yards; Vasudhara
Falls 4 kilometres.
Epic in a cave
The Pandavas' last journey through Mana actually
starts with the place where the epic was organised and written. The story
goes that thousands of years ago, Vyasa came here having already worked out
the story of the Mahabharata. He needed a way to reveal it to humanity and
appealed to Brahma for help.
Responding to his request, Brahma sent the
divine scribe Lord Ganesha down; but even before he began his task, Ganesha
laid down a condition for the telling of the story. "You should not stop
dictating the story," he told Vyasa: "If you do, I will return."
Vyasa agreed but said, "First you must grasp the meaning of what I say."
Ganesha agreed and thus began the writing of the epic in the two caves towards
which I was now heading.
From the signboard, the pathway rises in sharp
hairpins, till it reaches the cave where Vyasa reportedly stayed many months,
putting the great epic together. Inside the cave, which must be just about
7 feet square, is a statue of the sage. Next to the statue, a priest sits
in darkness, doling out prasadam to pilgrims. "Did Vyasa really stay
here?" I ask. The priest says nothing, but the pilgrims point outside
to a large rock above the cave. It is petrified in layers so thin that it
looks like the pages of an open book. These - as I learn later - supposedly
represents the pages of the epic. From here, the path twists and turns downhill
to another small cave called the Ganesha Gufa, where Ganesha actually sat
while Vyasa recited the epic, stanza by stanza. After a few minutes here,
I return to the fork and now take the path going left.
No shower for sinners
Down, down, down goes the path, until it finally
reaches the Saraswati river that falls as a torrent of white foam through
the gorge in front. "It's too much for me," cried Draupadi when
she saw the river. "I can't cross this". On hearing her, Bhima had
kicked a rock across. The rock he kicked now fords the river and is named
Bhim Pul. It is an ideal place to linger, and look at the towering peaks around.
As I stand watching, a group of wandering
sadhus breezes past. "We are going to Vasudhara Falls," says one
of them." It's one of the last places the Pandavas stopped on their way
to Heavan. I joined them and for the next hour, we plod through a desolate
landscape, where the only sounds are those of the howling winds and kestrels
calling shrilly from the cliffs. The Pandavas bathed here as they believed
the water here never fell on sinners. "Is that true?", I ask. "Yes,
of course," says the sadhu pointing upwards. I follow his finger to see
a silver-coloured fall tumbling from a great height. Across its face, the
amber sunlight of the late afternoon slants and a rainbow appears making me
drowsy with enchantment. Simultaneously, rain clouds drift into view, hinting
at rains. It is time to head back.
On the way back, I came across a Mana villager
- an old Bhotia woman soaking in the Himalayan sunshine on the doorstep of
her house. Her face is wrinkled like a stewed prune and shows no worry. Looking
at her, I feel that everything about this place is ageless.
Getting There
Mana is three kilometres from Badrinath. It
is best to walk to enjoy the view. You can also take a shared Jeep/Sumo from
Badrinath which will cost you Rs 10. If you would like to skip Badrinath,
then the best way to do it is from Joshimath, an hour away or from Rudraprayag.
Stay and food
Mana is a day's trip. Although the villagers
do allow you to stay with them for a nominal fee, it is best to camp in Badrinath.
Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam provides basic accommodation that can be booked
online. Besides there are plenty of rest houses and budget hotels - ranging
from Rs 200 to Rs 2,000 per night. In Mana, you will only get Maggi Noodles
and Kurkure to eat. If you want proper lunch, make sure you carry it from
Badrinath. The shops in Mana sell juice made from a local berry called buransh.
Other Attractions
Just trek through the village. Take the route
at the back - it's less touristy and will give you a glimpse into the life
of the locals. Check out the shawls and knitted jerseys; and of course all
the sites of the Mahabharata. If you want to go further up to see the Swargarohini
massif, it would take more than a day's trek.
Way to heaven
Swargarohini is a mountain massif in the Bandarpunch
Range in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. According to legends, the
Swargarohini peak leads up to Heaven. The Pandavas, Draupadi and their dog
took this path to go to heaven. There have been many attempts to scale the
mountain, but it is said that only those who have not sinned can conquer its
peaks. The snow-clad peaks are the source of the Tons river.
Narasimha Temple
Joshimath lies between Rishikesh and Badrinath.
Adi Shankaracharya attained enlightenment and established a math called Jyotimath,
popularly known as Joshimath. Among the important temples here are the Narasimha
and Durga temples. When Badrinath closes during the winter, the priests move
to Joshimath to continue with the worship of Lord Narasimha, installed in
the form of a saligram shila. Sankaracharya is believed to have installed
the Narasimha saligram.
- ganapathyarun@gmail.com
