Dear friends, the next post shall come a bit later on. I am engaged in its preparation and I am as eager as you are to discover some more facts about rebirth or reincarnation.
My latest trip to the holy shrine Shri Badrinath just got over and I took some time off at home yesterday to see the lovely pictures that I have shot there. I am exhibiting a few of my best and favourite photos to share with you. They are in a sequence for your convenience. If you have already visited Shri Badrinath sometime, then too I am certain that you will relish seeing these photos because I have included quite a few pictures of our enchanting biodiversity, our rich heritage, apart from the holy and religious places in the Himalayas. And for those of you , who are yet to make a trip to this pilgrimage site, these pictures will be of some use for your planning and organizing the trip in future. So with this objective, I am displaying my photos in the gallery in two parts-I & II.
Part I is a series of photos starting from Haridwar, Rishiskesh, Joshimath, Badrinath and ending with Mana, a small hamlet near Badrinath, just 3 kms away.
Auli was really, really mesmerizing. Part II will have photos exclusively of that, a place in the snowy mountains around 8,000 ft above sea level, near Joshimath. So here we begin….
Haridwar
Lakhs of people from all over come to take a dip in the holy waters of Ganga to wash off their sins with faith and devotion
Lord Shiva, who controlled the strong force and flow of Ganga before it
descended on the Earth from the Himalayas thus softening
its course
Hari Ki Paidi, the steps of the Lord. The place of daily Aarti
of Ganga where hundreds wait for hours to be a part of
the sacred hour for thanksgiving. Ganga, the life line
of millions!
Rishikesh, the ancient foot hill city made for rishis and sages to contemplate and meditate.
Somebody’s faith and trust floating on sacred waters!
Twilight reflections!
On our way up to Badrinath, the journey begins!
Mighty mountains greet us once we leave Rishikesh
Karna Prayag, the confluence of rivers Alaknanda and Pindar. It is also said that the place is named Karna Prayag because the Mahabharat character
Karna, the first born was abondoned by his unwed
mother Kunti at this confluence!
A few hours before we reached Joshimath. we saw this
beautiful scene of terrace farming.
My first sight of snow!
Joshimath or ancient Jyotirmath-the monastery of light
Sprang out of bed half asleep to grab the tripod and camera
so that I don’t lose this sight or chance of seeing the unique sky-the indigo rays in the sky from the back of the mountains moments before daybreak!
View from my balcony after the Sun emerged.
Knitting sweaters on the roof tops with friends!
On our way to Shri Badrinath temple
These rivers are flowing unceasingly for usever since…
don’t even know since when.
We all have our journeys to undertake and paths that beckon us unceasingly!
Snow flying like dust on the tops with winds.
Mystic scenery before Shri Badrinath came.
Badrinath
The temple as seen from far
Mana
The mountains
The people
The babies
The pilgrims
The river
And beyond…
To be continued….
Thank you Sarikaji for these beautiful pics.
That view of the mountains from the balcony is amazing, wish I
could have such a view from my bedroom balcony every morning 🙂
Shahid, imagine I took the tripod so far and the indigo rays of the pre-sunrise picture add such a beauty to the whole canvas. Indeed this one is my favourite too. I used the tripod because the panaroma was so beautiful that I did not want any slight shaking of my hands because of excitement. I have two or three more continous shots which you can utilize in making the video in future. Thanks many times for your genuine appreciation.
Although I have been to Badrinath in 2005, the pictures clicked by you Ma, are breathtaking. Now I wish to visit this Holy Shrine again.
Dear Ma, Loved the mountains and indigo rays pic.. they are awesome !!! Although I have been there.. but have missed visiting so many places 🙂 Thanks for sharing these beautiful pictures Ma. Hope to visit this place again by the grace of God and all my Gurus !!!
Dear Nazma, indeed these picture of my pilgrimage to Badrinath are awesome since the trip was very exhilarating. Sometimes we get lucky when we can capture some great shots and those indigo rays scene was exceptional. Never saw something like that before and I managed time well or else the sun would have been out in a time span of barely 3 to 4 minutes.
Such traveling is with the wish and will of God and I pray that you get to go again to Badrinath and other places and soak yourself in the beatific rays of divinity.
Ma