A Trip to Babaji Cave, Himalayas

 

I reached Delhi by Train. Then we reached Noida Yogada Ashram.

Day-3

Noida Ashram
http://www.yssofindia.org/ashrams/Yogoda%20-Satsanga%20-Sakha%20-Ashram,%20Noida

B – 4, Sector 62, NOIDA 201307
Dist. Gautambudhanagar, Uttar Pradesh
Phones: (0120) 2400670, 2400671, 2950515
E-mail: noidaashram@yssi.org

How to reach Noida Ashram - http://www.yssofindia.org/ashrams/places-to-see-in-noida

It has a good meditation hall. It has amicable rooms available for members and guests.

Then we headed to Haridwar.

Day-4 at Haridwar
Haridwar has many ashram and ghats(Ganga). Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt is also there. Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt has a private Ghat wherein one can take bath in Ganga.

R S Dave
Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam (Mutt)
Madrasi Dharamshala
3 Jodhamal Road, Near Birla Ghat
Haridwar - 249401 (Uttarakhand)
Email: haridwar.kanchimutt@gmail.com
Phone: 01334-224005 Mob: 94123-79061

Mutt prices are very cheap. it ranges from Rs. 80 to Rs. 300.

Sightseeing in Haridwar:

Haridwar has a very rich ancient religious and cultural heritage. In the ancient scriptures of India, this place is well known by the name of Mayapur. Located in the foothills of the Himalayas, Haridwar represents the point where the Ganga reaches the plains. Haridwar is an ancient pilgrimage site, held in reverence for centuries. It is a gateway to the Himalayan pilgrimage shrines of Badrinath and Kedarnath. Once in twelve years, it hosts the famous, Kumbh Mela. Here is the list of some of most popular tourist destinations in and around Haridwar.

Chandi Devi Temple, Haridwar : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandi_Devi_Temple,_Haridwar

Best part is going to this temple through a Ropeway. it is a nice experience.

Chandi Devi Temple: Legend has it that Chanda-Munda, the army chief of the local demon king, Shumbha-Nishumbha, was killed by Goddess Chandi here after which the place got the name Chandi Devi. This temple, situated on top of the Neel Parvat on the other bank of river Ganges was constructed in AD 1929 by Suchat Singh, the then King of Kashmir. The temple is a 3-km trek from Chandi Ghat and it is believed that the Adi Shankaracharya established the main statue in eighth century AD. The Chandi Devi Temple is now also accessible by a ropeway, which starts near the Gauri Shankar Temple.

Mansa Devi Temple, Haridwar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mansa_Devi_Temple,_Haridwar

Again, there is a ropeway to reach this temple as well.

Mansa Devi Temple: This temple a top the Bilwa Parvat is dedicated to Goddess Mansa Devi. One can have a panoramic view of Haridwar, the Ganges, and the countryside from this place.

Vaishno Devi Temple: This temple is a newly constructed and a true replica of the original Vaishno Devi temple in Jammu & Kashmir.

Har ki Pauri:
This photo of Haridwar is courtesy of TripAdvisor

It is one of the most popular ghats in Haridwar. This sacred ghat was constructed by King Vikramaditya in the memory of his brother Bhartrihari. It is believed that Bhartihari eventually came to Haridwar to meditate by the banks of the holy Ganga. When he died, his brother constructed the Ghat in his name which later came to be known as Har ki Pauri.

This sacred bathing Ghat is also known as Brahmakund. The golden reflection of floral diyas in the river Ganges is the most enchanting sight in the twilight during the Ganga aarti ceremony at the ghat.
Pavan Dham
Dehradun Rishikesh Raod | 3 Km from Har-ki-Pauri, Haridwar

Other links:-
http://zeenews.india.com/news/uttarakhand/places-to-visit-in-and-around-haridwar_598843.html

Night life in Haridwar
There are two crowded street near Har Ki Pauri. Moti Bazaar is the one. There is a Mathura Walo sweet shop is famous over there. Some famous sweets are Chandrakala, suryakala and Bhathusha. Chotiwala is a popular restaurant. After daily aarthi, this place is full of fun and energy. it goes till 11pm or so.

I also did a massage in Har Ki Pauri on the ganges. it was really good. It costs only Rs.200.

Day 5 in Rishikesh
 Laxman Jhula and Ram Jhula are suspension bridges. One can walk on the bridge and it has a breathtaking views of Ganges.

Vashishta Gufa is good place for meditation. it is maintained by Purushottamanand Trust

Swami Dayananda Ashram 

“Swami Dayananda Ashram (Arsha Vidya Pitham) is located at Rishikesh, 223 KM North East of Delhi via Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Roorkie and Haridwar. From Haridwar, Rishikesh is 20 KM away.
http://www.dayananda.org/visit-ashram.html

It is a serene place on the Ganges. It is a good facilities. Devotees can stay and meditate.

Day 6 - Trip to Babaji Cave
Babaji cave is located in Kukuchina, near Dunagiri, near Dwarahat in Himalayas. It is 300 kms from Haridwar. It is 10 hours journey on the Himalayas. You can see the Ganges throughout the journey.

“Garam chai” at Joshi’s tea house in Kukuchina. We stayed in Joshi's Lodge. It is 4 kms from Babaji Cave.

KUKUCHINA (Dunagiri)  
County of Saints
 
At the end of the road north from Dwarahat towards the Dunagiri temple, 5 kms. Ahead, sits a small ashram that was created in honor of a very wonderful saint from Assam, known locally as Bengali Baba.   It is the trailhead to Mahavatar Babaji’s cave where he met Lahiri Mahasayaji.
 
Kukuchina is sparsely populated with one bus arriving daily from Haldwani and a few shared jeeps from Dwarahat that makes it peaceful, quiet, tranquil and pollution free spot. Being the end of the road there are only mountain trails going north to the high Himalayas.
 
The ashram sits on a hill across the small valley from the cave with farms scattered throught out the mountains.  It is a fruit and vegetable growing region and every household has their own dairy cows.  Herbal and Ayurvedic enthusiasts would find this area very rich in local medicinal herbs.

Day 7 - 2nd April 2014 - A visit to a Babaji Cave
This was most exciting experience of our journey. It is 4 kms trek from Kukuchina. there is a kacha road for 3kms. Old people can travel in a vehicle for 3 kms. After that, it is a one km hike to reach Babaji cave. I went to the smaller cave as well. It is a good meditative experience.

 

Detailed blog by http://divyodaya.wordpress.com/

In the afternoon, we visited Dunagiri Vishanavi Devi temple. Then, We visited YSS ashram in Dwarahat.. There we met the Japanese monk who is the current priest of YSS Ashram for past 43 years has been dedicatedly been observing meditation he teaches Kriya yoga.

He shared his experience on Kriya yoga. Kriya yoga is the highest form of meditation which Krishna taught to Arjun. It is a scientific method. It bridges Human consciousness with divine consciousness.

Yuga - is a cyclic evolution(http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yugas-Ages-based-on-Sri-Yukteswar.png)

Kriya yoga was taught by Babaji to elevate Humankind in Dwapara yoga.

Routes

Link:-
Detailed blog by http://divyodaya.wordpress.com/

Day 8 Camping at Shiv Puri
On the way back from Dunagiri, we visited Adi Bhadri temple as well. it is a one of the heritage site.

We did a Rafting as well. it has 9 km, 16km and 35 kms Rafting. it was a wonderful experience.

Rafting experience
More the Rapids, more fun in Rafting as well.

Shivpuri : One of the most scenic camp sites, Shivpuri also has the beautiful Glass house on the ganges, offering splendid views of the river.

Kaudiyala : the most popular starting point of the river tour, Kaudiyala has camp sites on the river bank.

The rafting stretch between Kaudiyala and Rishikesh, offers some of the fast action white water rapids. With opportunities for plenty of bodysurfing and bird watching, the rafting stretch offers an opportunity to enjoy the natural surrounding.

Starting from Daniel's Dip at Kaudiyala to begin with and then the biggest rapid on the Ganga - The Wall, Marine Drive, Three Blind Mice, Roller Coaster, Golf Course, Club House and Initiation are some of the rapids that can let one overcome the fear of life and death.

Day-10 A visit to Akshardham, Delhi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akshardham_(Delhi)

Swami Narayana temple. It has some robotics shows, IMAX movie on Swami and 10 min boat ride on Indian Heritage.

Lesson that I learnt personally is instead of living a live on Fear, live a life on Love, compassion and wisdom. it is a life worth living.