Suryendu of IIT Roorkee, Uttarakhand, the top engineering institute of the country and his five friends just got up one day, started their bikes and rode to Chopta, a breathtaking beautiful mountain town of Uttarakhand, some 135 kms away on the route to Kedarnath. Suryendu says, “it’s about the journey and not the destination and the journey that was from Rishikesh to Chopta.” Naman Mirajkar, Pramod Pal and Rabi Narayanmohanty, Dinesh Singh, PhD. scholars at the dept of Architecture & Planning and Udit Sharma of the Centre for Transportation Systems.
Three motorcycles, six exploring hearts and a long road with breath-taking beauty at every turn and corner was all that was needed to make this journey a memorable. Driving from Rishikesh passing Devprayag, Srinagar, we landed at Rudraprayag, about 90 kms, at evening time as a flat tire at Shivpuri took lot of time and also witnessing of Holika burning ( Hindu festival Holi starts with burning of woods, broken chairs, torn out planks, anything goes, gathered by the town residents at the main market place, that is burning of evil, or burning of Holika). Tired from the first day spine breaking hazardous journey and absorbing thuds from hard bike shocks with not much to eat (Holi festival had many eating place on the way as closed) the night stay at Garhwal Mandal hotel at Rudraprayag was heavenly. View from the hotel of convergence point of the two rivers Mandakini and Alaknanda just outside the balcony with rocky and white sand bank was stunning. The temple complex at the junction point was also used as a crematorium and the travelers witnessed a somber cremation by the river the next morning.
Next day, they started for Guptkashi after a delay due to another bike flat tire and the absence of repair shop (again Holi). Ride to Guptkashi town, a major place for onward journey to Kedarnath was beautiful. Same day one can do up -down to nearby town of Ukimath on the opposite mountain, 33 kms away. Ukhimath houses the Omkareshwara temple, believed to be built thousands of years ago, the winter abode of Lord Kedarnath and Madhyamaheshwar.
Next early morning, Suryendu and friends left for their ultimate destination Chopta about 29 kms from Guptakashi,. Sadly few wildfires raging on the hills above them as they ascended the road carefully between the falling ash and occasional flares. Another panic – one of the bikes had failed brakes. No mechanic, they went for Google to fix an Enfield’s system when surprisingly the brakes started working again as if nothing had happened.
Chopta is on a high altitude, the air becomes much cooler, one can see the snow-capped mountains, faded valleys below and bright pink rhododendrons lining the road ahead mimicking fire in the woods. Chopta finally, it was a sight to behold. After a quick snack of Maggi noodles from one of the eateries there, they trekked about 3 kms for the Tungnath. Tungnath temple is the highest Shiva temple in the world at 3680m and is believed to be 1000years old and is the third (Tritiya Kedar) in the pecking order of the Panch Kedar.
Quaint little structures and temples dotted the trail and as they climbed higher, traces of snow became visible. The peak of Chandrashila could be seen ahead, covered with thick snow. The trek one thirsty, they were overjoyed to know of a ice cold fresh water sprout near the temple from the locals. One can see many foreign tourists camping in the valley below. It’s advisable to carry enough water while undertaking the trek Returning back to Guptkashi they encountered a horrible tragedy, a Police jeep went over the cliff on to the gorge below, perhaps killing its driver.
Back to Rishikesh, they realized, Dinesh’s bike Discover135 completed the entire trip on just Rs. 600 worth of petrol while the Thunderbird 500 and Enfield Electra had guzzled about Re.1300. Suryendu and his friends bike adventure advice – be ready to face closures of emergency help and petrol pumps, dhabas during festivals. Google maps for forks confusions, but depend on locals for directions. Don’t expect non-vegetarian food, only chapatti and Gobhi cauliflower gravy. You can have tandoori chicken at Rudraparayag though. Take caution if you intend to hire a bike for a trip, please do test them thoroughly. Wear a balaclava under the helmet as the road is extremely dusty and can wreak havoc with one’s hair and mouth. Always carry plenty of water.
“Stop when the sun goes down, rest the night and go as the sun is up”.
