My husband and I planned a trip to Dehradun to meet our dear friends, who have moved there for a short period. What started as a quiet trip to stay with friends and enjoy the lovely weather and people turned out to be a whirlwind trip with snatches of sightseeing.
Historically, Dehradun got its name from two words — Dehra and Dun. Dehra means camp, and the name traces back to the 17th century when Guru Ram Rai, the older son of Guru Har Rai (the 7th Sikh Guru), was exiled to the region.
As a result, he established a camp (in the area enveloped with forests), which means dera. Dun stems from the Garhwali language and means valley between mountains (between the Himalayas and the Shivalik hills). Thus, the name Dehradun.
On arriving at the Dehradun airport from Bengaluru, we were picked up by our friends and drove directly to Rishikesh, which is around a two-hour drive. Rishikesh is famous for a combination of spiritual, cultural and adventure tourism. Though there are a lot of places to visit and things to do, we focused on a couple of interesting aspects.
After checking into a cute Airbnb, we went to see the Triveni Ghat Aarti, which is considered to be the largest and most sacred ghat in Rishikesh.
Typically, it refers to the confluence of three sacred rivers — though physically it’s just the Ganga here, it’s symbolically linked with Yamuna and Saraswati. People normally believe that it washes away sins and provides spiritual purification. In fact, many consider it to be one of the most spiritually uplifting experiences one can have in the city.
The ritual we experienced in the evening was performed on the banks of the river Ganges, where several priests chant the Vedic Hymns and offer fire to the river goddess Ganga by holding oil lamps or diyas.
The Arti begins at sunset (around 6.30 pm). We secured a place to be seated. The experience of the entire session is very spiritual and peaceful. One of the devotees was entranced and showed his piousness by dancing and swaying away to the music. The entire experience was euphoric, where dozens of priests chant mantras and sing bhajans by holding the lamps. Added to this, the rhythmic sound of bells, chants and conches fills the air, creating a deep meditative ambience. Lamps or diyas are floated with flowers, and the overall experience was peaceful.
(Tips:
- Best to be dressed modestly (it was hot during our visit)
- There are no entry tickets
- Photography is allowed, but one needs to respect the rituals that is going on)We returned to our Airbnb, had dinner and slept. The next morning, we went for a walk to the Marine Drive, which is also known as Astha Path, which means Astha (belief) and Path (way)-path of belief.
The Marine Drive stretches along the Rispana River. During our walk, we encountered a peaceful ambience and saw some joggers and walkers. The 6-km stretch of drive begins at the Triveni Ghat and ends at the Barrage.
The next visit was to the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Ashram, popularly known as the Beatles Ashram, is situated within the Rajaji Tiger Reserve. The Beatles visited the Ashram in 1968 and stayed at the Ashram. Their stay brought international attention, and it is said that this appears in their albums White Album and Abbey Road.
The Ashram was established in the early 1960s and was originally titled the International Academy of Meditation. It is dotted with 84 Chaurasi Kutia, or meditation huts. These were used by the visitors for meditation.
We returned to Dehradun and visited the famous Tapkeshwar Mahadev Temple, also known as Drona Cave. According to legend, the temple served as the residence for Dronacharya, who was the royal teacher of the Pandavas and Kauravas from the Mahabharata.
His son Aswathma was born here, and legend says that since his wife could not nurse the baby, Dronacharya prayed to Lord Shiva, who responded by making milk drip from the cave’s ceiling to feed the baby. The temple, which is nestled in caves, has a constant flow of water on the Shivling, and hence, the name Tapkeshwar.
The last visit was to Mussoorie, which is also known as the ‘Queen of the Hills’ and is around 6,600 feet above sea level. It is surrounded by lush green hills, misty mountain views, and the colonial-era charm makes it a favourite getaway.
The Surkanda Devi Temple is at an altitude of approximately 2,756 meters (9,042 feet) near the village of Kaddukhal and has a panoramic view of the Himalayan ranges. It is rich in biodiversity, with dense forests of rhododendron, oak and deodar trees. The only challenge we faced was climbing the steep steps to reach the ropeway. However, once you get into the cable car, the ascent is around 10-15 minutes. The cable car stops to witness some beautiful scenery.
Legend claims that the temple signifies its association with Sati. It is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas, where Sati’s head fell when Lord Vishnu dismembered her body to pacify Lord Shiva. The name Surkanda is believed to derive from Sir (head) and Khanda (fragment).
Like all trips, we returned to Mussoorie after a lovely time with friends and visiting, if not all, but some excellent places.
