North India Part II: Meditatin’ in Caves

While traveling, I sometimes forget where I am. But I am OFTEN super conscious to make sure I acknowledge the gratitude for the opportunity I have to set foot on these other lands. Though I saw and did a lot of things in 6 days, almost half of our time was spent squished together in the backseat of a car. It was exhausting and at times frustrating. So, I always made sure to internally remind myself . . . “I’m in FUCKING India, and that’s pretty cool!”

From Agra, we set out for the next part of our Northern journey

Northern India Part 2: Agra -> Vrindavan -> Haridwar 1 -> Haridwar 2 -> Rishikesh -> Delhi

Vrindavan

considered one of the most holy sites in India for devotees of Krishna
Vrindavan means “a lovely forest of Tulsi plants”
many devotees come to Vrindavan to participate in a parikrama (Sanskrit meaning ‘the path around something’) which is about 10 km and often walked barefoot (it takes about 3-4 hours)

I found Vrindavan to be gritty! It was what I think part of the stereotype of India is . . . . cows and monkeys EVERYWHERE, sadhus roaming the streets, filthy, noisy, smelly and just overall overwhelming to ALL of the senses. Things felt MORE enhanced and aggressive here. One person in our group even experienced a “monkey incident” where a monkey jumped on her to stealthily grab the sunglasses she had on her head. Did I say this city was INTENSE?!!!

*Mere moments before the “monkey incident” . . . . it happened so fast!!*

Yet, it’s a pilgrimage for Hindus who are devotees of Krishna. Vrindavan is believed to be where love between Krishna and Radha developed and grew, so there’s a strong focus on pilgrims and love in this city. It’s also where I thought I had my first sighting of the sacred Ganges River, however I JUST discovered that it is actually the Yamuna river that flows through Vrindavan (😆), but it IS the largest tributary river of the Ganges, so . . . . that counts as special, right?! In the end, despite the grittiness and intensity of all that is Vrindavan, there was also a sense of camaraderie and togetherness that kind of felt sweet.

*The Ganges . . . I mean the Yamuna River!!*

*At one point we were sitting on the side of the road along the pilgrim route. Many times groups and families of pilgrims would come over to ask to take a selfie with us.*

It was also the beginning of the Diwali festival, so there was a special, festive element thrown in the mix. But honestly . . . I don’t know if the lit up temples were a Diwali thing, or simply an everyday thing!!

*Inside the temple was just as intense as it was outside in the city! Vrindavan just seems like THAT place!!*

Hardiwar 1: (homestay – west Hardiwar)

Hardiwar translated from Sanskrit means ‘Gateway to the Gods’ or ‘Gateway to Lord Vishnu’
Hardiwar is 1 of 4 sacred locations where Kumb Mela takes place (occurs every 12 years) which attracts millions of devotees to bathe in the Ganges
it is here where the Ganges River touches the plains for the first time (after winding through the mountains)

Not only did we experience our first Indian train experience on the way to Haridwar, we also experienced the beginning of the Diwali festival here.

India train travel step 1: choose a porter . . . especially if you’re with a group with a lot of bags, or nervous of not knowing where to go (porters stick around with you to physically put your bags on your train)

*India train travel step 2: Porters will then put the heaviest (and sometimes 2) on their head, grab your shit and go. Your job at this point is to just keep up!*

*India train travel step 3: Watch trains go by and partly wonder if they are yours (your train is late!), then remember that the porters will tell you when to get on.*

*India train travel step 4: Celebrate that you’re on, then relax . . . . . . kind of . . . . they don’t announce stops, so you have to figure out a way to know when to eventually get off!*

Our first couple of days were spent at a homestay in the house of a friend of our group leader. She has part of her place set up for tourists, the food she fed us was SUPER delicious, and it was just nice to feel well taken care of after the grittiness of Vrindavan.

Around west Hardiwar

I thought I would get a view of the Ganges from here, but the water at this point was damned in order to clean up the bottom and the banks and do general maintenance and cleanup.

We were at this homestay for the beginning of the Diwali festival. Diwali, or Dipawali (in Sanskrit means row of lights) is India’s most important holiday and is celebrated over 5 days. Things are decorated and lit up by lights and clay light candles are placed outside and inside the house (especially dark corners) to symbolize the inner light that permeates and transforms spiritual darkness. There are also fireworks every night. Lots and lots of fireworks because what is needed in India at this point is more loud booming sounds!

We stayed her for ‘little Diwali’ which is day 2 of the 5 days of celebration. Because we were going to be elsewhere for the “main celebration” the next day, our host arranged henna for us as well as a special intimate puja (a ritual honouring and making offerings to a diety . . . in this case the Goddess Lakshmi or the goddess of wealth and prosperity). It was super sweet and a great way for us to celebrate and get a bit of a feel for the holiday.

Evening Puja

Hardiwar 2: Santosh Puri Ashram (east Hardiwar)

founded in 1978 by Baba Santosh Puri and Mataji Narvada Puri
now run by 3 siblings whose parents were yogis and were born and raised in the ashram
was originally called Dattatreya Gaushala and was established to take care of cows and dogs

The next day, we drove across town to stay in an ashram that our group leader has gone to for many years. We stayed there for 3 nights and it felt soooooo good to FINALLY sloooooooow the F$&# down! It was a nice change of pace, great to meet people from other countries and to learn a bit about ashram life from their practices and traditions. Again, in three days, it was only a very slight scratch of the surface of this experience.

Around the ashram

*When we first showed up cow manure was being spread over the front . . . . it’s a good luck thing!*

We were at the ashram on the night of the biggest celebration for Diwali, so again we got to spread candles to dispel the light as well as a puja, and other activities for the event.

getting ready

Afternoon puja

Evening rituals

*honouring Ganesh – the remover of obstacles*

*honouring Lakshmi – the goddess of abundance*

spreading the light

Around east Hardiwar

This was also my (actual) first sighting of the Ganges river. My roommate and I escaped the ashram and other people one day and just sat by the river quietly. It was exactly the nature therapy that I was needing!

It was great to FINALLY have a chance to be still and recharge, but sooner than I wanted . . . . . it was time to move again!

*Posing with the middle sibling (Mandakini) before we left*

Rishikesh

known as the “Yoga Capital of the World”
where the Beatles came to learn Transcendental Meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1968
alcohol is banned here as it’s considered a holy land and pilgrimage centre

This is the area I thought about going to at one point to do some further yoga training when I was called. The thing that turned me off a bit is that sometimes it feels like EVERYONE is going there to do yoga training which only makes me not want to go! 😆

As we drove into the area though . . . I could see the appeal. It’s BEAUTIFUL!

A highlight was a sacred cave site. The main area is where a sage meditated, and further down the river is another cave where his wife meditated. Both places had really good vibes and energy, we were allowed to sit and stay as long as we liked and I took my time sitting in silence and walking along the river.

We did a few activities as a group, be we also had free time finally to do our own thing one day. This freedom along with the feel of the area made this another one of my fav spots in the north!

Around Rishikesh

Very brief explanation . . . there’s ‘two sides’ in the Rishikesh area with two bridges to get to the other side. The bridge we were staying next to was under construction, so we spent some time using these boats to cross sides.

*Rishikesh is known as the ‘Yoga Capital of the World’*

My roomie and I went looking for the Beatles ashram and though we found it, we didn’t go in. They have incorporated it into a tiger sanctuary and charge a steep entrance fee, so a quick snap shot from the entrance was good enough for both of us!

A major highlight during this trip has been the people. They are warm, colourful and for the most part friendly. There is an interesting “thing” where as foreigners we get stopped randomly and asked if we will take a selfie with various people. Of course I agree, and I’ve also taken to ask if I can have a selfie back!

As our time in the North came to a close, we had to head back to Delhi. There was a full day scheduled in Delhi with a bunch of activities planned, but some events transpired on our trip back which caused all of us to be extremely tired and not up for too much (that’s a story for another day!) Fortunately we DID end up going to the Lotus Temple. This place had come highly recommended to me by someone I trust, but I had avoided going to it when I first arrived in Delhi and went on a city tour (before the program started) because we were told we would go as a group during this portion of the trip (there was a whole “thing” around this site possibly not happening . . . . again another day story). So glad we made it. It had great energy and was well worth it!

Though I am grateful for the experiences I had, by this point in the trip I was also feeling very frustrated and exhausted. The amount of time spent squished in the back of a car became very draining. It felt like we spent as much time in the car as we did exploring. It was also really difficult for me to not have enough time or control of the time we did have to spend at sites or cities. There was no alone time, no wander on our own time and no opportunity to savour things or not based on our own interests and desires. However, freedom is one of my highest values, so . . . . maybe that was just a total me issue?! 😁

Yet, despite some of these “issues” there were also some good, meaningful conversations, laughs along the way and a bond over the shared experiences.

I can see coming back to certain parts of Northern India someday, but until then . . . . stay tuned for some stories from the South!