Journey to Shri Hemkund Sahib

Shri Hemkund Sahib is the sacred place where Guru Gobind Singh Ji spent a long time meditating in his previous birth, as mentioned in Bachittar Natak. Journey to Hemkund Sahib is a heavenly experience and full of lifetime memories because of its importance and adventure. Whole journey starting from Rishikesh is a travel along river Ganges.

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Shri Hemkund Sahib ji

Mesmerizing Onwards Journey

The journey  to Hemkund Sahib can be very comfortable if planned in advance and properly. I followed this itinerary from Delhi and found it to be most comfortable and time saving Delhi to Haridwar – By Train is ~4 Hrs. Haridwar station to Rishikesh Gurudwara – By road is ~45 minutes. You have 2 major options from Rishikesh Gurudwara to start the Yatra. One is Gurudwara Buses and other one is you can hire a dedicated Taxi.

Shri Hemkund Sahib-Route-Map

Rishikesh to Govindghat By Road  11 – 12 Hrs (This estimate is of travelling by Sumo Taxi). It is Via Joshimath, Joshimath to Govindghat is only ~2 Hrs. This time may vary significantly because of landslides on the way. All this route should be covered during day light, as otherwise it may be very dangerous because of landslides, narrow roads and steep valleys.  Ample Boarding/lodging arrangements available at Govind-Ghat in Gurudwara and nearby lodges.

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On-the-way-to-Joshimat

Govind-Ghat to Govind-Dham is ~ 13 KMs. You can to go Trekking or hire a Pony. Palki can be hired for aged people who cannot sit on Pony. For small kids  Pitthus  are also available.  Trekking time is dependent on your fitness level and Pony takes ~4.5 Hrs. This travelling also has to be completed in Day time and should be started as early as possible so that you get maximum rest for the final trekking to Hemkund Sahib next morning. You have ample Boarding/lodging options available at Govind-Dham in Gurudwara and nearby lodges. Luggage has to left here (Gurudwara Cloak room can be used for this if checking out from lodge. From here only Towels and essentials should be carried.

Gobind Dham

Govind-Dham to Hemkund Sahib Gurudwara is ~ 6 KMs. You can to go Trekking or hire a Pony. Palki can be hired for aged people who cannot sit on Pony. For small kids  Pitthus  are also available. You have to start Early morning and must return back same day. Pony takes around ~2 Hrs and Trekking time strictly dependent on your fitness levels. You have Langar available at Hemkund Sahib Gurudwara and a First aid Centre with a Doctor  is also available. Snaan and Darshan does not takes much time but you would like to spend anything less than 2 Hrs.

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Hemkund Sahib

Spell Binding Backward Journey

Hemkund Sahib Gurudwara  to Govind-Dham. You have to return same day after Snaan and Darshan and Trekking down is much more convenient. Trekking down to Govind-Dham takes  ~2.5 Hrs, Pony may take ~1 Hour. Govind-Dham to Flower Valley is ~ 3 KMs. Govind-Dham to Hemkund Sahib and Back requires one day and Govind-Dham to Flower Valley and back requires another day. You can go to Flower Valley from Govind-Dham next day and distance and conditions are similar to Hemkund Sahib Trekking. Flower Valley closes down at 2:00 pm.

Valley in Hemkund Sahib

Govind-Dham to Govind-Ghat - It will take ~3.5 Hrs on Pony. Trekking down would depend on your fitness conditions. In case health is good trekking should be preferred to hiring a Pony as it Pony comes down at a speed and is not a very comfortable experience. If returning by Pony you can consider of reaching same day to Govind-Ghat (On the day of Darshan  or on the day of Flower Valley Visit) Govindghat to Rishikesh   This Journey depends upon how have you come either by Taxi or By Gurudwara Bus you have both the options.

Inside-of-Hemkund-Sahib

Important Notes:

Delhi to Hemkund Sahib and back is ~6 days Journey but very much dependent on weather conditions which is impacted primarily by landslides. You must have 2-3 days in hand. Above details does not include travel by Jathaas which originate from most of the big Indian Cities and are well guided travels. Essentials to be carried apart from woollens is rain coat, cheap raincoats are available at Govind-Ghat also.

Shri Hemkund Sahib

‘Jhitku- Mitku’ - Art of Chhattisgarh

A large part of the folklore in India is based around heart touching love stories many of which seem to have an eternal appeal. This, though generally true of almost all the parts of the country has some really poignant examples in Punjab, Sikkim, Chhattisgarh and some other parts of the country with simple ways of living and a passion for living. The eternal love ballad of ‘Chhatisgarh’ revolves around ‘Jhitku’ and ‘Mitku’ a simple boy and girl who happened to be love struck in times past.

Tribal-Crafts-of-Chhattisgarh

Its is said that Mitku was the star of the eyes of a family of seven brohers and had so much of the love and affection that she felt free as a bird with sky her play yard and the world as the playmates. As time flies, she was ready to be married and the brothers invited a local youth ‘Jhitku’ as per the tribal tradition ‘Lampena’ of the areas as per which the groom has to stay for a year with the bride’s family and do all the chores related to bread winning so as to prove himself worthy of the bride to be. The ‘Jhitku’ came for a worthiness trial and as the luck would have it, fell in love with ‘Mitku’. The brothers though remained blissfully unaware of the matters of the heart.

Jhitku-Mitku

As it happens in the country with alarming frequency, the rains failed that year and the area was stricken with draught. The brothers went seeking counsel from village seer and he recommended a sacrifice to seek blessings of the God. The brothers did not really have anything else to sacrifice so late one night they whisked off ‘Jhitku’ and sacrificed him to the local deity. 

Bastar-Handicrafts-Chhattisgarh

Having discovered the truth, Mitku, grief stricken, took her own life. Though the timings are lost in the hoary past, the memory of Jhitku Mitku lives in tales and ballads and off course in the tribal metal casting art, in which it remains one of the most important image and can be found in any tribal art museum or an export catalogue.

Chhattisgarh-Art

Tribal art of Chhattisgarh has a very important element of metal casting in clay modeling using lost wax process and though ‘Jhitku- Mitku’ remain ever favourite, there are numerous other beautiful objects that are made by the process and can be found in numerous haats of Jagdalpur, Narainpur, Kondagram and Shipagram of Chhatisgarh.

Different Forms of Tribal Arts

Long weekends in 2013 to visit places in India

2012 is over, buddies! And what makes 2013 special, is the fact that the much dreaded and discussed apocalypse in the end of December 2012 did not happen. We are very much alive and kicking, so we should make the best of the life we have been blessed with. There’s a lot to do – and not just routine activities, but recreational as well. Its an opportunity to make the best of the long weekends in 2013 to visit different destinations in our country and rediscover the beauty of India all over.

Fog at India Gate in New Delhi

Its barely a week into January and the mercury continues to dip in the northern hemisphere. There’s a cold wave over India – its snowing in the hills, freezing in rest of North and Central India, quite cool in Bangalore and a pleasant warm weather in the coastal areas around Mumbai and Chennai. Who needs a further excuse to utilize opportunities to take a break over the weekend, far away from the ringing cell phone, beeping inbox, chaotic traffic and stress of daily life.

Clear Sky at Gateway of India in Mumbai

The calendar of 2013 has a lot of long weekends to plan for. You may need to take a day or two off from work, but when it is a question of a two day week end becoming four or five days at a stretch, no one would complain. The options to spend this spell of freedom are many: A holiday to rejuvenate oneself, or charge your batteries by just taking rest at home.  The key is planning and management of related matters such as funds, work loads, social commitments, etc.

Goa is a popular destination during the winter season

In the first month itself, Republic Day, January 26th is a Saturday. But those who work five days a week need not feel cheated. Id – E – Milad is on January 25th (Friday), so you have three days at a stretch. If the winter chill is bothering you, target the coastal areas. You can enjoy water sports in Goa, but make your bookings beforehand as the peak tourist season would have set in.

Opportunity of another 5-day getaway would knock at your doors in March – Holi is on 27th, a Wednesday and Good Friday is on 29th. So if you take a leave on 28th, you’ll get a continuous break. If you can manage to obtain leave on the 25th and 26th as well, you can club it with the prior weekend and have nine days at a stretch. Now, isn’t that exciting? You can plan for a long trip to your dream destination. The weather would be suitable for going anywhere. But since it’s the time of Holi, you may visit Uttar Pradesh, where the festival is celebrated with much fervor. You may also visit Shantiniketan in West Bengal, where a week long festival is held.

Spring Festival was started by poet and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore at Shantiniketan

The holiday mood gets a new boost in April with Ram Navmi on 19th, a Friday. There is another holiday coming up on 24th, Wednesday on account of Mahavir Jayanti. So, all you have to do is obtain leave on Monday – Tuesday or Thursday – Friday (or both) and plan for a trip to someplace nearby?

Shimla was declared as the summer capital of British India

The first day of May is a holiday on account of Labour Day. After two months of serious attempts to get back to the working mode, you have a month long of festivities. Id – ul – Fitr on August 9th, Friday would liberate you with a long weekend. Independence Day, August 15th is on the next Thursday, and Raksha Bandhan is on 20th, the following Tuesday. I can sense your eyes lighting up, as you read this. To add to your happiness, Janmashtami is on 28th, a Wednesday. All you have to do is plug in the gaps between these holidays to have not just “long weekends” but a “super long holiday”.  You can visit Mathura or Vrindavan during this time, where celebrations of Lord Krishna’s birthday is an event to look out for.

Vrindavan hosts hundreds of temples dedicated to the worship of Radha and Krishna and is considered sacred by a number of religious traditions

When you may have finally pressed the accelerator to work, October 2nd, Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday, falls on a Wednesday. This year, Dusshera is on a Sunday, but as a compensation for this loss, Ashtami is on 11th, a Friday. Id – ul – Zoha is on 16th, a Wednesday, so you may take two days before or after to club it with the weekend.

Dusshara is a Hindu festival that celebrates the victory of good over evil

Festivities linger in the air till Diwali, on 4th November, Monday followed by Bhai Duj, the very next day. So, you get four days by default, and you may just run away into the hills. Discover hill stations in Himachal and Uttarakhand – the weather would be romantic, with a nip in the air, but comfortable.

December 25th to January 1st is the festive time when everyone wishes to enjoy.  Christmas (25th December) is on a Wednesday, and the first day of 2014 is also a Wednesday. You can easily take off on 23rd, 24th, and 30th, 31st to begin celebrating right from 21st!

Merry-Christmas

While so many long holidays in 2013, you may be wondering about what to do, where to go, relax and enjoy, get value for money and all related aspects. Come to us at The Other Home. Tell us the time you want to travel, and we shall work out solutions according to your needs. Browse our website, identify your options, and tell us what is in your mind. Share your budget, the type of experience you are looking for, the details of your companions on the trip, etc and relax. Let our team handle the rest. We have a bounty of properties and tie-ups all over India, with rich experience in the tourism sector to strengthen our ability to serve you the best.

Ski-in-Himachal

Enjoy 2013!!

Orange Festival of Manipur

The Orange Festival in Manipur’s Tamenglong district has become an annual state event, which attracts a large number of people from all over the country and abroad for a gala get together. It is celebrated with the theme ‘Orange for Health’ and ‘Orange for Beauty and Prosperity’. Hundreds of varieties of quality oranges are exhibited by orange farmers in this extraordinary orange blossom festival in Manipur, which brings a great boost to the promotion of trade and tourism of this region.

Orange-Festival-Manipur

All About the Juicy “Orange Festival” of Manipur

The Tamenglong districtis one of the five hill districts of Manipur and is blessed with many picturesque locations. The orange festival in Manipur acts as the biggest event to highlight the beautiful tourist spots of this natural paradise such as the adventurous Tharon cave, the breathtaking Barak waterfalls, the magnificent Bunning meadows and the enchanting Zeilad lake, which hosts variety of migratory birds every year.

Orange Festival in Manipur

The Orange festival in Manipur is organized by the Horticulture Development Society of Tamenglong and jointly sponsored and promoted by Tourism Department. It aims at promoting the cultivation of oranges in the region. The festival is mainly organized with the objective to facilitate the socio-economic upliftment of the people of the district, provide an excellent platform for orange farmers to display their produce before potential buyers and also to promote tourism in the region. One of the other important reasons for organizing the festival is the declining production of oranges due to the poor management of the orchards.

Oranges on Exhibition cum Sale

The Tamenglong district is least developed as compared to the other Districts of Manipur. It has humid-sub-tropical climate. The climate and the soil of Tamenglong district are highly suitable for all kinds of horticulture. It is located at an altitude of 1260 meters above sea level with rainfalls of up to 3135 mm and with temperatures of 30 c (Max) and 4 c (Min). The farmers bring in additional income from various horticulture products like papaya, pineapple, chillies but mainly oranges. Oranges are grown on a large scale in Tamenglong district and approximately 80% of the oranges produced in Manipur are from this district. But, due to poor infrastructure and development, lack of credit support and proper marketing strategies, the rich potentials of this sector has never been realized.

Open Stall at Orange Festival

In order to popularize and increase the production of oranges, the Orange throwing festival is celebrated every year in the district during the month of December, when the beauty of the region is at its very best. The orange festivals organized in the past have created a lot of awareness and have witnessed enthusiastic participation of orange growers from the region as well as from other parts of the country. It also offers an excellent opportunity for both, the growers and fruit processing industries to clinch best deals with orange farmers. Tamenglong is full of resources but suffers mainly because of poor tapping of the district. To grab the best opportunities, there has to be a proper balance between effective channeling of the available technological skill, best quality fruit production, efficient pest management, post harvest modern technology, and last but not the least effective marketing to grab the best deals of the trade. Considering the favourable climatic conditions of the Tamenglong for orange cultivation, holding of such orange festivals will greatly help farmers increase their cultivation/production and reach out to a bigger market.

Orange Festivatl – People enjoying on different stalls

A Peep into the Festivities of the Orange Festival

The festival was first introduced in the district during 2002 by Manipur Small Farmers’ Agri-Business Consortium under the kind aegis of Central SFAC and DRAD Tamenglong. The festivalwitnessed great popularity and started to be celebrated every year with the support of the Government Department as a state festival since 2005.

Oranges on Display

The Orange festival celebrations are always grand with lots of fun, entertainment and award competitions. It is celebrated with joy, splendor, enthusiasm and happiness. Theprogram begins with the felicitation ceremony of Horticulture and Tribal Development Minister followed by formal inauguration of the orange festival. Then, the exhibition stalls are opened in the presence of local MLAs. A large number of orange growers from different villages of Manipur take part in the orange growing competitions. The victorious orange farmers go home richer with whooping cash prizes. Personnel of 5th Manipur Rifles, 11 Assam Rifles, Tamenglong Bamboo and Cane Development Centre (TAMBAC), UBI and others also show interest in exhibiting their products during the festival.

Many entertainment and cultural dance programs along with a seminar for orange growers and sport activities for the public are the other main attractions of this great event. Other games like Shot Put, Arm Wrestling, Mass jumping, Orange Eating competition, greased poll climbing, Loi zaimei (Tug of War) and shriek competition are also played as part of the inaugural function.

Cultural Program at Orange Festival

The main highlight of the orange blossom festival is the ‘’Orange Queen’’ beauty pageant that adds that dash of colour and glitz to the event. It is highly instrumental in attracting a large number of audiences from different parts of the country.  Many beautiful girls from different communities and from different parts of the state of Manipur vie for the “Orange Queen” title which carries a massive cash prize. The first and the second runner up title holders are also felicitated with a cash prize. All these cash prizes are sponsored by well wishers of the festival. It goes without saying that the fashion-cum beauty pageant has become an indispensable part of the orange festival of Manipur over the years. The two day event concludes with a happy note with fun and frolic all over and people projecting their cultural, social land religious aspirations in an outstanding way. People look forward to this magnificent celebration with lots of excitement and hope.

Every year the beautiful Tamenglong district of Manipur comes alive with the great Orange Fest celebrations exhibiting beautiful, juicy and fresh oranges everywhere. The event offers an excellent opportunity for both the producers and fruit processing industries to nurture better trade relations. The festival encourages villagers to grow more and more oranges, which results in improvement of orange cultivation and as a definite boost to Manipur’s economy.

Orange-Queen-Contest

The continuous trend of organizing this festival with full support of Government will surely prove to be an advantageous factor for the people of the region and will help in improvement of their socio-economic status and boosting the tourism sector.

Come, be a part of the all-juicy, orange throwing fest!!