[IQBAL VEERJI]

HI. Everyone ... As promised to you all earlier that I shall be posting photos and details of my trip of this years YATRA SRI HEMKUNT SAHIB.

We were 70 Yatris this year from Mumbai for this holy trip. We boarded the Swaraj Express on 2nd Sept at 8.00 AM,from Bandra Terminus and through out the journey to New Delhi we were all praying most of the time.

We reached New Delhi next day at 4.30 AM. Our group of 10 were from same area of Seven Bunglows and Lokhandwala Complex, and we had hired a A.C. Tempo Traveller seperately from New Delhi for the entire trip of Paonta Sahib in Himachal Pradesh and Sri Hemkunt Sahib in Uttaranchal, while other members hired two regular 27 seater TATA buses.

Our 2011 mfgd Tempo Traveller was having chilling AC, Electric Blue LED lights,Tube lights, velvet seat covers, good music system,fresh air freshner fragrance and a very polite neatly uniformed driver Tyagi ji, in short a COOL vehicle.

At New Delhi it took us exactly 40 min. to come out of the railway station to the parking lot where our this special vehicle was parked, loaded our luggage on the roof rack,and drove away from the station.

While our rest of 60 members were just loading their luggage.

We found almost NIL traffic in the city and took advantage of it by driving as fast as we could to UP border,to get that so called Permit of UP state.

We proceeded towards Moolchand Resorts at Muzzafarnagar instead of Cheetal Grands as we earlier used to do for that much neede breakfast.

On the way near Poorkaji I saw a Team Bhpian in a Esteem, I immediately took his car's photo, Kindly identify your self sirji,We were right behind you .
I had asked our driver of the TempoTraveller. Mr.Tyagi Ji, to blow his horn but our team Bhpian was too busy talking on his cell while he was driving.

We kept on driving in Uttaranchal towards Himachal border and by crossing Yamuna River we were in Himachal Pradesh,and by 3.30 PM reached Paonta Sahib.

Paonta Sahib is a Gurudwara where our 10th Guru, GURU GOVIND SINGH JI,stayed and used to have Kavi Darbars on the banks of Yamuna river, but the problem was the river flow was very fast and it used to make lot of noise which disturbed the Kavi Darbar and it was difficult to hear what the artists were singing. So our Guru Ji just pointed his hand on the river side ,immediately the flow of half of the river became very slow and started flowing without any noise which still exists.

Next day we started our journey to Rishikesh,passing through Dehradoon,
Haridwar,and finally at Rishikesh RTO.The RTO office which is located at outskirts of the city.Here our problems started with the officials, our Tyagi ji was with a slip as his driving licence, which in Mumbai is known as (L.Temp) licence impounded.

The agent who was handling our paper work for the permit needed for travelling in the hills for our vehicle said that the M.D.L. of the driver Tyagi is not valid in the hills ,so you all can not go furthur till any one in our group with commercial M.D.L. comes forward and get his M.D.L. endorced with hill side driving permit.

In our whole group I was the only one having M.D.L. issued in the year 1972 showing that I can work as a paid driver.

I had got this done during that period of Educated Unemployed era of Mrs. Indira Gandhi, for the loans for commercial vehicles.

So My M.D.L. was taken away and was endorced without a blink and this HILL SIDE driving permit valid for life time was prepared in 2 hrs time
and I got this prized permit without giving a test. Our agent told me Technically I should be driving but I am sick so our TYAGI JI IS DRIVING ON MY BEHALF.This is to be told when any checking takes place on the way by officials. heheheheheheh. I shall post a photo of the same later.

Our next night halt was Srinagar,on the way we stopped at Devprayag where we saw a Baleno which had rolled down into the river after jumping the edge of the road.All occupants died in the accident but the police managed to bring the car back on the road.

The owners of the car were contacted but they were not interested to take away the car thus the car became BEWARIS (no one to claim).
We reached Srinagar at 5.30 PM.
Next day we were to start very very early for the last part of our motor journey to Govind ghat.

I shall post the next part of our journey later ,meanwhile please enjoy the photos which were taken from the vehicle it self.

[IQBAL VEERJI]

Hi, I was to upload some more photos of our trip today but I am finding it difficult to resize them.It is a time consuming and there are so many photos to be uploaded. I will attempt again may be late today. Regards...

[ASHISHPALLOD]

@Iqbal Veerji,
thanks for posting the pics as promised.
Please share your travelstory in a separate travelogue so that it will be easier for future ref.

[libranof1987]

Hi Iqbal Veerji, best of luck for the remainder of the trip. Wish you a safe journey throughout.

A request - I've created a thread for this route (Delh - Valley of flowers/ Hemkund Sahib). Could you please post route updates there too; would help prospective travellers.

Hope you have a peaceful darshan!

[IQBAL VEERJI]

Respected bandhus ji, Today I went to office at 9.AM and just returned back at 9.15 PM after dinner sat down for that resizing of photos.
I was able to do on some of them.

Now the journey starts from Srinagar.We had stayed at Gharwal Mandal Vikas Nigam Dormitary of 12 beds @100/- .with TV AND COOLER.We all went to the gurudwara in the night before we retired for the day.We had dinner in a near by restaurant

We all got up at 3.30 AM I went down and woke up the cook to make tea for us,we had a bagful of Nankhatai,Mathhais,Chivda etc .
All of us were at the dining table of the GMVN and had light breakfast.
We left Srinagar at 4.45 AM. it was still dark outside,our other 60 group members were still asleep.
We were very quick in covering maximum distance and reached our first road block by Land slide it happened last night and was being cleared by the bull dozer.
We had to wait for the road to be cleared for 3 hrs. by that time there were 1200 vehicles on both sides.
It was finally cleared and we moved on to PIPALKOTI where we had Lunch and there I found a Bipasha Basu fan of uttarakhand who named his shop after her.
I am posting photo of our Tyagiji, and my son who was very scared looking at the falling stones from the hills and was with a army jawan and his gypsy all the while.
At one point there you will find a road from Nainital and Almora meeting Badrinath Road.

There are some areas fixed for landslides which happen very often.
I too got fed up of waiting for the road clearing to happen and went to speak to BRO officials who were too in their gypsy.
Our next part of journey I shall post it later please enjoy the snaps ,there are plenty more with me .Regards.......

[mandyrana]

Hi Iqbal Veerji, Not sure why you took Muzzafarnagar route to Paonta Sahib, instead of Yamuna Nagar which is shorter route and Can reach to Paonta Sahib in 5 hrs from Delhi.

[kamboj]

Beautiful photos. It just refreshed memories of my trip there, around 15 years back .

In the parking photo, I see one TATA NANO. That's amazing feat achieved by CAR and the Driver.

[ariesonu]

@ I'Veerji: Excellent Pics. Regret I could not join you guys this time.

@ Kamboj: I'Veerji informed me that the Nano guy had kept a 40 litre jerry can on the back seat to compensate for small fuel tank of Nano. He also damaged his exhaust & possibly scrapped his engine too. But still the guy does deserve a pat on back for making it to so high altitudes in the world's cheapest car.

Raab Rakha.

[kamboj]

Originally Posted by ariesonu

@ Kamboj: I'Veerji informed me that the Nano guy had kept a 40 litre jerry can on the back seat to compensate for small fuel tank of Nano. He also damaged his exhaust & possibly scrapped his engine too. But still the guy does deserve a pat on back for making it to so high altitudes in the world's cheapest car.

Raab Rakha.

Interesting indeed.

I think TATA Motors should use this as publicity material. On a lighter note, may be falling fortunes of Nano take a positive turn after pilgrimage by Car to Hemkund Sahib .

Sorry for being OT, I'Veerji plz carry on with your wonderful travelougue.

[IQBAL VEERJI]

Originally Posted by kamboj

Beautiful photos. It just refreshed memories of my trip there, around 15 years back .

In the parking photo, I see one TATA NANO. That's amazing feat achieved by CAR and the Driver.

Yes Sir it was great to see our small wonder in Govin ghat which is about 800 kms from Delhi. In mumbai, guys are abusing this car and making fun of it. It covered all those paths with slush,huge stones, steep climbs and sudden slopes, landslides,falling stones from hills, and above every thing carrying large qty of petrol in the car , which was more important then his own clothings and luggage ,and the car without roof rack etc.Wonderful , infact every one were surprised to see this car on the way when it was climbing the hills, cops stopped them to chat with them and congratulating them.
He had put two Black Parandi ( Black threaded rope) in the front to keep away the Buri Nazar Wale.

[IQBAL VEERJI]

Respected Biradars, this is the end ,of course of the selected photos of my Yatra.
It includes inside photo of gurudwara Rishikesh.
It has photos of Gurudwara Bhatta Sahib, on the way to Bhatta Sahib, I trevelled in cycle rickshaw .
Main Gate of Bhatta Sahib.
The footmarks of Guruji's Horse in glass case.
Regards.WAHEGURU JI KA KHALSA WAHEGURU JI KI FATEH..............

RUBB RAKHA...

[ariesonu]

Thanks you Veerji for fufilling my wish. The Rishikesh Darbar sahib has resemblance to Hemkunt Sahib's main structure. Its simply awesome.

For those who cannot read punjabi.
The brass plaque reads (Last pic)
"The footmarks of blue horse of Tenth Guru are below" (In the glass enclosure).

& the main white gate reads (3rd pic)
"Gurudwara Bhatta Sahib 10th Guru" Kotla Nihang (Ropar)
The huge oven where bricks are baked is called "Bhatta".

Iqbal Veerji can you tell us about history of this Gurudwara?

Raab Rakha.

[ASHISHPALLOD]

@veerji,
as bolbolero also suggested , a travelogue is the suitable place for your wonderful pics and writeup.
You just create a thread in travelogue section and request to mods to move the posts in the thread created by you.

[kamboj]

Originally Posted by IQBAL VEERJI

Yes Sir it was great to see our small wonder in Govin ghat which is about 800 kms from Delhi. In mumbai, guys are abusing this car and making fun of it. It covered all those paths with slush,huge stones, steep climbs and sudden slopes, landslides,falling stones from hills, and above every thing carrying large qty of petrol in the car , which was more important then his own clothings and luggage ,and the car without roof rack etc.Wonderful , infact every one were surprised to see this car on the way when it was climbing the hills, cops stopped them to chat with them and congratulating them.
He had put two Black Parandi ( Black threaded rope) in the front to keep away the Buri Nazar Wale.

If you have enough info about this, I think it deserves a all new thread of its own, titled something like Adventures of Nano - Makes it to Hemknd Sahib.

I see queries on forum where people are asking if a perticular model of car is suitable to journey to Badrinath/Hemkund Sahib/WOF. I think if Nano can make it, then any car can make it.

[IQBAL VEERJI]

Originally Posted by kamboj

If you have enough info about this, I think it deserves a all new thread of its own, titled something like Adventures of Nano - Makes it to Hemknd Sahib.

I see queries on forum where people are asking if a perticular model of car is suitable to journey to Badrinath/Hemkund Sahib/WOF. I think if Nano can make it, then any car can make it.

Biradar, if you kindly note the regd no of cute NANO, it is delhi regd car. It was parked at Govind ghat parking, the owners had gone to Hemkunt Sahib.
I asked the other drivers in the parking lot and they told me about it that when the car arrived the owner narrated the stories of curious pepole on the way.
I saw inside the car two large petrol jerry cans on the rear seat. and with right side running board damaged while on the way maybe due to stones rubbing against it.
We were to start our return journey to Rishikesh same day, thats why I was unable to speak to the owners.

Talking about if any car can make it to Sri Hemkunt Sahib last year I saw old model Maruti 800 cc car ,probably 90 model with roof carrier parked in the parking lot , and over and above this car had AP regd no maybe from BIDAR.
For this yatra I have a feeling that not only mechanicals of the car is to be thanked but also the owners of such cars have FULL faith in RUBB JI..which comes first and above everything.