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Dharamshala:
I visited Dharamshala last week for a change from 29th November 2010 to 3rd December 2010.I wanted to visit this place last month in October as a leisure time activity but had to abandon it, due to the sad demise of my mother. However the feeling of the loss of my mother , restlessness and some sense of wandering without any aim or ambition for the moment, led me towards Dharamshala. I wanted some kind of divine intervention to convince or console me for the untimely loss. Dharamshala as I know, is a place for spiritual quest, solace ,supported by the nature with its majestic hills along with the beauty of nature through streams, orchards, scenery ......
The thought of pleasure along with my friends around Pathankot, Dharamshala, Shimla, Kullu and Manali as planned before for October's first week had already vanished after the loss of my mother. Still, I wanted the abode of the lords to show some miracles that could guide me or convince me, of my way ahead. With less workload and the loss suffered , I wanted to get rid of my depressions by going out, to some far-off place where I could concentrate through meditation or prayers. As Dharamshala was in my mind and I had some western friends who were living there due to a similar reason or the other, whom I wanted visit sometime, I headed for Dharamshala...
As I had the details of my plan outlay before, it was easy to move ahead. I left for Pathankot on 29th by Dhauladhar Express from Delhi Station that leaves at 10:20PM and reaches Pathankot by 7:30 in the next morning. I reached Pathankot by 8 AM. I decided to move ahead alone, to Dharamshala, as against meeting my senior (A Brigadier in the Indian Army stationed in Pathankot) who invited me to meet him before I left for Dharamsala. As I wanted to keep the visit a low key affair due to the tragic incident of my mother's death, I proceeded alone..
The toy-train with 6 bogies with a capacity of around 250 seats left for Chamunda at 10 am which I wanted to visit first, to pray at the Chamunda Devi temple, during the trip from Pathankot's narrow gauge lane. The train goes till Joginder nagar which is only 55 Kilometers from Kullu but gives a beautiful scenic-view of the Snowcapped Mountains, valleys, Rivers and Fruit Orchards of Himachal Pradesh, as it moves along very slowly on the mountain tracks! The journey was very pleasant with local people, who shared the journey along the route as they moved from one place to another. The locals are very gentle and well mannered as compared to the most of typically rude, arrogant and unpleasant north Indians ! There were also students who moved from one place to another in groups to their colleges. The journey to Chamunda Station took 6 hours from Pathankot which is only a two and a half hours journey by bus but one can not enjoy the scenery as much by bus. I reached Chamunda at 4pm. As advised by a fellow passenger to spend the night in the temple, to have the blessings of Chamunda Devi , I decided against getting down near the Atithi Hotel as per my plans which I had booked. I took a bus from the main road that goes to Dharamshala from Chamunda station and got down in front of the temple of Chamunda Devi...
I took a room on the ground floor for free, that is run by the temple authorities who provided me with 4 blankets to beat the cold conditions there. I was surprised if I wanted those four blankets for the night, as I had carried one blanket along with a bed sheet with me ! The caretaker convinced me, that if I wanted to stay alive for the next day, I should carry and keep them with me to save me from the bitter cold at night.
I visited and prayed the Goddess Chamunda in the temple that was very divine and traditionally, ritualistic...
In the evening I moved around the place , a very small area with a very few hotels alongwith the one, where I wanted to stay. I decided to shift to the hotel on the next day. I had my dinner in a Langar Hall run by the temple for free, where one can donate, if one likes afterwards..
I got back to my room by 8:30 PM as I wanted to sleep early to leave for Dharamshala's Mc Leodganj early in the next-morning that is a one and half hour journey from Chamuda for a distance of only around 16 KMS..
I planned to sleep on the floor with two blankets doubly folded as mattress and three above the body as cover. I wore my woolen-track suit, two sweaters along with the monkey cap.
The next day I got up at around 4am to walk around the temple and have tea. The temple opens at four in the morning and so is the tea shop. But it was pitch dark with chilling and biting cold. After having tea I came back to the room, when I came to know that the sun rises there, at around 7am. So, there was no where I could go in the dark and cold surroundings. By 8am ,I was ready to leave for McLeodganj in Dharamshala along with my luggage. I reached Mc Leodganj by 10:30 am and headed for Dalai Lama's place where my western friends were attending a three days programme of Dalai Lama's talks, tailor-made for Russian and Indonesian delegates who came in hundreds. So, there were around a thousand people when I reached the hall . I could not trace my friends as I was late and mobiles were not allowed inside. I waited till the lunch time to check them during the break-time. It ( talk) was open to every body. In lunch I had Momos ( bonn sized) and chutney along with Rice and curry that were provided for free to everyone present. But I could not trace my friends there. So, I moved out and planned to come back by 5 pm as I could not understand the Tibetan language in which the Dalai Lama was speaking which was simultaneously interpreted into Russian, English and Chinese to the participants who carried FM radios with ear-phones. I came out to see the places around . It was like any other Hill Station, except for the fact that, there were more foreigners around! There were plenty of Wine shops, Restaurants and hotels . At places, there were stalls on the roads who were conducting AIDS-test for free and distributing free condoms, to passers by, as it was the PREVENT-AIDS-day, the 1st of December.
Somehow, I wanted to leave the place and head for the Golden temple at Amritsar which was my next destination point. So, instead of checking into the hotel I headed for Amritsar from Pathankot thru Chamunda and Kangra Valley. I rested for a while in Amritsar Railway Station.
In Amritsar , I visited the famous Golden temple and had the Langar food for lunch after having the darshan and Kadah Prasad.The place was too crowded although very well managed. But I feel, the Gurdwara at Bangla Sahib in New Delhi is much better in cleanliness and management. Golden Temple is huge in size and richness as it receives huge donations but the place and the city is over crowded with too much of air pollution, due to dust and smoke and over-population...
I came back to Delhi through Ambala and reached home at around 6 pm on 3rd of December 2010, exhausted, physically. It was a good experience although ill-timed.
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