 |
| Lone Tree |
Since childhood I have been intrigued by mythology. To me
they were fairy tales going beyond human imagination and giving teachings of
rightful way to live your life. And blessed I am with Hindu mythology, look at
so many gods As BBC narrator once said “Why settle on one when you can have
thousands”. But if you ask me to settle on one, I will choose Shiva. To me he
is more human that god. He has a family to take care of along with completing
his duties towards his acetic followers. But what I like most about him is his
love for mountains. It seems he loved watching the world from above and observe
it as an onlooker, as a third party. His judgement would not be clouded by
worldly attachments.
Look at all the places dedicated to Shiva and you are bound
to head to Himalayas. One such place close to Delhi is Neelkanth Mahadev Temple
in Rishikesh. 21kms by car or 14 kms by road from Ram Jhula is an excellent
place nestled among lower Himalayan foothills.
Though you may prefer car or jeep, I will advise once on foot
even if it is downhill journey. You will be passing through Rajaji National
Park, with some jaw dropping views of Rishikesh city. The route is full of
wildlife, with different insects, birds and specially langoors keeping you
entertained all the way. The place remains generally empty with the exception
during Shiva Ratri and month of Saavan when devotees from all over India pour
into these mountains. This will be good time to catch up with some really
interesting people and hear stories from inside India which never breaks into
prime time.
I have climbed this route many times and never have been
disappointed. I have discovered something new, be it in a form of hidden
waterfall, spider and bird show or a realization within which changed the way I
look at life.
 |
| Morning View While climbing |
 |
| Climbing Style One |
 |
| Climbing style two |
 |
| Climbing style three |
 |
| Night Scene of City with Ganges |
Climbing this route makes me realize that we do not need to
destroy this beautiful environment to call ourselves developed. None of us have
understanding of any animal or plant language, then how can we say our
encompassed listening to their side too.
The views I was talking about while climbing are getting
frames of more and more buildings. Each next time I climb, I see more and more
buildings. Each next time I climb, I see more forest being cleared up for man-made
structures. There are people I have met, who are veterans of this route. They
have seen more destruction than me and are very skeptical of new generation’s
effort to save our natural history.
You all must be aware of the legend why Shiva got the name
Neelkantha. He drank poison and gave us a toxic free environment.
How can we contribute to that legend. We can also get rid of
toxicity from our lives. We can stop being part of blind consumerism. We can
stop the wastage of time and resource of things that will not matter to things
we love to do. Each one of us has the potential to make this world a beautiful
place through our talents. It’s just the question of realizing and utilizing
it.
As Amish said in his famous Shiva trilogy – ‘Har Har Mahadev’, can be very
true if we can act towards it.
Everyone is Mahadev!
 |
| White eyed oriental |
 |
| Micro waterfall |
