Ootacamund – Udhagamandalam – Ooty

View of Ooty city center from top of Mahindra Resort - The Derby Green

A summer trip to Ooty is a coveted vacation for many. We were lucky to go for a very good vacation there in mid-April. There are many advantages in taking an early summer vacation to this place, but there are some disadvantages too. Depending on one’s priorities, it may be a good time to visit Ooty, as it is not as crowded as peak summer of May. One can see every tourist spot at leisure and there is less traffic jam around this time. At the same time, the full summer has not set-in. Hence flowers are not aplenty. One can see more buds in several places, including the Rose gardens and the Botanical gardens.

Bus stand and race course - with Resort buildings in foreground

We wanted to have a relaxed visit without crowded activities each day. Hence, we visited only 4-5 places over the 4 days we stayed there. We were lucky to stay at Mahindra Holiday Resort in the center of the city, with help of a friend who has a membership & was willing to help us use their time-share. This is an ideal location for traveling to each tourist spot. The view from the resort, over the Bus-stand and Race-course is superb. The facilities at the Mahindra Holiday Resort are very good. This facility was opened only in 2010 after being taken over. This is the erstwhile Dasaprakash property of the yester-years, overlooking the race-course and race-club.

Starting from the first evening, the initial reception was a little delayed. The people vacating rooms may have left late, or the team was not able to handle all such rooms – this caused a delay in check-in for us. We even decided to go to a hotel to have some food, as we were famished. They suggested Hotel Nahar in the center of the city, which has couple of Pure Vegetarian restaurants. We finished our tiffin-cum-dinner in the late evening and returned for check-in. We settled in to the room and watched some programs on the Cable TV. Our son enjoyed a bit of games in the games room. Chess, TT, Carroms, PS2, Wii were all available, other than art-classes.

Pykara Lake boating - very low water levels

Extra scaffolding leading down to the low water levels

On the first day, we decided to go to the Mudumalai wild-life sanctuary. At that time, we heard that due to drought none of the animals were coming out & the sanctuary was closed till more water comes through – which would mean May / June. So, we decided to visit the Pykara lake in the afternoon. It was an easy drive of about 15 kilometers. At the end of it we found that the water levels here were very low as well. The Tamilnadu Tourism board had to extend the jetty deeper into the lake using wooden extensions due to the very low level of the water. We took a motor boat ride and just as we boarded the car, it started to rain. The guide had said that local rains do not help – but rains in higher mountains feed the lake, which was lacking. On our return we relaxed in our rooms as our son enjoyed the daily bon-fire and the games organized by The Derby Green people (the name of the Mahindra Holiday resort).

Ooty Botanical Gardens

The next day was slated for a trip to the botanical gardens. The Ooty botanical gardens are set over a sprawling area and are maintained very well. There was not much crowd when we entered, as we went early in the morning (around 10 AM). We took our time in walking over the entire gardens, covering the slopes, the glass house and the various settings of small waterfalls and fountains. Very tall trees are found bordering the back of the botanical gardens. The variety of flora can be enjoyed at leisure over a few hours. We decided to take some rest in the sprawling lawns, when we found that that crowd had swelled quite a bit. When we left the area, we found the parking was an issue and big queue was found in front of the ticketing booth. We have always tried to be early to each spot & found that it is best way to cover the tourism areas. Crowds seem to wake up late and drop in from late morning only.

Inside the Glass house

The third day we decided to relax and watch some horse racing in the race track. We watched one full race, including the traditional display of horses in the paddocks prior to the race. There is not much crowd, now-a-days, as the popularity of horse racing and betting has gone down. Hardly 100 to 200 people were found in the big race-club enclosure. In the afternoon we decided to take a high-level view of the Nilgiris from the highest point, Doddabetta. The day was nice an cool and the skies were clear. It was not clearn-enough, though, to be able to see Coimbatore city from there. We viewed Coonoor & ooty from there. There were really scenic cloud formations on that day. Then we headed back to Ooty and visited the enormous Rose Garden. The variety of roses were amazing. At the same time, the number flowers were less. May would be the time when all the roses would be in full bloom. Bon-fire, games and dinner at the resort had become a routine – an enjoyable one at that.

Photo taken by our son from Doddabetta - was quite scenic

Rose Garden - some different roses

Hotel Nahar’s restaurants were the prime fare for us, when we did not take food at the resort. All the days, we took break-fast at Hotel Nahar’s fast food restaurant. We would recommend this for all vegetarians. Probably stay at Hotel Nahar would also be a good choice, for those who are not able to get a booking at The Derby Green. After breakfast on the fourth day we decided to spend time in Coonoor, especially the botanical gardens there, called The Sims park. We took a taxi to Coonoor after having booked for first class tickets in the train from Coonoor to Ooty. We enjoyed a small boat ride in the Sims park, in the mini lake there. We also had a good time climbing down and up the landscape of Sims park, which we covered in a couple of hours. The glass house and nursery were closed and hence we decided to finish up before lunch.

Coonoor to Ooty - going over a bridge

We had lunch at the small vegetarian north-Indian restaurant outside Sims Park then headed to the heart of city. We tried to shop for some trinkets and souvenirs, but found nothing of interest. We bought home made chocolates & some bakery items from an old shop before heading to the station. At the station, we found the first class waiting room locked & met the Station master. It seems it is kept locked until someone asks for it to be opened. We found that the room was OK, but the attached toilet was dirty. We complained and got it cleaned quite quickly. While we waited it started pouring heavily. It was quite a heavy rain and it stopped just before the train was to leave Coonoor for Ooty.

We had the first row seats and had a great view of the path ahead. The engines are attached to the rear and the conductor was in front of us signaling to the rear-engine. The train trip was really beautify, especially as the weather was cool. There was mist in some areas and some of the mountains were covered by clouds. It was really beautiful to enjoy the curves, the tunnels, the scenery and nature from the first row seats. After we reached Ooty, we walked back to our resort as it is half-kilometer away only. After spending further time in the resort, we left for Chennai the next noon. We took a stop over at Salem, just like we had done on the trip from Chennai to Ooty, before reaching Chennai the day after.

If anyone would like further information / tips, write in comments and we will reply.

VRVD.

Shivalik Mountains - 2

Overhang of rocks and the rock fall

By the end of 3rd day, after more time spent in the taxi, it was decided that Mussourie was totally out of question during this trip. Since we had been to Tehri Dam and lake and this was on Bhaghirathi river, we enquired about the meeting point (prayag) of Alaknanda and Bhaghirathi. Dev Prayag is the town at the merger of Alaknanda with Bhaghirathi, to start Gangaji from that point on. We decided to go to Dev Prayag and have a dip at this place, since it is only about 2 to 2.5 hours by taxi, through the Shivalik mountains, which are the foothills of Himalayas.

As we progressed on this path, we followed Gangaji all the way to Dev Prayag. The route climbs pretty high into the mountains with the river running in the valley far below (probably a few hundred meters in vertical level). Within 20 kilometers of Rishikesh, we came across a very old rock fall beside which Gangaji was flowing swiftly. There were steps down to nearly the river level and we had to climb over a few rocks to reach a nice silken sand beach along the river. We could step into the river and sprinkle some of Gangaji's pure water on ourselves. The water, without question, was pretty cold. The rock fall and the hang-out of the rest of the mountain was a little scary, but vehicles and people are not bothered. By the look of it, this rockfall seemed to be years old.

Gangaji curves around swiftly

We stepped back into the vehicle and the climb up the mountains started. There were many breath-taking views of the mountains, land-slides, rocky ledges, winding river with beautiful curves, etc. We stopped at only 3 or 4 spots on the way to Dev Prayag. The time was early for the sun to be vertical and shining into the valleys and hence a 'bright' view of the deep valleys was not possible. The route also sloped down as we got nearer to Dev Prayag.

We reached Dev Prayag by about noon. The view of the two rivers from the highway is breath-taking. The clearer water from Alaknanda comes straight down, while the Bhaghirathi's silt laden yellow flow comes from left. The merger clearly showed a higher water volume from Alaknanda compared to Bhaghirathi, which is a steady one let out from the Tehri Dam. We parked on the highway near a rest-area type shelter and went down about 100-150 steps by foot to reach a hanging bridge over the river Bhaghirathi.

Dev Prayag view from Highway

Hanging Bridge across Bhaghirathi at Dev Prayag

As we got close to the water we saw two sentries always at the ghat. Hardly handful of people were taking bath in the small ghat. The water from Alaknanda was so swift that it probably was travelling at 15 to 20 feet per second. Hence the sentries were keeping vigil that no one stepped down beyond the first step. Water was rushing by and we felt that if we took a move into the second step we would be swept away. The raw power of the flowing water was awesome to see at close quarters. We collected a small can of Alaknanda water and had a bath as well. We had to sit in about a foot of water and use a container to take a bath - no full dip directly possible due to the swift current.

A huge lanslide that we crossed (highway line can be seen)

After the exhilarating experience, we dried up, changed and headed back to the parking lot. We were looking forward to the return trip, as we had lot of photos to click and lot more spots to stop and admire the scenery. The sun was right above, lighting up the river and all the valleys. There was one massive landslide, part of which was yet to be removed from our path. This was visible from a few kilometers away on our path. The life goes on in spite of a few landslides every year. It is amazing to see that the people are not worried or bothered about such occurrences. On that day, like the 2nd day, we were not lucky to see the snow-capped Himalayas. The haze at the distance and the clouds at those points hid the snow-capped mountains, as per our driver.

We took lot of photos of the winding Gangaji and the valleys. The miles and miles of mountains, greenery and clear flow of water made us think about even moving there to settle in foothills of Himalayas. We also stopped at the cave ashram of Sage Vasishta, which is on the route between Dev Prayag and Rishikesh. A shiva lingam is kept and worshipped inside the cave. The taxi driver said that caves around that spot lead a few kilometers into the Shivalik mountains and some trekkers had tried exploring and gave up after a few kilometers (and returned).

Mountains as far as you can see and Gangaji curves in the valleys

Climbing up the highway

Later we returned to the Divine Resort, which was our base camp for this trip. The details of this resort are available on the internet, including photos, rates, location, etc. We can say that food was excellent, service was very good and the location is awesome.


The next day we took the taxi to the Dehradun Airport around 10 AM and we were back to our home by night. Thoughts of the trip seem to haunt us even now - as we are moved by the beautiful scenes, the power of the clean Gangaji and the overall experience of a relaxed vacation.

VRVD

Neelakant temple and Rishikesh

View from outside Neelakant temple

Neelakant mountain and temple visit followed by bath at Rishikesh Triveni Ghat were the main programs for day three. We took the taxi to Neelakant mountain which passes along Gangaji for a few kilometers, to north of Rishikesh. Then we took the new bridge across Gangaji & continued along the same until a small tributary after which we go along with tributary's banks at a good height. Before the construction of the new bridge one had to travel by a longer route (for those going by vehicle) to south of Rishikesh to cross Gangaji.

On the path along the tributary one can see lot of tents which serve as camping grounds and also as base for the river rafting trips. These valleys like the many all over the Shivalik mountains are very scenic and a feast for the eyes and mind. During the trip to the temple, we did not stop to take any photographs. We took the photographs on the way back from the temple.

Neelkant Temple Gopuram - South Indian style

One version of the importance of this location was given us by the taxi driver. Lord Shiva after taking the poison after the "Paar kadal" was churned and holding it in his throat, was returning to his abode. He was very dizzy and is said to have taken some rest at this spot before continuing. Another version given by a temple priest is that a drop of the poison is supposed to have fallen on that mountain & hence the place gains importance.

It is interesting to note that the temple gopuram is built in the South Indian style. It seems artisans from South India were taken there to build the temple. This temple is quite small and like in all north Indian temples we can touch the Shiva Lingam and worship. Even though it is small, it is considered sacred and huge crowds seem to come there. Provisions are made for long queues using grills which are placed for 100s of meters. After worshipping and buying some good luck talismans to be given to friends and relatives, we started on drive back to Rishikesh. We took some photographs of the nice valleys of the tributary, the camping resorts and a small cave in the mountain. Later, along the Gangaji we took a few more photographs where the water forms white water conditions and we can hear it gurgling along.

Ganges rushes past the new bridge that we take towards Neelakant temple

Valley of Tributary with wide flat areas around the water

We proceeded to Triveni Ghat in Rishikesh. This is in the heart of Rishikesh and one has to go through the market area to reach it. At times, it seems, the access road is cordoned off, because of traffic jams, as the streets are very narrow. Luckily for us, it was open and we parked near the ghat. We took a quick stroll in the market to look for some souvenirs and did not find anything that we liked. We bought some artificial garlands and a book before heading to the ghat for a dip in Gangaji.

In the Triveni Ghat the water was flowing at a level that it exposes a large island of pebble and rock within 15 feet from the steps. The water was also only about a foot deep for us to cross to the island. Beyond the island Gangaji was flowing swiftly, especially in the center. We could venture about 5 to 10 feet into the flowing river beyond which the currents were very fast. All of us took a good dip in the ice cold water. Since it was mid-day it was quite comfortable too and the sun helped us spend a little time with multiple dips.

Pebble island within Gangaji which we crossed to get to the main river

After the bath, we headed to the hotel for lunch and some relaxation in the room. As usual, the wet clothes were washed and hung to dry outside the room and in the room. That day we also planned to take a boat ride across Gangaji near Ram Jhoola. Hence, we left the hotel around 5:30 PM itself (boat rides close by 6 PM) and reached the western shore. We took the motor boat across (which holds about 50-60 people) and landed on the other side. It is amazing to see the boat go at quite an angle to the perpendicular in order to compensate for the fast current and reach the other side just a few meters upstream.

Dusk at Ram Jhoola from the eastern shore - around 6 PM

On the eastern shore, a sudden decision was made to go for the same Aarthi location that we visited on first day (and on which day we were late), in order to again stand in the nice platform under 6-8 inches of flowing Ganga water. When we reached the place, we found more security and police personnel than the first day. Some film / TV stars seemed to be waiting for someone to arrive and Aarthi had not begun. We quickly left our footwear at the stands and found a suitable spot near the main spot where the microphone had been placed. Bhajans were being sung. After about 5 minutes the Guruji of Paramarth came along with his prime disciples and were welcomed by the VIPs. Then the Guruji took over guiding the rest of the proceedings, including singing bhajans on Hanumanji and Gangaji.

Bhajans in progress before Aarthi at Paramarth

Then tens of Aarthi plates were handed out with lit wicks to the crowd and 4 or 5 big gopuram style Aartis were held by Guruji, his main disciples and the VIPs. These have about 50-70 wicks in multiple levels in circular fashion. The overall Aarti scene with so many Aarthi plates are a sight to watch. The reverbration of the song also seemed to boost the energy levels of all the people. After the Aarthi, the Guruji continued with short discourses (1-2 minutes) interspersed with more bhajans. We took a walk in the Gangaji, along with marble platform where it was flowing at 6-8 inches level.

Later, we walked along the shops and looked around for things to buy. Finally we ended up buying a lucky charm stone & some kurtas. We also took the walk back along Ram Jhoola, the only way around that area to get back to western banks. It is important to note that from dusk onwards there are bound to be lots of insects. Rishikesh is bordering on the Rajaji National Park and all around the place we have the mountains and forests. Hence, it is advisable to wear full-arm tops and full length pants in order to have a disturbance-free walk around, shopping, visits to temples & mathas, etc.

Camping Grounds along the tributary to Gangaji

Incidentally, we did not visit any temple in Rishikesh, nor entered into any Mathas. Somehow or other we managed to miss it, in spite of many a guide offering us to show the important spots for 10 or 20 rupees. We wanted our own time to be spent in whatever we wanted to decide on - including the sudden decision to visit the Aarthi or shopping at our whims and fancies.

With that we come to end of day-3, when we suddenly decided to go to Dev Prayag instead of Mussourie on the next day. The final decision was again based on not wanting to spend time in long drives with minimal returns. Since our driver said that Dev Prayag is only 75 KM from Rishikesh, we thought it will be nice to see the place where the river starts to be known as Gangaji.

VRVD

Kunjapuri and Tehri Dam

View from Kunjapuri - high mountains seen below clouds,

but snow cap mountains not seen

During the first day, our taxi driver-cum-guide suggested that the next day we could go to Kunjapuri and also cover Neelakant mountain temple. The next day being Amavasai (new moon), we thought there would be a huge crowd at all places - Haridwar ghats, Rishikesh ghats, Neelakant mountain, etc. Also, having seen some big boards about Tehri Hydel Project, way to New Tehri, etc., we enquired about a visit to Tehri Dam. Based on all these it was decided that we would visit Kunjapuri & Tehri Dam on day 2.

We started at around 9:30 AM and expected the drive to Tehri to be about 3.5 hours including the visit to Kunjapuri. Kunjapuri is at a height of about 1680 metres from mean sea level. From here, on a clear day, one could sneak a peek at the snow capped Himalayas. Unfortunately visibility was only about 5 KM and hence could not see far. We could see only the Shivalik mountains. The scene all around was very good from this high point.

Beginning of Landslide, quite close to the road

Next on the way, we got to see how "landslides" are a way of life in the Himalayas. It happens every season and occasionally lives and houses are wiped off. We saw one landslide that had started near the road that we traversed and had wiped 5 families.

Landslide continues way down

Then we continued on to Tehri Dam. The water in the lake formed by the dam is so clear and clean. This is Bhaghirathi river, on which the Dam in constructed. Bhaghirathi starts at Gangotri and becomes Gangaji when it meets Alaknanda at Devprayag.

We first drove across the dam (no stopping allowed and CRPF personnel are see on the main dam's road) and took some photos from the downstream side of the dam.  Then we drove back and on the way took a small detour towards the new Tehri village (old Tehri is submerged by the lake formed by the Tehri Dam).

The view of the dam, the lake and downstream Bhaghirathi river were really good from the higher vantage point (about 50-80 metres above the dam). We drove back down and we found a path leading to the lake. A family was doing some poojas and we were glad to go to that place because we noticed the car near the lake.

The lake is crystal clear and is not cold. Usually all dam waters are not as cold as river waters. We had not planned for a bath here. We wish we had. It would have been great to take a dip at this Bhaghirathi river, where it is much cleaner (while at Dev Prayag there is more silt in the water). We dipped our feet, took some photos of nice scenery and returned.

Tehri Dam and view of the lake behind the dam

Through the drive, up and down, there were a few nice water falls & some big land-slides. Actually, one way-side restaurants village was nearly obliterated by a landslide. The rocks had stopped at the door step of all the shops having blocked off the road. This too had happened about couple of weeks prior to our visit - and bulldozers were pressed in to move the big boulders and make just a single vehicle path.

We also took a small detour to see the Hotel Ananda (palace converted to a 5 star hotel) from outside. We cannot enter the premises without a reservation. We took some more photos before returning to the hotel. After some rest, we decided to do trinket shopping near Lakshman Jhoola. It became quite dark when we only went across, did some window shopping & returned to our hotel. On the way back there was a quick downpour making us wait along the steep steps and shops near the Lakshman Jhoola.

Lakshman Jhoola is very quiet, where Gangaji flows rather swiftly without a sound. People are advised not to take a dip near there. But just a couple of hundred metres away, after the curve the rocks cause white-water and a nice river-sound, which we heard all the time from our resort.

Plan for Day 3, by this time was changed from a Mussourie visit to Neelakant mountain visit, because too much of time spent in the taxi. Kunjapuri, Landslides, Tehri Dam, Bhaghirathi river dip, Hotel Ananda and Lakshman Jhoola were the items covered on Day 2.

VRVD

Shivalik Mountains - 1

From our experience during a recent visit to the Shivalik mountain range, which forms the foothills of the Himalayas, Rishikesh is a good place to have as a base. We stayed at a 4-star resort near Laxman Jhoola, called Divine Resort. It is a little pricey but the views and location were really nice.

View of rapids of Gangaji from Divine Resort balcony

Our plans were totally flexible, as we had gone on our own. Flight to Dehradun and a pickup by Taxi to Rishikesh made it quite simple to reach. This visit goes into the category of a relaxed vacation, where there was no-rush-rush plans to visit "lot of spots", "lots of temples", take lots of photos, etc. This vacation was going to be with a plan of limited coverage, including afternoon rest / relaxation.


First day we decided to visit Haridwar and Neelkant mountain. On further advice from locals, that Monday was busy day in Neelkant & that we were late in starting from Rishikesh (10:30 AM), we decided to drop Neelkant mountain visit. We went to the bathing ghats of Haridwar. Here Gangaji (as all locals reverently refer to her) is separated multiple times using check-dams and sluice gates to feed multiple "ghats" for bathing. The water is pretty pure with some silt make it look pale greyish-green. We collected only Aqua Fina bottle of Ganga water and found it slightly murky. We took bath at a less than crowded ghat and ate food nearby.

Monkeys like these will grab your bags here.

The next item on first day's agenda was to visit either Chandi Devi temple or Manasa Devi temple (or both). Since it was a little late and we wanted our afternoon rest, we decided to go to Chandi Devi temple (where car can go till the base of the Rope-car/ Cable-car station). One may have to walk / take a cycle-rikshaw to go the base of Manasa Devi rope-car base station, which is on western side of the Ganges. Chandi Devi is a little way away from Haridwar Ghats and we took that (ease of commute & afternoon sun).


We took the rope car up (Rs. 85/ per person except children below 110cm in height) to Chandi-Devi hill and then had a short climb to the temple. The temple has all sides barricaded, which makes taking photographs of panaromic view quite impossible.

We decided to skip the visit to Anjana Devi temple in same spot (same Rope-car station), because it was quite hot afternoon and it was another 50 meter climb up (like the one to Chandi Devi). We then decided to return to the resort for some rest and A/C conditions before evening program.

The evening program was to see the Aarthi for Gangaji at the Parmarth area. We started late (around 6 PM), some auto fellows did not want to ply from Laxman Joola to Ram Joola & finally reached around 6:15 to northern side of Gangji Ram Jhoola base. We quickly tried to cross and it was becoming quite dark. The hanging bridge with the shakes was an experience, knowing Gangaji was flowing in rapid force directly below.

We missed the Aarthi as we reached the spot only at 6:30 PM. We did some shopping of trinkets and returned to our resort by auto. End of day 1 at Rishikesh, wiith primary points being Bath at Haridwar Ghat, Visit to Chandi Devi temple & Ram Jhoola + Aarthi at Rishikesh.

We will continue with rest of the visit in next post.

VRVD.