Shri Tungnath Trek Through the Window of My Ecstatic Memories
Last Updated: November 27, 2023
‘Shri Tungnath Trek’ is a short memoir through the window of my ecstatic memories. In this memoir, you will find brief information and the beauty of Shri Tungnath trek. You will also know about how to reach Shri Tungnath temple.
It was the time when my mother was battling cancer. After a year-long treatment, the doctor apprised the relief news. Her health was better than before, and the doctor advised her to take a rest. For one year, our life was trapped between the room and the hospital in Delhi. Therefore, I wanted to visit a place of ecstasy.
I had heard about the beauty of the Tungnath trek from my friends. Tungnath in the lap of the Himalayas is the place that makes a person’s life blissful. So I decided to go to Tungnath.
One morning, I started my journey from my hometown at Pauri-Uttarakhand and reached Augustyamuni at noon. The whole route between these two places was delightful. The sights were so stunning that no one could live without being captivated. That night, I stayed at Augustyamuni in my friend’s room. Her rented room was on the bank of the Mandakini River. In the evening, we sat for hours on the banks of the river. The reverberating tune of the river was creating ecstatic music. At the break of dawn, we started our trip to Tungnath.
At the break of dawn, we started our trip to Shri Tungnath; what an enthralling track was that! The river Mandakini was dancing beneath our way, and the ice-covered mountains were shining above our head. Seeing it, I was elated. If a paradise on earth resides somewhere, then it is Shri Tungnath trek.
Passing through the captivated valleys, we reached Chopta. One of my experienced friends informed us, “Tungnath temple is the highest Shiva temple (Shivji is also known as Adiyogi: the source of yoga) in the world. Its height is around 3,680 meters above sea level. Therefore we may face difficulty in breathing.”
Tungnath Temple is about 4 kilometers from Chopta. We decided to walk on foot, even though horses were also available there for rent because walking on foot is more thrilling than riding on horses.
Beautiful meadows and lovely flowers of rhododendron (Buransh) were welcoming us at regular intervals. For hours I lay on the alpine grasslands (Bugyals). The bugyals were so beautiful that I had forgotten all my fatigue. Imbibing the beauty of sites, we reached the temple.
The temple was gleaming in the sunlight. Snow-covered mountains were adding the glory of the temple. We sat there for hours, and while sitting there, I lost myself in nature.
We were sitting on the temple’s premises; suddenly, the clouds started to appear in the sky, and in a few moments, the thunder of the clouds changed into rain. It was raining cats and dogs, and we started enjoying the rain. After a while, the rain stopped its stormy form, and reluctantly, we took our steps forward to return home.
Works Cited
1. Attribution to the featured image for this post: Varun Shiv Kapur. Tungnath temple. Flickr, 30 Apr. 2009, https://www.flickr.com/photos/varunshiv/3530148247/. Accessed 27 Nov. 2023.
