the clouds came to rest alongside the flowing alaknanda as dusk took over the valley - at Karnaprayag to Devprayag, Uttarakhand

Dusk comes up quite suddenly in the Himalayas, and there does not seem to be any difference between winter or summer at night. We were driving back, from Karnaprayag to Rudraprayag, to go ahead to Devprayag and on to Rishikesh, some years back. Barely 4.30 pm at Karnaprayag, a traffic jam delayed us as we crossed across the Alaknanda River. And by 5.15 pm, it was beginning to darken, and a drizzle had started fogging up the road. The vehicles in front of us were our only guide to understanding the dimension of the road, and the dangerous slopes to the valleys below. 

The Alaknanda River goes all alongside the road from Karnaprayag to Rudraprayag, and then keeps going away and coming back up to Devprayag. As we drove slowly alongside the river, a beautiful panorama was playing out. All the clouds seemed to come down the higher slopes of the mountains, and by 6 pm, they were below the road. A bit later, and some kilometres further, one could see the clouds coming to rest all over the river, and soon enough, the river was not to be seen. We could only guess that it was the river, because of the clouds resting over it. 

It is said that Parvati, is thus known, because she is forever the Goddess of the Parvat, ie the Himalayas, and she would never want to leave the embrace of the mountains, who are her parents. And as I watched, it seemed like the Goddess came down silently, etherally, gently descending, and came to embrace her sister, the river, and that they rested peacefully at dusk within the valleys of the Himalayas. I looked above, the peaks shone in the moonlight, and one could be assured that Maheshwara, or Gangadhara himself, looked down and was pleased. 

the inner path at the Arunachala Hill - the inner Girivalam route at Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu

The path around the sacred Arunachala hill at Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu is considered to be one of the most coveted pilgrimage destinations in South India. The circumambulation around the hill is about 15-17 kms, depending on the forays one makes in to the inner path. The local forest department has stopped all pilgrim movement on the inner path, however one can approach it and gaze upon it and return. Amazingly, each time that I came upon the inner path at Arunachala, there was someone hanging about, informing me that pilgrims are not allowed. The forest guards must be more blessed than the pilgrims, if they do use their advantage and move within and complete the girivalam.

Girivalam = path around the mountain (= Giri).
Arunachala = the hill of the dawn sun (= Aruna)

One such meeting point for me with the inner path was at the medicinal plants garden after Simha Teertham and the Draupadi Temple. It looked very tempting but I fought against it. The forest department has stopped pilgrim movement in this path for a very good reason. Most pilgrims and devotees were throwing away plastic bags, waste material, edible food items and also on some occasions, accidentally setting fire to the semi-arid forests.

I sat nearby, and alternately, gazed at the inner path, that seemed to lead away towards the forests, but also seemed to be leading the hill towards me. What if this was the inner path for Arunachala to walk towards me? The entire region is magical. One can come upon several such locations, and at some, one can easily go into a trance. The silhouette of the Arunachala hill is haunting, and very affectionate, if one may so term it in this manner. But, those who have been on this path will know what I mean, when I say that to be just there, on the girivalam path, and to gaze on the sacred Arunachala, is to know that you are bound to it with the affection of Maheshwara himself.