Tranquil Tunganath. Review on Tungnath

In Garhwali folklore of Uttaranchal, “Every Mountain is Mahadev and every river is Ganga.” The idea being every peak and every rivulet in the Himalayas are as worthy of reverence as gods. Whether its love of nature or fear of God that has created this myth, but it’s true that every bend in Uttaranchal draws a silent obeisance for it’s beauty. If Himachal rejoices in nature’s opulence and Kumaon is proud of nature’s charisma, then Garhwal is somber in its reverence. You really feel god’s abundance and generosity in the breeze of devbhumi Uttaranchal.Tunganath is one of the 5 Shiva shrines, the Panchkedar. Panch – means 5 and pronounced as punch; Kedar – name of Shiva and pronounced as Kay-daar. The other 4 are Kedarnath, Madhmaheshwar, Rudranath, and Kalpanath. Mythology links these 5 shrines to the Mahabharat. Since Mythology is always hearsay the authenticity of the stories are related to beliefs and faith and can vary from region to region. It goes like this --- Shiva is known for his generosity. He is very easy to appease and grants wishes irrespective of the person’s worth. So when the Pandavas were repentant of killing their kith and kin they started their journey towards the Himalayas to meet Shiva and seek salvation from their sins.

Afraid that he might have to grant them salvation, Shiva turned into a bull and went underground. At the Panchkedar the worshipped stone or image is considered a manifestation of Shiva’s various body parts. At Kedarnath the rump is visible, at Madmaheshwar his navel or belly, the face at Rudranath, the hair (locks) at Kalpeshwar and his arms at Tunganath. All of these temples have idols or images of the Pandavas, and were supposedly built at the behest of Adi Shankaracharya.

From Rishikesh there are buses or other vehicles for Chopta via Karnaprayag and Gopeshwar. From Chopta its an uphill trek of 3.5 km. The distance isn’t much but in those few km you’ll ascend several altitudes. From Ukhimath, the summer abode of Kedarnath, we reached Chopta around lunchtime. The road to Chopta from Ukhimath is roughly 30 kms of verdant pine forests. The overhangs of the jungle couldn’t screen the occasionally peeping cobalt sky and the glorious peaks in total contrast to the blue. I was sitting in the driver’s cubicle & had a chance of seeing a Monal on the edge of the road. It was pecking at breakfast when we rumbled in, which prompted it to scurry into the woods.

Chopta doesn’t offer many options for accommodation. We found two decent rooms owned by the local tea-stall owner. Hot water was a boon. In Ukhimath and Gopeshwar there are rest houses and alternatively you can camp in the meadows. The locals advice not to, as it is bear country. But we met the "sheriff" sun-bathing on a rock, who assured us of total safety in his domain. What appeals in Chopta at 12,000 ft, is the silence and the absolute lack of the typical touristy environ. The sprawling meadows covered with jungles of Rhododendron have only one road running through it. The GMVN guesthouse is closed for environmental reasons since the area falls in the forest region.

The panoramic view of the peaks from Chopta is un-parallel in splendor. The prominently visible peaks are Panchachuli, Nandadevi, Dhaulagiri, Neelkantha, Kedarnath and Banderpoonchh. As soon as we reached, we were offered horse rides up to the Temple. There is an arched gateway in the small market where it is customary to ring the bell before starting the trek. Some of us took horses, while others decided to trek. The best time to visit Chopta for it’s marvelous Rhododendrons is during April.

The path to Tunganath is paved with sturdy stones. So its quiet safe to ride a horse. Provided you get a horse, not a mule. As we climbed up, the tree line finished and the only visible bushes were pink, white and mauve Rhododendrons. On both sides of the path the undulating meadows interrupted with a few pines is an ideal place for a picnic stopover. The climb up is pretty easy for a regular walker. Carry a stick along cause the steepness can be dizzying at times. Trekkers cut across the length avoiding the curved path making it more challenging. As you go higher the air gets chillier and quieter. There is only one tea stall, which is about midway, serving tea ans snacks.

The temple isn’t visible till you reach about 100 mts from its gates. That’s when you realize the magnificence of this 1000 yr old temple. “Tunga” is peak and “Nath” is lord. Tunganath literally means “Lord of the Peak”. Tunganath is the highest peak in the region and at 13,072 ft the temple is the highest in India. Authentic to its name it is set exactly at the top of the peak and no other natural or man-made structure in the vicinity can give its height a competition. The ribboned red flag atop the temple is symbolic enough to tell you, you are very close to god.

The simple and somber granite temple is small compared to the other temples of the region. Locals from Chopta & villagers from Sari and beyond, have a couple of food shanties for the pilgrims. The other main concrete structure is the temple committee building. The arched gateway of the temple leads you to a small open veranda. Tiny canary yellow flowers peeped from each crevice between the rocks giving it almost a kitsch feel at your feet.

On one side of the foyer is the Ishaneshwar temple, a common feature of all Shiva temples here. The temple has a kund, which spurts up bubble on claps or other sound waves. A small wonder for villagers and children, but an authentic miracle of nature. Among several idols in the sanctum sanctorum there is a longish Shiva idol, believed to be the arms of Tunganath. Facing the doorway is a small idol of Nandi. A little into the temple premises, there are five small temples, barely 1 to 1.5 mt in ht, representing the Panchkedar. The shops outside the temple sell the essentials if you wish do puja.

Behind the temple is a cave dwelling of a sage. We talked at length about his philosophy of living there. “Live for a month here and you will never leave”. In orange robes, drunken eyes and a mini auburn ’tunga’ of locks piled into a neat heap on his head, sadhuji, reminded me of Hotel California.We were several of us in the group, but soon we went into our own little cocoons of tranquility as the heady air of the serene mountains worked on us. All material worries and pain fizzled out of my mind as I sat at the edge of the temple, gazing at the wind dusting off the powdered snow from the great peaks. It really feels like the edge of the world. On one side is the sheer drop of granite slabs, on the other is the various shades of alpine forest, far far below the feet of the rocks.

The air got choppy with sundown. I felt numb, partially by cold and partially by the peace, which leaves very little scope of thought and belonging to this world. Its a certain kind of high. Maybe it was lack of oxygen, or it was the feeling of oneness with nature that made me long to stay on for some more time at Tunganath. Although the facilities are very basic the reward of a sunset and sunrise over the peaks is worth it. Early morning is the best time to start trekking for Chandrashila or the Mountain of moon. It’s about an hours trek up from the temple. At 14,000 ft it gives a wonderful view of the sunrise over Banderpoonchh, Chaukhambha, Neelkanth, Nandadevi, and several other peaks.Chandrashila got its name from a fable that Chandra, the moon god had spent some time in penance at this place.

Penance or not, I can feel the tranquility of Tunganath right now as I am writing about it.