August 27th, 2011

*EDIT: An updated version of this article is available at india travelogue‘s Travel Section. My thanks to the Editor!*

The month was July and it was the rainy season again. Almost 2 years had passed when I took the Journey to Mahavatar Baba’s Cave in 2009. The journey we took during the course of a week involved mystic experiences with people and places alike. After last year’s torrential floods and landslides in Himalayas and most of Northern part of India, this year in 2011, (despite being the rainy season again!) the weather gods kept the days clear. At times, mist and fog rolled in, clouding our view completely, but it wasn’t too long before the sunlight shone through.

The places we covered during this trip are tucked away quietly amidst the lap of the Himalayas, far from the crowds and rituals of modern day temples. With advancing times, even many Siddha places have not remained untouched by the so-called rituals and tourists, yet some places lie quiet and unnoticed, as destined by Providence. I strongly believe that one can only get to these places when the divine call comes. No map or planning will lead you there. Such has been my experience.  I consider and rightly found myself blessed on visiting these places. For obvious reasons, I will give everyone an idea of the locations, but leave it to the reader to follow their own beckoning and visit the places, if the divine wish be so.

Click Here to see some of the Photos from our Journey

After a long flight from US, I landed in Delhi at about 6.30 in the morning on 19^th July and the very next day we set out for our journey in the Himalayas. But first, Father and I made a night stop in Haridwar to drop my mother off  in Jolly Grant where my Mamaji is a doctor at HIMS (Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences) established by Swami Ram.

To Lansdowne…

The next day, we left for Lansdowne located in the Garhwal range of Himalayas. Getting an early start, we left Haridwar at 8.30 after a heavy breakfast of Poori Bhaaji. We encountered Kawariyas during most of our journey through the plains (UP), the scenery started to become hilly as we approached Kotdwar, which is a small and bustling town 130 Kms. from Lansdowne. We arrived at the outskirts of Lansdowne at about 1.30 PM. We decided to stay away from the population and halted at Kasang Regency Hill Resort, 5 KMs outside of Lansdowne. After imbibing a panoramic view of the Himalayan Mountains from our room’s balcony and a decent lunch – we set out for our destination – Tarkeshwar Mahadham.

Tarkeshwar Mahadham

Tarkeshwar Mahadham is a 600-year old sacred shrine located on a hill-top nestled within a deep forest at about 6,800 feet above sea level. The ancient Tarkeshwar Dham in the Himalayas is also where Swami Ram of the Himalayas attained enlightenment. Here is also where Swami Ram and his master would come often for Tapa.
Amazingly, the wild animals ambulating about are quite indifferent to any human inhabitant, as Swami Hari often found out in his encounters with Bears, Tigers and local Cobras (The Laughing Swami).

Around February – April in 2010, while the Kumbh Mela was in progress in Haridwar, I had some strange visions with one of them being of Swami Hari. I had merely read about Tarkeshwar a few times back then, and also in Swami Ram’s book “Living with Himalayan Masters”. It was a surreal dream where Swami Hari and I talked about random things beside a temple in the mountains and then towards the end he invited me to visit Tarkeshwar. Afterwards, the dream remained etched in my memory as if I had met Swamiji in real life. Things became more intense when a friend told me that Swami Hari had left his mortal body in June 2008, which was almost 2 years prior to my dream. I knew right then and there that Tarkeshwar beckoned strong – but it would take 2 trips to Himalayas before my Sankalpa became a reality.

Back to the journey now…
The road to Tarkeshwar was more or less deserted as there is no habitation along the way. We did not encounter any villages, not even a tea shop. It was definitely one of the most desolate roads I’ve seen in Himalayas. We saw barely 3-4 vehicles that passed us in the 1 hour we spent driving. The road itself was narrow, yet maintained, and offered severe landslides at places. It took us little more than an hour to cover 39 Kms. The environment was serene, quiet and filled with a vibrant energy, as if the sages from time immemorial were (and probably are) still engrossed in their Tapasya. The way to the Shrine is narrow yet paved, about a 15 min. walk. Before you arrive at the Shrine, you pass through the Meditation Hall and a Dharamshala on the left, located on a hillock. The entire area is surrounded by thick blue pine forests, oak trees and dense Deodars.

A feeling of rejuvenation enveloped us as we arrived at Tarkeshwar Mahadham. There were a few cows roaming around, but we did not see anyone else. There was no caretaker or even a visitor other than a few lads who left within a few minutes of our arrival. My father breathed in the environment and went his way while I sat in Dhyana at the Yagna  Kund. As I dived deep within my psyche, I imagined Swami Ram and Swami Hari performing a Yagna. After paying silent obeisance to the Siddha Bhoomi and Swamiji, we departed from the sacred shrine after spending an hour or so. We did remember to have a cup of hot and sweet Himalayan tea at the only tea stop located at the entrance of Tarkeshwar. I tried my utmost best to capture the entire journey in my camera lens, but to drink in the vibes – one must visit the place when the beckoning comes.

Siddhashram at Sitalakhet – Hariakhand Baba

There are many places all over India, especially in remote reaches of Himalayas where everyday visitors do not step foot. The sound of constantly ringing bells and arti will be missing. There will be no sign-boards to guide you – nor will the place be listed on any maps. Such places can only be found if the Divine wish guides and beckons you.

Siddhashram is associated with Hariakhand Baba or Hairakhan Baba. There are many names and spellings by which people know the Siddha Yogi. However, such Siddhas are beyond name and identification. As listed in the the book “Sri Babaji: Immortal Yogi of the Himalayas” by Romola Butalia, “Some people refer to him as Mahavatar Babaji, from Lahiri Mahashaya’s meeting in 1861, made popular by Paramhamsa Yogananda-ji’s book, Autobiography of a Yogi. Others have mentioned the legendary Kripacharya, or the Chiranjeevi Ashwatthama from the days of the Mahabharata, when referring to him. He is also known as Kriya Babaji. As a perfect siddha, he has been associated with Guru Gorakhnath, also known as Shiva Goraksha.”

It is best to not get confused in identifying who’s who, but focus on the eternal truth, which is ever present.

Siddhashram at Sitalakhet came to my knowledge after I read a book called “Sri Babaji: Immortal Yogi of the Himalayas”. Going back to my visit to Hariakhand Baba’s Ashram at Chiliyanaula (about 5 Kms. outside of Ranikhet) in 2005, my inner experiences have always kept me within close proximity to Babaji in form of the other. I’m sure there’s a divine wish behind that, which is not always easy to comprehend by our mortal minds.

Back to the journey now…
We left Ranikhet around 9AM on 25^th July for Sitalakhet. Sitalakhet (also known/spelled as Sheetalakhet, Sitlakhet) is a small paradise at a distance of 38 Kms. from Ranikhet. You will not find Sitalakhet on any map or GPS device. Just two kilometers below Sitalakhet there is the village ‘Khoont’, which is the ancestral village of the late Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant, the first chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and the famous freedom fighter of India.

Siddashram is not located in Sitalakhet, but one must take a low road before you reach Sitalakhet. I am not drawing an exact map of the place for as stated above – such places can only be visited when the Divine wish beckons you – and that is when the map will automatically unfold in front of you and you will be led by an invisible force. This is what happened in our case and I trust the same for you.

In the Kumaon hills, Baba is popularly known as Hariakhand Babaji and many tales are told about him in these parts dating back to mid 1800s. After wandering around the narrow mountain road back and forth – we discovered a slight climb going up a hill. On the hill-top – Siddhashram stood tall. There was an unmistakable silence all around, yet the echo and unpolluted air reverberated with divinity that surrounded the place. After paying our respects and doing Arti – our host, guide, narrator and the Ashram care-taker Joshiji invited me and my father in his house for a hospitable cup of tea. We sat in silence reflecting up on several artifacts and photos associated with Babaji and several siddha yogis and yoginis while Joshiji attended to his duties. After finishing our tea, we exchanged several incidents and legends with Joshiji associated with Hariakhand Baba, formation of the Ashram, sacred trees Nar and Narayan that stand there (planted by Babaji in early 1900s). There is a sacred water source that flows there ever since the day Babaji requested the mother earth to split open and provide the locals with the nectar like water. Needless to say, the first sip of the water rejuvenated all our senses.

The ancient Kutir where Babaji did Tapasya still stands since the early days though I’m not sure of the exact year. When the ever-moving Yogis and Siddhas descend from higher Himalayas to the area, they invoke the sacred energies present there and conduct Havan etc. We spent around 3 hours at Siddhashram, and in the end conversed with Joshiji as he took us around the ashram and spoke about Babaji. I then informed him of a common acquaintance (also a well-known Author) that both he and I had, which added yet another surprise factor to our visit. An impromptu phone conversation then followed on the phone.

After a promise of a return visit soon, we took Joshiji’s leave and paid our respects to the sacred place. As a very well known Author, whom I know put it – “The time spent there was in an entirely different realm of timelessness, perfection, and infinite possibilities”.
On our way from Sitalakhet to our next destination, we passed through Kainchi for Tea and paid silent respects to Neem Karoli Baba’s Ashram.

Sombari Baba – Padampuri

Sombari Baba and Hariakhand Baba often travelled and did Tapasya together in early 1900s across Kumaon region of Himalayas. The region still echoes with their stories. Sombari Baba was also one of the teachers of Swami Ram whose master, Bengali Baba had sent him to Sombari Baba during his early days. As stated by Swami Ram, no one knew Sombari Baba’s birthplace or his original name, so people began to call him Sombari Baba because he held a public bhandara (feast) in his ashram every Monday.
Gudari Baba, Sombari Baba, Hariakhand Baba, were all sages of highest state who travelled and did Tapasya in Himalayas. I believe that only by an inner urge to seek them or by divine wish can one come to the point of visiting the places associated with them.

Numerous tales about Sombari Baba have been told over last 90+ years and I will let the reader find their own beckoning to visit the place.  As was the case with Siddhashram – Sombari Baba’s call in fact came to my Father on several occasions and I found divine play behind all of those stories that he told me. And that was what took us to Padampuri, which was a 106 Kms. journey for us from Sitalakhet.

Most people I met along the way had not heard of Padampuri. In fact it is known for being the birth place of veteran Congress Leader, Narayan Dutt Tiwari.

Back to the journey now…

Padampuri is about 30 Kms east of Nainital and you’ll need to leave the Highway 87 to travel for about an hour on narrow mountain roads (be prepared for bad roads and landslides in you travel during Rains). The ever-youthful Parmanand Puriji maharaj (born 1889 AD) was not present at the Padampuri ashram, but was living at the Palra ashram where Sombari Baba’s gufa is also located. Since it was almost twilight when we reached Padampuri – we decided to stop at Padampuri and not proceed to Palra. That would be another trip, if destined. Atal Baba who has stayed at the Padampuri ashram for 15 years sat engrossed in front of a Dhuni. He spoke in intervals about Sombari Baba, but mostly sat engrossed in another world. It seemed as if he was “half here, half there” – which is often said about Siddha Yogis.

The timeless environment in the small room was filled with the warmth and scent of Dhuni and Dhoop (incense). After accepting Prasad – we sat there listening to stories of Sombari Baba (narrated by a local villager who sat there) and Atal Baba’s (often) mystic messages that he spoke with a mysterious twinkle in his eyes. Towards the end of our visit, Atal Baba gave his message in yet more mystic terms, which was further visible in his conversations with my Father. I sat quietly and observed the divine play at large. Towards the end – we accepted his blessings, and went down to pay our respects to Sombari Baba’s Samadhi, where Baba’s presence can still be felt.

After a long, yet mystic day that took us from Ranikhet to Sitalakhet to Padampuri, we left around 6.30 PM for Haldwani when the sun was about to set. The 40 Kms drive back to Haldwani was mostly covered in silence for obvious reasons. There was some exchange of thoughts on what had gone on during the day. Upon our return to Rishikesh the next day – several strange visions followed. But that is best left for another narration…

Wishing you all well,
Gautam Dhar, Anupam Dhar

Distances:

Lansdowne (Kasang Regency) to Tarkeshwar: 39 Kms
Ranikhet to Sitalakhet: 38 Kms
Sitalakhet to Padampuri: 106 Kms
Haldwani to Padampuri: 40 Kms
Almora to Padampuri: 68 Kms

Photos from the Journey

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