Kolkata - Agra - Rudraprayag - Tunganath - Lucknow: Xylo To Highest Temple in World


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At around 12,500 ft, Tunganath Temple (one of the Panch Kedars) is titled as the HIGHEST TEMPLE in the WORLD. However though Wikipedia title claims so but in the text it is written as the highest Shiv Temple in the World. I for one know that there is a Laxman Temple in Hemkund Sahib at 15,000 ft plus altitude. But then its probably not as "established" a temple as Tunganath.

Controversies apart I take it as the highest temple in the World involving a short 3.5 km steep uphill trek / pony ride. So reaching it would have been a milestone in itself and I definitely got tempted to revisit my favourite Devbhoomi Gahrwal for probably the 20th time, but after a gap of 7 long years.

One of the five Kedars, the temple originates to the Pandavas, but was said to be found in its present avataar by adi Guru Sankaracharya. Relegion and spirituality apart Tunganath is one of the most scenic places I have visited. Here is a curtain raiser..
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But Kolkata to Tunganath and back is a story in itself and had numerous famous locations in between. We first hit upon the magnificent Taj Mahal in Agra. Regarded as the most outstanding sculpture of ancient history, it is said to be the ultimate monument of love. Shah Jahan probably could not have biult it better..
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Next in our line came the Gateway to Devbhoomi, Haridwar. The Ganga is passed through a canal (while the main river lazes through a km from the main town) which washes one of the holiest spots in its course that is Har Ki Pauri..
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As we climbed the mountains we decided to have a halt in Rudraprayag the holy sangam of Alakananda and Mandakini. Mandakini originates from Kedarnath while Alakananda originates from Badrinath and the latter continues to meet Bhagirathi in Devprayag to form the Ganga..
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The final destination Ukhimath, the winter abode of two of the five Kedars, Kedarnath itself and Madyamaheshwar. From here we went up to Chopta / Tunganath and came back for the night halt..
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On the return journey it was Rishikesh which a lot of people just pass through. But in my umpteen visits to Devbhoomi I have always held it in highest regard and this time was no different..
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And of course the last bastion of the Awadh Nawabs, Lucknow. Lucknow has 3 classified regimes worth seeing. One the modern capital of UP, then the one biult by the Britishers and the third one belonging to the Nawabs. We decided to give the first two a miss given the time constraints and concentrate on the Nawabi Awadh..
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The last halt was a technical night halt, but I chose it very judiciously. Sasaram was it and this was my own way of paying respects to Sher Shah who lies buried here. History says that he was the only ruler who actually dented the Mughal Dynasty at its prime from which they could not recover till before his death. Administratively he is the father of what we call the first highway in India the Grand Trunk Road. So just passing the place was not on and we gave our final halt here to offer our humble regards..
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WE comprised of me, my wife, my 4 year old son, my friend Partha and his wife..
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And of course the hero, and the main constituent of the WE was the XYLO, which withstood the assault and abuse of all sorts for 13 days and 3927 km, but displayed unshakeable spirit as it has always done in previous trips..
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The story to follow..
 
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Re: Kolkata Agra Rudraprayag Tunganath Lucknow: Xylo to the highest temple in World

Chandranath said:
But Kolkata to Tunganath and back is a story in itself and had numerous famous locations in between
.

We are ready for the treat, please serve it ASAP [:)]

=Chandranath said:
And of course the hero, and the main constituent of the WE was the XYLO
And the XYLO back in action, very pleasurable view [clap]
 
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Re: Kolkata Agra Rudraprayag Tunganath Lucknow: Xylo to the highest temple in World

Very Nice start[clap].....waiting for the full travelogue.
 
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Re: Kolkata - Agra - Rudraprayag - Tunganath - Lucknow: Xylo To Highest Temple in Wor

Great log bro. Waiting for the next episode :)
 
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Re: Kolkata - Agra - Rudraprayag - Tunganath - Lucknow: Xylo To Highest Temple in Wor

Thanks to all for your appreciation. Will continue with the story.

First let me give the daily schedule that was maintained.

Day 1 - Kolkata - Mohania (in Bihar just before Varanasi).
Day 2 - Mohania - Agra
Day 3 - Agra - Haridwar
Day 4 - Haridwar - Rudraprayag
Day 5 - Rudraprayag
Day 6 - Rudraprayag - Ukhimath
Day 7 - Ukhimath - Chopta - Tunganath (trek) - Ukhimath
Day 8 - Ukhimath
Day 9 - Ukhimath - Rishikesh
Day 10 - Rishikesh - Lucknow
Day 11 - Lucknow
Day 12 - Lucknow - Sasaram
Day 13 - Sasaram - Kolkata
 
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Re: Kolkata - Agra - Rudraprayag - Tunganath - Lucknow: Xylo To Highest Temple in Wor

Day 1 & 2 - 3rd & 4th Oct - Kolkata to Agra

[MAP]"Kolkata to Agra"[/MAP]
 
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Re: Kolkata - Agra - Rudraprayag - Tunganath - Lucknow: Xylo To Highest Temple in Wor

Great log With beautiful pictures. Waiting eagerly for the full Tlog!! [thumbsup]
 
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Re: Kolkata - Agra - Rudraprayag - Tunganath - Lucknow: Xylo To Highest Temple in Wor

3rd Dec- Kolkata to Mohania (Bihar)

It was Dusshera / Vijay Dashami and whole of Kolkata was sleeping in the wee hours of the morning still struggling with the Durga Puja hangover, when the Xylo decided to slip out of it all. It was the start to a long, strenuous and should I say daring drive. The route at places were already well planned (HVK himself had sent me the entire stretch in details, thanks to him) but at places were to be decided as and when the time comes. Hotels were mostly not booked but at places were informed over phone just 2/3 days in advance.

The first day we planned to drive upto Varanasi but in the last moment decided against it. It was Dussehra and Varanasi would be in a different mood altogether, where for us to drive into the congestion from the highway and find a suitable hotel would have been a botheration. So we decided to take a call once we reach Mohania which is in Bihar / UP border in Bihar side and 60 odd km short of Varanasi.

A start at 5 am was what I wanted, but it was only at 6 that we got to get the final push off. It was a trip which lasted 13 days. So the Xylo naturally was stacked up.
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Roads within Kolkata and exiting Kolkata were clear and it was a breeze till Shaktigarh 80 km on from Kolkata where we gave our first halt for breakfast. From here on the plan was to drive till Govindpur (Dhanbad) and stop for our lunch. But roads here also were mostly empty (the notorious Panagarh jam was also absent) and we reached Dhanbad before 11 am and decided against halting as our stomach were still full from the breakfast. So we decided to move on

The next major spot we were crossing was Topchanchi. There is a beautiful lake just 2 km off the highway where a lot of film shooting had happened during the black and white days including one famous song shot on Suchitra Sen and Ashok Kumar. But now the area is more known for Mafia belt and people hardly stay in the bungalow adjacent to the lake surrounded by hills. Rahul was recently driving back from here and has taken snaps of the lake. Request him to post a pic of that here.

The Xylo moved on and on the highway itself we got a taste of the "Mafia" raaj. Weapons of all sizes were on display and up for sale on the main road itself.
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The Xylo stopped and we got down for a bargain. But most of the things we realised we can't carry in the car.
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So just for a souvenir purpose we brought one of these handsome sticks for Rs 60/- and trust me it was heavy like anything and not just a fancy showpiece.
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The Highway NH2 was flawless and the Xylo at times was hitting the 130k/hr mark, though I was immediately reducing the speed to keep it below 110 k/hr. Nearing Barhi I did a mini fuel up in an Indianoil pump which had very nice and clean wash rooms. IMG_0340.JPG

Onto Barhi the scenery was as beautiful as you will find it. Barhi is a major junction as the highway no 33 branches of here and goes on to Hazaribagh, Ramgarh, Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Ghatshila and Bahargora to meet NH 6 (Kolkata - Mumbai road). Also NH31 branches off for Purnia, Siliguri, Guwahati. The far away hills were a treat to watch.
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We moved on without much stoppage and very soon were up on the Dehri on Sone bridge. This is arguably the longest rail bridge in India over the River Sone which is a big tributary of the Ganga.
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We crossed it and then stopped for lunch in a good looking eating joint. Food was good and more importantly clean and hygenic,

Crossed Sasaram and then reached Mohania at 3.45 pm. It was early and we debated if we should continue till Varanasi anther 90 mins driving. But then finally decided against it as Varanasi traffic in Dussehra was something which I was not ready to negotiate with at the start of the tour. So we found the number of the Bihar Tourism hotel in Mohania and called them up. They confirmed availability and guided us to it. It was on the main highway but we had already overshot it. We covered 540 km for the day in nine and half hours including all stoppage time of breakfast, lunch, toilet, camera, fuel etc.

The rooms were basic, but big. Bathrooms nothing fancy but clean. Dinner was initially not available as no staff was on duty due to Dussehra, but later the manager managed to get his cook and the roti and chicken curry both at night was outstanding and awesome. Hot, pure simple, homely and tasty.

Slept early by 10 for another 700 plus km drive to Agra for the next day.
 
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Re: Kolkata - Agra - Rudraprayag - Tunganath - Lucknow: Xylo To Highest Temple in Wor

Kindly post the Mohania to Agra stretch experience. I am planning to do the trip Chittaranjan-Agra-Jaipur-Delhi-Chittaranjan in Xmas by Hyundai i10.
 
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Re: Kolkata - Agra - Rudraprayag - Tunganath - Lucknow: Xylo To Highest Temple in Wor

Excellent writing and very good pictures! Waiting eagerly for the next part.
 
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Re: Kolkata - Agra - Rudraprayag - Tunganath - Lucknow: Xylo To Highest Temple in Wor

Excellent writing and very good pictures! Waiting eagerly for the next part.
Thanks Rahul, Would be great if you could post a pic of the Topchanchi Lake on the backdrop of the mountains


Kindly post the Mohania to Agra stretch experience. I am planning to do the trip Chittaranjan-Agra-Jaipur-Delhi-Chittaranjan in Xmas by Hyundai i10.
Sure Sukanta, Welcome to TAI.

Carrying on with the next part of it. Wish you the best and a safe drive and expecting a fabulous Travel write up here from you after you complete your drive.
 
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Re: Kolkata - Agra - Rudraprayag - Tunganath - Lucknow: Xylo To Highest Temple in Wor

Rahul, Would be great if you could post a pic of the Topchanchi Lake on the backdrop of the mountains.
Dear Chandranath,
Though I have visited Topchanchi lake and obviously have enjoyed the serenity of it, I do not have too many photos. I was driving my car that time and my daughter was at the back seat. My wife was beside me that time at the front seat, though she was never much keen of taking photos. Anyway, here are few pictures for you. Hope you like it.
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This is the road which encircles the lake.
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This is a place where many Bengali pictures were shot, as was told by the security guard, who chose to become my guide. Of course, the picture was taken when I was reversing my car.
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Thanks for asking me regarding the pictures of the Topchanchi lake. Please post next part of your travelogue soon, at your leisure and convenience.
 
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Re: Kolkata - Agra - Rudraprayag - Tunganath - Lucknow: Xylo To Highest Temple in Wor

4th Dec - Mohania to Agra

The good thing about not carrying on to Varanasi last evening and staying back in Mohania was that we got adequate rest, but the flip side was that today that additional 60 odd km needed to get covered upto Agra, making this the longest day distance wise in the entire tour (735 km). Target being 5 am to leave, we left at 5.40 am even as the Sun was yet to break out.
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We crossed Mughalsarai diversion and hit on to the Vishwasundari Bypass road within an hour. I had driven this road exactly 2 years back but since then the road had lost a lot of its sheen and the surface was worn out in stretches which made the speed slow. Even as we crossed the bridge over the Ganga, we stopped for a while to see and feel the city of Varanasi which could be seen waking up to a lazy Weekend morning one day after Dussehra. I have always been excited about the spirituality of the city and despite my deep wishes to get into it and soak into nostalgia, I had to jerk up the Xylo and continue on my mission.. the mission to reach the highest temple in the World. We sped on some broken tarmac crossing the Ganga bridge keeping to our right the city of Varanasi, boasting to be one of the 2 oldest occupied living cities in the World along with Bethlehem.

By now we were hungry and needed a tea break. We had just about crossed Varanasi on the way towards Allahabad and 30 km on it found a nice Dhaba to stop over. Road surface though not very bad was not smooth and was a little bumpy ride.

Food in the Dhaba was very good. The fluorescent orange mug was supposed to contain drinking water, though we relied on the bottled water.
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After a 45 min break we hit the road again and the roads started becoming butter smooth again. Nearing Allahabad it became concrete and the Xylo started flying. Anyone wishing to bypass Allahabad like us, be careful with the notifications here as there are several entry points to the city and you need to keep straight on.
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The road on this stretch was full concrete and superb but very badly laid out culverts in between which hit us very badly at points. You really do not realise whats going to hit you till you hit it and at 100 k/hr its a bad jump. Roads otherwise were of the highest standard and we reached Fatehpur in no time.

It was a day after Dusherra and Durga Puja immersions were going on. We came across several such processions and stopped near one of them to capture the blissful mood.
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The next major location was Kanpur and I had heard that the highway actually passes through an elevated corridor over the city, which I thought was magnificent given the largeness of the city and the density of its population. True to what I heard it was like passing through the entire city, seeing its buildings, feeling the congestion, hearing the din but never need to stop as you are on a preferred road. Kudos to the establishment for such a corridor.
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Just after we descended on Mother Earth (I mean Kanpur ground) from the elevated corridor we were out of the city almost. We found a lot of fruits being sold and pulled over to get some. A particular fruit called Malta drew our attention as this is not available in Kolkata. I had seen it once earlier in Joshimath but had never tasted it. So we got some and it did taste very nice and juicy.
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My son was elated at the smell of Malta.
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Onwards to Ettawah the roads were good but a little congested with weekend traffic. Stopped before Ettawah for a late lunch.
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From here till Agra, the pull of the Taj Mahal made me drive in a daze. Even as we entered Agra, it was 6 pm and the Sun was just making its final appearance for the day.
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In the last moment I had searched the net for a decent staying option. The criteria was not very expensive but needed to have a grand view of the Taj. Had found a hotel called Kamal and checked with it that the view from the terrace was amazing. Checked over the phone, could not get an ac room but had an air cooled room and was very much within our budget. So booked it over the phone as it had a parking space too.

Agra as it is, is congested and it was Durga Puja immersion and the whole town was on the streets going along with Ma Durga, We relied on GPS (first time I was using it) to reach our hotel but got lost. Called up the hotel and the owner gave us a live voice instruction as to how to reach and was online till we reached.

The rooms were very clean and was cosy. The owner was a very warm and helpful person, who initially was taken aback seeing a West Bengal registered car. But what was important for me was the view of the Taj. I hit the roof in no time and was not disappointed at 8 in the evening when it was fully dark. Full moon was still 3 days away but the half moon light was enough to light up the Taj for me.The night view at 9 in the night as seen from the terrace.
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It was my friend's wife's birthday and she found no better a place than to celebrate it with the Taj in the backdrop. I have been to the Taj before. But just going in as a tourist seeing it and coming back was one thing, but here spending hours with it, having dinner with it, chatting up and lazing with it was altogether a different experience for me and surely made my trip worth it.
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Took our Dinner by 11 and were ready to hit the sack by midnight for the next day was the Trans Yamuna Expressway experience awaiting us and a morning waking up with the Taj.

A final moment with me and the Taj before we bid each other Good Night..
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The story continues the next day as I have my morning appointment with the Taj over breakfast.. Also it is a day for me the morning by the Yamuna and evening by the Ganges.. morning with the Mughal grandeur of Taj and evening rendezvous with the Hindu spirituality of Ganga Aarti..

More to come...
 
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