Auli - Paradise on Earth

Are you looking to spend some peaceful days, away from the hustle bustle of city life?  

Heading for the mighty Himalayas??

Are you looking for a not so touristy (and less crowds!!) destination – unlike Manali, Shimla, Nainital.

Are you looking for a place where you can go for trekking or simple hiking?

Are you looking for a place where you can enjoy some snow and learn skiing too?

If your answer to these questions is yes, then I have a place for you.

Snuggled within the grand Himalayas in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, lies the ultimate ski destination of India, Auli. In literal sense, Auli means “meadows” and is situated at a height of 7500 feet above sea level. Auli has put India on the world map for skiing.

GMVN Nanda Devi Eco Tourist Resort

Auli encompasses spectacular views of the Himalayas which will leave you spell bound. During winters the entire area is covered with snow and is visited by skiing and snowboarding enthusiast. During summers this simple town offers lush greenery and is akin to a hill station - to beat the heat from the plains and an exciting trekking experience.

We visited Auli in the first week of March which was the perfect time to explore the place in all its glory. During our visit, Auli, the surrounding areas were covered with a thick blanket of snow and the sky was clear too - giving us the opportunity to witness and enjoy the scintillating Himalayan Peaks.

During our stay we witnessed snowfall a couple of times. We were lucky to experience the two aspects of Auli – the clear weather because of which we were able to witness the snow covered mountains all around and the snowfall which is an experience in its own.

Things to experience in Auli

Skiing in Snow

Auli is the skiing destination in India. So when in Auli, get ready for skiing. See how beautifully the slopes of the Himalayas are covered in glittering snow. Professional guides and equipments required for skiing are easily available on rent.

Auli Ski Track

Auli skiing slopes vary from 400 m to 4 kms and if you really want to learn skiing, you can join the 15 days or a 1 month training program run by GMVN.

Longest & 2^nd Highest Ropeway

Auli is connected to Joshimath (base point) through ropeway which is the longest (4 kms) and the 2nd highest ropeway in Asia. The highest Ropeway is in Gulmarg, Kashmir and is 5 kms long!! The ropeway is run by GMVN and cost Rs 700 per person for a return journey. You can also try the cable lift which cost Rs 300 per person and offers a spectacular view of the Himalayas.

The Ropeway

When we took the cable ride, it left us speechless with the calmness (not a whisper expect for the wind whistling past) and dazzling snow covered slopes.

Highest Manmade Lake

Auli has the highest manmade lake in the world which was created to produce synthetic artificial snow in skiing season in case of scanty snowfall. Sometimes in snow if there are lot of tourist in Auli, the operators produce artificial snow for tourist delight.

Highest Manmade Lake

During our visit the artificial lake was covered with snow as you can see in the picture. The mesmerizing frozen lake set against the backdrop of Nanda Devi peak is a must visit.

360 degree view of Himalayas

The wake up view

Auli provides the 360 degree panoramic view of the Himalayas. In fact if you arrive at night, the morning view from your room is quite fascinating and touches you to the core. During the winters the mountains are covered with thick white blanket of snow which can make a beautiful postcard pic. Auli boasts of some of the majestic Himalayan mountain ranges like the very famous Nanda Devi Peak, Kamet Kamat, Trishul Peak, Maha Parbat.  The snow covered mountains left us speechless and instil a sense of calm and serenity.

Trekking

There are many trekking routes in and around Auli. So for trek lovers and hikers Auli is the place to be. 

Here is a list of trekking routes:

Trek to Gurso Bugyal (3 kms)
Trek to sweet water Chattrakund Lake (4 kms)
Hiking to Kwani Bugyal via Gurso Bugyal (13 kms)
Trek to Kuari Pass (20 Kms)
Nanda Devi National Park trek from Joshimath/Auli (Difficult)

A cup of coffee & maggi at the top

Enjoy piping hot maggi and a cup of strong coffee at the top amidst snow covered slopes as the backdrop and the mighty Himalayas at the front. There is a small stall just at the exit of the cable car lift center in upper Auli. Don’t miss on the delicious maggi and the absolutely delicious coffee that he has to offer.

We had stayed in the GMVN Ski Resort and the restaurant in the resort offer good food. The resort also has a bar so you can keep yourself warm in the late evening with a drink.

Other activities In Auli

Other than the activities mentioned above you can also do the following:

• Camping under the million of star filled sky
• Riding ATV Bikes on the slopes of Auli
• Explore Joshimath
• Go to Hemkund Sahib and Badrinath

Auli Ropeway Details

The ropeway in Auli boasts of being the longest and the 2^nd highest ropeway in Asia with a total stretch of 4.15 Kms which it covers in 22 minutes. The cart can accommodate 25 people in one go and the tariff is Rs 750 per person for a return journey. Kids above the age of 5 years are charged full ticket.

You can also opt for taking a chairlift (800 m in Rs 300 per person for a return journey) or a ski lift (500m) if you want a shorter ride. Both of them offer stunning views of the mighty Himalayas.

Timing for the ropeway from Joshimath:

Summers – 8:00 am to 5:10 pm
Winters – 9:15 am to 4:20 pm

How to reach Auli

By Air: Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun is the nearest Airport. From there you have to travel by road (Taxi or Bus) and the distance is approximately 290 Kms. It takes 12 hours to cover this distance.

By Train: The nearest railway station is Rishikesh and from there again you have to travel by road. Rishikesh to Auli is around 250 Kms. You can also take a train to Haridwar or Dehradun and then travel to Auli by road.

By Road: Joshimath is the base point for Auli and is well connected from major cities like Delhi, Haridwar, Dehradun. From Joshimath there are two ways you can reach lower Auli – either take the very famous ropeway (which can drop you at lower Auli and upper Auli both) or go by road. The road will be closed if it had snowed heavily.

Upper Auli cannot be reached by road. You have to either take the ropeway or trek up.

Best time to visit Auli

The best time to visit Auli depends on what you are looking for in your vacation. If you want to enjoy snow, try skiing then plan your visit anytime between November and March.

If you are looking for a respite from the scorching heat in the plains, April to June is the perfect time to visit Auli. In summers, the weather is clear and you can enjoy clear view of the Himalayan Peaks and treks in the lush green surrounding areas.

GMVN Resort in Lower Auli

The monsoon in the region starts from July and scanty rains continue till October. This is the period where I will request you to avoid travelling in the Hills due to increased risk of accidents and landslides.

Where to stay in Auli

Auli has not been commercialised yet and thus have few stay options – Cliff Top Club, Himalayan Ecolodge and Garhwal Government (GMVN) run accommodation. GMVN has two stay options in Auli namely, GMVN Auli Ski Resort (Lower Auli) and GMVN Nanda Devi Eco Tourist Rersort (Upper Auli)

All these options are comparatively expensive, the most economical being GMVN Tourist Guest House which can be booked online through their website http://gmvnl.in/

If you want a cheaper stay options you can stay at Joshimath which has a plethora of budget stay options and visit Auli on day tour.

Some Tips:

• Accommodation in GMVN is highly recommended. Book your stay early using the GMVN website as the resort.
• In GMVN Auli you can contact Mr. Kamal Kishore – 9568006629 for all your queries. He is a jovial person and will assist you.
• No matter what the season always keep some woollen clothes with you. If you are visiting in winters the temperature easily goes below zero so be adequately prepared.
• We had travelled by Nanda Devi Express (Train No. 12205) from New Delhi to Haridwar and then booked an Innova to take us to Auli. The train departs from New Delhi at 23:50 and reaches Hridwar at 03:52. While coming back we again took Nanda Devi Express (Train No. 12206) from Haridwar at 23:30 and reached New Delhi at 05:20
• We had booked Innova from Haridwar to Joshimath and return with Car Rental In Haridwar. You can check the website on www.carrentalinharidwar.com
• During your drive to Joshimath you will cross the four prayags (sacred river confluence as per Hindu religion) out of the five prayags – Nanda Prayag, Karn Prayag, Rudraprayag and DevPrayag. The fifth prayag i.e. Vishnu Prayag is a short drive away from Joshimath, if you have time please stop over at the prayags and enjoy the sacred convergence.

The day after - Icicles

We did our entire trip from Mumbai – Delhi – Haridwar – Auli and back in four days. The fifth early morning we took a flight back from New Delhi to Mumbai and were in our respective offices in the morning. Ours was a very packed trip which is not recommended. We were in Auli for only one day which is a very short time.

Finally a dash of colour

It is recommended to stay in Auli for 3-4 days to enjoy its calmness and serenity. I know that one day in Auli was worth the entire effort made to reach there. We all have promised ourselves that we will come to Auli again with more time in hand because we all have fallen in love with Auli. I would highly recommended to visit in Auli because then you will get to see the snow covered slopes, Winter clouds and enjoy the beauty that the colour white (snow) holds. It will awaken your spirit and snow and you will never even realise when you have fallen in love with Auli.

Nashik & Trimbakeshwar - A rich Wine of Mythology

Brahmagiri

Nashik, a four hour beautiful drive from Mumbai is a city which has made a mark on the tourist map for a lot of reasons, namely:

• It is one amongst the four destinations which hosts the largest religious congregation globally – The Kumbh Mela.
• Nashik boasts of having one of the twelve Jyotirlingas as the famous temple of Trimbakeshwar.
• Ramayana, one of the most loved epics in India, had a backdrop of Panchavati. This very own Panchavati is in Nashik.
• The Currency Note Press and the India Security Press are located in Nashik. The Indian Currency and the Government stamp papers are printed in Nashik.
• Another star which has been recently added in the name of Nashik is the wineries located in this area. It is the Nappa Valley of India, with the most famous brand Sula Wines located in Nashik.
• Nashik is also host of annual wine fest – SulaFest.
• Nashik has a unique Coin Musuem.
• The origin of River Godavari is in Nashik.

Nashik has been in our list of places to visit for a long time. Finally last weekend we were able to knock it off our list. J

Popular Religious/Mythological Sites:

• Trimbakeshwar Temple
• Ramkund
• Kalaram Temple
• Muktidham Temple
• Sundarnarayan Temple
• Sita Gumpha
• Someshwar Temple
• Brahmagiri – Origin of River Godavari

Most of the religious places do not allow photography and videography.

Nashik City

The Kumbh Mela

As per the Hindu Mythology, the Devas (Gods) and the Asuras (Demons) fought over the amrita, the elixir of immortality produced by the joint churning of the ocean. During the fight for the elixir between the Devas (Gods) and the Asuras (Demons), the drop of the elixir are believed to had fallen at four earthy sites. At these four places the Kumbh Mela is celebrated.

The Kumbh Mela is celebrated four times over the span of twelve years between four pilgrimage places on four sacred rivers – Haridwar on River Ganga, Godavari in Nashik, Ujjain on River Shipra, Prayagraj over the confluence of River Ganga, River Yamuna and River Saraswati. It is believed during the Kumbh Mela the planets are in such an auspicious position, that the river turns into the elixir and a dip in the sacred river will bring in purity.

Ramayana Trail

Nashik is the place where a major part of the Hindu epic, Ramayana was played out. It is believed that Rama, Lakshman and Sita stayed here during their 14 years of exile from Ayodhya. It is also believed to be the place where that the sister of Ravana, Surpanakha was attracted to Rama. To teach her a lesson, Lakshman cut her nose, thus giving this place the name – Nasika – meaning nose. This is the place where Ravana mesmerized with the beauty of Sita, abducted her which led to the war between Rama and Ravana as told in Ramayana.

During our visit our first stop was Panchavati, this is where Ram Kund is located. Located in Panchavati is the very famous temple of Nashik – the Kala Ram Temple.

One of the numerous temple in Nashik

The temple got its name from the black stone statue of Lord Ram in this temple.

Very near to this temple is Sita Gumpha or Sita Caves. Walking distance from Sita Gumpha is Tapovan, which is believed to be the place for meditationand Lakshman Bridge which is as per local belief is the Lakshman Rekha or the line which Lakshman has drawn to protect Sita.

Trimbakeshwar Temple

One amongst the twelve Jotirlingas, Trimbakeshwar is one of the holiest places in India and is located around 30 kms from Nashik.

The temple is beautifully built with black stone with Brahmagiri Hills as the backdrop. Unlike other temples, the sanctum is deep and therefore a mirror is placed above it, so that the devotees can have a clear view of the linga. The lingam in this temple has three faces – signifying Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva.

Trimbakeshwar Temple

Early morning is the best time to visit the temple. As the day progresses the crowd increases and you might have to stand in queue for hours. The timing of the temple is 5:30 am to 9:00 pm. Every Monday from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm the crown of the Lord is taken out on a procession to the kund.

Please note mobile phones are not allowed inside the temple. If you don’t want to leave the mobile phone in your hotel room or car, the shops near the temple have mobile locker facilities.  There is a shoe stand on the left hand side of the temple entrance gate.

There are plenty of hotels and dharamshalas near the Trimbakeshwar Temple.

The Pandavleni Caves

Pandavleni Caves

A group of 24 Buddhist around 2000 year’s old caves is situated atop a hill in the middle of Nashik. Around 200 steps climb and you can feast your eyes with the panoramic view of the City. These caves are not as grand as the caves of Ajanta Ellora in Aurangabad but if you have time then do make a visit.

Gangadwar

After our visit to Trimbakeshwar, we decided to climb around 800 steps and visit the Gangadwar. Gangadwar is the place where River Godavari originates from the Hills. 

View - Trek to Gangadwar

There is a temple of Maa Godavari and at her feet is a stone in the shape of cow’s head through which River Godavari water is flowing drop by drop.

River Godavari origin

The short and sweet story of the origin of River Godavari goes like this – Rishi Gautama and his wife Ahilya used to stay in this area. A cow was accidentally killed by Rishi Gautama. To become free from the sin of killing a cow (gao hatya) he was asked to take a dip in the sacred water of River Ganga. Rishi Gautama and wife Ahilya meditated (tapasya) for years in the name of Lord Shiva to send the River Ganga on earth. After years of mediation Lord Shiva relented and thus River Godavari originated from Brahmagiri Hills. Rishi Gautama took a dip in River Godavari and was released from the sin of killing the cow.

The view from Gangadwar is a site to see.

108 Shivlingas

Near the Gangadwar is a small temple/cave where there are 108 shivlingas. This is the cave where Maharishi Gautama worshipped Lord Shiva.

Wine Tourism

Nashik has now become the little gem for Wine lovers. Nashik is our very own Napa valley. An entrepreneur Rajeev Samant, set up a small vineyard on few acres of family land. From a few acres it has now become synonyms with Indian Wines – Sula Wines. The Sula vineyards now provide wine tours and wine tasting.

Sula Vineyard

The entry fee in Sula Vineyard is Rs 200 per person which can be redeem against any purchase or tour taken in the vineyard. The wine making tour costs Rs 150 per person and wine tasting (6 wines to taste) Rs 400 per peron. Once you complete your wine tour, take your pick from the dining options - Little Italy (Italian Food) & Rasa (Indian Food).

Lets shop Wine

Sula Vineyards also has two luxury resort called ‘The Source”& Beyond” wherein you can enjoy the calmness in comfort. The prime moto of the resorts are – Relax. Unwind. Rejuvenate.

Other places to visit in Nashik:

• Someshwar Waterfall – A quick visit to Someshwar waterfall in this trip told us that this will be a beautiful place in the monsoons and should be a must visit in the rainy season.
• Gangapur Dam – Not very far from the Someshwar Waterfall, lies Gangapur Lake & Dam. We stopped over at this place but were not given entry as permission from the Department of Irrigation is required.
• Trek to Brahmagiri – We have decided to do this trek in the monsoon this year when the weather will be pleasant and the mountains will be green and serene.
• Coin Museum – Another place to visit on our next trip to Nashik is the coin Museum. It is closed on Sunday.
• Anjaneri Fort – It is believed to be the birth place of Lord Hanuman. A 2 kms drive from the highway and around a 5 kms trek will take you to Anjaneri Fort. This is one place that’s on our list to visit on our next visit to Nashik.

How to reach Nashik

By Road: Regular buses ply from Mumbai and Aurangabad. The roads are good.

By Rail: Nearest railway station is Nashik Road and is well connected to major cities in India like Mumbai, Aurangabad, Bhopal, Delhi etc.

By Air: Closest airport is in Mumbai which is approx 200 kms far.

Touring the Calm Forts and Buzzing Bazaars of Sion

Sion Fort

Last within the limits of Bombay City and Island, Sion has seen many a ruler come and go, before India became independent. It saw the rule of the Sultans of Gujarat, followed by the Portuguese (around 16^th Century) and finally the British.

Today situated in the heart of Mumbai, it acts as an access point to Western and the Central suburbs and to Navi Mumbai. From Churches to temples, forts to Buzzing Bazaar, hospitals to cultural centres, refugee camps to planned township, Sion has it all.

Sahapedia has come up with Indian Heritage Walk Festival which they are celebrating throughout the month of February. In totality they will be conducting numerous walks in more than 40 cities in India.

I attended the heritage walk in Sion which was held on February 3, 2019, 9:00 AM – 11:30 AM and was led by Ashwini Nawathe.

When you travel on the central line of the local railways in Mumbai, we have all heard –

“Pudhil Station Sheev,
Agala Station Sion,
Next Station Sion”.

But how many of us know what Sion means?

Sheev as Sion is popularly known in Marathi means limit or boundary. Back in the 17^th Century Sion formed the boundary between the Mumbai Island and the Salsette Island (Thane).

Seven Islands of Bombay

Back in the 16^th Century and earlier, Bombay was a cluster of Seven Islands which were a part of the Silhara Dynasty and the Sultan of Gujarat. These islands were then captured by the Portuguese around the 16^th Century which were later handed over to the British as a part of the dowry of Catherine of Braganza (from Portugal) when she married Charles II in 1661.

The islands handed over to the British were:

• Isle of Bombay
• Colaba
• Old Woman’s Island (Little Colaba)
• Mahim
• Mazagaon
• Parel
• Worli

Seven Islands of Bombay PC - Wikipedia

After acquiring the islands as dowry, Charles II rented the islands to East India Company. By 1845, the islands had been merged through various land reclamation projects.

Heritage Walk

We all met our walk leader Ms. Ashwini Nawathe near the ticket counter of the Sion railway Station. Our first stop was to “Our Lady of Good Counsel Church” which is just next to the Sion Railway Station. Our Lady of Good Counsel Church is one of the oldest churches in Bombay. Initially it was a chapel and was affiliated to the St. Michael’s Church at Mahim. The chapel was separated from Mahim and was entrusted to the Franciscans. The chapel was then converted into a Church.

Our Lady of Good Counsel Church

The church also houses a convent co-ed school which is more than 100 years old. On your visit to the church, don’t miss the beautiful stained glass windows of the church.

Next came the up-hill walk just next to the ayurvedic hospital in Sion. Here on the uphill you can see watch towers which were made for fortifying the northern frontier of Bombay. In order to fortify Bombay various forts were made namely – Worli Fort, Mahim Fort, Bandra Fort, Dharavi Fort (Kalla Killa), Sion Fort & Sewri Fort.

Uphill Walk

Strong fortifying was done by the British on the places where the Marathas and Portuguese had made small watch towers etc. This Hill was blasted twice – once to make space for laying the railway tracks for the Central Line and second time to make way for the Eastern Express Highway. If these blasts had not taken place the hill directly extends till the Sion Fort.

This land is marked as “Villa Residence” is actually a sanatorium of ayurveda.

One close look of the architecture of the building you will notice that it is a mix of Gothic & Renaissance structure which is known as “Maunlein” style. Have a look at the pillars which clearly reflect the Roman Style.

Villa Residence

At one entrance of the sanatorium the inscription is engraved in wood in English and at the other entrance in Gujarati. Please note that the year of construction has been carved out (May be they don’t want the building to gain a heritage status).

One part of the sanatorium has been now converted into a boy’s hostel.

We walk down the stairs and also the hill and we come across a beautiful green painted bungalow which was at that time, the last house on the Mumbai Island City. The owner of the house recalls his childhood days (atleast 60 years back), when the area was unsafe at night – as it was wild and had jackals roaming around post dusk.

Once on the main road you come across a pond next to the Dwikuta Temple (Dwi means two and kuta means kalash) of Shiva and Parwati. It is said that the pond never goes dry.

Next stop on the walk is the Dunkan Causeway. While walking to the Dunkan Causeway we were reminded that we are walking on the reclaimed land, this the place where there was a creek and boats and ferries used to dock. The people living near the creek used to cross the creek for daily necessities (food, etc.), for which they needed to pay customs once the goods were unloaded on the Sion side.

Dunkan Causeway

Today though Dunkan Causeway has been renamed, the only sign of its erstwhile name is the sewage pumping station (of BMC). Inside the Dunkan Casueway we saw two milestones which states – “9 Miles from St. Thomas Church” and “7 Miles from St. Thomas Church”. Just for your ready reference St. Thomas Church is near Asiatic Library in South Bombay. It was near Asiatic library that the townhall was located and the Bombay milestone there showed Zero Miles.

Milestone

The road down from the Dunkan Causeway leads to Chunnabatti. Chunnabhatti is rightly named as it literally translated to limestone quarries in English. This was the place where many limestone quarries were located. It is also said that prisoners from nearby jails were bought here for work.

Just next to Dunkan Casueway there is a underground storage house where the ammunition were stored at the time of World War II. The structure is so strong that no one has been able to even drill a hole for fixing a light bulb or a water connection.

Ammunition Storage

Next and the last stop of the Walk was the very obvious – Sion Fort.

Inside Sion Fort

A small walk and we were at the entrance of the fort. The fort has been partially converted into a park with slides and simple exercise machines in place. On our visit we could see children playing and enjoying at the park.

Sion Fort

The Fort is an uphill climb with a beautiful view of the Bombay City. No wonder the British decided to make a fort at this point, as this fort shows an aerial view of the city and is the second highest point of Bombay (after Malabar Hill). In some parts of the fort you can see the architecture of the wooden slabs of those times.

View from Sion Fort

The fort is actually in a dilapidated form with various hearts and names scribbled on the walls. We also met two youngsters practicing street dance format on one side of the fort.

Post this we discussed about other prominent things in Sion which we can explore on our own namely:

Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital, popularly known as Sion Hospital was started in 1947 with 10 beds and today boasts of more than 1400 beds. A medical college is also attached to the hospital and is one of the best govt medical college in Bombay (after KEM).

Gandhi Market is a popular market which predominantly caters to women Indian Wear. Gandhi Market is not very far from Sion Station and it was established around 1949-50 by refuges from Pakistan. Even today few shops are run by the family members of the refugees and will have lot of stories to share with you.

Shanmukanandan Hall – This is known to be one of the center pieces of theatre in Mumbai. It is one of the first theatres of Mumbai and boasts of a seating capacity of over 2000. It is also equipped with modern stage change equipment

With IHWF notepad & pen

And with this we came to the end of the highly engrossing heritage walk. I would like to offer sincere thanks to Ashwini Nawathe and Sahapedia IHWF for the efforts and time.

There are many walks being conducted in Mumbai and various other cities in India in the month of February. In case you are interested please go through their website www.indiaheritagewalks.org/