A rest day:
What was Gavaskar’s occupation on a rest day in a 5-day test match? No doubt he would lounge on a chesterfield, sip a Virgin Mary, and gaze across the far pavilions. He would certainly not take out his willow and go prancing down the pitch. But not me. Rest day at Kausani meant we had to GO somewhere, even if nearby. Sort of net practice, I guess.
The morning started without much of a brouhaha. We yawned and stretched at 6.00 am, rest day notwithstanding. It was gratifying to see the sun, our steady companion for the last two weeks, put on quite a decent show in front of our windows. Morning tea was promptly prepared, the yellow cup pic meticulously clicked, and the energising fluid appreciatively sipped while sitting outside our room, the sun in our faces. This time we had a ground floor room, and the path in front was lined with roses the size of soup plates. So, even at sunrise, Panna was over the moon.
But, as I said, I had already started fiddling with the phone and started preparing three lists - one, locations within the city; two, locations within 1 hour drive north; three, locations within 1 hour drive south. And two full days to do it all in.
We got ready, and went down to the dining hall for breakfast - poha and puri-bhaji. We also prevailed upon the head honcho, a sort of Jeeves in jeans, to pack some food for us, which we could eat on the go. So, once all these nitty-gritties were taken care of, we warmed up our Punch and rolled out at 9.30 am.
Visiting Anasakti Ashram, Kausani (9.45 am):
Between the KMVN and the main road, up a narrow climbing path, stood this ashram, a tribute to Gandhiji, who had visited Kausani for an intended couple of days in 1929, and stayed back for two weeks, writing a treatise on ‘anasakti yoga’ (hence the name). Gandhiji was so thrilled with the scenery of the peaks from Kausani, that he called the place ‘Switzerland of India’. The ashram was set up in the same year as a tribute. There is a prayer hall for meetings and meditation, a khadi shop, a bookshop, and accommodations for visitors. It is also located at a splendid viewpoint, but, like yesterday, haze, haze, haze…
We also popped into the Starscape Observatory next door, a private setup, that houses a telescope and invitees people at night to have an interactive star-gazing session. We left out number in case they were having a session today or tomorrow. Today was unlikely, as some light rain was predicted. If it happens tomorrow, it will be something different.
Kausani tea gardens (10.30 am):
Just 6 kms north of here, bang on the Dwarahat-Almora-Kausani road, lay this tea estate, like a princess sitting on a dhaba charpoy. Why do I say that? Imagine the mountain road coming upon a small bunch of shops, with the usual clutter of parked vehicles, locals chatting on the road, and rubbish strewn around - in other words, a place I would normally steer through as quickly as possible - when suddenly, a gate on the right, saying Tea Estate. We squeeze into a parking (thank God the Punch is petite), pay 25/- each at a counter, climb a few steps up a manicured footpath, and are immediately surrounded by the most pristine tea plants ever, growing in thick rows. The paved road winds upward between them, interrupted here and there by tea shops (liquid as well as solid), and pagodas to rest tired knees under. We went up a little distance and simply sat and enjoyed the suddenly transformed landscape. The tea garden looked like a film set. I mean, it seemed so unreal.
Uttarakhand is not particularly famous for tea production or tea branding, not figuring in the top five tea-producing states in India. The soil composition is not favourable, it is said. There are maybe five tea estates in the state, and Kausani is the biggest, stretching for 208 hectares.
Incidentally, we had been searching for a particular local tea brew called ‘Jya’, right from Munsiyari. It is prepared by the Bhotiya tribe by mixing milk, ghee, salt and the bark of a tree, and is said to be very nutritive and energising, especially in high altitudes. Although, we have descended now, but we still had a shot at this Mecca of tea, asking for that particular brew. No luck. The restaurant gallantly offered us salted lemon tea ("hamara apna chai, sir"), which we partook in order to protect their pride.
Baijnath temple and lake (12.30 pm):
In today’s planning, we were basically covering the northern foray, the same route we would be travelling day after when travelling to Karnaprayag. Baijnath temple complex was down in a valley, some 15 kms beyond Kausani Tea Estate, located beside the Gomati, a river that originates in Bhatkot (north-west of Baijnath) and flows into the Saryu.
As we drove down, we once again travelled through pine forests, and through the congested town of Garur, where a policeman was deployed for every big bus or truck passing through, till it was successfully chased out of town. Just after crossing the Gomati - and a more impoverished river we had not seen - we located a huge govt parking lot on the right, drove down to the riverbank floor, parked, walked 100 m along the side of the reservoir to the temple complex nestling there.
Why a reservoir? Because right there was a dam and a small barrage, building up a lake (or jhil as the locals call it) on one side, and a rocky river bed with a trickle on the other.
The temple complex has 18 Hindu temples, constructed in the 9th century by the Katyuri dynasty, like the Katarmal temple complex. What struck us immediately that both these temple complexes were same in design. This meant that our assumption that the Katarmal temple had similarities with sun temples elsewhere was not necessarily true - both these temples had the Katyuri stamp - curved wall towers with a horizontal wheel on top. Nor is Suryadev worshipped here; it is Vaidyanathan (Shiva) together with Parvati, Ganesh, Vishnu et al. So that was one myth broken.
The picnic lunch (1.30 pm):
We had planned to sit somewhere beside the reservoir and have our packed lunch. A shade was essential because the temperature in the valley was crossing 27 degC for sure, and we needed trees overhead. But that brought with it a full complement of monkeys, who, though nurtured on a diet of mandir prasadam, would not be averse to a bit of paratha and pickle. So we started our drive back to Kausani. Luckily enough, a passing patch of forest once again hosted us for lunch, and we unleashed our alu parathas and boiled eggs, uninterrupted by arboreal apes. Like yesterday, it was an immensely pleasing meal, set against the swish of pine leaves, and the occasional roar of a passing vehicle. There was a footpath near us that led into the forest, perhaps to some village beyond the slopes, along which men and women sometimes walked, their conversation floating indistinctly up yo us. We sat there for some more time, Panna sipping her tea and I my lassi, lost in silence, till some mild roll of thunder reminded us that in the hills, weather can change very quickly. We hope it rains. That might give us a chance to see the peaks tomorrow morning.
We returned at 3.00 pm and relaxed in our rooms for the rest of the day.
Tomorrow, we continue to be based in Kausani, but will probably foray southward.
Photo credits: Panna Rashmi Ray
Great going! Wonderful snaps too!
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