If you'd rather place an order by talking to one of our cheerful order desk clerks, please call 1-888-232-4444 (USA and Canada only) or 250-383-6864. From Europe, ring our UK order desk clerk at local rate number 0845 230 9601 (UK only) or 44 (0)1865 722 113.

Pilgrimage: A Journey and a Trek to the Himalayan Shrines of Badrinath, Kedarnath and Hemkund Sahib

by S. S. L. Malhotra

210 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #03-0224; ISBN 1-55395-861-6; US$21.00, C$26.95, EUR17.60, £12.20

A travel book on inner Himalayas describing a journey and a trek to the sacred shrines, and describes the shrines and the various myths and legends associated with the shrines and other places and en-route.

Read more!

About the book      About the author      Table of Contents & Sample excerpts       Catalogue info

About the Book This book is an account of an interesting and adventurous journey and a trek by seven friends to sacred shrines of Badrinath, Kedarnath and Hemkund Sahib, situated at between 10,000 feet and 15,000 feet in interior Himalayas amidst snow peaks and unparalleled scenic beauty, These are sacred pilgrimage centers on the banks of the sacred river Ganga and the Hemkund lake, visited every year by hundreds of thousands of Hindus and Sikhs from India and abroad. Of great interest to general readers interested in the myths and legends associated with the River Ganga and the Himalayas. Also of great interest to foreign tourists and trekkers.

Reviews

AN INSPIRED GUIDE

"The author and four colleagues from the Finance ministry in New Delhi, and the elder and the younger brother of one of them, seven enthusiasts for Himalayan trekking, made a padayayatra (trek) to Badrinath, Kedarnath and Hemkund Sahib... the party covered hundreds of kilometers on foot. Thousands from all over India, many no longer young, visit these shrines each year, utilizing such transport as is available, but still largely sustained by faith, but very few of them footslog it all the way as Malhotra and his companions did.
"Modestly the author says that what made him write the book was the almost total lack of literature in English o the Garwhal Himalayas, the valleys and settlements between the famous shrines and their mythological associations. The book provides full details of routes and distances, a clear and comprehensive map, and invaluable information on the halting places, food and camp equipment available and needed, as also accounts of each village and town on the way and the three shrines themselves.
"... To write vividly and evocatively about an experience like this, it is not enough to be an accomplished and very fit trekker or have faith in one's heart - one also needs to be a highly skilled writer..."

As reviewed in Sunday Magazine
The Times of India
New Delhi

----------------------------------

VISIT TO BADRI

"The majestic mountains of Himalayas have been attracting from time immemorial lovers of nature, adventurers, mountaineers and pilgrims not only from India and the neighbouring countries but also from all over the world. There have been several fascinating accounts of travellers who had trekked through the lush green valleys, crossed tumultuous streams and scaled the eternally snow-covered peaks.
"But the travelogue under notice is more interesting in that, apart from describing the hazards and delights of the journey, it brings out the Himalayan truth that through determination one could accomplish anything.
"It is astounding to mote that a group of seven (Youngman) ‹ one at 69, five between the ages of 50 and 60 and the author at 46, the youngest ‹ had achieved the near impossible... yet they undertook the arduous journey out of sheer enthusiasm. It is interesting to read about their plans and preparations, especially the long walks daily to attune the muscles and the search for equipment necessary for the adventure."

Reviewed in The Hindu Chennai

----------------------------------

A PILGRIMAGE

"... They (the author and his friends) went through the altitudinal land of inner Himalayas ‹ a world of seclusion, far from the mainstream of 'mad, mad, mad world' of civilization, without any concern to worry about. Not even newspaper of radio messages reach this place of detachment, where 'time, in fact, seems to have stopped still'. A world of grandeur too of awe-inspiring natural beauty accompanied by human living, in varied colours. In the holy of holies here every Indian loses all his distinctions. As the author with his band neared the destinations, he had the feelings of a pilgrim's bliss and ecstasy. At the 'feet' they turned full pilgrims indeed in spiritual elevation which embodies a paradoxical sense of humility before the shrine...
"A well informative book it has left unrelated no historical, mythological of organizational allusions, whether well-known or not, that had any connexion with the journey... . We thank the author for some of the photographs of scenic of holy significance... ."

As reviewed in Business Standard
Calcutta

----------------------------------

---

About the Author A civil servant, a financial administrator, traveller and a writer, S.S.L. Malhotra, has had a varied and an interesting career. Born in1928, he spent his childhood in Shimla, the well known hill station and the summer capital of the then British Administration in India. And thus began his love and long association with the hills and mountains which were to take him later to the various journeys and treks to the Kashmir valley and Kulu - Manali and much of the Himalayas. His deep interest in Indian culture had aroused in him a yearning to visit the ancient Himalayan shrines of Badrinath, Kedarnath and Hemkund Sahib. He considers his visit to these shrines situated between 10, 000 feet to 15,000 feet in the interior Himalayas as the culmination of his trekking ambition. The present book published earlier in India under the title "At the Feet of the Badri", and now revised, is the first account in the English language of the fascinating valleys of the Alakananda and the Mandakini, the two of the three branches of the Ganga. This achieved the purpose the author had in view in arousing interest among the educated youth in visiting these shrines and acquainting themselves with their cultural heritage. Later the author visited Gangotri and Gaumukh and that resulted in the second book in the series recounting the adventurous visit to the holy source of the Ganga itself. Educated in Delhi he is an Honours graduate in Economics from St. Stephens College, Delhi University. Later he obtained Masters in Public Administration from the Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi. In the early years of his career, he served in the Indian Foreign Office and spent nearly seven years in the Embassies of India at Cairo and Beirut. He has also travelled in Europe, the Middle East and in South East Asia. He also contributed extensively to the leading Indian newspapers, the Indian Express of Mumbai and the Amrita Bazar Patrika of Calcutta. He ended his official career as a Director in the Ministry of Finance, Government of India at New Delhi from where he retired a few years back. He now spends his time travelling, and in writing.

---

Sample Excerpts

PREFACE           The Himalayas have a special place in the cultural and religious life of India. Their eternally snow-covered peaks, lush green valleys, tumultous streams with their foaming waters, are a delight for the nature lover. These valleys provide some of the finest scenery anywhere in the world. The adventurous among men have always looked upon these vales and mountains not only with love, but also with a certain amount of awe and respect. The snows of the Himalayas have drawn men towards them not only for what they are but also because of the sanctity that attaches to them. Not only are they the source of the holy Ganges and many other life - giving rivers, but they have also been the abode of sages and rishis (saints) who have hallowed them by their penance and prayers.      Kedarnath is the abode of Shiva, Badrinath, that of Narayana or Vishnu, and Hemkund Sahib is the site beside a lake, where Guru Govind Singh, the tenth and last of the Sikh gurus, had meditated in a previous birth. The shrine of Badrinath is at a height of 10,200 feet, Kedarnath at 11,750 feet and Hemkund Sahib at over 15,000 feet. Ours was not a mountaineering expedition; it was a motor journey-cum-trek through scenic heights and inhabited valleys and hillsides, though the population in these areas is extremely sparse by Indian standards.      A large number of pilgrims trek every year to these holy shrines in the Garhwal Himalayas. Many younger men and women trek to these valleys in search of adventure. This volume describes the travels of seven men, none of them young, who yet longed for adventure. In these pages are recorded their love of the Himalayas, the restlessness of their spirits and their longing to visit the holy shrines.      My reason for writing this account, is the almost complete absence of literature in the English language on this area. The Department of Tourism of the Government of India and the India Tourism Development Corporation do provide some basic facts about the places we visited, the distances between them and some other useful tips, but that is about all. There is no coherent account of the valleys and the various towns one passes, some of them ancient and steeped in the hoary past. Most of these have mythological associations and figure in the Puranas and the epics. It was among these mountains that the chief characters of the Mahabharata - the five Pandava brothers - are said to have roamed during the years of their exile, and, later, on their last journey to heaven. Each small hamlet has some association or the other with the past. Legend has it that the temple of Kedarnath itself was built by the Pandavas.      I have written this book with an intense faith in the unity of India in diversity. No greater evidence of this can be found than the vast number of pilgrims of all sects of the Hindu faith that trek to these Himalayan shrines sometimes from places as far away as 3,000 miles in the extreme south of the country.      The Garhwal Himalayas are not only important for Indian visitors but are of immense interest to foreign tourists, trekkers and mountaineers. Owing to the proximity of the Indo-Tibet border, which is only a few miles from Badrinath, the area had been closed to foreigners beyond Rishikesh, the railhead, two hundred miles this side of Badrinath. The Government of India has recently relaxed these restrictions, and many places in these valleys are now again open to them. I hope this book will stimulate interest among foreigners interested in trekking, who at present skip India and go across to the trekking trails of Pokhra in Nepal.      The area we covered during our travels stretches two hundred miles to the north of the Hardwar-Rishikesh complex on the holy Ganges. The Mandakini valley leading to Kedarnath and the Alakananda valley to Badrinath, are in the upper reaches of the Ganges. Mid-September to the end of October is the ideal time for these treks, particularly for those interested in photography as the monsoons have abated by then and the skies are once again an azure blue.      A few words about the members of our group would not be out of place. Their age composition was rather interesting. Five among them were between the ages of fifty and sixty. The author, at forty-six, and the eldest among them at sixty-nine were at the two extremes of the age spectrum. These pages will show that age is no bar to trekking in the Himalayas. I hope others similarly placed will no longer regard their altitudes as forbidding, and will venture forth to lose themselves amidst nature away from the humdrum of daily existence. And it costs so little, both in money and in time. It took us just eighteen days and cost a little over Rs 300 per head, all inclusive. The costs have since gone up considerably but are still reasonable.      I must place on record the encouragement and help received from Mr S.C. Singha of the Indian Administrative Service and, for many years, Commissioner of Garhwal Division. I am also thankful to Sister Mercedes of Jesus and Mary College, University of Delhi, for going through the manuscript and making many valuable suggestions.      I have given basic information regarding distances and altitudes in the Appendix. A map has also been appended for the convenience of the reader. S. S. L. MALHOTRA S-156, Greater Kailash, Part-I, New Delhi - 110 048. India. Email : sslmalhotra@sify.com

---

Catalogue Information

---