A Beautiful State: Some Amazing Shots of Uttarakhand and Details of my Trip

On the 26th, my family and I departed from Noida on a night sleeping train. We were all comfortably sleeping, with someone deeply snoring at night. Even then we enjoyed our journey greatly because it was the first time each and every member of the family went on a trip together. We were going to Uttarakhand, a scenic state in India filled with mountainous areas such as the Kumaon  Hills and parts of the Himalayas. This state has lush green nature and important landmarks all the way, which made our trip shine out from the rest. Moreover, Uttarakhand is full of thriving Kumaoni culture.

First, my large family and I reached the city of Haldwani, a busy city in Uttarakhand. After this city, natural areas and small towns start to arrive up north. From Haldwani, we went on two comfortable cabs to a very small village called Dhalonga (pronounced Da-lon-jaa.) Dhalonga is my grandfather's (nanu's) ancient hometown, and he wanted to show the whole family how life was like when he was really young. We made this trip for my grandfather's elder son and daughter because unlike my grandfather's youngest son, they have still not seen his hometown at the age of 41 and 38 respectively. My grandfather lived there for fifteen years, right from his birth. His traditional Kumaoni house wasn't remodeled or improved for over 150 years, but it still remains special to him and all of us because it treasures his childhood memories. 

Beautiful Mountains near a cool river..

 Kumaon Hills.. So many shades of green.

And so many shades of blue .. If you look carefully, you

can see spots of houses lying across the plains.

My grandfather's traditional Kumaoni house. A lot of
intricate woodwork is done, especially near the windows
and outer doors. 

After arriving to my grandfather's old house, we headed to a temple named Devi Dhura honoring a goddess called Barahee Devi, which held great significance because it was one where my grandfather often went to pray. There is an old legend in this temple that in every year, men throw stones at each other. Long ago, it is believed that boys were sacrificed and one by one, from each family, they died. One woman, in particular didn't want to leave her only son;therefore, she prayed to the goddess. The goddess then declared that every year she would receive the blood of one man. That is why this stone fight is still held today, and blood is sacrificed. Numerous amounts of people get severely injured. I was shocked and surprised by this tradition. My family and I received blessings at the temple, and then we drove to Almora, a breathtaking city near the Kumaon Hills. In Almora, I got amazing shots even from the hotel's balcony.

Beauty in the sky..

Sunset.. you can see a bit of the porch.... hehe.. I had to

reach out the camera to get this pic.

That very night, we slept at the hotel, and the very next day we head to another famous temple near Almora called Golu Devata. This such temple was filled with bells, and it certainly was very fun ringing them.

People also put requests in paper, and tied a bell to their request. They believed that God would fulfill their wishes. No offense to these people, but some of these requests were really funny and ridiculous. For example, one letter said "Please give me 93% marks because I will work harder." :)

 

Then, after visiting this temple, we proceeded to the train station at Haldwani, and we boarded  the train at 9:00 P.M.. We only stayed for one night exploring Uttarakhand, but due to my grandfather's happiness and the desire of his children visiting his hometown, we covered so many places. The most significant fact was that my grandfather always had a smile on his face throughout the trip; he was so joyful standing on the soil where he and his ancestors grew up.

:)

Citation for Images of Bells:

 Web log post. Http://4.bp.blogspot.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 July 2013. <https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ChFtdNgYz4fwsLHI0ByMKLW3Av-dWl73-hDifofu0Sp-AkKudJLNvOg3pZqeRzTtOiNiTxsNL_Tk5Jm16wWSucuaOkPeumgabZhlletbiJCdo3sCpiovAfuDmQNeKbvrQvVqUxcsXCA/s400/chitai+temple+bells+Almora.jpg>.

 Flickr.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 July 2013. <http://farm1.staticflickr.com/55/144629202_35d1b48050_z.jpg?zz=1>.