Lisa and I started the journey together on 7 May, 1989. It has been a journey of sharing the happiness, fun, pleasure, sorrow, despair and many more... .... . It has been a journey of bonding and friendship. Anish and Adhish are the two precious gifts that God has been kind to bestow on us. On the twenty fifth year of our wedding anniversary we decided to unwind and to have some adventure on the hills of Sikkim. Situated in the lap of eastern Himalayas, Sikkim is one of the smallest but stunningly beautiful states of India. We were disappointed for missing out both Anish and Adhish in the trip for their academic preoccupation. But my elder brother, his wife and daughter gave us company. We decided to move on the Gangtok-Namchi-Pelling axis covering the east, south and west Sikkim from 4 to 10 May, 2014.
Paragliding was the culmination of excitement at Gangtok. One steps out of a precipice on the top of a hill at a height of 6000 feet along with a trained para-glider, flying in tandem,with a non-motorized inflatable fabric wing that opens up and sails through the valley and finally lands 1200 feet below. Once launched, one just sits back, relaxes and enjoys the epic scenery below.
That was adventure, but here is the humbling story of spiritual realisation. On 7th May we booked ourselves to stay in a hotel at Namchi in south Sikkim. We were not keen to stay at a government or semi-government accommodation on the twenty fifth anniversary. With lot of web-browsing the best available hotel in Namchi was booked for the occasion. In reality, the hotel was located in the crowded, main market area of the small town, without any hillside view. On the top of it, the room was poorly ventilated and the whole atmosphere was depressing. The local police, however, booked our accommodation at Guest House, Chardham located six kilometres away from the town on the hill top. Left out of options, we proceeded to Guest House at Chardham. What a stunning site! Located on a hilltop, the area was developed a decade ago with replica temples of Chardham- Badrinath, Jagannath, Rameswaram and Dwaraka- with respective presiding deities adorning them. On the west is located the temple of Shiva with a 87 feet high statue of Lord Shiva overlooking the whole 7-acre complex. We were numbed and humbled with the spiritual vibration of the complex, witnessed the evening "Aararti", saw the statue of Shiva playing hide and seek with in the cloud, yet the gigantic hand always visible through the clouds to bless us. God has different plans for us on this day.... ..... . We feel blessed...
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Paragliding was the culmination of excitement at Gangtok. One steps out of a precipice on the top of a hill at a height of 6000 feet along with a trained para-glider, flying in tandem,with a non-motorized inflatable fabric wing that opens up and sails through the valley and finally lands 1200 feet below. Once launched, one just sits back, relaxes and enjoys the epic scenery below.
That was adventure, but here is the humbling story of spiritual realisation. On 7th May we booked ourselves to stay in a hotel at Namchi in south Sikkim. We were not keen to stay at a government or semi-government accommodation on the twenty fifth anniversary. With lot of web-browsing the best available hotel in Namchi was booked for the occasion. In reality, the hotel was located in the crowded, main market area of the small town, without any hillside view. On the top of it, the room was poorly ventilated and the whole atmosphere was depressing. The local police, however, booked our accommodation at Guest House, Chardham located six kilometres away from the town on the hill top. Left out of options, we proceeded to Guest House at Chardham. What a stunning site! Located on a hilltop, the area was developed a decade ago with replica temples of Chardham- Badrinath, Jagannath, Rameswaram and Dwaraka- with respective presiding deities adorning them. On the west is located the temple of Shiva with a 87 feet high statue of Lord Shiva overlooking the whole 7-acre complex. We were numbed and humbled with the spiritual vibration of the complex, witnessed the evening "Aararti", saw the statue of Shiva playing hide and seek with in the cloud, yet the gigantic hand always visible through the clouds to bless us. God has different plans for us on this day.... ..... . We feel blessed...
1 comments:
Nice pictures. Developed around the ancient Barabati Fort, Cuttack comes from the word Kataka that literally means The Fort. The city has witnessed various historical developments, from the Keshari dynasty to the Indian independence. Aptly bestowed with the title of the 'Silver city', it is famous for its unique silver filigree works and woven textiles. Check out best hotels in Cuttack also.
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