Devprayag

 

Last year our pilgrimage to Badrinath was very popular. We are happy to offer the pilgrimage again this September. If you would like to join us, we must have your completed application and first payment of Rs. 5,000 RIGHT AWAY.

A powerful place of pilgrimage since Vedic times, the Badrinath area is also said to be the present home of Mahavatar Babaji. The spiritual power can be felt just being in the rarefied air, pristine natural beauty, and soaring mountains. 

Our first night will be spent in Devprayag, where we'll receive the darshan of the Ganga at the point where the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi Rivers join. We will then spend 3 nights and 2 full days in Badrinath. We'll attend the early morning puja at Badrinath temple when the image of Lord Badrinarayan (in lotus posture, looking strikingly like Babaji) is bathed. We hope to meet as a group with the temple head priest. You may decide to bathe in the temple hot springs.

Beyond the village of Mana we will walk to and meditate in the cave of Ved Vyasa, where he is said to have written the Mahabharata. Ganesh's cave is close by. Then we'll cross the Saraswati River as it emerges from the mountain and walk the Pandhavas' "Stairway to Heaven". Those who wish to may climb to Vasundhara Falls. We'll also walk to the Neelkanth Valley above Badrinath, and we may visit sadhus living there. An alternate, less strenuous, walk along the river boasts natural beauty, pilgrimage sites, and other sadhus.

On the return from Badrinath, we'll meditate in the Joshimath cave where Adi Shankaracharya found enlightenment. We'll spend a night near Rudraprayag, then continue on to Rishikesh, to Sage Vashishta's cave. After a night in Rishikesh, we'll visit other saints and ashrams, including the Kriya Yoga Ashram, the Samadhi Mandir of Anandamoyee Ma, and the ashes of Lahiri Mahasaya.

This pilgrimage will be led by Keshava and Daya Taylor of Ananda Sangha, Gurgaon. They will be assisted full-time by a guide from Discover Tours, the Indian tour operator who has guided Ananda pilgrimages for 20 years.


Proposed Schedule

Thursday 18 September

6:55 am	Leave New Delhi Station (Shatabdi Express)
11:22	Arrive Haridwar; jeeps to Devprayag (lunch en route)
4:00 or 5:00 pm	Arrive Devprayag, visit river
	Check into Ramkund Resort Dinner and satsang in hotel

Friday 19 September

Early breakfast at hotel Drive to Badrinath (8–9 hours), lunch on your own along the way Check in and dinner at Narayan Palace in Badrinath

Saturday 20 September

Early morning puja at temple Breakfast at hotel Drive to Mana, walk to Stairway to Heaven, Vyasa's cave, etc. Lunch on your own; Visits to baths and temple, or walk by river Evening meditation, or meeting with Rawal (head priest) Dinner at hotel

Sunday, 21 September

Meditation and breakfast at hotel Walk to Neelkanth valley Alternate less strenuous walk also offered Lunch on your own; Continuation of morning's activities Evening meditation, or meeting with Rawal Dinner and satsang at hotel

Monday, 22 September

	Early breakfast
	Drive Badrinath to Rudraprayag (7-8 hours) Stop in Joshimath, visit Adi Shankaracharya's cave Snacks on your own along the way
	Check in and dinner at Monal Resort near Rudraprayag

 

Tuesday, 23 September

	Breakfast
	Drive Rudraprayag to Rishikesh
Noon or 1:00 pm	Visit Sage Vashishta's cave by river
	Arrive Rishikesh; check into The Great Ganga Hotel
	Visits in Rishikesh may include Kriya Yoga Ashram of Swami Shankarananda, Swami Sivananda's kutir, and evening Ganga arati
	Dinner and closing satsang at hotel

Wednesday, 24 September

	Breakfast
	Check out; visits to ashrams in Rishikesh
1:30 pm	Leave for Haridwar
	In Haridwar, visit Keshabananda's ashram with Lahiri Mahasaya's ashes; Anandamoyee Ma's ashram and Samadhi mandir
6:13	Leave Haridwar Station (Shatabdi Express)
10:45	Arrive New Delhi Station

During a pilgrimage in the mountains, one must expect the unexpected. Our schedule may change due to persistent rain or cold, a closed road, or the ability of a saint not to be where we expect him to be.

Physical Fitness for This Trip

Altitude is the main concern. In one day we drive from Devprayag, at an elevation of 700 metres, to Badrinath at 3,100 metres. A medical check-up for high altitudes is advisable before joining this pilgrimage. Consult your doctor especially if you have health concerns such as blood pressure, diabetes, asthma, or a heart or lung condition. At such an elevation it is common to feel shortness of breath and your body may move more slowly than usual.

At Badrinath, we will increase our physical activity gradually as we get used to the altitude. The activities are optional, but we will offer slow group walks of 1 to 3 hours, and you may take longer walks if you wish. Some optional walks may climb steeply.

If you look forward to walking, you can prepare yourself for pilgrimage by increasing your level of regular exercise, and by practicing pranayama.

The roads to Badrinath continue to improve dramatically in recent years. However, if you are susceptible to car sickness, be warned that the roads are long, have many curves, and are not always smooth.

Accommodations, Meals, and Transportation

Train transportation will be by air-conditioned chair car. All other transportation will be by Qualis-type jeep. We will be staying in 2- and 3-star hotels. Breakfast and dinner are included.  

Programme Fees

Double occupancy: Rs. 25,000 per person.
Single occupancy (private room): Rs. 32,500

If you wish double occupancy accommodation and you do not know another pilgrim, you will be assigned a roommate if possible.

The programme fee includes train Delhi-Haridwar-Delhi, all group transportation, lodging and 2 meals a day, and hotel tips.

Not included in the programme fee are most lunches, snacks, and beverages; medical insurance or medical care should you need it; donations at ashrams; and personal hotel expenses such as laundry, telephone, or Internet.

Payments

Payment by cheque or bank draft payable to Ananda Sangha, or in person by cash. Your participation is confirmed only when we approve your application and receive the 1st payment of Rs. 5000. Balance of fee is due by 20 August. If you cancel your participation, Rs. 1,000 of your fee is non-refundable. Cancellation close to the date of departure may incur additional costs.

Ananda Pilgrimages

Ananda Pilgrimages are not so much about sightseeing and doing as about being in a place of high spiritual vibration and learning to relax and open your heart to receive the blessings. Going as a group to meditate in these holy spots reinforces their power and gives us access to places not available to individual travelers. Having someone else take care of all the travel logistics means the pilgrim can concentrate on being a pilgrim.

On pilgrimage we meditate together in the mornings, as well as at each place we visit. In the bus we will chant and tell stories. There will be social times, like at meals and when travelling, but the flavour of the pilgrimages is inward—one of communion and meditation.

The benefit of pilgrimage to holy places is not because of their rich history, but for the fact that divine blessings can be experienced when visiting them. Their very soil is impregnated with a higher consciousness.   —Swami Kriyananda

Badrinath pilgrimage 2008, application and questionnaire