Chardham Yatra - Readers' Views

I got goosebumps reading your travel experiences. Your description of the physical beauty and the emotional highs brought tears to my eyes. Thank you for allowing us to live through your experiences vicariously. I was feeling as if I was traveling with you and enjoying the Viswaroopa….the omnipresent manifestation.

-Sridhar Ramadas, Westlake Village, California

 

I thoroughly enjoyed your travelogue ‘Our Char Dham Yatra’ and felt as though I was going thru the whole experience in a matter of hour instead of 15 days.

Don’t know if I would be that fortunate to have the first hand experience of all these, but, I felt as though I had fifteen course meal in one hour. I will be re-reading this many times. May be, we (Sudha and myself) may get lucky and get an opportunity to visit a few of these places and experience the sight and sounds of Ganges.

-Kannan Rangarajan, Thousand Oaks, California

 

Took an hour to read this wonderful essay about CharDham. One day we will make the sankalpa as you have suggested. Thank you for the wonderful gift of CharDham.

-Vikram Koneri, Canoga Park, California

 

Thanks so much to put all of your experience in writing. I felt I was there while reading it. On Sravana maasa Rudra abhisekam at Kedarnath…I am speechless….with tears….

After reading your trip details…I feel what are we doing in this part of the globe…..

-Anand Yegnan, Newbury Park, California

 

Thanks for sharing the ‘travelogue’ with us. I feel as if I was making the same journey reading all that you wrote. I feel very fortunate to have you describe all these stories which are so sacred and have lodged in my memory from our childhood.

-Bala Balasubramanian, Seattle, Washington

(younger brother of the author of the report)

 

I have read details of your Char dam Yatra, it was very interesting reading it & the stories attached to each site you visited. The description of yatra made me feel that we were all together with you. I made a print out and already read 2 to 3 times.

Origin of rivers and their names I have been listening from Bapuji since childhood, but your Map has made it very clear in mind. I have only visited Haridwar & Rishikesh.
I am extremely thankful to you both for praying for all of us in Badrinath Temple and all other places.
I was really touched you especially mentioned my name in the report.

-Vasundhara Nirmal, Thousand Oaks, California

 

We are simply thrilled to read your detailed and excellent write up of your trip to Char Dham. It can be published in leading magazines as a treatise or travelogue for the benefit of many others. Thank you for taking the time to write and share your experiences with us who have not yet had the privilege of visiting these places.

-N. R. Vaidyanathan, Bangalore, India

(cousin of the author of the report)

 

It was very thoughtful of you to include me in the select friends/relatives with whom you wanted to share your pious and adventurous trip to Chaar Dhaam. One has to be blessed to get such pious experiences. Since you are a teacher of Vedhantha, I will spare you my lecture on the subject.

 

What you experienced on your way to Gaurikund, we experienced a few kilometers (after we left Joshimutt) just before we reached Badhri on our trip. So we walked a few kilometers and covered the rest of the distance by another taxi. On our way back (we stayed at Badhri over night, going to all the places you have described in your write-up), we had to abandon our jeep as the road still had not been cleared, we walked over a part of a mountain area, then got a bus. The jeep could make it to Delhi ONLY after 3 days! We had already got the news while at Badhri that Kedarnath is closed due to heavy snowfall, so the loss of three days did not matter. Instead we went to Vyshnodhevi and Mathura. I am hoping we will get the call from Kedharnath next year June-July. After I read, Lalitha also finished reading your detailed write-up — I must say, no one can do a better job –

-T. G. S. Mani Iyer, Portland, Oregon

 

The write-up is exhaustive and very informative. We were feeling that we were virtually going through the Yatra once again, with many of the memories still fresh in mind. All of us will agree that it was a rare privilege to be part of this revered Yatra, probably once in a life time, and certainly worth the effort.

-Dr. P. S. Iyer, Chembur, Mumbai, India

(brother – in – law of the author of this report. Dr. Iyer and his wife, Dr. Bhama Iyer, made the Char Dham yatra, with another group of about 80 persons, in June 2006)

 

What a wonderful and picturesque description of your Char Dham Yatra. The ecstatic joy with which you have written the travelogue, makes the reader feel as though you both must have danced your way thru’ this pilgrimage instead of walking one step at a time. Not only that, the reader also feels he/she is taking the yatra himself/herself with you.

 

Chitra and I are grateful, for all the effort and energy you have put in sharing this beautiful experience with everyone.

-Krishna, & Chitra, Krishnaswamy, Diamond Bar, California