About 70 km from Rishikesh, the gateway to the Garhwal Himalayas, nestles a small riparian town named Devprayag.
A two-and-a-half hour cab ride from Rishikesh on the landslide prone road to Badrinath took me to my destination. The road wound its way along the bank of the Ganga with rocky mountains and forests on one side.
A municipality in the Tehri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand, Devprayag is one of the Panch Prayags (five sacred river confluences) in the Garhwal Himalayas, the other four being Vishnuprayag, Karnaprayag, Nandaprayag and Rudraprayag.
In Sanskrit, Devprayag means ‘godly confluence.’ It is at Devprayag that the rivers Alakananda and Bhagirathi meet, and from this point of merger, the river is known as the Ganga, the most sacred of all rivers. Alakananda is one of the two major headstreams of the Ganga, the other one being Bhagirathi, which is considered the source stream of the celestial river.
Alakanandaoriginates in the Satopanth glacier near the Indo-Tibetan border, while the source of the Bhagirathi is inGaumukh at an elevation of over 12,000 ft at the foot of the Gangotri glacier in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand.
In terms of importance among the river confluences, Devprayag is next only to the Sangam at Allahabad (now Prayagraj).
My cab stopped atthe side of the single-lane mountain highway from where I could see the spellbinding view of the confluence and the picture-postcard town of Devprayag. I went down some fifty steps to a suspension bridge and crossed the Alakananda to reach my destination. On either side of the narrow road leading to the confluence were vendors selling puja articles and plastic containers of different forms and sizes. It is a practice among believers to take home the holy water of the confluence and distribute it among their near and dear ones.
A short walk of a few metres led me to the holy confluence. It was a sight to behold where nature and faith converged.
The majestically flowing rivers that transform into the mighty Ganga were easily distinguishable. The Alakananda appeared green, while the sediment-laden Bhagirathi looked grey. And the confluence was stunningly beautiful.
I decided to take a bath at the confluence. The gushing waters of the roaring rivers were ruthlessly sweeping. However, the bathing ghat was well planned. Huge iron chains were provided at the confluence to ensure the safety of pilgrims, for even a little carelessness while bathing couldlead to a tragedy. Holding one of the chains, I entered the water and suddenly realised that the icy cold water was beyond my endurance. Surprisingly, the very next moment, I felt a kind of warmth in my body. And as I took dips in the water, I didn’t feel even an iota of cold.
After performing my ablutions, I set off to the other major attraction of Devprayag, the ancient Raghunathji Temple. Climbing some forty odd stairs, I reached the temple situated a few metres above the confluence.
It is believed that the shrine dedicated to Lord Rama was established by Adi Shankara in the 8thcentury. It was subsequently developed by the Garhwal rulers.
Legend has it that, by annihilating demon king Ravana, Rama committed ‘Brahma Hatya’ and had to atone for the sin of killing a Brahmin. It is at Devprayag that the Lord undertook penance for that.
The temple, it is believed, stands at the place where Rama performed the austerities. It is one of the 108 ‘Divya Desams’ mentioned in the works of Alvars, the Tamil poet-saints.
In a distinct departure from other Rama temples, here the Lord is not accompanied by his sibling Laxmana and consort Sita. The reason, says temple priest Pritam Kotiyal, is that Rama came here alone to do penance. It is a ‘Swayambhu’ idol in standing posture, he adds.
Apart from the main shrine dedicated to the presiding deity, there are shrines dedicated to Annapurna, Hanuman, Shiva and Adi Shankara.
Just behind the temple are rock inscriptions in the Brahmi script that bear testimony to the site’s antiquity.
For those who wish to spend a night at Devprayag, rooms are available at a guesthouse of the Badrinath shrine board at affordable prices. It’s a riverfront guesthouse that offersbreathtaking views of the confluence.
It was about 2.30 in the afternoon and I had to return to Rishikesh. On the way, my cabbie stopped at a dhaba where I treated myself to some Garhwali delicacies for lunch and then set off formy next destination, the Vasistha Gufa or Guha in local parlance.
On the way came Shivpuri, a camping site for adventure tourism like river rafting and bungee jumping. However, river rafting is not allowed from July to September due to the monsoon season. As it was early July, my cabbie suggested we go straight to Vasistha Gufa, which is about 5 km away.
After alighting from the car, I went down a few metres on steep stairs that led me to the cave and an ashram set up nearby on the rocky banks of the Ganga.
It is believed that sage Vasistha, the guru of Lord Rama and one of the Saptarishis, had meditated in this cave along with his wife Arundhati.
The cave was discovered by Swami Purushottamananda, a revered monk of the Ramakrishna order, in the year 1928. He set up the ashram which is now inhabited by his followers.
A sense of profound calmness descended on me the moment I entered the cave. After walking a littleinside the tunnel-like cave, which was pitch-dark, I noticed the dim light of a lamp. As I went closer, I saw a black Shiva Linga installed at the far end of the cave with the lamp burning near it. The cave was spacious at this point. A couple of fellow travellers were meditating there.
It is believed that as Vasistha had meditated in this cave for several years, the environs are filled with positive vibes. A few moments of silence spent inside the cave can be uplifting and invigorating for the mind, body and soul. No wonder, the cave has attracted many a seeker over the years.
Spiritual master Sri M writes about the cave in his acclaimed book, Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master: A Yogi’s Autobiography, “Sitting inside the cave, one is completely cut off from all the sounds and activities of the outside world…One needs to just sit quietly and the mind falls into meditation all by itself.”
By 7 pm, I was back in Rishikesh. It was about time for the famous Ganga Arati. Sitting at the Triveni Ghat, I witnessed the beautifulritual, a befitting end to a delightful day spent amid nature and spirituality.
How to reach Devprayag
By road, Devprayag is 70 km from Rishikesh on NH-58. The nearest airport is the Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun (116 km). The nearest railway station is at Haridwar (95 km). Avoid visiting in the monsoon season as the road is prone to landslides.
KUMAR GOUTAM DAS, OP