(A Deep Dive into India’s Van Allen Belt)
By Subhasish Chakraborty- a much published travel writer
As a travel writer for the past two decades, I have had the good fortune of visiting the
many nook and corners of India, off the beaten road destinations and hidden tourism
gems that you won’t find in any guidebooks or tourist brochures. One such place is
Uttrakhand’s Kasar Devi Temple, 10 Kms. from Almora, tucked away gorgeously on
the lap of Kumaon Himalayas, where great minds have found spiritual solace and
unfathomable body- mind- soul upliftment.
The aura of Kasar Devi is so magnetic that since ancient times, this little known Hill
has attracted people seeking peace and tranquility. Leaving aside the Rishis of yore,
the list of contemporary persons who have spent quality time here at Kasar Devi Hill
in search of spiritual solace is a veritable treasure trove – Bob Dylan,
D.H.Lawerence, George Harrison, Allen Ginsburg, Uma Thurman, Sunyata Baba
aka Alfred Soresen, Steve Jobs………
Although not a diehard spiritualist, I do some meditation and beginner’s Yoga,
primarily to keep myself healthy and in shape to counter the work related stress that
my profession entails. However, my only umbilical connect with the world of
spirituality is being an ardent devotee of the holy trinity – Sri Ramkrishna- Holy
Mother Sarada Devi- Swami Vivekananda ordained Ramkrishna Math & Mission.
Having received Dikshya ( Initiation) from His Holiness Swami Gahanananda
Maharaj, the 14 th President of the Ramkrishna Math & Mission, way back in 1997, I
do chant the Guru mantra for inner peace and time permitting, try to spend quality
time with monks of the Ramkrishna order and decipher the significance of the
Vedanta philosophy.
Like any lay devotee of Swami Vivekananda, it isn’t surprising to be aware of the
great Swami’s love affair with the Himalayas and Almora in Uttrakhand was a
perennial favourite of Swami Vivekananda. He had done some of his most intense
Sadhana(spiritual austerities) prior to his advent in the West, America to be precise.
Swamiji’s connect with Almora is legendary. In one of his soul stirring lectures
in Almora, he had expressed his fervent desire to set up an Ashrama in the silent
and holy peaks of the Himalayas and I quote –
“These Mountains are associated with the best memories of our race…where
Rishis lived, where philosophy was born… Here, therefore, must be one of those
centres, not merely of activity, but more of calmness, of meditation, and of peace;
and I hope someday to realise it”.
Realise he did! And, today the Ramakrishna Math & Mission has its own Ashrama
in Almora, which came into existence way back in 1916. Today, the
Ramakrishna Kutir serves as the spiritual retreat center for the monks of
Ramakrishna Order from India and abroad.
But, what is so special about Almora? What is the USP that compelled Swami
Vivekananda to fall in love with this mesmerizing hill town?
I for one believe, the great cyclonic monk was bedazzled by the stupendous
Himalayan panorama – on a clear sunny day, Almora offers breathtaking views
of some of the highest peaks – Nanda Devi(7820 m), Kamet (7758m), Nanda Devi
East ( 7430 m), Chaukhamba (7140 m), Trishul(7120 m), Panch Chuli ( 6905 m),
Nanda Kot(6860 m) to name just a few!
Coupled with the stupendous Himalayan vistas, the hill town of Almora finds
mention in some of India’s ancient religious texts like the Vedas and Upanishads
as well, thereby juxtaposing it’s claim as a spiritual nerve centre.
In fact, Almora’s hypnotic Himalayan charm was so deeply embossed on Swami
Vivekananda, that, documenting his travels in the High Himalayas makes for a
captivating outdoors thriller. For instance, there are innumerable places in close
proximity to Almora like Lala Badri Shah’s house, Thompson House,Oakley
House, Kakrighat, Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, Government Inter College etc….to
name just a few. The later in particular was Swamiji’s first lecture ( 27 th July.
1897) delivered in Hindi !
There must have been a reason why the great Swami chose Almora and Kumaon
Himalayas for his last leg of intense Sadhana or Spiritual austerities before
landing in the West and navigating the hitherto uncharted spiritual terrain for a
Hindu monk/emissary/ambassador ! And great souls, who have achieved
significant spiritual illumination have this uncanny knack of discovering places
of Moksha/ Nirvana that suit their spiritual paths. Almora was to Swami
Vivekananda what Bodh Gaya was to Lord Buddha – A place for illumination!
Of all his wandering places in the Himalayas, Swamiji laid great stress on one
particular spot – the Kasar Devi Hill, which to him was his spiritual sadhana’s
alma mater. If one flips through the pages of his vast reservoirs of literary works
on Vedanta Philosophy and his tete-a-tetes with brother monks of the
Ramkrishna order, it is clear as daylight that there exists a super normal energy
field at Kasar Devi, conducive for meditation and spiritual austerities.
The great Swami was spot on and it took NASA scientists years to discover and
acknowledge that Kasar Devi hill indeed was an integral part of the Van Allen
Belt, a declaration of which was made by NASA in the year 2013. Thanks to
NASA’s discovery of Kasar Devi Hill; today, this Hill is synonymous with very high
levels of Geomagnetic rays that aids both in revitalising and rejuvenating the body-
mind- soul system, in a perfect cosmic symphony that benefits whosoever takes
the plunge of spending time in contemplation of the Divine; with those
magnificent powdery Himalayan peaks like Nanda Devi, Trishul,
Chaukhamba…….bearing witness!
Having heard so much about Almora and Kumaon Himalayas from monks of the
Ramkrishna Order, I didn’t think twice when I got a call and an invitation to visit
Almora from a native Kumaoni guy – Chandan Singh Koranga, who is a close
confidant of my Dubai based younger brother.
Chandan is the proud owner of Wood Villas – speciality Wooden Chalets, which
he has built in the outskirts of Almora, Dhamas village to be precise, with the
primary motive of promoting sustainable tourism in Kumaon Himalayas,
preserving the fragile Himalayan eco-system through Carbon Neutral tourism
activities and arresting the disturbing trend of Kumaoni youths migrating to
metro cities to eke out a living and generating enough revenues to plough back
into the local economy for the Reverse Migration process.
If I am to sum up my drive from Delhi to Almora, it was like a veil slipping out of
the forehead of a beautiful Kumaoni bride – leaving the din and bustle of Delhi
as you speed your way on the Delhi- Moradabad road and then onto Rudrapur-
Haldwani-Ranikhet, all the way upto Almora, was refreshing to say the least. The
370 Kms. drive can be covered in 9.5 hours. Baring the stretch from Moradabad
to Kashipur, the drive uphill is breathtaking.
From Wood Villas Dhamas, Kasar Devi hill is 37 Kms. and takes just over an hour
to reach via Shitlakhet Road. In my enthusiasm to fathom the spiritual under
currents of Kasar Devi and follow in the footsteps of the great Swamiji, I
requested Chandan to arrange for an early morning cab as I intended to spend
the entire day at Kasar Devi from sunrise to sunset.
One has to climb around 100 steps to reach the hilltop temple and
each step I climbed, I was consciously uttering my simple three-
worded Guru Mantra. And, once I set my foot on the temple
courtyard, a soothing mountain breeze blew all my worries away.
The perspiration induced sweat gave way to a coolness that only the
Himalayas can offer. The early morning sunshine meant that the
visibility was perfect and the towering snow clad Himalayan peaks
from Nanda Devi to Chaukhamba made for a kaleidoscopic
vigenette.
After offering Puja to Mata Kasar Devi, regarded as one of Devi
Durga’s form – Devi Kattayini, I ventured towards the “Akhand
Jyoti” or The Eternal Flame where there is an exclusive “Havan
Kund” and I could see the wooden logs burning. The aroma of the
smoke emanating from the “Kund” felt divine and purifying.
According to the temple’s priest, there is a belief that the ash of the
“ Havan Kund” has magical properties in curing people who suffer
from mental illness.
The one thing that overwhelmed me was the sheer sense of
vastness ! Unobstructed views of the Himalayas and the ever
changing skyline; one moment bright and sunny and another
moment fleeting balls of white clouds dancing a celestial dance.
As time elapsed, I had no idea it was already well past 3 P.M. and the
temple’s priest sent an emissary to remind me that I hadn’t taken
my lunch. And, 3 PM by Kumaoni standards is too late for lunch!
Here at Kasar Devi, you can spend hours doing nothing and yet not
feeling bored because of your inactivity. Perhaps, this is due to the
tremendously pure combo package consisting of – 100% Pure High
Altitude Oxygen, Carbon Neutral Surroundings and Blessings of
ancient saints and Rishis who practiced spiritual austerities here,
thereby making Kasar Devi so potently spiritual.
In fact, from my 10 hour long vigil and rest at Kasar Devi, the one
takeaway gift I took along with me was the sense of “Nothingness” ,
simply you and pristine nature, which I feel finds expression in
Swami Vivekananda’s often used phrase –
“Peace That Passeth Understanding”.
Now, just wonder the sense of that “Vast Nothingness” one would
accumulate if one were to live in Kasar Devi Hilltop for a month or
so! I truly had a yearning of many years and longed to come and visit
this place about which I had heard so much from the monks of the
Ramkrishna Math. And, I am eternally grateful to the divine for being
so fortunate and offering me with a taste of that “Bliss of
Nothingness” even if it was of 10 hours duration.
Just imagine the immensity of Almora’s Kasar Devi Hill, where
Swami Vivekananda engaged in his final round of spiritual
austerities before plunging in the West!
The great Swamiji made his mark on the world stage with his soul stirring speech as an
ambassador of Hindu religion in the Parliament of Religions held at Chicago in the year
1893. This unheard of monk was for all practical purposes India’s first tourism ambassador to
the West and keeping in sync with his Master’s philosophy of –“Harmony of World
Religions”, contributed admirably towards enriching the overall spiritual consciousness of
the world.
If here is one thing we fear – and fear it most desperately than death itself, it is the dread of
living a life without significance. This dreadfulness has become more prominent as we
advance technologically in our struggle to master the external world. We chase impossible
goals that turn to ashes in our own hands. Our interior world remains unexplored,
uncultivated and barren. Even though we have enjoyed remarkable technological progress,
the psychic cost has been great. It is like we have dangled ourselves over the edge of a rocky
promontory.
Swami Vivekananda endeavoured to lead mankind to the place where there is neither the
Vedas, nor the Bible, nor the Koran; yet this has to be done by harmonizing the Vedas, the
Bible and the Koran. And, it was from Almora’s Kasar Devi Hills from where he found the
spiritual energy of such great magnitude.
Uttrakhand’s Kasar Devi Hilltop is an open invitation to those in search of a meaningful life.
