Gurudongmar – A literally breathtaking experience
‘One step at a time’, I told myself as I struggled to grip
the ice cold railing on the staircase that seemed to be going up forever. The
sub-zero breeze was somehow finding its way through my heavily padded nose and
ears, making them numb, as I wheezed and puffed with each stair.
The sun was in its ascent, sans a few clouds, the sky was
bright and blue. The clarity, you can only dream about in Delhi and Mumbai. The rays bounced off the surface of the water,
reflecting its turquoise hue and making it glitter as if millions of diamonds
were strewn merrily on the pristine calm partially frozen waters. In a chalice
of snow-capped Himalayan range, the glacial water of Gurudongmar Lake is in
true sense a drink of God.
Even as I struggled to find my breath at the height of 17800
ft. above sea level, my body putting extra efforts to keep the desired oxygen
levels in the body in the low pressure -low oxygen surroundings, I pondered at
this nature’s exuberance. A small lake, the size of two football fields, the
source of one of the life line rivers of Sikkim, Bengal and Bangladesh, River Teesta.
“It looks small from here, actually its quite big, most of it
not visible from here”, told our guide and driver as I finally managed to reach
the vehicle, frozen and reeling for breath. “I wonder how this small portion is
not frozen at -15 degC and when everything around is”, I enquired, watching
him merrily go around the place in his conspicuously light jacket sans gloves.
Pointing towards the small temple cum monastery in this sparsely habituated
place he replied, “It’s because of our Guru’s blessings”.
Named after Guru Padmasambhava of Tibetian Buddhism, legend
has it that he placed his hands on a small part of the lake area, which stopped
freezing during winter, facilitating drinking water to the people. This second
highest lake holds significance in Sikhism as well, as it is believed that Guru
Nanak Dev Ji in 15th Century also blessed the lake on his return
from Tibet.
Google maps will tell you that it’s only 190 Kms from Gangtok,
North of Sikkim, but unless you are a mountaineer or a Yak, it’s advisable to
spend a night in Lachen to acclimatize yourself with the testing conditions.
The access militarily controlled by the Army, is closed after 11 am due to
unbearable wind velocities and drop in temperature.
The experience of the sub-zero conditions and the
breathtaking serenity of this lake will always be my highest point, during my
visit to the Himalayan kingdom of Sikkim.
Comments
Could feel a sense of trueness in the way you expressed