Road trip across Garhwal: Rudraprayag - Srinagar - New Tehri...Part 2 of 2

After finishing whirlwind Day 4 road trip, we were enjoying our 2^nd night stay at GMVN Mandakini Resort at Tilwara (Rudraprayag), but thanks to our never-ending exploration streak we were unable to explore the spot. Our cottage was at stone throw distance from the Mandakini River and gentle sound of the flowing water was calling for last 2 days. So, we promised ourselves that the very first thing in the morning would be to enjoy the riverside vibes.

 

Getting up early in the morning while travelling gives you extra hours, so with the first ray of Sunlight were blessed with the view outside our balcony - 

With kids happily munching whatever we had - we passed through the trees to be at the riverbank. Mandakini River cutting through the mountains while soaking the golden sunlight rays was nothing short of a fairytale setting. Suddenly I realised about missing my daily workout routine, and then -

After almost an hour, kids asked for breakfast, and we realised it was time to take our bags to the car. By the time steering wheel sprung back to action, it was only 8:30 AM and we were cruising to our 1st spot of the day – Koteshwar Mahadev Mandir in Rudraprayag. This formally started our Day 5 safari.

 

Day 5: Tilwara – Koteshwar Mahadev – Dhari Devi - Srinagar – Peepal Dali Bridge – New Tehri

 

River Alaknanda gushing from between an opening in the mountains makes a panoramic landscape and we were fortunate to come to Koteshwar Mahdev -

  

This is the place where God Shiv took refuge in this holy cave and meditated to Vishnu Bhagwaan for help. Read more about the sacred place. 2 hours went like blink of an eye, before we realised that we had a long road to cover to New Tehri.

 

Would have liked to stay here for a day/ night at least, but that’s life and needs to move.

 

Road to New Tehri was through Dhari Devi, we got to see the amazing temple once more and continued. We stopped at Srinagar to buy the delicacy Bal Mithai and Singauri. We didn’t get Bal Mithai as it is delicacy of Kumaon but got Singauri somehow after checking a couple of shops. Singauri is prepared with fresh Khoya and wrapped in maalu leaves.

Before leaving Srinagar, we stopped to check the wide flow of the river Alaknanda -

Now we had only 80 km. to cover for the day and thought of reaching New Tehri in next couple of hours. Little we knew we had embarked on an offbeat rollercoaster road, which will take us to a dreamland like ride. Instead of chasing kilometers we were pausing at short intervals, where tiny settlements were waving at us and we were wondering as how suddenly from drive mode we got into Scenic Mode. Terraced farms, clean surroundings and literally empty roads, we were enjoying the pure joy of an ideal offbeat drive.

 

While enjoying the drive we realised that there were very limited options to eat, so we parked our car outside a small eatery to enjoy Omelettes and got a few packed for the evening/ night, just in case.

As the cruising continued, we came across Peepal Dali Bridge, 390 m. long suspension bridge across Tehri reservoir. This Engineering marvel is a sight to be cherished.

It was around 4:30 PM and we still had 40 km. to be covered. Since hills get dark faster, I decided to twist the throttle hard to reach the destination as early as possible. However, the last stretch was real offbeat drive with totally deserted roads, not a soul in sight to confirm directions and google maps going haywire due to patchy connectivity. Undeterred we continued to cross bridges. 

 

Seeking help from GMVN staff, we finally arrived at New tehri Lakeside accommodation with still some last rays of light, supporting last clicks of the day -

Day 6: New Tehri – Surkanda Devi – Water activities at Tehri Lake

We knew about the significance of Surkanda Devi Temple and how crowded temple gets in the afternoon, so we arrived at the temple before crowds and trekked for about an hour to reach the sacred spot. Head of goddess Sati had fallen at this place when God Shiv was carrying the dead body of goddess Sati, which makes it one of the most important Shakti Peeths, out of 51 shaktipeeths.

360-degree view of the surroundings is complimentary for visitors. There is a ropeway to reach the temple, but we preferred 3km. trek to test our physical health. And we were glad at our decision -

By 3 PM we were back at Tehri Lake to try some water activities. Tehri Lake is a large, artificial reservoir formed by the Tehri Dam on the Bhagirathi River. The lake was created when the old town of Tehri was submerged to construct the Tehri Dam. There are variety of water activities one can indulge, but we chose to listen the melodies of reservoir waters while on a relaxing boat ride - 

 

Day 7: New Tehri – Rishikesh - Haridwar – Delhi-NCR

As all good things have to end. We started our return with amazing memories of last 6 days of road tripping. But not before last act of supporting local economy by shopping fresh fruits and vegetables from a roadside stall - 

As we still had time in our hands so a dip in holy river Ganga at Haridwar was the best option to thank the Gods and close this wonderful road trip across Garhwal.

 

To summarize – Garhwal is a magical land of majestic mountains, temples and sacred rivers, all set against landscapes that will surely take your breath away.

 

To explore Garhwal:

By Train: Nearest railway stations are Haridwar/ Rishikesh.

By Road: New Tehri is well connected by bus services from Delhi and nearby cities.

By Air: Nearest airport is Jolly Grant Airport at Dehradun, 35 km. which is well connected to major cities by flights. 

Keep exploring Folks...