Raigarhi village
Raigarhi Mahadev temple is a Shiva temple located in Raigarhi village of Joshimath Tehsil. Raighari is a very remote village where livestock farming and collecting 'yarcha gumba' in the himalayan bugyals are the main sources of income. Families here earn a handsome amount collecting 'yarcha gumba' commonly called 'kida jari'. Though recently connected by a motorable road, life in this part of himalayas is calm and peaceful; giving a damn to the amneties and luxuries of the modern world.
This mesmerizing village has got everything that one expects to witness in a himalayan village: be it the serenity of himalaya or the tranquility of village life. There are bugyals were herds of cattle can be seen grazing, stone and mud houses with stone paved courtyards which provide marvellous views of the distant snow clad majestic himalayan peaks. There are icy watered rapid mountain streams and a couple of old but operational water mills in these villages. Above all these charms, is the Shiva temple of this village which brings travelers to this village. Visitors here mostly include those childless couples who had earlier seeked the lord's blessing and after a baby is born to them, have returned to pay homage to the lord.
Last year the monsoon was quite pleasant and it had been raining for days: the rain had imprisoned us at home since a couple of days. Reading a classic (wuthering heights) and sipping my 'badri tulsi' tea accompanied with 'pakoras' was all that I could do to entertain myself in those leisure days. Occasionally I would peer out of the window in my study and cherish the sight of clouds flowing past my study window. Sometimes it would get foggy and hinder the view of the distant mountain ranges visible from my window.
On one fine and pleasant morning, while sipping my tea and relishing a few home made biscuits I glanced out of the glass windows and noticed that the rain had subdued. To my amazement I could perceive a distant valley being illuminated by the golden rays of the heavenly 'Sun' penetrating through a small opening of the monsoon clouds above. The fierce darkness of the clouds had vanished and I could assume that the sky will be clear within the next hour. As my confinement was bewildering me, I very soon formulated a strategic plan to break open my prison gates and runaway to a pristine location where I could enjoy the serenity of himalaya accompanied with the greenery caused by the monsoon spell.
On the breakfast table in the presence of the honorable home affairs minister of my sweet little home I put forth the proposal to go out in the countryside and visit Raigarhi village. Before she would give an excuse, I quickly mentioned, " we will visit the raigarhi mahadev temple and pay homage to lord Shiva". It was the last week of 'saavan', so she could not say a 'no'. My kid got very excited and I could see the happiness in his eyes. So after breakfast the company of three set forth on the small journey to raigarhi. It would be worthwhile here to mention that raigarhi has been recently connected by a motorable road and is at a distance of 19 kms (motorable) from joshimath.
The monsoon had cast a spell and it was green all around where ever may eyes could see. For initial 12 kms of the journey up till dhak village we followed the highway that leads to malari. From dhak we followed the link road that connects the villages of karchon, karchi, tugasi and raigarhi to joshimath. Travelling for another 5 kms we reached karchi village and parked our vehicle there. Though raigarhi is connected by a motorable road ( 2 kms from karchi), we decided to follow the old trail (1.5 kms) and hike to the raigarhi village. A beautifully erected gate welcomes you to karchi village. This beautiful village is surrounded by greenery and provides mesmerizing views of karchon village perched on a hilltop surrounded by forest. In karchi village most of the houses are stone and mud structures with beautifully carved doors and windows. This village is known for its unique quality of medicinal honey made from the nectar of wild flowers that abundantly bloom in these highland pastures. Here in the outer stone walls of the stone and mud house hollow tree trunks are packed and in these tree trunks the queen bee establishes her colony.
A rapid mountain stream flows in the middle of this pristine valley and demarcates the boundary between karchi and raigarhi valley. While crossing the bridge over this stream we noticed some water mills upwards along the stream. My kid could not resist the curiosity aroused in his temple and ran towards the water mills. We had to follow the kid and the climb upstream was worth the time and effort. Along the stream there were small water mills made of stone and mud powered by the rapid water of stream channelized to the base of mills where the rotation of wooden shafts revolves the stone grinders. Some elderly village folks were there grinding 'raagi' (finger millet) and 'buckwheat'.
Descending along the stream and following the trail meandering along the green terraced fields we finally reached the raigarhi village. Along the trail I noticed apple orchards in this village with good quality royal delicious apples. Raigarhi is a small settlement with a few houses and on the west end of this village is situated the famous Raigarhi Mahadev temple. Its a small temple dedicated to Shiva and has a huge popularity among the folks in this part of the himalaya. The roof of the temple is covered with stone tiles as is common in these villages. Inside the temple there is a Shiva Lingam beautifully dressed and decorated. We offered our prayers to the lord and ignited a few incense inside the temple. I could feel the presence of a supernatural power inside there and that thought shivered my whole body. After paying homage to the deity we came out of the temple and sat in the courtyard. A small stream flows next to the temple and this water is properly channelized to be used by the devotees for washing and cleaning. The sound of the water flowing was a melody to my ears and we sat there for at least half an hour.
It was half an hour past noon and time for us to resume our journey home. We followed the same trail in our return journey cherishing the magnificent views of beautiful landscapes and majestic peaks that this countryside provides.
Visual memoirs
near temple
raigarhi mahadev temple
towards raigarhi village
near water mills of karchi village
near the water stream
near karchi village