JOURNEY FROM DEHRA DUN TO JUMNOTRI

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• Collection: General CIA Records
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• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 15, 2000
• Sequence Number: 203
• Publication Date: October 9, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

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CONF'Iiu:NTIAL
SECURITY INFORMATION
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT 25X1 A
COUNTRY India
SUBJECT Journey from Dehra Dun to Jiunnotri
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PLACE ACQUIRED
(BY SOURCE)
DATE ACQUIRED
(BY SOURCE)
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following nr;~otnt. of the trip.
DATE DISTR. Oct 53
NO. OF PAGES
NO. OF ENCI.S.
9UPP. TO
REPORT NO.
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at Dehra Zlun,
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M q y 16. Dehi-a D n is located on the ?doon' or plateau, which lies between the foot
of the Himalayas, which geologists cell 'young' mountains, and the 81valike, a range
of very old moi.ntainr. now worn down to nubby hills, a few miles to the south. The doon
has been a happy hLn!.ing grounds for paleontologists who have found remarkable specimens
of prehistoric ur.ilr 1 there.
"About right in the. morning we began the first stage of our journey, which 'Kee by
bus all the wary up into mountains to Dharasu, some 50 miles southeast of Jlmmotrl.
We were to meet two porters, there. I'd sent them on ahead from 25X1X
Landour, sev-n thousand fact above Dehra Dun in the mountain.
A third porter, wee with us to help with some of our eq -
ment. None ryas related to the ot.cie, in spite of the common surname. The first bus
took : just about 20 miles, along a level road through the reserved forests which
fringe the foot of the Himalayas. We crooeed several rocky river beds which were dry
at this Beason; they will be raging torrents in a few weeks when the monsoon breaks.
By ton o'clock we were in Hikhikesh, a email town built on the banks of the Ganges Just
where that river emerges from the mountains and begins its long and storied journey
down to the By of Bengal.
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3. "Rikhikesh is a gathering place for Hindu pilgrims on their way to Himalayan
shrines. As it is almost impossible to arrive anywhere in India except on an important
religious festival day, we found the town teeming with pilgrims and the only bus into
the mountains already booked solid. Thus we were presented with the prospect of spend-
25X1A in the night there a,id taking a five. o'clock bus out the next morning. So while the 2 5X1A
hair cut by a roadside barber, ent in search of a
"dharm3hala" in which we might stay. A dhermshala (the word literally means 'religious
house') is a place provided for pilgrims by philanthropic individuals and charitable
associations and they are to be found all alo-g the pilgrim routes. Anyo^e is permittci
to stay free of charge if there is room. But there was no room in either of the two we 2 5X1 A
tried, so things looked bleak. When we returneito counsel with however, we 1
found him jumping nervously about waving four bus tickets in his hand. An extra bus
had just been put on the run and he was afraid the two of us wouldn't return in time
to be on it.
1+, "The bus quickly loaded and we jolted off up the road toward the mountains. Our
driver seemed thoroughly in control of the wheezy machine he commanded, and he was
loops in hie piratical eare. This worthy's sporting
job + was
his arms and logo and gold achieved
antt~o e marks a on good-looking
tor
principally to crank the motor, to pour liberal quantities of water intotheradiatork
when it over-heated (which seemed to happen about every half-hour), and to
of wood behind a rear wheel every time the bus stopped on a grade.
5. "Our progress was no sooner started than stopped by a road barrier erected by a
cholera control station. The United Provinces Government requirsis pilgrims to be
inoculated against cholera (a very wine precaution, for the papers report 50 cholera
deaths in Allehabad this summer so far). Knowing this I'd taken the precaution of
having a cholera shot before my departure - and then had forgotten to bring the certi-
ficate with me. I tried to explain this to the officer, for I didn't relish the
prospect of a core arm uselessly, but it seemed that he'd heard that story before. Since
no one also in the bus could produce a certificate, it appeared for the moment that
we'd spend the next: hour lined up like lambs for the a!.aughter. However, for some
unknown reason, the inspector waved the bus on, so wit:.i a vast sigh of relief we settled
back to enjoy the journey.
est o f native
Tehri. This mountidnoidLe toward
state, like the the former
the 500tstates
6. Tehri-"Thu Garrhwald and wound. s capitol tortuously the
which were outside British India, hap, since India achiovnd independence, become
administratively a part of India. The Maharaja has given up his control, though he
retains his title, somo honorary perogatives, and an annual privy purse doled out by
the Central Government. Down to four elephants and six Cadillacs, no to speak. After
zig-zagging up for coven miles or no, we reached the top of our first barrier, and then
followed the road ahead as it wound its way around the side of several mountains toward
Tehri. Rii.hikesh had been hot, but by the time we reached I orendranagar, 14 miles
distant, the air was comfortably cool. We made a meal hero cut of some hard-boiled eggs
I had in my knapoar_t, and filled it out a bit with some melons we purchased in the
local bazaar.
7. "The Rikhikesh-Te:ri load is only wide enough for one bus at a time (and there are
places where) at the edCe of a t_?r oc t ousand foot drop it does not appear even that
wide!). So traffic is controllcu ':o movr. in only one direction at a time. This is
arranged by schedules which allow busses. ~-,oirg in opposite directions to meet at
Junctions where the;; can pass. When t: e down hill traffic arrived at :rlarerdraan{3ar, we
were able to proceed, and by si- in t '.,e e-~venin: we had descended into the Tehri valley,
the end of that day's ourney - about 60 tailor in 7 hours. Daraou lay 20 miles north,
and we found we could leave the followint morning at six by bus.
8. "We spent t e night at a dac bur.Zalow in Terri. These are accommodations maintained
by the Government for the convenience of officers who tour the districts where no hotels na.
then
stay in
l us
are r
for charGe.beTheudel bun^alowain Tebrlyisnlargecand clean andrwec'reached it easily bye small
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walking a mile from the bus station down a rocky path which led us to the bouncy
suspension bridge which crosses the narrow gorge of the Bhagirathi River, one of the
sources of the Ganges. I suppose the suspense one feels while swaying his way across
such a bridge is tie reason for its name. At any rate, we achieved the dak bungalow
and made a meal out of some canned things we had with us.
'We were up at 4:30 the next morning and on the bus by 6:00. The bus followed the course
of the Bhagirathi up to Dharasu. were there to meet us when re
arrived about 9:00 a.m. They adjusted the load of food and sleeping bags among the three
of them, while we three washed in a nearby stream - the Khurmola Gad - and filled a
thermos with cold water. We purified it by adding a few grains of potassium permanganate
only to discover, when we went to drink it a few hours later, that we'd put in too much,
turning the water to a lovely, unpalatable, and slightly poisonous purple. A few trials
and errors taught us that two grains were enough for a thermos of water.
'!BY 9:3') we started on our way up the trail which followed the Bhagirathi a short
distance in the direction of its source 80 miles away. It is up this path pilgrims go
to Gangotri, the source of the Ganges. The river does not take this name, however,
until the Bhagirathi joins the Alaknanda, some miles south of Tehri. But we soon made
a sharp turn west toward the direction of the Jumna valley. A previous trek had taught
me that carrying much weight on one's back can take most of the pleasure out of mountain
trekking, so I was toting only a small knapsack in which I'd backed a towel, the thermos
and some film and camera accessories, and I had a couple of cameras around my neck, one
with color and the other with black.-and-white film. A friend had suggested carrying an
umbrella, and while it is a ridiculous piece of equipment, it proved a valuable friend
as protection against the hot sun, the rain, and as a walking stick when furled.
11. 'The first several hours of walking took us high above the IMurmoln Gad, a rocky ribbon
of water flowing roughly from the nortYz eat. Our first day's destination was a forest
rest house up at the and of its valley. The path was fairly level, so not difficult.
Both above and bolow us on both sides of the valley there were tiny villages sot in
terraced fields which have been carefully sculptured out of the slopes by generations
of Himalayan hill folk. They are often irrigated by cleverly diverted brooks and water-
falls which fall to the stream below. This contrasts with the meager water supply on the
sun-baked, plains below. We were struck, as are all H:.malaysn travelers, with the vast
untapped souroas of hydro-power which the Himalayas offer India - modern, unrealized
miracles to rival the power of the Hindu mountain Soda whose ancient acts provide Hindu
mythology with its fascinating lepnnds.
12. 'fie stopred for lunch at a small stream which has been diverted along a man made channel.
.While water heated for coffee, we soaked our feet - not in the acme wa' or, but in the
stream. And as we sat there two mountain women came to wash large, c^a-.A burlvp sacks,
which apparently ere used for %toring grain. The washing was done in uhallo', rectangu-
lar woolen tube, by first rubbing the sacks in the gravely dirt, than patiently kneading
them by hand in the tube. These women were quite different from their sisters on the
plains - both in appears. a and in manner. Their faces were Mongolian, not Aryan, and
their dress consisted of a bodice and skirt of heavy, dark cloth, and they had a kind of
turban tied rather loosely around their heads. Hill on generally wear considerable
jewelry in the form of silver pieces studded with stones. Earrings are large, and often
pierce the lobe of the ear in several places, considerably distorting its shape. A none
piece is a large silver ring from which silver chains dangle, one of which is looped
over an ear. The piece seems cumbersome and must be a nuisance when one is eating food.
A village woman on the plains is a slay and reserved person, reluctant to be seen and more
reluctant to talk with strange men. But not the women we met in the hills, where the
custom and prejudices of purdah have never penetrated. Though we couldn't understand
the'pahari' dialect, we were stile to joke with them in sign language and they willingly
posed for photographs.
13. "We walked steadily the rest of the afternoon. Within a couple of miles of our rest
house, rain clouds began to gather and we began to feel the stra1.n the first day's
walking was putting on our legs. Shortly after, the rain began co fall, making the
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rest house seem the most desirable spot on earth. Mercifully, the heavy rain held off
until we reached our destination, and we were inside with a fire and hot food cooking
when it really began to pour. We were carrying a box full of canned goods - beans,
mutton, salmon, tunafish, sardines, powdered ara condensed milk, powdered coffee, raisins
and cuts and hard candy. Naran Singh purchased "ate." (flour) from a small shop at the
dharmehala near the rest house and made "chappaties" for us. These are the basic food
all over North India and are made from wheat flour, made into dough. They have the
shape and size of a large pancake, and are baked either directly over hot coals or on a
round, slightly beveled iron plate. We ate some hot for supper, and the rest cold for
breakfast and lunch the next day.
14. "Monday morning we an i long climb up over the end of the valley. It is just as well
not to know what lies ahfad on a iourney like this, or I for one would probably never
start out. We eltmbed from about five thousand t o more than eight thoraerr f,.et to
get up over the pac-, from which we could catch our first glimpse of Jumnotri, some
40 miles away to the northwest. We were put to shame, however, for any complaints, by
the eight of many v.r-y old men and women who were making the trek on foot - some tc
all four of the sacra spots. Hoer they get up that climb, and some of the others later
which were much morn _ ave~?a, is a mystery- t,) me.
15. "After a brief feat at th_ or. of th . pas: we an our descent toward the Jumna valley.
About four in thr afterneor., wz round:d a brand and were met with a magnificent view of
the valley stretching to the northw.at b_1ow ue., the river cutting a crooked, rocky path
on up to Jumnot-I, which h_ld ite.eror-cappad head proudly above us. An hour more of
walking brought ,, to the fore., rapt hcuzot at Gangani, right at the edge of the river
near a cluster of dhazrcehalaa. We atert_d supper, t}-.in went down to the Hums for a
bath. The water ccmcs out from t'r~e snow at Jumnotri.
16. "Most of the next day, Tuesday, v_ s ,dyed :-loan to the river's course as it wound back
up thraugh the mouatatn.3 toward Jumaotri, though at times the path climbed high above
it. The mountains betz;een us and oir goal cut of any view of Jumnotri'e peak, but the
valleys were lovely - in places they had the appearance of formally terraced gardens.
We'd been walking along the vouth aide of the river but shortly before lunch we crossed
to the north and continued an up-and-down sort of climb which was tiring and had us all
wondering why the path ormLldn't juet ap '.fall stay down along the river and rise gradually
with it. At noon we fo,.nd a good cilzed ntr. gam cutting its way down the mounttin side and
decided to atop thnra t,i b4the and t4at. We climbed up a few yards from the path where
we found shade and small poo15 among the rocks. We noticed that part of the
stream also had been dlvrrted to providh poker fir a small exist mill just below the
path. A look inside after lunch c+howad an pld faahionod millstone, driven `v the
falling watt, g_?indIng whear. local fa:^mere had brought.
17. "We had barely eto.rted on c?i way in when a group of villagers stoppod us to ask if
we had any "dawe." - medicine. I had a small kit filled with salve, sunburn lotion,
Hand-aids, aspirin, :. -t repellant: and antiseptic powder, so I opened it to treat a
small boy whoue na:- '??rs- giving hti trouble. I didn't think the valve I put on it would
do any harm, and, xhe..r. v.- pas>_~i the same spot on the way back, the word was that he
was much improv.d, so -,t :.,.y hav_ done some good. A travelling dispensary up in those
remote hills could do a land-offl_. bt:einess, and be a great boon to the villagers who
are far irom doctor and hospital.,.
18. 'Late In the afternoon ve found 0:~=_lvci again at a bridge which crossed the Jumna.
Once across it, we were faced with a Path which seemed to rise almost otraight up. Thin
was about all we could take.. As ve ~tdree:d a weary ascent,' an began to fall. We
gained the top once ag91n, and by six that evening we were at a dharmshala, just where
the Hanuman Oanga joins the Jumna.
19 "We found the Hanumun dh(.u hales already packed with pilgrims, but the caretaker was
good enough to allow us to occ:;py a thatched shelter used for cooking. We cooked our
25X1 X rood there, jut up a small tent I'd brought along and slept the
25X1 X night in it, while and the porters found space inside the dharmshala's store-room.
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20. "Since Jumnotri was only eight miles further up the valley, we decided to leave our
things at the Hanuman dharmahala in car.; of , while we walked up
to Jumnotri and back the following day, Wednesday. We took to carry our
lunch. The day was bright when we started out, so Jumnotri'a snow peak was in full
view ahead of us as we made our way up the last few miles of the trek. Four miles from
Jumnotri, the path leveled out onto a kind of plateau covered with wheat and led us on
into a fascinating place, the village of Kharsali. It was almost Swiss in appearance,
for the houses, as the song goes, we.-e "made of wood and stone" and the upper stories
jutted out over the lower. The balconies were covered with remarkably beautiful
woodcarving, though we could find no handicrafts in the village similar to the kind of
thing that has made Kashmir famous. Muth of the village, including a large square in
front of the principal temple, was paged with large, flat stones which helped to make
the paths clean and ea-,y to walk upon. The inhabitants of Kharsali were extremely
cordial and eagerly cooperan_d when we asked for permission to snap pictures.
21. "We left Kharsali with four miles yet to go before noon. The path crossed to the north
side of the river for the last time, went up through a small orchard, and then, to our
dismay, began an upward course which dev:.loped into the hardest we had the whole trip.
At Kharsali, we were at about eight thousand feet, and our path rook us up (almost
stright up) to more than 10,000. But when we reached the top and rounded the bend, we
were almost on top of Jum notri. The river had risen sharply, too, so wa walked the
last mile or sc on a level, somewhat winding path as the other side of the V-shaped
valley closed into the end. We were at our destination; just above our heads was the
line of the snow, and two thousand feet straight up Jumnotri'a peak; beneath our feet
rushed the -virgin waters of the Jumna, beginning their journey as a turbulent little
stream down through the mountains to the plains where they gradually build up to a
mile-wide river and then join the at Allahabad, just a couple of miles down -.-.ver
from the Agricultural Institute.
22.
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"The sacred shrine was small and liaappointing compared to the gigantic peaks towering
above. The only temple vas a squat, stone building, indistinguishable from thu three
or four dharmshalae around it, huddled up against the mountain'n side between it and
the river. were not permitted to enter, of course,
went in to do what. he tot ua Dater was "one rupee, four annae worth of puja (worship
on behalf of hit ra,the: who, diertppointed she could not make the Journey herself, woo
happy to have it dog.:: t:y p_oxy. be :e::e out with the customary rtilak' on his fore-
head, a .;trip of red powrle: plan ~d t: er by the pries: to mark the worshipper who has
done his dirt;; . W1:12 -was loir:g .:,)a, the -titre bathing cur feet in the
hot water whit}. b.;bbl.a o;:t of tt:c rocks :within reach of the icy Jumna. The hater is
captured 7.;. a;v~ral :~ma11 pools. In on-, pilgrims were cooking potatoes which they
wrapped Ir. clot:: an9, dang1-e3 to the s?,-nr.:ing water. in another, which woo large enouch,
neveral were bc.t,i:in;;. A -_^mall. --it. wa:: for foot baths, and this is the one
the
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23. "After a round of p`',,' Jl=?^?-Snapping and a light lunch, we started on our way back.
The pilgrims were ber.ause they'd done the pilgrimage. We were joyous because
most of our way back we 11:', do-r -hill . We :wade great strldee; and were back at the 25X1 X
Hanuman dharmshala by i., end `.,ad a goof meal which had prepared
for us. Thursday we went L-a,~k tc Gangani, and Friday we changed our plane slightly in
an effort to save a whole day. It had been c,ir intention to spend Friday night at the
head cf the Kiurmola Gad, taking Zat,,i-rdey tewalk down to Dharsu, whore we ect.ild spend
the night, and cat^h the 9:00 a.m. b_ia for Rik.iikeeh Sunday morning. However, we
decided to by-pace the !mop at the eag_ of the Khurmola Gad valley and go down ae far
as we could Friday, thin get up early Sa.urday and get to Dharasu In time for the bus.
24. 'by this plan, we walked or. to within nine miles of Dharasu Friday, and spent the ni ht 25X1 X
in the open near a tiny dharmshala. Then, leaving most of our stuff behind with 25X1 X
5X1X to bring wit`.: them over the mountains by foot, and taking o
carry w a we needed, we atarted at 4:30 Saturday morning for Dharasu. There were, un-
fortunately, no milestones to g- re us accurate mileage, and everyone we asked gave us a
different estimate of the di3tance as we :roved along. -was feeling miserable as
hie feet had given out on b r.,}. I loaded him with aspirin and he picked up remarkably.
At 8:30 we rounded the last.betd ind saw that the bus was still there. At 10 min.to nine
we were down along the Bhagirathi and climbed aboard the bu- wi'Th flue minut4s to spare,"
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