Dev means God
Taal means Lake
Devariyatal - The Lake of the Gods
A trek to Devariyatal
Locked in the pristine hills of Himalayas lies one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. It is rumoured that the lake ventures into the depth of the earth ( paatal ) and the Gods come to visit the lake in human form.
For us mortals , we took a vehicle from Rishikesh to reach Saari village, the base camp to Devariyataal.
Enroute , amongst beautiful landscapes , we came across two prominent cities Devprayag and Rudraprayag.
Enroute , amongst beautiful landscapes , we came across two prominent cities Devprayag and Rudraprayag.
Rudraprayag is the confluence of the roaring Alaknanda taking the vivid Mandakini ( river ) into its fold while
Devprayag is the confluence of the mighty river Alaknanda and the roaring Bhagirathi both merging into becoming the most pious reverred and sacred river of India - Ganga
Saari Village is a small hamlet village with few basic (30-40) houses, a beautiful school (sponsored by Tata group ) and a number of hotels for the tourists and trekkers. The trek to devariaytal is an uphill pagdandi of around 3.5 km . One will come across an old temple , few shops ( for tourists ) and a majestic view from the top. The lake being a protected site has a fees with strict guidelines on cleanliness of the place. We took a round of the lake which is around 1.2 km witnessing new species of birds birds , insects , flora and fauna taking pictures and relishing our visit.
We went up on a machan ( man made elevated top) for a better view of the mountains only to be gushed by fresh waves of cold winds. The place amplified solitude with a serene and tranquil atmosphere , only to be broken by the humming of the birds, echoing, an innate feeling of paradise.
While we wanted to stay longer , we compelled ourselves to leave and come back to Saari village. A longer trek awaited next day to the Tungnath temple -the highest Shiva temple in the world.
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