PREFACE
Himalayas have attracted the attention of all, particularly of
those who seek to see 'the true, the good and the beautiful'. This
instinctive urge is fully reflected in the writings of ancient Indian
sages who valiantly treaded the unclimbable and treacherous treks
in search of the incomprehensible being the creator and
destroyer of the world. Probably this alone inspired the system
of pilgrimage to the sanctum sonctorum the kingdom of Gods.
That is why the Holy Dhams of Kedarnath, Badrinath,
Yamunotri and Gangotri are located here where Gods are said
to dwell and today these holy places are visited by teemi g
millions, year in and year after.
The celebrated lake of Hemkund-lokpal is also located in this
part of the Uttarakhand here where once Lakshman and Guru
•Govind are said to have meditated in one of their previous
births. Today devoted Sikhs and locals, Yatris from different
parts of the country, and tourists come here to have a holy dip
in the lake and have a darshan of the Lakshman temple and
Gurudwara.
As the summer approaches, pilgrims, tourists, trekkers and
mountaineers start pouring in pursuit of having a vision of the
bounteous beauty of the Himalayas but many of them are not able
to enjoy their sojourn due to lack of knowledge and information
about the route, geography, climatic conditions, Flora, culture
.and civilisation of the people. This dearth of information,
particularly about the central Himalayas has always irked me
and inspired to write about trekking in Uttarakhand from time
to time and towards this end was intended the publication of my
other books.
This urge to lay bare the hidden, strange and baffling features
•of the Uttarakhand was given further vent and culmintated with