12

TREK TO THE VALLEY OF
GODS—KEDARNATH

After leaving Rudraprayag, the bus moves all along the Manda^
kini. A little ahead is Taiwan from where one route bifurcates
towards Tehri, little further lies Agastya Muni. There are nume-
rous historic places in and around Agastyamuni. One needs
only time to investigate these places. From here, the route
goes to Guptakashi via. Kund from where one route bifurcates
towards Okhimath. Okhimath is also famous because of the
legend of Banasur and his daughter Usha's love for Aniruddha.
Okhimath was once called Ushamath. Vishwanathji is wor-
shipped at Guptakashi.
As we proceed further we have to cross Nala, Narayankoti,
Rampur and Soneprayag. From Soneprayag one track goes to
Trijugi Narayan. Each and every place is associated with some
mythological incident. Now buses ply on to Gaurikund. In fact
the entire valley is so beautiful about which Atkinson has rightly
written "Nagpur will never be forgotten by those who have spent
a day on the bank of Dioori Tal and it is Chandrashila where
the visitor enjoys perfect freedom, as imposed, it travels far and
wide on all sides, no hills to stand in its way,' no angry clouds-
to mar its course, exuberent flowers make almost the whole of the
way a veritable field of cloth of gold, yellow, blue and purple