The Highest Gurdwara, an Alien Occurrence and The Highest Motorable Road in the World

The Highest Gurdwara in the world

An Alien Occurrence

and

The Highest Motorable Road in the World

Gurdwara Pathar Sahib is situated on the Leh-Kargil highway, 25 kilometers from Leh. At an altitude of 12,000 feet it is considered to be the highest Gurdwara in the world. It is located near Magnetic Hill.

At the site, the signboard's inscription gives a full history of the Gurdwara. In 1517, Guru Nanakji came to Ladakh through Yarkand after visiting Nepal, Sikkim, and Tibet. Guru Nanak came to that exact place near Leh, where the Gurdwara stands today. In a nearby hill there lived a cruel demon who terrorized and killed people and even ate them up. The people prayed to Almighty God to liberate them from this terror .Guru Nanak heard the plight of the frightened people and decided to alleviate their misery. He sat on the bank of a river below the hill where the wicked demon lived and began to meditate. People’s courage was restored and they worshipped Guru Nanak Dev as Nanak Lama. This infuriated the demon who decided to kill Guru Nanak.With this aim in mind he hurled a huge stone (Pathar) from the hill but Guru Nanak continued to meditate. The stone upon touching Guruji turned soft like wax and stuck to His body taking the shape of His meditating pose. The demon climbed down from the hill thinking that he had killed Guruji but he was furious to see Him alive. He kicked the stone angrily with his right foot and his leg got stuck in the wax-like stone. Then the demon realized the divinity of Guru Nanak and falling at His feet asked for His forgiveness. Guruji advised the demon to live the rest of his life in peace and serve humanity. The demon obeyed him. After some time Guru Nanak Dev went to Kashmir via Kargil.

Pathar Sahib 

The construction of Gurdwara Pathar Sahib

In the late 1970s, during the construction of Leh –Nimu road, a large boulder was found lying in the middle of the road, covered with Buddhist prayer flags. The bulldozer driver tried to push the stone with the dozer but the boulder refused to move .The ignition of the bulldozer would switch off automatically. He informed his officer (a major in the army) who noticed a small, wooden box behind the boulder. He realized that the box was meant for collections given by devotees and therefore the boulder had religious significance. Upon inquiries, the local villagers informed him that the holy shrine was of Nanak Lama and the stone was taken care of by a family who had placed the wooden box for collecting offerings and donations.

BRO (Border Road Organization) decided to change the alignment of the road. A hut was immediately constructed by Border Road Task Force around the boulder and a Sikh soldier was assigned the task of taking care of the sacred place. The hut gradually turned into a beautiful Gurdwara called Pathar Sahib and is revered as a famous pilgrimage site in Ladakh. The place is worshipped by Lamas, Sikhs and Hindus. The Ladakhis worship him as Lama Nanak or Guru Gompa Maharaj.

Another version (Sikhi Wiki) says that the bulldozer driver made repeated, failed attempts to remove the stone .Finally, when the driver put excessive pressure, the blade of the bulldozer snapped. That night he had a dream forbidding him to move the stone. He narrated the dream to one of the army officers but the latter told him to ignore it. When it was decided to blow up the stone with dynamite, the army officer also had the same dream. Next morning several Ladakhis from the local villages visited the officer and told him about the history of the place.

The boulder was actually a mould with the impression of the revered Lama Nanak that contained a hollow imprint of His shoulders, head and backside. It is the impression of a meditating man along with the impression of the demon’s foot.

                                          Guru Nanak's Imprint on the Rock or Pathar                                                 Photo Courtesy: Sikhi Wiki

                                                                                                 

Imprint of the Demon's Foot on the Rock
                                                                                Photo Courtesy:Sikhi Wiki

The Full Rock (Pathar) Hurled at Guru Nanak Devji
Photo courtesy: Sikhi Wiki

We have to open our shoes and socks, cover our heads, clean our feet in a shallow tank of flowing water, wash our hands in the numerous taps and then enter the Gurdwara. Saffron head gears are supplied by the army. Inside the temple is a picture of Guru Nanak Devji and as we did our pradakshina we came across that huge rock which was hurled at Guru Nanak Dev. We got Prasad of delicious halwa and we sat in meditation for a while. We came out through the exit into a terrace where we were served excellent masala chai and bundi free of cost. It is called chai aur bundi ki langar. The scenic beauty around the Gurdwara is a feast to the eye with the towering Himalayan range and the valley dotted with purple blue wild geraniums, deep blue wind flower or wild anemone flowers.

Purple Valley and Grey Himalayan Range

The arrangement at the Gurdwara is superb. Outside there are clean toilets for men and women. The whole complex is maintained by the Indian army .No wonder it is flawless.

Magnetic Hill

A Portion of Magnetic Hill

This is a strange phenomenon just 30 kms away from Leh. There is a small stretch of road where all types of vehicles go on their own at this point. A sign board proclaims, “The phenomenon that defies gravity. Park your vehicle in the box marked with paint on the road and experience the wonder.”

If the engine of a vehicle is killed and the vehicle is parked in neutral, it will automatically slide a few inches which the locals believe is due to the magnetic power of the hill. The car will move forward at about 20 km/h without any effort on the driver’s part.

There are various theories regarding this alien occurrence. The most popular theory is the hill emits a great  amount of magnetic energy, thereby pulling vehicles towards it that are within its range.  

The second theory is scientific .Due to optical illusion, any vehicle which goes downhill seems to appear as if it were going uphill.

The third theory is traditional. Local villagers believe at this very spot once existed a road which led straight to heaven. Those who deserved going to heaven were pulled to the path while those who didn’t were left behind.

Whatever might be the case, our van was standing on the road opposite to the Magnetic Hill. Our driver switched off the ignition but still the van moved just with clutch and gear so great was the effect of the point. The hill has caused Indian Air Force planes to change their routes in the past to avoid its magnetic influence. Earlier people used to drive bikes on that hill but it has been prohibited after accidents.

The Road near Magnetic Hill
(courtesy :Travel Triangle)

Hall of Fame

The next stop is the Hall of Fame which is 4 kms away from Leh city. This is an amazing place evoking patriotic fervor and also fills us with sadness at the sacrifice of our brave soldiers. The rust-colored, hexagon-shaped building is itself eye-catching. It is maintained by the army. We have to keep our bags in the safe deposit at the gate. There is a museum which tells us about the scenic beauties, historical places, flora and fauna of Ladakh. There is a souvenir shop selling all sorts of indigenous articles from small clocks to clothes, shawls, saffron, spices etc. We also watched a film in the projection room on Kargil War which was organized by the army in which it was shown in great detail about the terror atrocities committed by Pakistan, leading to Kargil War, India’s glorious fight back and the martyrdom of Captain Vikram Batra.

Hall of Fame
(courtesy: Leh  Ladakh Tourism) 

Khardung La

 Photo courtesy: Nibha Bhandari

Khardung La is about 39 km away from Leh and takes about 45 minutes by road. It is a mountain pass in the Ladakh region. La means Pass in Tibetan language. The nearest town is Leh. It is the highest motorable pass in the world at 18,380 feet and recorded in the Guinness World Records.  However, new evidence has shown that it is at a height of 5,359m (17,582ft). Khardung Pass also has a historical value because it is the first of the high passes on the ancient caravan trail to Central Asia from India. The road is maintained by BRO. The Pass was constructed in 1976 and in 1988 it was opened to public vehicles. It is the way to carry supplies to the Siachen Glacier.

The Multifaceted Himalayas viewed from the Road's Edge

A Forest of Poplars

Solitary Houses in the Valleys beside Mountain Streams 

As we climbed higher and higher through the snaky, mountain path, the habitations looked like doll’s houses in the valleys. The highest peaks were still snow covered and a narrow channel of trickling snow was seen as the sun rays fell on it. There were huge rocks strewn by the side of the road, in gorges and plateaus and they had a curious color-- a sort of orangish stain as if uncouth people had desecrated them with betel spittle. But in point of fact those rocks were sporting a kind of growth called Lycra. It is a moss and this proved that the atmosphere was free from pollution . My Botanist co-traveler educated me that if this moss grows in cities, it means the cities are becoming cleaner and free from SO4 (sulphate).

Agricultural Tracts in Irrigated Valleys

Scanty Vegetation and the Winding Road

There was no vegetation except an occasional bush of five-petalled Himalayan roses or bright mauve, stemless Raikse flowers and yellow Khardung peeping out through the rocks. The human settlements were richly vegetated due to irrigation. Very often we saw forests of poplars with the hint of a couple of houses in the dense growth. Along the streams (formed by melting of snow in higher regions), we saw some vegetation like sea buckthorn, wild roses of pink and yellow varieties, tamarisk (salt cedar), stinging nettles etc. The shores of watercourses were green due to various grasses. In such a desolate terrain the only companions were the silent, mountains, dark and mysterious as the sun’s shadows fell upon them; or glowing with yellow snow in the sun rays or mountain blue under the sapphire sky. In fact the sky is very beautiful—a deep blue, flecked with snow-white flocks of clouds. There are of course some black-stained tips of cloudlets. But in general white clouds hung like fizgig just above the snow-capped mountains, perhaps trying to break the meditations of the serene, philosophical mountains with their flirty ways.

Green Shores of  a Watercourse

The Meditative Mountains and the Flirty Clouds

Many Miles to Travel on  the Curvy, Silent and Challenging Road  

The road is indeed narrow and two vehicles cannot pass through it at the same time. As our van crawled past another stationary vehicle, its tires balancing precariously at the edge of the road we held our breath; an inch here and there and down below is the deep gorge. Sometimes dirt, loose stones and streams appeared on the road. Another strange phenomenon was the number of motorcyclists who zipped past; some were single; some with their wives or male companions. All were dressed cap-a-pie and enjoying the treacherous road and the scenery around stretching their physical and mental powers to the farthest limits. Then we reached Khardung La .It is at such a high altitude that a sign board warned us that staying for more than 20-25 minutes will be injurious to health.The two checkpoints on either side of Khardung La are North Pullu and South Pullu.

Snow, Snow and Snow Everywhere

Another View of  the Pass 

There is snow all around. The climate in this region is Arctic Tundra. I went in August (2015) when the maximum temperature was 7 degree Celsius and the minimum was -6 degrees Celsius. There is a military base with a few soldiers guarding our territory. How do they survive in this area? There is also a temple of Chandimata and the entire periphery is decorated with bright Tibetan holy flags. We left within 30 minutes. From the top, the road through which we came appeared to be a thin strip of goat track, curling around the mountain.

Indian Army Post at Khardung La

I had the good fortune to interact with some bikers. A young gentleman had come all the way from Nagpur on his motorbike with his wife as ride pillion. They took turns to drive their motorcycle. Both were very brave, composed yet very humble as if an inner urge had prompted them to take this supremely adventurous journey.  

The Brave Husband and Wife Biker Team from Nagpur at Khardung La

 To casual tourists like us, Khardung Pass and the surrounding Himalayan range appeared challenging and we were silent and conscious of our every breath at this majestic, beautiful divinity . The Himalayan range formed over 45 million years ago in the Ladakh region is massive and serene and made us feel tiny before its meditative grandeur. What is the motive power of the bikers? The earliest journeys through this Himalayan pass were undertaken by merchants, shepherds and pilgrims. The merchants and shepherds had no choice but to cross the pass and undertake the journey through the Himalayas because it was a matter of their livelihood.  The pilgrims searched for enlightenment in these regions because they firmly believed that at the end of their arduous and dangerous journey lies God.

Do the bikers believe like the pilgrims that the victory attained after the arduous and dangerous  journey is akin to attaining enlightenment? In this hazardous stretch, they or our van driver must be rooted in the most powerful unit of time, The Present Moment because a slight absent-mindedness and the powerful Himalayas won’t spare you. It demands your attention and respect at every moment. The handful of Indian army soldiers stationed at that remote spot go beyond the call of duty and immerse themselves in Nowness to stop their mind from wandering in the desolation, coldness and danger of this place. This is the highest form of spirituality that the Himalayas, sometimes fearsome but always beautiful awoke in us : to be aware of the present moment with our mind, body and soul.  The Ladakhis worshiping at that height are protecting the travelers from evil eye through their prayers and flags. The army is guarding our country and the countrymen with their dedicated and selfless service. All are bowing before the almighty Himalayas, the abode of the Gods in their own way: through meditations, through prayers, through adventure and through selfless service.   

Photographs: Bulbul Sur