THE MYSTICAL MOON LAKE-FORWARD Yes, it was the night of full moon; when I decided to be bythe side of the mythical moon lake, Chandratal in Lahaul, in Jammu and Kashmir.
Getting there: Overnight bus to Manali fromDelhi and then a 5 hour jeep drive till the lake through Rohtang Pass. Tentedaccommodation only; that has to be self-arranged. Yes, it was the night of full moon; when I decided to be bythe side of the mythical moon lake, Chandratal in Lahaul, in Jammu and Kashmir.This is known to be theabode of the Moon god. Here, the perfect face of the moon finds its spotless reflection in theclear waters of the lake, while the moonlight weaves its magic aroundthe mystical surroundings of almost purple hills. Situated at about 14,000 ft above sea level, 9 km from theKunzum Pass, the lake lies in a broad grassy plain that in ancient times was aglacier. Itscircumambulation, 2½ km long, is considered holy. Mythology There is a story of a mermaid living in the lake, with whoma shepherd from Hansa village of the Spiti valley once fell in love and spenttime with her, under water of course! As I travelled towards Manali, the moon followed meteasingly, zipping behind electrical wires, trees and the traffic. At midnight,as the city streets were left behind and the mountain lining made its regalappearance, fresh air teased my nostrils and I began to hear my own breath asclearly as a whistle of the hill bird. Fear mounted at Manaliwhen some fellows warned that the road ahead was tough and unsafe in thisweather. But findingmy way through doubt and wriggling myself out through trust, I resumed myjourney towards Rohtang. I had to keep my date with the lake on the full moon,and catch that bashful moment when beauty admires itself! The whole of the daysaw me going up and down circular climbs on rough roads. Mundane daylightactivities cleverly threw a veil on the mystery of the night. Cows munchedfodder, village folk hung around doing nothing, taps leaked and dhaba kitchensburnt busily. Magic slept. I waited. AS MYTHOLOGY GOES, THE SUN AND THE MOON WERE ORIGINALLYEQUALLY BRIGHT. Butthe gods did not think this was a good idea, so they took a hare and threw it at the face of the moon.The hare struck the moon and made a dark blotch that dimmed the Moon’sbrightness. But it sure could not take away its mystery! Journey As I undauntedly continued my journey on almost brokenhilly roads, the day finally exhausted and prepared its return to the arms ofthe eve. Excitement build up. As I saw the last dazzling ray of the dying sunkiss adieu to the peaks, the night reappeared, and with it the enigma. The moon made its spectacularappearance in the skies. It disappeared and reappeared with eachswirl of the road. It felt something like losing and regaining faith again andagain and again… I have heard of faith moving mountains, but today I felt themountains moving me to faith! The night grew thicker, and the way darker and harder.Crossing Batal, a small hut of a guesthouse on the way, as I started the last 4km trek towards my destination, the chill of the region touched my spine and Iknew the place to be inhabited by other beings. The big and small rocksscattered along the way looked possessed. Clouds flung their large shadows ontothe peaks. This sure was a terrain where both life and death became one; rathera place where care for both drops! Bereft of all signs of visible life yetpregnant with a Presence, a place for penance or rather an adventure ofconsciousness, it seemed. At the last curl ofthe broken raw road, on the other side of the great mountain, the lakeappeared, sitting quietly, as if completely innocent of its spectacular beauty. As I prepared to camp by itsside, I could sense the moon prepare to emerge from its hiding from the otherside. When it finally slidfrom beneath the clouds, it was midnight. It gleamed teasingly, fully aware as to how long it had made me wait! Asit slid in and out of the clouds, hiding and revealing itself, we hadnightlong conversations. As I rose from mycamp in the morning light the beauty sprinkled around me brought moistness to my eye. Isaw blue larks glide about freely in the skies, not caring where they reach.Cranes and ducks frolicked around in the lake and the waters clearly revealedthe stones sitting underneath that perhaps desired privacy! The return journeystarted sooner than I thought as the temperatures dipped more than expected.The river never stopsflowing, and the mountain never moved and the sunlight continued to makepatterns on anything it fell, nothing changed. Yet the landscape, the leavesand the hills looked different on the return journey. They looked satiated, contentand rinsed; as though they had received the same nourishment I had received! Forward-Spiritual Travel - The mystical moon lake by Rachna Singh Chopra Posted from my savings in thecomputer on 12-5-2021 R. Gopala Krishnan. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/1436089949.598963.1618195346429%40mail.yahoo.com.
