Long before the moon recedes and the sun punctures through the horizon a group of dedicated yogi’s in training are dressed and ready with mats strapped to our backs for our day-off excursion. We commence a walk through residential alleys and over Ramjula bridge to a car that awaits it’s cargo of curious foreigners. A forty minute drive up a windy road takes us higher with each sharp turn.
As some of us fall car sick, we look around and realize that we’re completely covered in clouds. The fog has made it impossible to see what lies in front of the vehicle. Both parts scary and thrilling, a few of us close our eyes while the rest continue snapping pictures and giggling nervously. By 0500 hours, we’ve reached the end of the road and arrived at our destination, the summit of the Kunjapuri Temple. We stretch our limbs out of all sides of the truck and introduce our lungs to the new elevation.
Shortly thereafter the sun comes up and dozens of silhouetted mountain tops line the horizon. It’s a spectacular sight to see. We take pictures and gaze at the morning dawn as the temple bell begins to ring.
We’re welcomed into a small space inside the temple, only about 6 feet on all sides, by a man and women in chanting prayer. We all cram in to check out the intricate golden decorations and take part in their ritual. The man blesses us with a red Tika on our foreheads and adorns the marking with white grains of rice. As we crawl out we receive traditional parting sweets of puffed rice and sugar morsels in our cupped hands and exchange a friendly Namaste.
The legend goes that this temple, one of 52 Shaktipeeth temples in Uttarakhand, is the location of Sati’s chest which fell when her husband Lord Shiva was carrying her burned body to rest. Both eerie and peaceful this holy site is frequented by locals and tourists alike.
We cleared a space on the right side of the temple to lay down our mats and begin our practice. A few chants and several asanas later we lie in shavasana with our eyes closed amidst the sounds of the monkeys frolicking and the natives praying around us. At one point two women lapped the temple as part of their sacred ceremony and carefully walked between our resting bodies tossing more sweet offerings as they sang in sanskrit.
It was one of the most unique practices I’ve ever experienced. We were 1667 meters in the air yet buried deep in authentic Indian culture.
Written by: Zaianna Ortiz
Traveler, Business Consultant, Wellness Coach and Founder of
The Path Om, Zaianna decided to complete her 200 hour
Yoga Teacher Training course at Rishikul Yogshala in Rishikesh this fall. She hopes to use her newly deepened understanding of yoga to help others heal and discover the capabilities of their mind, body, and soul.
