Kozhikode: Himalayan pilgrimages test the faith of devotees as they have to surmount abrupt obstacles caused by inclement weather in treacherous mountain passes. Landslides, terrorist attacks, avalanches and cloudbursts like the one which killed hundreds of Kedarnath pilgrims in 2013 are always feared by the authorities as well as the pilgrims.
Several Kailash Manasarovar plilgrims, including Keralites, were stranded recently in Nepal due to incessant rain that played havoc with their travel.
Sixty-one-year-old Vanajakshi's eyes welled up, when she recollected those moments, when the last flight that came to their rescue at Simikot, a Nepal town, also failed to land. She literally broke down, and that was the fourth day, she was stranded on her way back from the Kailash Manasarovar pilgrimage, along with her husband Chandran Puthussery and two other women.
“That was the only time, I lost control when we were stranded for six days in the airport and in a lodge at Simikot. We were part of a 37-member team from Kochi, making our return trip after the Manasarovar pilgrimage. The weather turned worse suddenly and the airport had to be closed down temporarily. Since the pilgrims were being taken in batches, we were the last to board flights back, and by the time our turn came, the climate also changed,” revealed Vanaja, a former teacher with St Thomas High School, Thottumukkam, Kozhikode district.
Read more: Malappuram pilgrim stranded in Nepal dies
Vanajakshi narrated the ordeal that they had to put up in the early part of their return trip. “First day at Simikot was okay. There was enough facilities at the lodge and we could get one bed space each and food. As the days went by, the number of people who were stranded also increased, and in place of one, three people were accommodated. The queue for the only one toilet began as early as 3 am. We hoped for clear weather and a flight back to Nepalgunj. By that time, the news of the death of a Malappuram woman on Manasarovar trip had also reached and it aggravated our fears. My husband had already underwent three surgeries, and all of us had crossed 60,” she said.
They had reached Simikot from Manasarovar on June 28 evening and since there was no flight in the evening, they stayed back. “There are only two private-owned flights – Tara and Sita. We were supposed to travel back in Tara and it did not turn up for the next four days. By that time, the lodge was flooded with pilgrims returning from Kailas Darshan. Food, water... everything were short. For 10 days, we had to wear the same dress, since our luggage were sent back already.
“Bathrooms turned dirty, and there was nothing to change also. The local pilgrims were unaffected, as they were seen resting even on the roadsides, covering themselves with plastic sheets. The cost of food also was high. A small cup of tea cost Rs 50. The only hope was in the Indian Embassy in Nepal. We asked one of the officials who came to visit, whether they could take us in the military helicopter. However, that was risky and there was no guarantee," she said.
The embassy official then arranged a flight, in which they escaped. Still people are trapped there, from various places. “We could travel back on July 3 evening and reached Kozhikode on July 5. From Nepalgunj, we could take shower, and change our clothes, that was the biggest relief,” Vanajakshi heaved a sigh of relief.
Vanajakshi and Chandran, along with two Keralites -- Lakshmi from Vyttila and Rema from Perinthalmanna -- had boarded a flight from Kochi to Lucknow on June 21. From Lucknow, they travelled in bus till Nepalgunj on the Indo-Nepal frontier. After that they stayed at Taklakot in the Tibet Autonomous Region and moved to Simikot via flight, from there to Hilsa by helicopter and then by bus en route to Manasarovar. Oxygen level was dipping and many showed uneasiness as all commenced the customary Manasarovar circumambulation from its starting point at Yama Dwar, which is at an altitude of 4,860 m.
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