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Himalayas always call me  and it is difficult to resist the call. Again it pulled me back to  Uttranachal  in the month of January, 2007. This time I visited a new place, about which I have read earlier, Kartikswamy.

    Kartikswamy is about 38 km from Rudraprayag  on the Rudraprayag - Pokhri route. Kanak Chauri is a village from where 3 km. trek leads to Kartikswami. This place has a temple and idol of  Lord Shiva’s son Kartikeya, situated at an elevation of 3048 Mt. The place abounds in natural beauty and one can have a closer and panoramic view of the Central Himalayan peaks. I never  imagined of such a place, with lots of pine trees around, so near to Rudraprayag. It reminded me of  Kumaon Himalayas hill stations. The  trek is a nice one , through the thick pine forest with gentle slope. Lots of birds of different varieties can be seen all through the path. Their beautiful chirping is the only sound  in the otherwise serene forest. The uniqueness of Kartikswamy lies in the fact that both Garhwal and Kumaon Himalayas can be seen from there. All along the path  I have to stop to see the fascinating view of the majestic Himalayan peaks.

   After about an hour, I reached a place where there is a small “Ashrama “ with a “Sadhu” and his disciple. They offered me water to drink. Water is not available all along the path, so one should carry sufficient water.

The last half km or so is a bit tough. One have to ascend the peak, though path is nice. I finally reached Kartikswamy, the only temple of Lord Kartikeya  in Himalayas. And I was simply awestruck! On my left is the Garhwal Himalayas and to my right way Kumaon . I can see Hathi, Ghori, Chowkhamba, Nandadevi, to name a few. Also can be seen was Bedini Bugyal. I really was mesmerized by the beauty of the place. A fair is also held here on Kartik Purnima in Nov each year.

Hope to come back here again.