Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand will soon get underway. Pilgrims who head for Uttarakhand between April and November every year to undertake this yatra mostly like to visit the tiny Himalayan village of Mana, the last Indian village on the Indo-Tibet border, and are overawed by its breathtaking beauty and simplicity.
The village and its people are closely connected to the rituals of the Badrinath shrine. When the Badrinath shrine is closed for winters, the people of Mana also move down to warmer places. The closing ceremony at Badrinath is marked by the presentation of a woolen ‘choli’, exclusively woven by the girls of Mana Village. The choli, presented by the Mana village girls, is placed on the one-meter-high finely sculpted black stone idol of lord Badrinath before the temple is closed. It is taken off on the day the temple re-opens and its fibers are distributed among the devotees as “Mahaprasadam”.
During these days, as the Char Dham Yatra will begin in May this year, the people of the village resettle after coming back from their winter abodes and also prepare for the yatra season that is closely linked to their economy. With the reopening of Badrinath shrine, activity in Mana picks up for the next six months as these villagers supply fruits and vegetables to hotels around the shrine.
At 10,248 ft above sea, the tribal Mana village is the last Indian village before Tibet and holds great mythological relevance with traces of the Mahabharata scattered across this small village. Veda Vyas Guha where Veda Vyasa resided and composed the Mahabharata and Ganesha Guha where lord Ganesh wrote the Mahabharata as dictated by Veda Vyasa are some of these.
Another interesting place is Bhim Pul, a huge rock formed as a bridge across river Saraswati. legend has it that when the Pandavas were crossing this river on their ‘swargarohana’, Draupadi was panic-stricken. Bhim then lifted a huge rock and placed it over the river to form a natural bridge, thereby making it easy for her to cross the river. Another attraction in Mana village is the Vasundhara Waterfall which falls from a height of 145m. Promoting rural tourism or “village tourism” is one of the priorities of the Uttarakhand government and several steps are being taken to encourage people in the rural areas of the hill state to develop their villages as tourist attractions.
Most of the Bhotia inhabitants of the village move down to warmer climes in Chamoli (November to March) in winters and begin to come back to Mana before the Badrinath shrine opens.
Mana, around four kilometers away from Badrinath, is also the base point to start one’s journey to Vyas Gufa, Ganesh Gufa, Bhimpul and VasundharaFalls. In Mana, the houses are small with kitchen gardens in the backyard, where the locals grow their own vegetables like spinach, cauliflower and potato.
Jageshwar in Kumaon and Mana in Garhwal were earmarked for being developed as “Heritage Villages” some years ago as both these villages have unique ancient traditions and culture. But not many plans have been yet implemented to preserve the unique traditions and way of life of these beautiful places. More attention is required to ensure that these traditions do not fade away.
The way of life followed in Mana is leisurely and healthy. It teaches the visitors how to relax even in the midst of a busy schedule. The scenic beauty and the clean air adds to the charm of the place. The government must ensure that Mana stays as beautiful and special as it is. It is a village blessed by the Gods.