2nd
trip to India
We
are pleased to announce that we are currently preparing the final
details of our 2nd trip to India, due to take place in March 2010.
This trip has been planned to include the largest religious festival
in the world: the Kumbh Mela. The itinerary includes 3 nights
in the Kumbh Mela followed by a spiritual retreat of 10 nights
in rural accommodation in the foot hills of the Himalayas. The
first and last nights will be spent in a 4 star hotel in New Delhi.
THE
KUMBH MELA:
The Kumbh Mela is the most important Hindu festival and millions
of people take part in it. It takes place 4 times in every 12
years in 4 different holy places.
The next Kumbh Mela will be in the holy city of Haridwar between
January and April 2010 and an estimated 60 million people will
participate.
HISTORY:
“Kumbh” means “pot” and “Mela” means “Fair”. According to the
legend, the Gods and the Demons agreed to work together in order
to obtain the precious Amrita (nectar of immortality) from the
ocean and share it equally between them. After much hard work,
when the Kumbh filled with Amrita finally appeared, the Demons
ran away with it and the Gods chased alter them. For 12 days and
nights (the equivalent of 12 human years) the Gods and the Demons
fought each other in the sky. It is said that during the battle,
some drops of Amrita fell onto four different places: Prayag,
Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik and that is why the Kumbh Mela is celebrated,
every 3 years, in one of these places. According to the astrologers,
the Kumbh takes place when Aquarius and the Sun enter into Aries.
RELIGIOUS
IMPORTANCE:
Haridwar is considered to be a very sacred place as it is where
the river Ganges descends from the mountains.
The festival is visited by sacred men from all over India such
as the Naga Sadhus, who wear no clothing but cover their bodies
with ash and who do not feel the ravages of cold or heat; the
Urdhwavahurs, who subject their bodies to harsh physical tasks;
the Parivajakas, who carry out a vote of silence and ring tiny
bells to announce their presence; the Shirshasins, who spend 24
hours standing up without rest and meditate for ours while standing
on their heads; and the Kalpvasis, who spend the entire month
on the banks of the Ganges meditating, carrying out rituals and
bathing 3 times a day.
It
is thought that bathing during the Kumbh frees the bather of all
sins and obtains salvation. It is also believed that at this time
the water of the Ganges is charged with healing properties and
that it receives the positive effect of the electromagnetic radiations
of the Sun, Moon and Jupiter
PART
1: THE KUMBH MELA (3 nights).
We have finally manager to book better quality tents for the same
price so that instead of tents for 20 people, we will be in twin
tents each one with it’s own bathroom.
The
services included with the tents are:
3 vegetarian meals per day.
Hot and cold running water
2 beds and a bathroom in each tent
Doctor on call
Ayurveda, yoga and meditation services
Car on call for emergencies
The
tents will be like this:
Bedroom
|
Bathroom
|
Rest
area
|
Dining
tent
|
PART
2: SPIRITUAL RETREAT IN MUKTESHWAR (10 nights):
For the spiritual retreat we have chosen a hill station in the
village of Mukteshwar in Uttarakhand province. Located at 2286m,
the “Mountain Trail”
accommodation offers spectacular views across the Himalayas. Surrounded
by fruit trees and a conifer forest, the station was originally
Developer as an educational institute in 1893.
The village is associated with the legend of Shiva, who gave the
gift of immortality or “Mukti” to a demon from Mukteshwar. The
ancient temple of Lord Shiva still exists on top of a hill in
the village.
Away
from the popular hill station environ, Mukteshwar is pure magic.
Abundant with apple, plum, peach and apricot trees, this place
is a hidden beauty, mostly unexplored. Among the major Himlayan
peaks visible from Mukteshwar are Nanda Devi, Nanda Kot, Nandaghunti,
Trishul and Panchachuli. The most enchanting thing about Mukteshwar
is its “serenity and tranquility”.
More
information and photos at: http://www.mountaintrail.com/index.html
During
the stay in Mukteshwar Swamiji will be offering yoga, meditation
and teachings for 2 hours every morning and afternoon. These sessions
will be adjusted as necessary on the days when excursions and
trips take place.
The
accommodation includes:
Twin rooms with views of the valley
3 vegetarian meals per day
Morning and afternoon tea
Mountain
Trail also offer a series of activities and excursions that are
not included in the price of the trip. These activities must be
booked by March 1st 2010.
They
are the following:
Local
Sight Seeing:
Coaches and cars are available for local excursions. Around Mukteshwar
you can visit the lake townships of Nainital, Bhimtal, Sattal
and Naukuschiatal as well as neighbouring hill stations like Ranikhet,
Almora, Binsar, Jaageshwar (Temples), etc. All these places are
within a radius of between 1.5h and 4hrs (one way) from Mukteshwar.
The excursion would generally include visiting temples, local
villages / markets, scenic spots and places of historical relevance
Prices:
Coach
hire (20 passengers): 80€ / day
Car hire (5-6 passengers): 40€ / day
Guided
Local Forest Treks:
In the neighbouring forests, streams, waterfalls etc.
Price: 10€ per guide and per day
Guided
packed lunch picnic to nearby stream / forests / scenic spots
If the guests are keen on walking then all nearby spots, in a
radius of about 5kms can be visited without transport, for places
further away, transportation can be hired as offered.
Price: Transport charges as above + Guide Charges as above
+Packed lunch as per a-la-carte order
Adventure
activities:
Rock Climbing and Rappelling
Price: 3€ per activity and per person
Wild
Life Safari
Afternoon Safaris can be offered at The Corbett National Park
(4hrs drive, one way, from Mukteshwar). Safari duration approx.
3hrs.
Price: Coach or car hire (prices as above) + Safari charge
of 25€ per person
Note:
Most
of the above Excursions would stretch for the whole day with early
morning (after breakfast departures) and late evening (before
dinner) arrivals. Dry Lunch / Snacks can be packed on order for
your off-sites
Prices do not included taxes (4.12%)
DATES:
11th till 29th March 2010
ITINERARY:
11th March:
Flight to New Delhi. Pick up from airport and transfer to 4 star
hotel.
12th
March:
Delhi. Time to rest and acclimatize, go shopping etc.
13th
March:
Delhi. Time to rest and acclimatize, go shopping etc.
14th
March:
Transfer to Haridwar by coach (200kms). Arrive at the Kumbh Mela.
Accommodation in camp.
15th
– 16th March:
Kumbh Mela. Camp accommodation.
17th
March:
Transfer by coach from Haridwar to Mukteshwar (300kms, journey
approx 9hrs). Accommodation in Mountain Trail, Mukteshwar.
18th
– 26th March:
Spiritual Retreat in Mukteshwar. Daily yoga, meditation and teachings
with Swamiji as well as the activities and excursions offered
by Mountain Trail.
27th
March:
Early start for coach transfer back to Delhi. (350kms, Journey
approx. 10hrs) Arrive in Delhi early evening. Accommodation in
4 star hotel.
28th
March:
Delhi.
Time to rest and go shopping etc.
29th
March:
Flight
back to Spain.
NOTE:
The dates and itinerary may vary slightly according to flight
availability and timetables.
PRICE:
850€ per person
The
price includes:
• 2 nights accommodation in hotels in New Delhi (first and last
nights)
• 3 nights accommodation in Kumbh Mela Camp, all meals included.
• 10 nights accommodation in the “Mountain Trail” hill station
in Mukteshwar, all meals included.
• 4 hours of yoga, meditation and teachings with Swamiji each
day during the stay in Mukteshwar (except the days in which the
group is out all day on a trip)
• Coach transfers between Delhi, Haridwar and Mukteshwar• Airport
transfer to and fromm Delhi hotels
The
price does NOT include:
• Return flights
• Travel insurance (obligatory – 60€ approx.)
• Visa costs (50€ approx.)
• Airport transfer to and fromm Delhi hotels
• Activities and excursions during the stay in Mukteshwar.
• Picnics and other food prepared by Mountain Trail to take on
these excursions and activities.
• Tips
IMPORTANT:
During this trip we will not be staying in comfortable, 4 star
hotels. Instead we will be in tents and basic rural accommodation
as the idea is to connect with the more spiritual side of India.
It will be a wonderful trip but we must advise you that there
will be a lot of walking, a lot of standing and huge crowds of
people, among other things. It is
very important that those who come on this trip are physically
fit. This trip is not recommended for those people who are overweight,
suffer from heart problems or claustrophobia, or for those who
are uncomfortable with anything less than the highest standards
of hygiene. If you have any doubts about this,
please contact us.
There will be another trip in August, also to the Himalayas, and
this will not have any such restrictions. We strongly recommend
that anyone who does not meet the fitness requirements, should
not come on this trip, but should instead wait till August.
IMPORTANT:
Disclaimer
If, after reading the information regarding the fitness
requirements for this trip, anyone who does not meet the
requirements should decide to go ahead with the trip and
then not be able to keep up with the rest or complete the
necessary distances, we will not take responsibility for
this person.
For this reason we wish to insist that anybody who does
not consider themselves to be completely fit and healthy
should not come on this trip. |
We
don’t know the exact distances to be covered but you must be prepared
to walk about 20kms in a day (about 5 or 6 hrs walking). In Haridwar
the ground is flat but due to the enormous number of people moving
around will be difficult and slow. In the Himalayas the paths
are unpaved and the terrain is rocky and steep and the activities
and trips will last all day.
There
are 7 weeks left Hill the trip so we recommend that you start
training now to gain strength and stamina. This can not be done
in a rush in the last 2 weeks so it is important to start as soon
as possible. Swami recommends going for a brisk, daily walk and
increasing the distance everyday.
Shoes
should be comfortable and worn in. (No news shoes for the trip
please!)
BOOKINGS:
Due to the huge demand for accommodation
in the Kumbh Mela, we have to confirm our bookings this week and
pay for the accommodation in full. We also have to send a deposit
for the Delhi and Mukteshwar bookings and the coach hire. For
this reason we need written confirmation by Friday 22nd January.
As of this date we will note be able to guarantee the prices for
the Kumbh Mela accommodation (although Mukteshwar should not be
a problem).
To
book, please send an email with your full name, address, Spanish
NIE number (where appropriate) and passport number. We will also
require a first payment of 400€ in order to cover the cost of
the advance bookings. The remaining money will be sent 3 weeks
before the trip leaves. Our bank details are:
BBVA
Account holder: Georgina Manuela Graves
Account number: 0182 2900 51 0201617455
Concept: India Trip + Name
VISAS:
A visa is required for entry into India. To apply for a visa you
need to print and complete the corresponding form on the embassy
website: www.embassyindia.es
(If you are outside Spain, please visit the Indian Embassy website
for your country and consult the specific visa requirements as
these may vary from one country to another)
The
form must be sent, together with your passport and the correct
payment, to the Embassy. (They offer a specific courier service
for this).
For
the visa to be granted your passport must have a minimum of 6
months before the expiry date.
In
Spain, visa applications take approximately 3 weeks and cost about
50€. Please consult times and prices for other countries.
FLIGHTS:
At present, it seems that the cheapest flights are those that
fly from London direct to Delhi. We can book these flights for
the whole group, with the advantage that group bookings can be
paid in installments. Each person would be responsible for booking
their own flights to London from their city of residence, making
sure that they arrive on time for the connecting flight to Delhi!
VACINES
AND HEALTH:
The vaccinations are not obligatory but we strongly advise you
to have them Please contact your local health authority for information
on this as several of the vaccinations must be done in advance.
We also wish to point out that despite vaccinations and all other
precautions, it is very likely that most of you suffer from “Delhi
belly” (diarrhea and sickness) for a few days, especially if it
is your first visit to India. This is perfectly normal and shouldn’t
worry you as it rarely causes more than a couple of days’ discomfort.
MOBILE
‘PHONES:
Based on our previous experience, we will also require each person
to take a unlocked mobile ‘phone in order to insert an Indian
SIM card and therefore be in constant contact, cheaply, while
we are in India.
If
you have any doubts or questions about the trip, please do not
hesitate to contact us Esther by email (info@swamipurohit.com)
or telephone (0034 627 957833). Office hours: 10h to 15h and 19.30h
to 20.30h Spanish time.
