Moving a Mountain For a Herb

This time in Shubhi’s blog: a village never prays to Hanumanji

This time I am writing about one village in Dev Bhoomi that has made Hanuman a villain and his
name is anathema: as soon as you enter this village, even Maruti cars are banned! (Maruti, for you
Philistines is another name for Hanuman) Since I adore Hanuman and listen to the Hanuman Chalisa
every morning I find it sad…

Hanuman sliced off a huge chunk of Dronagiri mountain when he came to take back the Sanjivani buti for dying Laxman in Lanka. But he couldn’t identify it so he took a part of the mountain! Hanumanji was like that! When Tulsidas was writing the Hanuman Chalisa he was very upset that whenever he started the lines were deleted! So he prayed to Hanumanji who told him: You cant write my praise before you praise my dear Ramchandra. Tulsidas wrote the first line of Hanuman Chalisa “Shri Guru Charan saroj raj nij man mukut shudhari, barnau raghuveer bimala jaisu Jo dayaku fal chari” And the rest is history.

Coming back to the Hanuman baiters: Uttarakhand has many grand mountain peaks almost beyond mortals. and in the Dronagiri mountain range, a subrange of the greater Garhwal Himalayas stands a lone peak, Droonagiri at an impressive altitude of 7,066 meters (23,182 feet). Best remembered as part of the epic Ramayana. Around it is Droonagiri village and if you don’t mind not mentioning the unmentionable you can do the Jumma -Dronagiri trek which was declared Trek Of The Year 2017 by the Tourism ministry.

The rewarding 15 km Jumma-Dronagiri trek will be taken to the front race with the help of the locals, who are very much familiar with the region. But I haven’t been there so let’s talk about the vandalism of the mountain by none other than our dear Hanuman.

When Lakshman was severely wounded by Meghnath in the Lanka war, Sushain Vaidya, sent Lord Hanuman to Droonagiri to get the Sanjeevani buti but he failed to identify it from the plethora of herbs there. The mountain of herbs is identified as the Valley of Flowers near Badri in Uttarakhand on the slopes of the Himalayas. It is sometimes called Gandhamardan, and at other times Dronagiri. Upon reaching Dronagiri Parvata or Gandhamardan, Hanuman could not identify the herb and lifted the whole mountain and brought it to the battlefield.

In the race against time Hanuman lifted a slice of the herb filled mountain top of Droonagiri and flew back to Lanka. Vaidya Sushain identified the herb and was able to revive Lakshman. You can actually see, from the village, the chopped mountain that gives proof of Hanuman’s vandalism. Today the sanjivani herb remains a mythical plant with little or no scientific proof of its existence. But locals claim that it can still be located if an aggressive search is mounted in this remote region bordering Tibet.

Mount Dronagiri, aka Dronagiri Parbat, is a lone and magnificent peak in the Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand. Its one of the high peaks of the Chamoli District Himalayas, at the northwest corner of the Sanctuary Wall, forming the ring of peaks surrounding Nanda Devi and enclosing the Nanda Devi Sanctuary. It presents a formidable challenge for mountaineers due to its technical climbing routes with steep ridges, icy slopes, and challenging rock faces, requiring climbers to have excellent mountaineering skills and experience. The ascent to the summit involves traversing glaciers, negotiating crevasses, and overcoming high-altitude hazards.

First Ascent: in 1978 by an Indo-Japanese expedition led by Hukam Singh. Since then, several expeditions have attempted to conquer the peak, and it continues to attract experienced mountaineers from around the world.

Mount Dronagiri lies within the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The reserve is renowned for its diverse flora and fauna, including rare and endangered species. The area is protected to preserve its ecological integrity and maintain its unique biodiversity. Since the ecologically sensitive zone of this hillside was disfigured by Hanuman, nobody in the village houses the idol of Hanuman and from centuries, the villagers have expunged all the references made to Hanuman during Ramlila.

It amazes a rationalist like me that there is actually a visible cut in this magnificent peak …how did Valmiki know about that? And the cut off part exists in Sri Lanka called Adam’s Peak. So mythology and geography hold up each other with such ancient proofs in triumph for the authors of our epics.
However what interests me more is the flora of this mountain… especially the medicinal herbs. I am not the only one of course. Drones are mapping the area and Ayurvedic enthusiasts are hovering there looking for the Sanjeevani and other medicinal herbs. Crores worth of grants lie in red tape. According to Ramayana, Sanjeevani is a magical herb which has the power to cure serious nervous system problems. It was believed that medicines prepared from this herb could revive in any situations where death is almost certain.

Tourism is on the state’s agenda, but locals and Ayurvedic scientists believe the hunt for ‘Sanjeevani’ should continue. No one has been able to spot ‘Sanjeevani’ but there are herbs such as ‘Kurchu’ (a scented herb), ‘Kida Jadi’ (Himalayan Viagra) and ‘Gucchi’ (a rare mushroom).”
According to an information, institutes like Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Institute of Himalayan Bio Resource Technology (IHBT) are now searching for all other herbs including Sanjeevani Booti present on the high mountains of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. OK let’s leave the controversial and elusive Sanjivani buti and think about the kida jadi or cordyceps sinensis which is found here. Sold for Rs.2 lakhs per kilo. It is called the Himalayan Viagra! Cordyceps is a fungus that has long been used in in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Some people use it to try to boost energy and strength, improve immunity, enhance kidney function, and improve sexual dysfunction. It has also been used to treat cough and fatigue. Cordyceps is known as an adaptogen, which means it may help your body adapt to stress.

The fungus infects a caterpillar, kills it, and grows out of its head. In photos, you’ll see the dead caterpillar with a growth that can sometimes be as long as its body sticking out of its head. The name “Cordyceps” comes from Latin and means “club” and “head.”

There are concerns that the fungi in the wild have been overexploited in recent years. That’s why many manufacturers use lab-grown forms of C. militaris in most supplements. But there are restrictions on its collection and it’s a difficult exercise. But think about it Then the village itself is a mystic place

For six months in a year, the villagers in Dronagiri – primarily Marchas and Bhutias – migrate to lower parts as snow covers the entire area from October and return in the summer. For centuries, Bhutias carried out trade with Tibet but business came to a halt after the India-China war in 1962. Dronagiri shall attract tourists in a big way with its trek. During the trek, tourists will also get to see yaks on the Nandikund route, about three kilometers from Dronagiri village. Here yaks live in herds. Not only this, in this thrilling trek, Bharal can also be seen near the Bagni track. The main trekking point from Dronagiri is Bagni Glacier at a distance of seven kilometers and Nandikund and Dronagiri peaks at a distance of three and a half kilometers.

Ecological preservation has been a way of life in Himalayan villages ever since humans settled there. Any deliberate degradation of the local topography, flora or fauna evokes extraordinary emotions. Thus, since Hanuman dared destroy a hillside, temples in the area even today refuse to house an idol of the monkey god. At the formal celebration of Jagar in the village, when the spirit of the Dev Parbat (holy mountain) appears in the body of a medium (known as pashuwa) amid the chanting of prayers, the right arm of the medium, which is symbolic of the right flank of the Drongiri hill, hangs limp and lifeless till the spirit of the Dev Parbat departs. At the annual staging of a three-day Ramlila in the area too, all references to Hanuman have been expunged for centuries. The Ramlila in this village still begins with Ram’s childhood, moves on to his wedding to Sita following a swayamvar and ends with his coronation. The monkey god has still not been forgiven by the guardians of the holy mountain and of the life-enhancing herb that glows in the dark.

These facilities will be on the route A helipad is being built at Shyama name place on the road from Jumma to Dronagiri village. Along with this, arrangements for drinking water and accessible toilets will also be made on the route. Along with first aid facility in Dronagiri village, there will be arrangement for accommodation of about two hundred people coming from outside. Tents will be arranged for more number of people on their arrival.

Ecological preservation has been a way of life in Himalayan villages ever since humans settled there. Any deliberate degradation of the local topography, flora or fauna evokes extraordinary emotions. Thus, since Hanuman dared destroy a hillside, temples in the area even today refuse to house an idol of the monkey god. At the formal celebration of Jagar in the village, when the spirit of the Dev Parbat (holy mountain) appears in the body of a medium (known as pashuwa) amid the chanting of prayers, the right arm of the medium, which is symbolic of the right flank of the Drongiri hill, hangs limp and lifeless till the spirit of the Dev Parbat departs. At the annual staging of a three-day Ramlila in the area too, all references to Hanuman have been expunged for centuries. Even today, when the state of Uttarakhand is dubbed Dev Bhumi, or the abode of the gods, and is enjoying a period of accelerated growth of temples and attracting vast crowds of the faithful, the Ramlila in this village still begins with Ram’s childhood, moves on to his wedding to Sita following a swayamvar and ends with his coronation. The monkey god has still not been forgiven by the guardians of the holy mountain and of the life enhancing herb that glows in the dark.