The Perfect Book for Your Himalayan Hideaway Balcony

Chocolate Soldier, Golden Sapphire, Orange Oakleaf, Peacock Pansy, Snow Apollo and Spot Puffin - just some of the beautiful creatures that flutter through the pages of Peter Smetacek’s captivating memoir “Butterflies on the Roof of the World”. But you don’t have to be a butterfly enthusiast or even a naturalist to love this gem of a book.

Like the great conservationist Gerald Durrell, Smetacek is gifted story teller who, with wit and humour, weaves fascinating information about the natural world around a cast of engaging human and animal characters.

Based in Bhimtal in Uttarakhand, where he grew up, Smetacek has devoted his life to the study of Indian butterflies and moths. He has published at least 60 scientific papers and described more than a dozen species new to science. His interest in butterflies and moths, inherited from his Czechoslovakian father, began almost as soon as he could walk and became an all-consuming passion.

Join Smetacek as he embarks on bone-shaking motorbike journeys through the Himalayas in search of the Black Prince, the Spectacle Swordtail or other elusive insects.

Share his embarrassment in Nepal when his hunt for “butterflies” is completely misinterpreted by the locals - “butterfly” being the euphemism used by human traffickers when referring to a saleable girl!

Discover Himalayan wonders like hallucinogenic honey, a steroid-producing caterpillar-mushroom, and the milky plant juice that is the Ladakhi equivalent of Viagra.

Enjoy delightful descriptions of wildlife around his Bhimtal house – moths that drank till they were tipsy at his father’s nightly moth trap, an audacious toad he encountered as a small boy and the troupe of monkeys that befriended his family.

Learn about the extraordinary and elaborate tricks butterfly species use to deter predators – being poisonous, pretending to be poisonous; mimicking leaves or flowers with incredible accuracy; flying in different ways at different times of day or hiding out among crowds of other butterflies.

Discover that these insects, rather than being the “free spirits” of popular culture, flitting from flower to flower at whim, are actually rigidly controlled by their ecological requirements – the right kind of trees, the right food plants and the precise level of humidity. They may be confined to one patch of hillside during the monsoon, or a particular grove of trees or a specific ravine.

Indeed, Smetacek’s detailed studies of the butterflies and moths on the “roof of the world” show that we can use these pernickety creatures as accurate indicators of environmental health in the all-important watershed areas of the sub-continent. Their distribution over the mountains has much to tell us about the efficiency of the groundwater systems and the insidious effects of global warming.

If you plan to escape to the hills this summer, this enchanting and informative book is the ideal companion!

Butterflies on the Roof of the World, by Peter Smetacek, 2012. Published by Aleph Book Company

Rishikesh: Evening Aarti

When you stay at Himalayan Hideaway, then it’s easy to go down to Rishikesh to witness the evening Ganga Aarti. This beautiful spiritual ritual is performed at dusk on the banks of the Ganges in Rishikesh, Haridwar and Varanasi, and is well worth attending. 

Aarti

An aarti is a devotional ritual that uses fire as an offering, usually in the form of a lit lamp.  For the Ganga Aarti, a diya, a small, shallow lamp, is filled with flowers and a candle.  The diya is offered to the Ganga, the goddess of the river, and floated downstream.  With several people launching their diyas into the fast-moving waters of the Ganges, the river looks like a gorgeous embroidered sari!

What Makes the Rishikesh Aarti Unique

In Haridwar and Varanasi, the ritual is organised and performed by Hindu priests who lead the congregation in chanting or singing hymns of praise to Ganga.  In Rishikesh, the most famous Ganga Aarti is led by the residents of the Parmarth Niketan ashram and the children studying there.  For many people, this aarti is a less elaborate and more intimate experience, allowing them to forge a bond with Ganga. 

The ceremony begins with bhajans (devotional songs), prayers and a hawan (a sacred ritual of offerings made to Agni, the fire god). The lamps are lit and the aarti acts as the climax of the ceremony. The children’s voices give the ritual a special quality.

Attending the Rishikesh Ganga Aarti

All are welcome to attend the Ganga Aarti at Parmarth Niketan. You’ll need to arrive early to secure a seat on the steps for the best view of the action.  Before entering the area, you’ll remove your shoes and store them at the entrance. You can sit quietly and observe the proceedings or join the crowd in singing the bhajans. Your hosts at Himalayan Hideaway can advise the best time to go and will happily organise the excursion for you!

Uttarakhand – Land of the Gods

Himalayan Hideaway is located in Uttarakhand, one of the newer Indian states. This area was formerly part of the north-western districts of Uttar Pradesh. The state is known for its natural beauty, thanks to its proximity to the Himalayas, and the many Hindu temples and pilgrimages sites located there.

The Dhamas, Large and Small

The dhamas are pilgrimage sites that every devout Hindu should visit at least once.  There are four “big” dhamas, one of which, Badrinath, is in Uttarakhand.  This dhama is devoted to Vishnu and has been listed in scripture and legend for centuries. The mountains around Badrinath are mentioned in the Mahabharata, the epic saga of ancient India.

There are also four “small” dhamas that make up one of Hinduism's most spiritual and auspicious pilgrimage circuits.  All four are located in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand.  Yamunotri, the origin of the Yamuna River, and Gangotri, the origin of the Ganges River, are devoted to Shakti, the primordial cosmic energy and dynamic force of the universe.  Kedarnath, the third site, is devoted to Shiva and Badrinath, the same Badrinath as mentioned above, is the fourth.  The temples of these four pilgrimages open in late April or early May, on the auspicious day of the Akshaya Tritya, and they always close on Diwali, in mid-October or early November.  During the winter, the extreme cold and the heavy snow make it impossible to visit the temples. 

Haridwar and the Kumbh Mela

Another important pilgrimage city is Haridwar, one of the seven holiest places for Hindus.  It is the gateway to the four small dhamas and is also the starting point on the journey to the sacred sources of the rivers Ganga and Yamuna.

Every 12 years, Haridwar hosts the Kumbh Mela.  According to one of the Creation of the Universe legends, the gods and demons once churned the ocean to retrieve a Kumbh (pot) containing the nectar of immortality (Amrit). Accounts vary, but it was either Dhanvantri, the divine healer, or Garuda, the celestial bird, who held the Kumbh.  In any case, the gods and demons battled for possession of the pot. During this fierce battle in the sky, drops of the nectar spilled at four different places:  Prayaga (Allahabad), Haridwar, Nasik and Ujjain. Since then, devotees converge on one of the four cities every three years to commemorate this divine event.  They take ritual baths on the banks of the Ganges to wash away their sins. 

Natural Beauty

In future posts, we’ll introduce you to the natural beauties of Uttarakhand that can be visited from Himalayan Hideaway. From forest reserves and national parks, to hill stations and mountain peaks, there’s something for everyone!

Badrinath Dhama by Pritesh Gupta

Photograph reproduced under a Creative Commons License

Fibre-glass life size model of elephant with 18-foot tusks that once roamed the Shivalik Hills

The Amazing History of the Shivalik Hills

If you’ve seen the photos of Himalayan Hideaway, you’ll know that it is nestled in the foothills above Rishikesh. (Haven’t seen the photos?  Go to www.hhindia.com or check out our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/hideawayindia). Notice the greenery, the serenity.  Millions of years ago, however, it was quite a different story!

Shivalik Hills Fun Facts

Himalayan Hideaway is located in the Shivalik Hills, a mountain range of the outer Himalayas, about 2,400 km long and extending from the Indus River to the Brahmaputra River. In geological terms, the Shivaliks are the youngest part of the Himalayas and were formed around 25 million years ago.

If you remember your geography classes, then you’ll know that the Himalayas were created when the Indian tectonic plate collided with the Eurasian Plate, a process that began about 70 million years ago and is still a ‘work in progress’. Initially, there would have been a period of extremely violent seismic activity. Once things literally cooled down, the area became a suitable place for large prehistoric animals and the Shivalik Hills are a treasure trove of the fossils of those creatures. 

Giraffes and Giant Elephants and Hippos, Oh My!

What is startling about these fossils is that some are from types of animals we normally associate with Africa. For example there’s Sivatherium, or Shiva’s beast, a type of giraffe with four horns that became extinct about 8,000 years ago. Other amazing creatures include giant elephants with 18 foot tusks as well as apes, crocodiles, hippos and sabre tooth tigers. Most of these creatures would have died out during the ice age in the Pleistocene.

Another fascinating fossil is that of Colossochelys atlas, a giant tortoise that lived from the Miocene epoch (about 23 to 5 million years ago) through the Pleistocene (about 2 million years ago). It probably ranged from what is now western India and Pakistan to as far as Sulawesi and Timor in Indonesia. 

When Dinosaurs Roamed the Earth

However some fossils of the Shivaliks are older than the hills themselves. Remember the Sauropods, the dinosaurs with long necks and tails, small heads and stocky legs? Their remains have been found in the area but we should not imagine them bounding around the mountain ranges. The Himalayas did not emerge until well after the extinction of the dinosaurs, 65 million years ago. To end up in the Shivaliks, the Sauropods must have hitched a ride on the Indian subcontinent as it broke away from Africa, Antarctica, and Australia and drifted north, but they would have been fossilised and extinct by the time of the collision with Eurasia.

Humans as Johnny Come Lately

Humans, of course, are the newcomers to the area. Stone tools around 2 million years old have been found in the area and would have been used by our Paleolithic forebears. When fossil remains of an ape-like creature turned up in the Shivaliks, some scientists thought they might have been from a human ancestor. But this view has now been discredited and scientists believe the bones are actually from an extinct orang utan-like creature called Sivapithecus.

Present Day Serenity

So, there you have it, the amazing history of the Shivalik Hills.  The next time you go to Himalayan Hideaway and soak up the serenity, just try to imagine the wild wonders that once existed in the lush Shivaliks.

Photo:  Copyright I, Vjdchauhan. Reproduced under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License

HIMALAYAN HIDEAWAY GREEN SPIRIT

Welcome to Our Blog!

Follow the winding road from Rishikesh up the west bank of the Ganga. Below you the glacier-fed river is a glorious emerald green. Forests cover the slopes on either side and along the roadside rhesus monkeys scratch shamelessly or scavenge for scraps.

About 19 kms from Rishikesh a modest brass sign on the right-hand side announces the “Himalayan Hideaway”. Go down some steps under a leafy arch and you’ll be welcomed by a smiling Assistant Manager, and a cooling drink of ruby-red rhododendron juice.

The perfect retreat

Perched above the Ganga, the Hideaway is a Jungle Lodge with cottages and gardens extending over an acre of sloping ground in the Shivalik hills. Opened in October 2003, this tranquil haven is the brainchild of Yousuf Zaheer and Ganeve Rajkotia, the couple who own and operate the adventure company Himalayan River Runners. Their tented Ganga Base Camp is just 10 minutes down the road on a large beach of silvery sand.

Ganeve and Yousuf are passionate about eco-friendly travel, adventure and the natural world. Asked about the vision for the Lodge, Ganeve says, “When we set up the Hideaway, we meant to have it as an extension of the Ganga Base camp, for those who enjoyed the outdoors but wanted a certain degree of comfort, like attached bathrooms! The rest has grown organically from this simple vision.”

The Lodge has four “River View” and four “Forest View” rooms, one stand-alone room (peaceful for honeymooners) and one duplex room which reminded a visitor from the UK of a “classic Welsh cottage”.

Harmony with nature

Two talented friends turned Ganeve and Yousuf’s vision into reality. The well-known architect Pradeep Sachdeva created stone cottages that fitted perfectly into the hillside, while native plants gardener Pradip Krishen designed grounds filled with trees, climbers and plants native to the Shivaliks. Now mature, this botanical garden is a microcosm of the jungle around the Lodge and a haven for birds.

Visitors can sit on the balconies of their pretty cottages, breathe in the fresh air, enjoy the glorious views and watch sunbirds sipping nectar or nuthatches creeping about the tree trunks.

Through this blog we will introduce the many delights of Himalayan Hideaway. We’ll meet the people that make it possible and the wildlife that shares the space. We’ll explore the beautiful surroundings and discover all the wonderful things that can be done using the Lodge as a base.