NANDA DEVI A BUNDLE OF MYSTERY

Unnatural and untimely death of the young Nanda Devi in the Nanda Devi Mountains expedition is not the only mystery or legend surrounding the Bless Giving deity. Locals in Garhwal and Kumaon see the two- peaked massif as the abode of goddesses Nanda (represented by the main summit) and her sibling Sunanda (the eastern summit). Myths and mysteries aside, the mountain dominates both the landscape and everyday lives of people in the entire area. 

Another manifestation of mystery, faith and devotion the mountain evokes the Yatra, regarded as Asia’s longest pilgrimage on foot. Held only once every 12 years, the three-week long yatra traverses’ glaciers, frozen lakes and Himalayan meadows. One of the mystical features of the yatra is a four-horned ram that is born before the pilgrimage starts, and is believed to have been sent by the goddess to lead pilgrims on the journey.

The 280 km-long yatra, it is believed, is the journey of the goddess as she leaves her maternal home in Nauti  village to meet her consort Lord Shiva at Kailash, with the special four- horned ram leading the way to her husband’s home. The place where the four- horned ram will be born appears in the dream of one of the family members of the organisers of the village. Thereafter, a member of the family and a priest from the village visit the place to confirm the birth, which is regarded  as a divine incident.

Once the sheep — known as ‘Chausingha khaddu’  in  local dialect — is born, the family announces the yatra date. The ram is then taken to Kansuwa village where it is worshipped daily and given offerings. Incidentally, after the yatra is over, the ram, laden with gifts, is let loose and the belief is that it returns to the goddess and never to be seen again.

Another intriguing mystery pertains to an Indo-US secret mission  to  install a nuclear-powered sensing device on the summit of the mountain to keep track of China’s nuclear programme in 1965. The project mission was abandoned due to rough weather but the dangerous devices with strong radiation effects could never be found.

One more mystery revolves around a rare bird which hovered  around the head of Willi, Nanda Devi’s mountaineering father immediately after her soul left her body. At the elevation of about 22,000 feet, the never seen bird flew overhead and croaked at Willi in a way that made him feel Devi was there.