An ancient legend saves a village. An avalanche crashed down the Mana-Ghastoli route last Friday. The avalanche smothered everything it went over. The roads were deserted, and homes were abandoned. As a result, not many heard the sound of the ice fracturing, the snow cascading down the earth.

The dwellers are counting their blessings. The villager’s migration from Mana is a ritual, which has been followed for centuries. It is because they have to survive that they shift to lower locations. The people who live in Mana, are aware of the temperament of the Himalayas. It is also the belief that the Himalayas demand deference from the villagers. Therefore, every year the villagers of Manas, after the closure of Badrinath, undertake their annual migration. They return when the pilgrimage to Badrinath starts, which is late April or early May. The temple closes after six months, at the onset of winter.

At 10,500 feet, the village of Mana is located. It is the last village before Tibet and five kilometers past the temple town of Badrinath. Mana is an extraordinary village. This is the land where Bhima, the mighty warrior from the Mahabharat, laid down the mighty rock known as Bhima Sila, creating a bridge for Draupadi to cross the Saraswati River. Next to it is the Vayu Gufa (wind cave), where Maharishi Vyas recited the Mahabharata to Ganesha, who transcribed it. Also, it is the village from which the Pandavas ascended heaven through a pathway known as Swargarohini.

Aim Hrim Klim

Picture by Rohit Sharma, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons