The Devbhoomi Diaries - Day 1
Unlike the marketing minds who were behind Kerala being called God's Own Country, Uttarakhand, which became the 27th state of India in 2000, was always known Devbhoomi - the land of the Gods. Some of the holiest places associated with Hinduism are located here. Badrinath and Kedarnath - places so ancient that even at the time of Adi Sankara they were well established as holy spots, the origins of the Ganga and Yamuna - which have economic and spiritual significance to the entire civilization that developed along its banks, Haridwar - famous for it's Kumbh Mela and Rishikesh which became a cultural tourist's hotspot after the Beatles visited and the caves where many of the scriptures of Hinduism originated - all all in Uttarakhand. Many of these temples are inaccessible for almost half the year because of their altitude and weather conditions. The roads, which are maintained by the Border Roads Organization, under the Ministry of Defence, needs constant care due to the fr