I often feel he's watching over me and guiding me but I still miss his touch, his kind words, his enthusiasm for everything and his willingness to not hold a grudge.
It was that last one, that impressed me the most. He'd brush everything off with a big laugh and a smile and keep walking. His favorite line was, 'We should all be like an open book, always open at a fresh, new, empty page.'
As kids Dad had quite often spoken of these caves in the north of India, which he called the secret caves. He'd shown us video footage and photos of his trip there. The word secret had peaked my interest but the poor footage and flash-filled photos had done little, to add to my interest.
But since planning this trip, stories of these caves kept popping up unexpectedly, in my day to day wanderings. So I decided to do some research.
Patal Bhuvaneswar is what the caves are officially called and they're claimed to be as old as the Earth itself.
Legend and folklore have it that this underground cave enshrines Lord Shiva and thirty three other types of Gods.
The cave is 160 m long and 30 m deep from the point of entrance. Limestone rock formations have created various spectacular stalactite and stalagmite figures, of various hues and shapes.
Built by the flow of water, Patal Bhuvaneshwar is not just one cave, rather a series of caves within caves.
"He who wants to feel the presence of eternal power should come to the sacred Bhuvneshwar situated near the confluence of Ramganga, Sarayu and Gupt-Ganga."
-Manaskhanda, Skandapuran.
Within the 800 verses of this epic Vedic classic, Patal Bhuvaneshwar is spoken extensively about and those verses were written almost 2000 years ago.
Dad had said that a visit there, was more beneficial than a trip to any other sacred place in India.
It was here that I was hoping to end my trip. With Elaine on the back of my Enfield, whistling through the deep and breathtakingly picturesque valleys, of the Himalayas. It was a hope that the Enfield would make the distance and that Elaine would be able to join me. But time would tell if my wish would be answered. I figured with Dad and Elaine both on my side, it might just happen. But in the meantime I shouldn't get ahead of myself, one step at a time, is what Dad would always remind me. 'Don't look back, don't look forward, be aware in this very moment, here and now.'
