Aside from the major pilgrimage sites, the Himalayas are
littered with smaller sites, which aren't as heavily traveled,
but beautiful, charming, and religiously significant. Among
these are river junctions, such as this one at Rudraprayag. On
the right is the Mandakini River, and on the left (hidden by the
rock spur) is the Alakananda River (Kedarnath is at the
headwaters of the Mandakini, and Badrinath at the Alakananda
headwaters). At the point is a small platform from which people
take their baths, holding on to chains for their very lives,
given the water's incredible force. This was taken in May 1986,
when the snowmelt in the mountains was just beginning. Just up
from the bathing platform is a temple to Shiva in his form as
Rudra |This is further up the Alakanada, and shows the river at
Karnaparayag, the confluence of the Alakananda and the Pindari
River (the latter comes from the glacier at Nanda Devi). The
Himalayas have a sense of grandeur that is difficult to
describe, but easier to show in photos--b