A dear Swamini friend and devotee of Mahavatar Babaji told me to go to Babaji gufa (cave) in Dunagiri. She wrote ''In an analogous dimension below Dunagiri, is the cosmic plane of
Gyanganj, peopled by many Siddhas, who have been meditating there for hundreds of years. It is a closely guarded place, where Babaji created the golden palace for his disciple Lahiri,
and gave him initiation, as described by Yogananda in Autobiography of a Yogi!''.
Dunagiri is about a beautiful 2 hours drive from Kausani and Raniket, I drove in from the former. It is a small town with a few restaurants and a Durga temple. U drive 5 kms from the town
to the end of road from where trek starts. Here is a restaurant run by Chandan Singh. Has a garden with lovely flowers that you see.
U see Chandan Singh and me. From his shop the path on the left goes to Pandukholi while the unpaved road on the right goes to the base point for trek to Babaji cave. U drive on this
road for about a km to reach starting point for trek to Babaji cave. There is a Joshi Guest House here where u can spend the night.
Clicked from Dungagiri town - on your left is the Pandukholi (is on top of hill app 9,000 feet) and somewhere in the hill is the cave. On your right is Bhatkot (the highest peak in the region at
a height of app 10,000 feet). Separately we present pics of trek to Pandukholi and Bhatkot. Babaji Cave is situated in a place called Kukuchina in Dunagiri Mountain. When I entered
Dunagiri felt very fulfilled and happy. It has strong spiritual vibrations.
Again some flowers in Chandan Singh garden. Babaji cave is in the hill behind. We started the trek at about 1.30 pm and returned by about 4.30 pm. From Kathgodam take a bus or car
to Dwarhat and then to Dunagiri. Scenic beauty of Dunagiri takes you to a different plane of serenity and happiness.
See this board and turn left to start the trek to Babaji cave. It takes about one hour one way. Garden here has lovely flowers and lots of butterflies. To read good blog click here
Next few pics are of the trekking path. It is adviseable to take a stick for support and a local person to show you the way. Sometimes there are two paths, a wrong path could take you
elsewhere. I went with the driver who is a local. U see beginning of trek.
Path is clear in most parts as you can see. Invariably walk through dense forests. We walked and walked but there was no sight of the cave. Met a big group who lost patience and
returned. Babaji test his devotees, need perseverance to reach. In between we lost our way for a few minutes.
We were tired and getting impatient just then saw this structure. Met a couple from Delhi here who were returning from the cave, they motivated us further. Trek can get steep at times.
The structure is called Mahavatar Babaji Smriti Bhawan. It was made by the Yogoda Satsanga Society of India. I think it has rooms and a hall for devotees. There was no one when we went
Walk to Babaji cave. Loved the whole experience. It was like a dream come true. Never imagined that I would visit Babaji cave - guess when the time is right Ishwar sends people who
guide you to the destination, in this case my Swamini and Pandit friends.
You see Babaji cave. It now has a steel gate and area inside is leveled. In earlier days it was probably open to the sky. Next few pictures of the cave.
A close up of entrance to the cave. The Yogoda Satsanga Society of India has an Ashram at Dwarhat (about 1 hour from Dunagiri). Missed going there. A friend in Raniket told me I
missed meeting a 90 year old Japanese Swami who stays there. (this was Oct 2012). Inspite of our best efforts we miss out certain important experiences whilst travelling. One of the
purposes behind writing detailed captions is to provide as much info as is possible to make your Yatra fulfilled and complete.
It is quite a big cave say about 30 feet length and 8-10 width at the maximum. I spent one hour meditating there. To read article on Kriya Yoga & Babaji Click here
It was a very very different experience that cannot be described in words. Consider myself blessed. Another blog on Babaji cave Click here
When I finished meditating and opened my views this is what I saw. Felt recharged. If I had reached in morning could have spent more time in cave. Suggest you reach by 11am.
Felt and feeling very fulfilled & happy after visit to Babaji cave. I returned by 4.30pm. Asked Chandan Singh on what to do next. He said go to Pandukholi (app 5 kms trek). I asked, is it not
late, gets dark soon. He said not to worry go ahead & asked his assistant to accompany me. I did the trek in very good time (1 hour locals take 45 minutes, the last 30 minutes were in the dark).
We could hear the growling of wild animals, prompted me to virtually run. The next morning I was motivated enough to do a 20 km trek to Bhatkot. It was Babaji ka aashirwad (blessings)
that made me complete a very tough trek.