Miracles -2

        There is an exquisite part of India that very few of us visit, Leh. The right way to reach it is by air. For that one can catch a flight from Chandigarh. As I landed at Leh at an altitude of 10,000 feet, in the thick of winters, the outside temperature was minus six degrees at 12 o clock in the afternoon. The joke was that it was the hottest day of early January. It is not the temperature that kills, for I loved the cold, it is the wind in the open areas which literally takes the exposed skin off your cheeks. In no time is one prone to frost bite. Dont ask me how I used to condition myself for 15 minutes before taking off my clothes to take bath even though it was with hot water.

       There are two things at Leh that some of us scientifically minded find it difficult to explain. For the locals, it is mystique in being. The first is a Gurudwara at Leh, Pathar Sahib. It is stated that Guru Nanak came there during his travels when this place was hounded by a local devil. When Guru Nanak sat down for penance, the Rakshasa threw a huge boulder at him. As the boulder rolled down the hill, it gathered speed and momentum and hit Guru Nanak at the back and at the lower part of the head and the neck. The imprint of the same is still available on the rock. I didnt believe it first and so I went there. Dont ask me again how I took off my shoes and walked bare footed with temperature hovering much below zero. One thing is certain, I didnt feel too much cold, neither did the skin peel off at these low temperatures. This is definitely the divine being at work. I went inside saw the boulder and sure enough the imprint of a back and lower portion of the head is still deeply etched on the boulder not in the form of a mark but as a real life imprint. I am not sure how do I explain this phenomenon.

     The second almost magical thing I saw was the magnetic hill, which is located a few kms away from the Gurudwara. I put my  jeep, which my Army friends had very thoughtfully loaned to me, facing down the slope of the hill in neutral gear and got outside. The jeep was switched off, to my absolute surprise, it started moving upwards. My eyes literally popped out. The jeep seemed to be defying gravity. My companion told me, Saabji, it is magnetic hill. In some other literature, I later read that it was optical illusion. Actually, at that place in relation to the earth, the surface is actually upslope, but for that particular point it looks as if it is down slope. Figure it out for yourself as regards the truth between the two. 

I would strongly recommend to you to see this beautiful part of India too and then tell me how did these phenomenon actually occur.