To remove them would be a sacrilege. The beads are blessed at the shrine and donned on the donkey to ensure safe travel. The donkey's owner showed me to the only merchant in town who sold them. It was the first time he sold some to someone who did not own a donkey. The trek to Yamunotri was not steep, although the border of the path often dropped sharply for hundreds of feet.
Safety calls for keeping to the inside of the trail especially when donkeys pass.
Villages and teahouses mark the way, and streams are met at many turns. The path was well traveled for October, but the heavy months are really in May and June. Many of the pilgrims who noticed us were pleasantly surprised to see Westerners on the sacred path. Some stopped us for an inquisition. Sadhus, wandering holy men, never paid us notice.