A trip to Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh, India
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| Kinnaur at its best...View at Sangla |
There is a term, "Mountain calls", we must have heard it. Kinnaur was a remote place in the lap of Shivalik ranges of the Himalayas, which was hardly visited by most of the travellers due to lack of communication. From the ages of the epic Mahabharata, the villages and people of Kinnaur were covered with mistry. An inner line permit was required from the govt to enter the Kinnaur district till 1992. But now it is easy to visit.
Arid mountains, covered with snow, this is the main feature of the mountain ranges in Kinnaur. View of Sreekhand and Kailash peaks may be a lifetime experience for the viewers. Kinnaur is the gateway to reach the Spiti valley.
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| Gorgeous peaks from Kalpa, Kinnaur |
Ten to twelve days are required for a trip to Kinnaur. An itinerary is given below for ready reference. For all the fellow viewers, the entry point of this trip is set at New Delhi, capital of India.
Day 1. Reach Shimla(capital of Himachal) from New Delhi. By train reach Kalka at first, then board toy train to reach Shimla. Otherwise, from Chandigarh, Shimla can be reached by bus or hired cab. Visit local market, Kali temple, mall etc at Shimla. Spend the first night at Shimla.
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| In front of Chail Palace, Chail. This was shown as the house of Ranchhordas Chanchad in the movie Three Idiots. |
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| The village of Narkanda |
Day2: Leave Shimla to visit the lush green hamlet of Chail, a small village where one can enjoy solitude before reaching the Chail Palace. It was built by Maharaja of Patiala and is a luxury stay now a days. A temple named Kali ki tibba will fill one's mind with peace. Panoromic view of the whole valley may be seen from the temple. In the festive weeks, a free lunch is available here.
Therefore, it's time to proceed to another hamlet Narkanda for night stay.
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| Hatu peak, Narkanda |
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| Hatu, 2nd highest peak of this circuit |
Day 3: Hatu peak is the second highest peak (3400 m altitude) in this circuit. Start for Hatu Peak in the morning through a narrow, steap, tree-shaded path. The panoramic view from Hatu peak is a real treat for eyes. There is also a temple of the goddess Hatu Mata.
Now proceed for Sarahan via Rampur and Jeori.
The scene of both the sides of the road may be enjoyed. The roadside scenes are going to be one of the lifetime experiences.
Sarahan is famous for Bhimakali temple, built by Bushahar rulers. This is one of the fifty one shakti peeths in India. It is famous for its unusual and unique wooden architecture.
White snow covered peaks surround the village of Sarahan. A gentle walk through the village would be great before the sun sets.
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| Bhimakali temple, Sarahan |
Day 4 : Today's destination is Sangla. After leaving Sarahan, proceed for Taranda Mata temple on the NH22, where everyone is used to worship the goddess before entering Kinnaur district. From here, a gigantic but calm look of mountain ranges can be seen. River Sutlej would be flowing side by side. Here is a check point where the permit and other documents of the vehicles and the passengers are checked by police.
Here roads are made out of the rocks by explosion. Road construction works are seen almost everywhere near Karchham and Wantoo. So the road is dusty. Hydel power projects are also running on Sutlej.
Viewers, welcome to Tukpa Valley. It's the gateway of Sangla. Rough soil, dry climate, fewer greeneries, higher ranges of mountains, local people, a small market place, delicious local dishes, simplicity of local children– you will start loving this Kinnaur village.
When we visited Sangla, we met the postmaster of Sangla Post Office. Due to network problem, our mobile sets were not working and we did not find any STD booth. So, we went to post office for some help. Postmaster allowed us to call my father. Knowing that I was also a postal employee, postmaster greeted us and offered evening tea, I felt very honoured by getting such warm welcome far from my home.
Stepping down along the narrow steap muddy paths, valley of river Baspa can be reached. Every small cottage of local people is made of wood. Their gardens,filled with beautiful pink flowers, look great.
Sangla is very cold at night. Snowfall may happen in April or November.
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| River Baspa, at Chitkul |
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| Nature creates her own magic |
Day 5: Morning at Sangla welcomes the visitor with silver snow peaked mountains. Have a breakfast in any Tibetan cafe and drive for Chitkul via Rackcham. Rackcham is a less crowded village between Sangla and Chitkul. Snow is seen here and there on the roads, on the roofs of the cottages, on the rocks and on the leaves of the trees.
The driver should be experienced in driving in such slippery roads.
Chitkul is the last village of India before the Tibet border. Inhabited by very few people, chitkul is basically a camp of ITBP. Stormy wind and utter solitude are the best attractions of Chitkul. There is a school near the cascading river, the riverbed is covered with stones and white pebbles. This river Baspa reminds the view of the river Leedar in Kashmir.
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| Snowcladed mountains at Chitkul |
Lunch may be taken at Chitkul. Now it is time to come back to Sangla.
Kamroo fort of Busahar kingdom may be visited by trekking for half an hour. Excellent wooden architecture of the fort and other temples are marvellous. Bird's eye view from the yard of the fort is simply mesmerizing.
Spend the second night at Sangla. One can opt for staying at Rakcham or in a tent at Chitkul.
Day 6: Now it is time to reach Kalpa, the most serene and most aloof place from outer society in this Kinnur circuit. The name KALPA may have come from the word KALPANA, which means imagination. Really, one who has not come here, can't imagine the serenity, beauty and mystry of this place.
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| Just before the sunset, Kalpa |
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| Village Chini, near Kalpa |
The Kailash peak is seen clearly from Kalpa. There is a village Chini in the lower part of Kalpa. Some Hindu and Buddhist temples in the locality is the main attraction of Chini. All the temples are well decorated, and at par of the natural beauty over there.
Day 7: A very deadly turn of road towards the village Roghi is known as Suicide Point. The view of suicide point would make one spellbound for a while. Crossing this point, you would reach Roghi. It's a hamlet near Kalpa before the dense forest starts. It's picturesque view will compel you going on clicking incessantly.
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| Village Roghi, Kalpa |
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| Village Roghi, near Kalpa |
Actually no word is enough for describing the scenery of Kalpa. If Kashmir is the Paradise on Earth, Kalpa is the Heaven itself.
Day 8: In the course of return, visit the Buddhist Monastery and the Durga Temple of Recong Peo, the administrative HQ of Kalpa. The gigantic and tall statue of Lord Buddha is the main attraction of this monastery. Chilagoja, a rare and expensive fruit is given as prasad here.
Stay at Rampur/ Sarahan at night.
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| Temple of Recong Peo |
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| Top of the monastery of Recong Peo |
Day 9: In the morning, visit Padam palace of Rampur, and proceed for Shimla for night stay. You will have enough time for shopping, if you are interested in it.
Day 10: Reach Kalka or Chandigarh before evening, for boarding Kalka mail and reach Delhi on the next day.
If you can manage an extra day, you may pay visit to thr Viceroy's house (where the historic Shimla Pact took place), Tara Devi Temple and Zakhu hills of Shimla.
Just enjoy the virgin nature, solitude and tranquility of the whole Kinnaur circuit.
Few points
Where to stay:
Shimla: There are a number of hotels near mall. Also a YWCA guest house is there just opposite of the BSNL office, which is very cheap, (INR 750/- per night).
Narkanda: Hotel himalaya inn or hotel Sara, both are located near bus stop. Very comfortable stay within INR 1000/- –1500/-.
Sarahan: Hotel Sagarika, within INR 650/- –1200/-.
Sangla: Baspa guest house,price INR 650/- approx.
Kalpa: Hotel Apple Pie, very good to stay, ( INR 1200/-).
Besides, there are numerous hotels where you can fix the rate by bargaining. Also, you may choose hotels from Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC).
A link may be useful:
What to eat: Delicious Tibetan dishes are available. Momo, tukpa, noodles must be tried.
Not to do: Don't break the silence in the premises of temples and monasteries. Don't hurt the cultural belief of local people. Not to pluck flowers and apples from plants and trees. Since this is a hilly region, driving at night is not recommended at all.
This is all I have shared with you. Now it's your turn to pack the rooksack and set out for Kinnaur.
–Ritwik Bhattacharya.
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