Himachal Pradesh:Heaven on Earth

[Guest guest]

Namaskar Mitra,

 

After having traveled extensively through Himachal Pradesh I believe it is the

most beautiful Himalayan state. A possible reason why it has not become as

popular as J & K is is because it is not as accessible as Srinagar & Ladakh.

For e.g. there is no flight to Spiti Valley (nearly a 12 hour bus drive from

Manali) or to Kalpa (about a seven hour bus drive from Simla).

 

A friend's friend gave me these super pics of Raksham & Chittkul in Himachal

Pradesh's Kinnaur district. Dr Kaustubh Kulkarni and his wife Dr Sharda

Kulkarni are a widely acclaimed team of gynecologists and infertility

specialists who have passionately created a state of art infertility center

Siddhi Life in Mumbai. You can mail feedback to Kaustubh at

siddhilife2002 (AT) rediffmail (DOT) com. Visit their site www.siddhilife.com. To see 34

pictures.

http://www.esamskriti.com/html/new_photo.asp?subcatid=170. To read Kaustuk's

article see below or click

 

>From a tourist perspective the State can be divided into five parts namely

Dalhousie/Chamba, Lahual/Spiti Valleys, Kulu/Manali, Kinnaur district ie

Kalpa/Sangla and Simla/Narkhanda/Chail. Also read:

Spiti Valley: a Hidden paradise in Himachal Pradesh:

http://www.esamskriti.com/html/inside.asp?cat=568&subcat=567&cname=gmanspiti

See the beauty of Himachal through over 125 pictures. Travel to Lahaul & Spiti

Valleys, Kalpa & Sangla, Dalhousie, Kangra & Chamba, Manali and

Dharamshala.http://www.esamskriti.com/html/new_photographs.asp?catid=7

Himachal Pradesh: Heaven on Earth

By Dr

Kaustubh Kulkarni

When you enter Himachal, it is with the promise that you will be two

fingerbreadths away from heaven! The promise is more than fulfilled once you

step into the magical villages of Chitkul and Raksham, deep inside the Kinnaur

district in the valley of the Baspa river.

 

Once upon a time, Ishwar must have decided to build a valley close to his own

heart. He made a glacial river flow from the mighty Himalayas (temples of snow)

into a plateau which was fertile and made occasional, noble men to live and

enjoy in this land. The whole valley of close to 90km of land mass was elevated

above the flat plains and because of its inaccessibility, stayed isolated, pure

and beautiful. Luckily, we in India get to see this part of heaven in a small

area called Kinnaur.

 

Close to the border with Tibet, the district of Kinnaur was isolated from the

mainstream of even Himachal Pradesh till as recent as 1993. Even Indian

nationals were allowed restricted entry. Therefore, the whole of Kinnaur was

caught up in a time wrap, as few could enter and corrupt its pristine beauty.

 

The developmental chronology of Kinnaur has the old Hindoostan - Tibet silk

route passing along the high ridges with its share of old centers like Kalpa

and Sangla. These were towns for trade and rest. Since mules, horses and yaks

were the only mode of transport then the roads went along the high ridges of

the mountains making them walk able not motorable. Since 1960, the national

highway was built along the lower ridges with Recong Peo as the district

headquarter/nodal centre. The present highway is the life line of Kinnaur, and

is in itself a magnificent piece of civil engineering know how, put together

with lots of Blood and Guts. The roads are long stretches chiseled out of a

sheer rock face almost like a tunnel with one wall missing.

 

2. To reach Chitkul and Raksham, one takes the national highway from Shimla to

Rampur past Narkanda up to a dusty junction called Karcham. From Karcham, you

take a detour to Chitkul and rise almost vertically close to 8000ft. via the

Chung Sakhago pass into the Baspa valley. In effect, you have left the Sutlej

below to meet its higher tributary the Baspa. Public transport is both reliable

and advisable. The moment you enter this 95km. plateau after the adrenaline

pumped ascent, you see the huge Baspa valley – hydroelectric project. You

will now hit the fairly well populated and commercial town of Sangla. From here

on the drive is mostly level driving through some magnificent mountain scapes.

 

The road now continues up to Chitkul occasionally allowing a hill stream to

gurgle and cross its path. You keep seeing the snow peaks all along with tall

Chinar, Pine and Chilgoza trees. In early spring there is still a white snow

carpet with the occasional green shrub pushing through and in late spring there

is an absolute riot of colors till your vision reaches the horizon.

You will first come across Raksham, which allows the slightly tame Baspa River

to play along its borders. The town has a collection of few houses that are

built from wood, stone and dried grass. Don’t be taken in by this rustic

feel for the town works efficiently and boasts of a two-storey hotel cum post

office. The hotel has a very helpful manager.

 

For a stressed out city slicker, this place is the perfect antidote. The Conifer

trees here effortlessly blend with the snow from the peaks all within walk able

distance of your hotel. A good pair of lungs and legs could take you to your

own custom made corner of bliss. A lot of adventure treks start from Raksham,

the simplest of which would be to Chitkul a mere 14km. away along the banks of

the youthful Baspa. The pastel pink of the freshly flowering Chilgoza pine, the

azure blue sky dotted with the occasional wisp of white cloud and the mighty

 

In Raksham and Chitkul most local activities revolve around wood. Collecting,

cutting, storing and building with wood. Houses function as places to dwell as

well as godowns for dry wood and grass. This has led to accidents in the past,

where an entire house has burnt down and was promptly rebuilt sometimes more

than once in a year. The local Kinnauri’s are very fire and environment

conscious so do not throw or use plastic bags. On your walks you will find a

lot of pine and fir acorns. Since the two towns are in a crucible of the

Himalayas, the sunrises not before 9:00am and sets by 5:00pm everyday.

 

Legend has it that the ‘Pandav’ brothers of the epic Mahabharata

spent several years of their exile here. A quaint mix of Hinduism (Shiva

temples) co exists with the more recent Buddhism. The kinners of Kinnaur have

been labeled halfway between men and God by our ancient texts. Incidentally

Tibetan Buddhists worship Mount Kailash, the abode of Lord Shiva, with perhaps

more fervor than we do. Further, Spiti’s Ki Monastery and a monastery on

the banks of Mansrovar in Tibet have trishuls adorning their terrace.

 

The bus/ jeep that you take to Chitkul stops at the bus stand and promptly

hurries back to Raksham and then Sangla. Chitkul has a PWD Bungalow, but you

will be better served befriending the locals, who happily rent out their homes

to you. The dwellings are built in a mix of Doric style with functional

interiors and high lofts for storing wood and grass. Each room will have

continuous water supply outside the room. The tap is kept permanently open or

else the water may freeze inside the pipes and damage it.

 

The Chitkul villagers have a council that meets in the temple courtyard once a

week or more often if the need arises.

 

The school is slightly further away abutting the riverbank on one side. Since a

landslide had destroyed a classroom all classes are held in the four corners of

the playground.

 

Solar electricity is available till lights out is announced and for those fond

of watching T.V. or listening to the radio there is obviously no coverage. If

you like listening to the soothing sound of a mountain stream pass through

centuries of old rounded rocks, this is the place for you!

 

The Army keeps a watchful eye on the town without interfering with the day to

day working of the town. These places beckon you to partake in its beauty. The

sooner you reach there the better!

 

EOM.

 

Share the Wealth, With Prem & Om, Cheers

sanjeev