Our Trip To McLeod Ganj, Himachal Pradesh

As a young girl who grew up in South India, I used to be in awe when people used to describe about their travel experiences to various places. Especially a visit to Northern part of India used to always excite me. Unaware of what destiny has planned for me, I used to wonder whether I would ever be able to travel and explore different places which used to fascinate me. But I think destiny has its own plans for me and in spite of my strong disaffection and reservations for New Delhi, we have to settle in the place and make it our new home. Soon after settling in the capital city a strong urge to explore and travel to different places began to take shape. The desire to visit the hills areas and the deep fascination for the Snow Mountains has been the reason for our trip to McLeod Ganj, the place which became popular for its association with the spiritual leader Dalai Lama.

We began our exciting journey by a train from New Delhi which took us to Chandigarh. Chandigarh is acclaimed to be the best planned city in our country. Being a capital city of two states, Punjab and Haryana and remaining as Union territory, I was expecting massive administrative building all over the place. Living up to its reputation, the city was really clean for Indian standards. It was undoubtedly, a beautiful place and the city have clearly demarcated regions where the administrative offices of the two states functioned. Another interesting aspect which caught my attention was the presence of hawk eyed policemen who have kept a rigorous surveillance on the suspicious activities of people. The vigilance in the city is of highest order and the security personnel are on tenter-hooks as the region is believed to be threat prone.

We began to embark our journey to Dharamshala by road which is 252 kilometres from Chandigarh. The initial part of the journey was rather dull as we have to travel through heavily jammed roads on the outskirts of the Chandigarh, but as we slowly moved on to the highways, the scenery on either of the road has become more pleasant. The lush green fields of Punjab would entice any lover of greenery. The most important places we have encountered on our way to Himachal Pradesh were the Anandpur Sahib a city constructed by Guru TejBahadur and houses a prominent Gurudwara on the highway built in Israeli style, Nangal which is 15km from Bhakra Nangal Dam, the highest gravity dam of India and even passed through the canal which carries Satluj waters to Haryana. As we crossed, Mehatpur, the last city of Punjab, we entered Himachal Pradesh.

Himachal Pradesh has the largest area under hilly terrains and as we travelled more into the state, the roads have started becoming narrower, windy and the elevation of the road began to rise. As we passed the plains and began moving towards hills, the glimpses of the extended range of mountains covered with snow at the peak allured us. These changes are accompanied by the pleasant weather and we started experiencing cold and chilly breeze caressing us. The effect of the climate and elevation is more conspicuous on the vegetation. The broader leaves of trees are slowly replaced by rows of trees with leaves that are narrow and spiny as we moved up the hills. With every kilometre of travel on hills, we began to experience a new sensation of fresh air sweeping off weariness of the long travel. The estimated time of travel was 5 hours, but bad roads at certain stretches have delayed our journey. Travelling through the hills, away from the hustle and bustle of city has quietened every nerve of the body. The close encounter with nature was exhilarating and the hills with the lush green vegetation were a visual treat to our eyes. All through the travel, we stopped regularly after few miles of journey to savour the beauty of the mountains. We passed through the city of Kangra, a famous tourist destination, known for its natural beauty and tea gardens. Kangra fort and the Devi Vajreswari temple, the oldest and wealthiest temple of north India are the main tourist attractions. The change of climate especially the lower level of oxygen on hills seems to bother us a little now. Dharamshala is 36 km from Kangra and it is the winter capital of Himachal Pradesh. It is blooming city with sizeable Tibetan population. The place has become famous for its highest cricket stadium which is the home ground for the IPL team Kings XI Punjab. The city has two distinct parts; the lower Dharamshala has civil offices and business establishments. Upper Dharamshala has the suburbs, Kotwali Bazar, McLeod Ganj, Sidhbari. McLeod Ganj is popularly called Little Lhasa for the huge population of Tibetan Refugees. It is 9km from Dharamshala at an elevation of 2,080 mt. The region between Dharamshala and McLeod Ganj has a huge cantonment, cantonment where several battalions of Gurkha rifles are stationed to meet any unwarranted insurgencies. But by the time we reached McLeod ganj, it has become dark and hence we had to wait till morning to unravel the picturesque beauty of the place. But as we ascended to McLeod Ganj, which is at a much higher elevation, we were marvelled by the splendid night view of the place. All the shimmering lights from the houses, reminded us of the twinkling light of the stars spread on the carpet of night dark sky was a heart warming sight. We moved past the busy market area of McLeod ganj gallivanted by busy tourists crowding the shops in the market area under the brightly lit municipal lights to reach our hotel. We have booked our rooms in a place called Naddi village, 4 km from Mc Leod Ganj and it located at a much higher elevation.

As we reached our resting place, we were flabbergasted by the awesome view of the majestic mountain ranges. We were delighted by the choice of our hotel and the fantastic view it has offered as we opened the balcony door and windows of the room. We were hardly 4 km away from the mountains and the foot of the ranges was at a walking distance from our hotel. The brightly lit full moon sky had enhanced the bewitching beauty of the snowy tips of the mountains, which seem to glitter. This spectacular view of the Dauladhar range or The Indian Himalayas also called the lower Himalayan range has for a while quenched our passion for the Himalayas. We could hardly wait for the sunrise.

The next morning, minutes after the sunrise, as the blanket of fog began to lodge away from the mountain ranges lazily; we had the first glimpse of the pristine mountains. Camera could capture and lock the beauty of the mountains, our minds and hearts are totally filled with the tranquil atmosphere of the place. Away from the maddening crowds and huddling rush, the calmness it offered rejuvenated heart and mind as well. People there believe that any unhealthy person could get back on their heels much faster in this mountainous ecosystem. The sparkling waters which gush down the mountain range, have medicinal properties and can cure all the ailments. The fresh air and the pure water energies us completely. After filling our minds and body with the resplendent beauty of mountains, we set on to explore the rustic beauty of the “Deva Bhumi”. 2km down the hill from Naddi village is the sacred Dal Lake (1900mt), a natural water body. It is surrounded by the Deodar pines which make it an excellent picnic spot. There is a small temple of Durveshwar Mahadev by the side of the lake. We then headed to McLeod Ganj to reach the Bhagsu Nag temple and Bhagsu waterfalls. The temple is dedicated to Lord Siva with a fresh waters spring. The waterfalls are 1.5km from the temple but the road is not accessible to motor vehicles. Hence we had  to climb up a little to reach the falls, the pure, unsullied water gushing out of the waterfall and the mist emanating from the fall is a delightful experience. We have to walk through a small Tibetan market as we descended from the waterfalls.

Our next stop was the most important Buddhist temple Tsuglagkhnag or the Dalai Lama temple which had the statues of Shakyamuni, Avalokitesvara and Padmasambhava. It houses the huge collection of the original preaching of Buddha written in Sanskrit. The exquisite beauty of the statues and the numerous Tibetan Lama’s added to the integral beauty of the temple. This place is seat of Tibetan cultural activities and the place is known for Tibetan souvenirs, garments, carpets and handicrafts.

We then decided to travel to Sidhabari, 10 Km from McLeod Ganj the final resting place of Swami Chinmayananda. On the way we saw the newly built legislative assembly of Himachal Pradesh just abutting the Chinmaya Tapovan. My face was beaming with happiness as we stepped inside the Tapovan complex. It was my dream as a youngster to visit the place and rest my head in the lap of the great Indian spiritual leader. When I rested my head at the feet of Swamiji’s statue to pay my humble salutations, I felt a shudder of joy pass through my body.  Every grain of the sand in the Tapovan seemed more pious, for it is the home of the most revered Swamiji. The complex has a huge lively, imposing statue of Lord Hanuman, a temple of Lord Rama, located among the overarching branches of a beautifully maintained garden. The picturesque beauty and the majestic disposition of the Tapovan guarded by the huge mountain ranges offered an inexplicable bliss and happiness to any restive soul. Undoubtedly, the solace and peace of mind it proffered makes it the best place for meditation. Though I wanted to spend few more hours at the sacred place, we were constrained by time. Unwillingly, we headed to our next destination, Baijnath Mandir 55km from Dharamshala and 16km from Palampur. Palampur is a very big town with a sprawling Agriculture University. On the way, we stopped at the famous tea gardens of the Kangra valley.

Baijnath Mandir (1314mt) is a temple dedicated to Lord Siva, located on the banks of river Binwa, a tributary of Beas River. The temple has been continuously under worship from the 12^th century when the temple was constructed. It is a typical North India temple built in Nagara Style. The old inscriptions on the temple walls suggest that it was the place where Ravana after his intense penance sought the Divine blessings for immortality and invincibility. He then urged Lord Siva to accompany him to Lanka, Siva transformed into a Sivaling. Ravana was carrying him to Lanka, but then was tricked by a Devata and he had to rest the Sivaling in this place. The temple attracts huge scores of tourists as it is considered as swamyambhu. At present the temple is a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India and the rituals are performed by the local temple board. Throughout our entire course of travel we were really surprised by the invincible Wi-Fi connectivity. The construction of roads is extremely difficult task in the hills. But barring very stretches of bad roads, we travelled through well built roads. The people of this region were extremely friendly, cooperative, conceited and the regular deceit a trademark of the tourist places in India is absent. Our entire travel has been a massive hit because of the people who were very accommodating and helpful. Another important feature was the overwhelming presence of huge areas of the hills under the cantonments. Perhaps, their intervention has been the reason for the well maintenance of the infrastructure.

After this arduous journey of the day, we returned to our hotel rooms at night and enjoyed the mesmerising beauty of the mountains on a full moon night. With all the fond memories and experiences of the Divine Hills, we had to head back to the regular din and clamour of the cramped city roads. On way back to Chandigarh, we managed to squeeze time for a quick visit to the illustrious Rock Garden. We were extremely satisfied with our trip which has been a journey through the untamed nature. It offered the much needed solace and peace of mind. Body and mind are now recharged to gear up for new tasks and adventures in the busy world of the metropolis.

Chinmaya Tapovan, Sidhbari

 

 

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