Chakouri-Berinag-
Udiyari Bend-Thal- Birthi Falls-Munshiyari
Day 3 (Friday):
The state of Uttarakhand has two important regions and hills
are named accordingly- The Kumaon region and Garhwal region. Kumaon region
include the districts of Nainital, Almora, Udam Singh Nagar, Pithoragarh and
Champawat with Tibet to its North, Nepal to its East, Uttar Pradesh in South
and Garhwal towards West. During our entire trip we were driving through the
Kumaon region. Garhwal region is lying in Himalayas and comprises of districts
of Uttarakasi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Tehri Garhwal, Pauri, Dehradun and
Haridwar.
Chakouri
Chakouri is a quaint hamlet in Pithoragarh district perched
at an elevation of 6594 feet providing an invigorating view of Himalayan peaks.
It is one of the unexplored destinations of the Kumaon region. Its pristine
beauty is relatively untouched by the pollution and the maddening crowds. It is
a very peaceful place spread in the lush green hills where chirping voices of
jungle birds will brighten our moods. Hotel keeper assured that even during
cloudy days, early mornings are the ideal times for viewing the peaks. Rightly so,
we woke up at 5:45am and had a most enchanting view of the peaks. But within an
hour the peaks were no longer visible as they were gradually ensconced by thick
dark clouds. Soon it started raining. So we cancelled our plan of trekking to
the nearest Deer Park from where the view of peaks is astounding. We hoped that
clouds would soon disappear but in vain.
With drizzle showing no signs of retreat, we headed for Berinag. The road is in a good condition and once again during the drive we could cherish the beautiful setting of the small hamlet. The Berinag Mandir is located 1 km uphill overlooking the Berinag village surrounded by tree clusters and ravines. The road uphill is completely gutted and preparations for laying a new road were in full swing. Road was swamped by small rocks and with utmost difficult we managed to reach the temple entrance in our car. But deep down we were worried about the abrasion caused by the huge stones to the car tyres. Our fears and stress was alleviated by the charming location of the mandir which loyally descends into a sloped landscape interspersed with tall Pine trees that was once a tea estate. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva whose reincarnated form as snakes or naag is highly revered. Legends say that the place once had numerous colourful snakes. There are lots of figurines of snakes in temple. Though it is a small temple the exquisite location makes it worth visiting.
Road to Patal Bhuvaneshwar
We were soon on our way to Patal Bhuvaneshwar travelling through Sheraghat. The bewitching slopes, terrains, its vegetation, scant crowds continued to allure us. Suddenly the drive beyond Raiagar became bothersome with pot holes. We tried to fan away our worst fears and hoped for better roads ahead. Soon huge heaps of stones started making their appearances on both sides of the road. As we moved ahead, we were up for more trouble as the road in certain places was completely chipped away and the recent rains decamped mud into the huge crevices road making it more dangerous. Despite the bad roads we continued little ahead, where big JCB’s started sprucing huge stones. As we enquired people about the condition of road no one averted us from going ahead but cautioned about bad stretches. The situation started becoming treacherous as narrow muddy roads ahead ascended into hairpin bends without shoulders or side supports on the roads. Suddenly the grim consequences of this futile adventurous venture began to bother us and after a deep thought we halted our journey and returned back to Berinag. By 1 pm we were at Berinag and my husband who was so passionate and determined to see Himalayas refused to give up and drove us to Udiyari bend. A right turn at UdiyariBend leads to Thal and further up to Munishiyari and a straight road would take us back to Chakouri. Thus an impromptu decision all of a sudden changed our travel plans and soon we started driving towards Munshiyari. To have hassle free journey, we got car tyres quickly checked, bought some fruits, water bottles and packed some paranthas from the nearby eatery.
To reach Thal we descended the hilly contour and drove through the enchanting woods. Interestingly in this particular ravine we spotted bamboo trees amidst vast variety of flora like the Pine, Cedar and a variety of alpine Orchids. The entire valley was calm and serene and even minute rustlings of branches were clearly audible. Roads were in excellent condition and since there was hardly any traffic we could reach Thal quite faster. The steady stream of the Ram Ganga or the Kali Ganga River flowed along the Thal town. Thal is a tourist hub thronged by visitors proceeding to Munshiyari and Kailash-Mansarovar. As previously warned by locals about the availability of Petrol as we start perching higher hills, we refilled Petrol and eagerly looked forward for the exhilarating fantasies of the Nature ready to unfurl. Just 2km ahead of the Thal is Gauchar where the road bifurcates towards Munshiyari through Nachni and another leads to Didihat route for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.
Kali Ganga
The resplendent Kali Ganga which initially appeared as a
narrow stream slowly became vibrant and more vigorous in its flow. Beyond
Gauchar, the roads were almost desolate and were occasionally criss-crossed by
few shepherd women. The hills appeared stretched out from this particular
stretch and the continuous rumblings of the river waters and gentle gushing
breeze had a magical effect on us. All our weariness has disappeared and we
eagerly looked forward to savour the extricate fantasies of Nature. As we were climbing
up the incline, the beguiling beauty of the unpolluted river waters flowing
along huge virgin towering hills blushing with green vegetation was truly
captivating. The bewitching beauty of this landscape will forever be treasured
in mind’s canvas. People hailing from towns and cities would be greatly enchanted
by the picturesque beauty of these huge hills. We started even encountering the
relics of the appalling landslides along certain stretches of the road. These
were reminding us of the fragile balance of nature in the hilly ecosystems. The
rubble of landslides at certain places was really frightening. Though the road
was pretty good occasionally we had to meander through rough patches. We
traversed through Nachni village, a relatively bigger village with plethora of
eateries. From Nachni we had our first view of the distant snow capped peaks
which began to allure us. The other
villages along the way were Tejam, Kwiti (a place famous for Litchis). Then we
descended to pass through the Daulaghadi Bridge constructed across a gushing
stream of water and were stumped by the sheer size of monolithic rocks.
We had a first glimpse of the awesome Birthi Falls falling
from a height of 125 mt. The gorgeous, clear stream of water in the picturesque
environs would certainly delight nature lovers and shutter-bugs. We stopped
there for a rendezvous with the falls surprisingly not a single soul was visible
in the near vicinity. Few metres ahead of the falls we spotted a KVMN
Restaurant. Though we were famished we suppressed the urge of stopping there
for a very late lunch as weather was still gloomy with dark clouds lurking in
the skies. Munshiyari is 30 30km ahead and from Birthi Falls we were quickly
gaining height at every turn. Interestingly during the ascent on this
particular hill at regular intervals waterfalls were descending from the
neighbouring glaciers. The ascent soon became very steep and we traversed
through villages Bhandari and Girgoan where youth sat cheering for a football
match on the road. After reaching Munshiyari, we came to know that a tragic
landslide in 2009 had wiped away two villages La- Jhelka, near Girgoan which
are now completely abandoned. At 8200 ft elevation driving along a narrow road without
a protective barrier on the opposite side the drive was becoming challenging
and nerve wrecking. The enticingly beautiful Rhododendron trees in full bloom
tried to pacify our nerves and we soon began to assimilate the serenity of the
sublime hills.
Birthi Falls
As we were nearing Kalamuni excitement began to peak as
locals told that this place would offer the first and most splendid view of the
Himalayan Peaks. Rightly so, just as we scraped through the curve to enter
Kalamuni, we were stunned by the aura of the snow capped ranges. Thankfully,
even the clouds have dispersed for a while and we had the first glimpse of the
ranges. We parked the car by the side of the road and viewed at the peaks
intently. The road began to descend and we spotted igloo shaped eco-parks from
there road has become much broader. Our joy knew no bounds as we entered the
Himanagri of Kumaon, Munshiyari. After an arduous drive of four and half hours
from Berinag we reached Munshiyari or the snow place by 5:30pm.
Road to Munshiyari
Perched at an elevation of 7500 mts, on the banks of GoriGanga River flowing at the base of Himalayas Munshiyari is close to Tibet and Nepal. Munshiyari is a desolate place but becoming popular tourist destination among mountaineers, glacier enthusiasts and trekkers. It serves as base camp for Milam, Ralam and Namik Glaciers. It is at the entrance of Johar valley and falls on the ancient salt route. The region was inhabited by semi-nomadic Shauka (Bhotiya) tribes who from ancient times had active trade engagements with the Tibet. They would tread the difficult Himalayan ranges by foot to supply goods and carry back salt. While the trade links with the Tibetans have slowly declined due to the occupation of Tibet by China and partly by the Indo-China war in 1962. This ancient town because of its proximity to borders is swamped by the (Indo- Tibetan Border Force) ITBP regiments and is under strict vigilance for security reasons.
Himalayan Peaks
We quickly made enquiries about room. Since all the rooms in
the KVMN were booked we preferred to stay in the Vijay Mount View Resort which
offered an excellent view of the Panchachuli Ranges. From the balcony of the
Hotel the Himalayan peaks are just a stone throw away and the magnificent
towering snow capped mountains began to sparkle under the setting sun. But very
soon some of the peaks are eclipsed by a thick carpet of clouds. Every time we
began to view, the peaks began to unravel a new aspect emanating mystic aura.
They seem to be playing the eternal hide and seek game with the clouds enticing
the curious on-looker. Soon the colossal ranges were ducked by clouds and it
began to drizzle. So we decided to walk around the lazy town, but were followed
by a cute Bhotia dog, (thick furred and can withstand freezing temperatures).
Nanda Devi Temple
We next drove down the village to reach the Nanda Devi Temple 2km away from Munshiyari dedicated to local deity of Nanda Devi, reincarnation of Shakti as it offers the best view of all the Himalayan ranges. It is a small white coloured humble abode of the God erected in a huge expanse of land. This place offers a mesmerising view of the sprawling Himalayan ranges as the hallowed piece of land was posited in the lap of the mighty Himalayas. The view of all the peaks- Panchachuli, Nandadevi, Nandakot and Rajrambha is breath-taking. Panchachuli 22,600ft in elevation are group of five snow capped mountains resembling huge chimneys. They derive the name from the Pandavas or the five chulis (cooking hearths) where they cooked their last meal before departing for the heavenly abode. Nandadevi is the second tallest peak in India and it is a two-peaked massif. The higher western summit is called Sunandadevi and Eastern peak is Nandadevi. Engrossed in the sublime beauty of these insurmountable peaks which are being wrapped by a thick cloud cover we got wet in the rain. Once again thanking heavens for the brief respite from the cloudy cover, we shortly drove through the narrow lanes of the rustic town before reaching the room.
Though we made plans of visiting the famous tribal museum it had become very late in the day. The Museum maintained by Dr. S. S. Pangthi, a retired teacher, trekker, traveller and an author diligently preserved antiques and other important trade documents of the Bhotiya tribes with Tibetans. Other important tourist attractions are the Khaliya top, 8 km from Munshiyari at an elevation of 11,500 ft offers a panoramic view of the Himalayan ranges and Betulidar a large garden of rhododendron 5km away is an ideal place for skiing in winters. Munshiyari has a unique variety of local medicinal herbs, spices and condiments.
Munshiyari is one of the coldest places in India and
obviously it was very cold at night. Even three layers of thick comforters failed
to keep us warm and so rented an electric heater. Tired and exhausted after an
adventurous ride we slipped into deep sleep. Around 12 in the midnight my
husband suddenly got up and he woke me up. It was a full moon day and as we
opened the curtains to view the peaks, we were awestruck by the sight of the
stunningly beautiful mountains. The peaks appeared as shining white ridges
etched on a humongous black canvas. The night sky was clear and bedecked with twinkling
stars. Small houses of the tribes or probable military camps at lower altitude
on the ridges appeared as specks of light under the full moon. It was an ecstatic
experience.
View at Midnight
Photographs Courtesy: Dr. T. L. S. Bhaskar
@ Copyrights reserved.
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