Kheerganga-The Land of Myths

May 2015

After submitting my training report and facing my teachers for the last time, my engineering was finally over. It was time to face the real world that everyone talked about. So,  Me and my regular partners in crime decided to visit our beloved mountains before we set forth and try to find our place in the godforsaken rat race.

The place we were visiting, this time, was Kheerganga. A place surrounded by myths and folklore of gods visiting and staying there for centuries. If it was good enough for the gods I guessed we mortals would have fancied it as well.

We took a bus around 7 p.m. from Hoshiarpur and left for Manali. To reach Manikaran and beyond we had to get off at Bhuntar(Kullu).We reached Bhuntar in the morning around 5. It was my first time visiting this part of Himachal. The bus services at Bhuntar start at 6 a.m. We hopped on the first bus that arrived and reached Manikaran sahib. Then, from there we took another local bus to Barshaini, which is the starting point of this trek. We got no sleep the entire night and took no rest. We had to push ourselves to the top as we had time constraints because we had 'employed' people with us. It felt like we completed the journey because we were high on sleep deprivation. Laughing over the most pathetic jokes and silliest of things. We ran, walked, strolled, crawled and dragged ourselves through mud ,vertical climbs, and small waterfall to reach the top. We were hungry and tired it was late in the evening the clouds started to rumble. So, we decided to pitch our tents in an area of some guys food stall. For the first time, I had met some real suckers up in the Himalayas. They were sweet and kind at first but then they behaved obnoxiously and started abusing and threatening to burn our identification proofs because our friend questioned about mobile reception (they were high on weed). It reached the point where we actually thought of punching those guys. Sleep deprived and tired we decided to take care of it in the morning.

It was a beautiful morning with the sun beaming its rays into the valley. We collected our id's, ignore those pricks avoiding drama and went to the hot spring !!! Yes, it has a hot spring. It also has a small temple of Lord Shiva.

Few mythological stories are there to reason this hot spring. Some believe that lord Shiva meditated here for 3000 years and this spring signifies a godly presence. Another one is that Kartikeya (Shiva's son) meditated here. So, to bring silence to the valley Shiva struck the ground with his Trishul and as a result, the spring emerged (I like this one. Soo dramatic) . Third, people believe that Parvati made that spring to feed Kartikeya with kheer after his millennium long meditation. Believe any, all or none of these stories but this place surely is MAGICAL.

Whenever you visit the mountains you learn something. Just the magnificence of the mountains make you humble and appreciate the things you have in life. One such incident happened when we were returning. I was crying and cribbing about the weight in my backpack( just a two men tent and some clothes) and then I saw THIS man, a shepherd, probably carrying his life on his back walking along with his flock. I just stood there and shrugged. 'Lesson Learned', I said to myself and just walked forth not complaining anymore.

This trip though felt like a dream. I hadn't explored the valley at all and as fun as it was I knew I was going back home only to return someday.

June 2015

I was unofficially an engineer.4 years for studies, assignments,  practicals and exams and yet I had no clue for where I have to be in life and what's my place in this imploding world. The first week of June , my brother and his friends made a plan for a trek to pin Parvati pass via kheer Ganga (universe conspired I guess). I knew this was my way to get away from the questions rather interrogations about career and why I wasn't placed so on and so forth. So I wedged myself into their plan. The preparations began. 7 days worth of ration and geared up with tents, sleeping bags, a stove and a can full of kerosene. we began our journey.

From Chandigarh, at 8 p.m., we were off to Bhuntar (Kullu). When we entered Kullu it started raining heavily and trusting the waterproofing of our bags (luggage was on the roof) we just sat quietly and wished to reach Bhuntar sooner. We reached there at around 4:30ish a.m. and not waiting for the bus services to start at 6 a.m. We took a taxi to Manikaran sahib and after washing up, resting and eating a sumptuous breakfast we took a taxi to Barshaini.

River Parvati

I was walking on this trail yet again but it felt so different. I was more aware this time staring and gawking at mother natures yet another beautiful creation. we arranged ourselves a guide to help us reach pin Parvati pass. Walking through this path gave me a sense of belonging.

This hike in no sense is easy and the fact that I was tracing this path second time, made no difference.

It's amazing how the weather changes in these parts. As if the valleys are toying with you.

When we were about to reach a small village it started raining. We had prepared ourselves for situations like these so we pulled out our raincoats and kept walking. Rain worked like a natural filter enhancing the colors around us making this experience ever more surreal.

Rudranag 

We reached Rudranag a small meadow with a small temple. A waterfall streams juxtaposed to the temple.

The REAL challenge of this trek begins after this as from this point and beyond it's a steep ascend filled with streams and waterfalls, embellishing the path but not making things any easier.

This basically is what trekking/ hiking is all about. You carry your luggage, break through the wall  where one just can't move any further. It's this process of reaching the top that we enjoy in retrospect.  

It was sunny when we started, rained through the middle part and in the last leg it was sunny again.

Through the forest, we reached a clearing that I had not explored the last time.A huge meadow with an amazing landscape. A scene one will remember for the rest of his/her life. We pitched our tents away from the cafes and lodges. Some wandered off with their cameras some engaged themselves in random conversations and me, well, I was just enjoying the amazing beauty of it all.

We started collecting firewood and piled some reserve to help us through the night. The sun began to hide behind the mountains and turned the sky orange. Felt as if mother nature was showing off.

With the last sliver of light vanishing, the temperature started to drop. A gentle cold breeze carrying the aroma of the forest around greeted us. We pulled out our jackets and started to build a fire. We lit our stove and cooked our meal. We had fashioned a nice barrier around the stove with some rocks to protect it from the wind. It doesn't sound like much but in those situations troubleshooting the simplest of problems gives you a sense of achievement which your mates acknowledge with high fives . Clear night sky with innumerable stars above us, sitting around a campfire and 6 people eating Rajma and rice from a single pot with some homemade chutney is the best thing ever.

The sun came up. clear blue sky sound of birds and dogs woke me up. Noticed a dog sleeping under the outer section of our tent. I looked around and saw a foreigner dressed in khadi performing yoga on a rock. The fire had endured the nights cold with ember struggling to stay alive. So I threw some wood in it to make some tea. Our plan was to head for Tunda Bhuj but unfortunately, one member was summoned home immediately. We decided to not to go any further and just camp at Kheer Ganga for the day. 

Our day began by taking a bath in the hot spring. We washed some clothes, fashioned ourselves a structure to dry our clothes on. Just mundane stuff but 2960m above sea level. Then spent our day roaming around the valley. Somehow found a gully where there still was some snow, perfect place to make some slides. Drinking water from a creek and walking in the jungle with huge pines surrounding us is something one must experience.

It was bright, kinda hot, sunny day and late in noon HAILSTORM!!. We could see that the mountain in front of us was receiving snowfall at the top. Our raincoats were out and suspecting that this rain won't subside anytime soon we decided to at least  cook rice beforehand. Cooking in a hailstorm is a moment I won't ever forget. By 7:30ish in the evening sky was clear again. A sumptuous meal of matar paneer with rice and chutney was satiating. As the night was colder than yesterday we searched for blankets and the guys at "The lonely planet" cafe were generous enough to lend us some. Playing few games and singing we were the only ones making sounds which reverberated in the valley. Lying on the ground gazing up and counting the no. of shooting stars I saw (4 :P) I thought how insignificant I was as compared to the grandeur of the mountain I was lying on and the infinity in front of my eyes.

With days in our hands and no place to go we discussed places we could visit and got ideas from this show that I love "way back home" and finalized two places. 

With everything tied and packed up. We bid adieu to this beautiful land.

*sigh* I can't get enough of these clear starry skies!!!

Bijli Mahadev(Kullu) and a waterfall in Manali Jogini.

next stop

BIJLI MAHADEV !!