A pleasant change of plans: Kullu and Manali
(if you haven't read the Kheerganga-The land of myths part then i urge you to do so as it'll give you more context.)
Do you believe in fate? that a collective consciousness conspired to bring certain people into your life and they were right there when they were needed. sometimes I just can't help but wonder.
After trekking down from Kheerganga we headed towards Kullu. The hike down wasn't easy but relatively easier than the climb. From Manikaran we went to Bhuntar and then took a bus to Kullu bus stand, then a local bus to the point where this small hike to Bijli Mahadev begins. while we were on the local bus I realized that I forgot to pick our cooking stove that was under my seat (forgetfulness). Though we were bummed but thought we'll light a fire and cook over it.
Around 4:30 pm we started hiking and with us were few locals going home. A gentleman in his late 40s had overheard us on the bus about the food situation and extended his help. he called his friend who runs a shack near the temple to stay there for a while longer and prepare food for us (fate ?). we thanked him and reached the top of the hill and just gulped fried parathas and Siddu (local dish) down. we thanked the owner for staying way past his usual time. he even told us where we can fetch water and gave us a canister to save it. everything turned out to be just fine. so we found a place and pitched our tents. lit a bonfire and just gazed towards the starry sky.
we woke up to the noise of horses running around and neighing. The person who helped us was so courteous that before going to work he came up to check on us. he chatted with us about the good old days of that place and how he once got lost with his coworkers in the jungle. It was quite a story.
If you were to visit such places don't confine yourself to the comfort of the hotels and the cafes. Go to a local shop, talk to the locals as they would give the insights about that place. Some story, some anecdote that you'd remember forever.
After freshening up we headed towards the temple. This temple sits at an altitude of 2460m. one can see the Kullu and Parvati valleys from there. It is said that, once every odd year, lightening strikes the 50-60ft high wooden mast which completely shatters the Shivling inside the temple. Then the pujaris remake the Shivling with ghee and flour. hence the name BIJLI MAHADEV,
one thing that really saddened me when i was strolling around the temple was ''vandalism''. see, I'm not a man of faith but I do pay my respect to places people revere so much. The side wall of the temple was filled with names and hearts and stupid shit like "Susma luvs Sures". I wonder how this scribbling is going to make their love eternal.
Anyway, we wandered beyond the temple area and got a majestic few of Kullu and Parvati valleys and encountered some photogenic horses. I just lay there thinking nothing. mind as clear as the sky above me. we paid homage to the temple one last time and went towards our tents. packed our stuff and headed towards Manali.
I was particularly looking forward to visiting Manali. The thing about Manali is you can't hear enough about it. It is the go-to getaway place during summers and we all had that friend in school who went there on a family trip and didn't shut up.....ever. We reached Manali around 6 pm. Took a room, dumped our bags, freshened up and went out. Now, I had this picture painted in my head about this place. The mall road, the mountains, the weather and just the ''vibe''. It was nothing like what I had imagined. I mean no doubt its beautiful, to state the obvious, but it was filled with humans, understandably so as it was the peak tourist time, but they were not just humans but humans with selfie sticks. it was like walking through a medieval war zone. Dodging one sword-fight at a time...... towards the ice-cream parlor.
After roaming around for a while we decided to call it a night. Early in the morning, we checked out. The owner of the hotel was kind enough to look after our bags for few hours as we wanted to explore more. we knew about this waterfall named Jogni which is a short but challenging hike from the Vashisht Temple. people visiting Manali seldom opt for this hike but trust me all your hard work would eventually pay off. so we took off and reached the highway. we were greeted by an endless queue of cars going towards Rohtang. it was one those moments when a certain "event" brings out a certain "side" of you. okay...let me explain. you know how around independence day we become all the more patriotic. similarly looking at that queue and the countless no. of bikers making their way up made me wonder how we are harming the ecosystem of this place. but this argument is ...well....arguable as the livelihood of the locals depends on tourism so...idk.
*walks/climbs/jumps away from the conversation like a ninja *
The hike starts from Vashisht temple. you make your way through small hamlets and eventually, it reduces to a trail through the forest. 30-40 min into the hike you reach the stream and there you have it!
After grabbing a bite we went to see the Hadimba Temple. By the time we reached the temple it had started to drizzle. Then we went back to the hotel picked our bags and boarded a bus back home.
This trip like any other was a memorable one. The trek to Kheerganga and camping, hike to Bijili Mahadev and Jogni falls. filled with inside jokes and talks and struggles which we all enjoy in retrospect is something I'd cherish for a long time. I just can't get enough of these valleys though and I know, I'd be back among them soon!
Because I don't have a clever, philosophical metaphor to end this blog post with...i'll end it with this quote
Wherever you go, go with all your heart.
-Confucius
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