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Chamba
Valley, Indra Har Pass and the temples of Brahmour
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This is a trek that is set in a remote
and largely unexplored area of the Western Himalaya
. It is highly unlikely that you will meet other Westerners
on this trek, the village children do not beg; in
fact locals actually enjoy having their photo taken.
The Dhaula-Dhar and Chamba valley region of Himachal
Pradesh is inhabited by the Gaddi people: Hindu shepherds
who migrate each spring with their flocks from the
foothills of the Kangra valley to the rich grazing
areas of Lahoul and Spiti - a journey that will entail
covering high passes and mountainous terrain during
the summer months before returning back to the lowlands
to escape the onset of winter. In the company of Mark
Butterworth you will have a real insider's view of
the people, their society and traditions. Christina
Noble's book 'Over The High Passes', publisher, Fontana/Collins,
ISBN 0-00-637350-X, gives a perfect description of
the Gaddi people and this region. The area is renowned
for wildlife. In recent years a leopard killed the
Butterworths' chickens! Besides leopards, there exist
black bears, porcupine, various types of deer and
mountain goats, langur and rhesus monkeys, jackals,
pine marten, and the local equivalent of the yeti
known as a Gye. The bird life is fantastic, ranging
from a host of brightly-coloured small species to
parrots, griffon vultures, lammergeiers, eagles and
different types of forest pheasant. Mark has also
personally catalogued 110 varieties of butterfly.
During the trek you camp near small Gaddi villages
or close to the many temples that are dedicated to
the local deities. Spectacular views of the snow-capped
Pir Panjal range and the locally revered Mt. Kailash,
the highest mountain of a subsidiary range between
the Dhaula-Dhar and Pir Panjal and sacred to the Hindus
as the resting place of Lord Shiva, accompany you
as you cross the Indra-Har Pass (14,610ft/4,453m)
and descend into the Chamba valley. (Incidentally
the more famous Mount Kailash is situated in Tibet
). The crossings of this pass and later on the Minkianni
Pass (14,200ft/4,3282m) although not as high as many
Himalayan passes, are challenging undertakings in
wild country with magnificent views. The capital of
the nomadic Gaddis is Brahmour. Known as the "Little
Switzerland of India", many of the intricately
carved stone temples date back to the 7th and 9th
centuries. In all there are over 80 individual temples
contained within the surrounds of the village.
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| ITINERARY |
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DAY
01: ARRIVE PATHANKOT DRIVE
TO MCLEOD GANJ |
A two and a half hour drive will take
you to McLeod Ganj (6,200ft/1,890m). You break your
journey to have a snack at Kotla. McLeod Ganj is home
to a thriving Tibetan community, who settled here with
the Dalai Lama in 1959. Halt overnight at a Hotel. |
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| DAY
02: DHARMSALA AND MCLEOD GANJ |
Founded in 1855,
it has one of the most spectacular settings for a
Hill Station. It is built along a spur of the Dhaula-Dhar
range and varies in height from 4,500ft/1,476m at
the bazaar to 5,900ft/1,798m at McLeod Ganj. It is
surrounded by trees and is set against a backdrop
of peaks rising to over 15,600ft/4,755m on three sides.
The great granite mountains almost overhang the town.
Views are superb, not only of the mountains but also
over the Kangra Valley and Siwaliks. There are two
sections to the town, the upper part is McLeod Ganj
and the lower is called Dharmsala. The distance between
them is almost 10km by road from centre to centre
but there is a shorter, steeper path that takes about
40 minutes to cover. In both there is a strong Tibetan
influence. The Dalai Lama settled here after his flight
across the Himalaya following the Chinese invasion
of Tibet in October 1959. There is a monastery at
McLeod Ganj, a short distance along from the Dalai
Lama's residence and a library. Dharmsala was one
of the 80 hill stations established by the British
between 1815 and 1847 though it was not on a par with
Shimla, Nainital and Mussoorie in terms of popularity
and size. The Church of St John-in-the-Wilderness
(1860) is a short distance below McLeod Ganj on the
way to Forsythganj. Along with other buildings in
the area it was destroyed by the earthquake of 1905
but has been rebuilt. The 8th Lord of Elgin, one of
the few Viceroys to die in office, is buried here.
Apparently, it was his wish as it reminded him of
his beloved native Scotland . There are some very
attractive stained glass windows.
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DAY
03: TREK TO TRIUND (9,027ft/2,751m)
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Leave McLeod Ganj behind and begin a
gradual ascent through pine and rhododendron forest
until you reach Triund and camp on a meadow with views
of the Dhaula-Dhar range above and the Kangra valley
below. The Dhaula-Dhar rises to about 16,500ft/5,029m
and many of its summits remain unclimbed to this day.
Camp overnight here.
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DAY 04: TREK TO LAKA (11,000ft/3,353m)
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Follow a forest trail, steadily ascending
to Laka situated at the base of the Indra-Har pass.
You may camp overnight.
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| DAY
05: CROSS INDRA-HAR PASS
, TREK TO CHHATA |
An early morning start as you climb
up to the Indra-Har pass, 14,501ft/4,420m, a strenuous
six hour walk with a packed lunch on the way. This
is the old trade route for tea, sugar, salt, and cloth
and is often snow covered. It provides good views
of the middle Himalaya and Kailash's pointed peak,
18,556ft/5,656m. (Please note that even though this
Kailash is a holy mountain for the area, it is not
the same as the famous Mount Kailash in Tibet ). Carved
steps lead the last 300ft to the top of the pass where
there is a shrine to the Goddess Durga. After a four
hour gradual descent you camp close to a stream at
Chhata, (10,500ft/3,200m). Please note that the rest
day on Day 8 could be utilized at this point if required.
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| DAY
06: TREK TO CHAMBA VALLEY
, CAMP AT KUARSI (7,000ft/2,133m)
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You descend through
wild country with opportunities for spotting wildlife
and cross intermediate ridges and follow the path
through thick forest and descend into the Chamba valley.
You can camp at Kuarsi, a Gaddi village. Kuarsi is
renowned by the shepherds for its Shiva temple. The
temple is on a pilgrimage route and has been built
into an ashram where pilgrims can rest and sleep.
You will actually sleep on an elevated, wooden platform
that surrounds the temple below. At the end of the
day the Pujaree (village priest), holds a ceremony
to put the local snake god and Shiva to rest. This
involves the lighting of incense and the weird otherworldly
music of the Dolki, an ancient drum-like instrument,
and temple bells. Camp overnight here.
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| DAY
07: TREK TO MACHHETAR (6,562ft/2,000m)
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Following a forest trail rich in rhododendron,
you cross over a ridge before descending towards the
Ravi River through cultivated fields, apple orchards
and village hamlets. You camp near Machhetar, along
the banks of the Ravi River . A refreshing swim is
recommended!
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| DAY
08: TREK TO BRAHMOUR. (6,500ft/1,981m)
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From Machhetar
you cross the Ravi River and continue through pretty
terraced hillsides to Brahmour. Once the capital of
Chamba state, the town is noted for its many ancient
temples. In the past it was regarded as second only
to Kashmir as a cultural centre of the Western Himalaya
. A busy and culturally interesting town, which is
a main pilgrimage, centre on the route to Mount Kailash
. You might camp overnight just outside the town.
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| DAY
09: DRIVE TO DONALI, TREK TO DRAKUND. (8,000ft/2,438m)
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An hour's drive
down the valley takes you to Donali, 6,800ft/2,073m,
where you take to your feet again. A gradual six hour
walk up the banks of the Donali stream through small
hamlets leads you to Drakund. Here there is a forest
Rest House set in beautiful apple orchards. Built
in the times of the Raj, it is now rarely used, and
if you are lucky you may be able to overnight here
otherwise you will camp nearby.
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| DAY
10: TREK TO BASE OF MINKIANNI PASS
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You walk through
alpine forests following
the trails of the Gaddi shepherds until you reach
the base of the Minkianni
pass, 10,800ft/3,292m. This is an important place
of worship for the local shepherds
because of the sacred 'wishing wells', a trio of nearby
small lakes; Lam Dal, Nag Dal and
Chanderkup. By now you are back into real mountain
country and surrounded on three sides
by peaks. Camp overnight here.
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| DAY
11: CROSS MINKIANNI PASS.
(14,200ft/4,328m),
TREK TO NOLI (7,000ft/2,133m) |
It is a steady
one hour ascent to the top of the Minkianni pass.
You take a packed lunch on the way and enjoy the panoramic
view of the Pir Panjal range of mountains. From the
pass you scramble along the ridge for half an hour
to gain excellent views of the higher peaks of the
Greater Himalaya, 30 miles distant. The 8 hour descent
takes you to Kereri meadow (10,500ft/3,200m), where
there is a wooden Shiva temple and small lakes. You
walk towards Kangra valley along little-known shepherd
trails through oak, pine and rhododendron forests
and camp at Noli, close to a Hindu village.
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| DAY
12: TREK TO DHARAMKOT (7,200ft/2,194m)
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Your final short
day's trek takes you down fertile valleys with cultivated
terraced fields and village hamlets until you climb
up to reach Dharamkot - a protected nature reserve
and home to the Butterworth family. Your night's accommodation
will be in stone cottages or camping.
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| DAY
13: AT LEISURE, VISIT DHARAMSALA |
In the morning
you are free to explore, or a guided tour of the Dalai
Lama's Temple and the Tibetan Museum/Library
may be arranged.
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