Finally a peek into the mighty Himalayas ...

Couple of months ago (though I am blogging about it now) I went trekking in Himachal Pradesh. The plan was to bird watch all along the path. And I added 70 new pics to my GALLERY. Yey! Okay, where did I go? First part was to trek up to Kareri Lake in the cradle of Dauladhars mainly looking for birds. And the second part was to reach Kaza and trek to 5 villages of Spiti Valley. Ohh! reaching Kaza-the base camp, itself was an adventure for the solo-first-timer with not much of info. The thrid part was, birding and wildlife viewing in the mountains of Kibber- Huff huff! Kareri Lake, though not too high above 10,000ft, was a refreshing trek amidst thick forest and boulders higher up. So more of bird life too. Big hairy Himalayan langurs were so beautiful. Their hair thick-long-straight-silky naturally worth considering for an expensive shampoo advertisement. And heeeee! spotted and photographed the shy Himalayan Monal. Thanks to my guide Arvind Sharma based in McLeodganj who is not only patient with his clients but also is a bird expert in Kangra Valley.

Hill Station- Shimla

After visiting Kullu-Manali, the popular Shimla cannot be left unvisited! Shimla, capital city of Himachal Pradesh, is a place everybody wants to visit. I wanted to visit Shimla so badly until I did one day. I took an HP state transport bus, the only bus that starts at 10:30PM, from Manali and traveled overnight. I had a reservation for window seat and unfortunately the window shutter had some problem. There was no lock and the shutter was sliding open. Oh! It was cold! My nose was numb and I was worried I might get a cold-burn on my nose! From the new bus stand I took a local bus to reach somewhere near the Mall Road paying Rs.5 where as the taxi costs Rs.250. From there walked up in search of budget hotels to stay. The Shimla city, located in the north-western range of Himalayas, is very cold. Well, it is the Queen of Hills at an altitude of 2,205m above MSL, owns a title Summer Capital ... and so is expected to be very cold in late October for a Bangalorean.

Off the beaten Track- Naggar

Naggar, 26KM from main town Kullu, is a calm and beautiful village in the Himalayan state, Himachal Pradesh. In ancient years it was the capital city of Kullu Kingdom. The castle and the rock temples prove this fact.

Yatra- Manikaran, The hot springs

In Himachal Pradesh, though Manali is honeymooner's paradise, Kullu is referred to as Valley of Gods. Nearby Kullu Valley is Parvati Valley where a small religious town called Manikaran resides, main attraction here being a hot springs in the beautiful landscape. The existence of many temples and a gurudwara indicate it is an important pilgrimage center for more than one religion. A half-a-day or day-long excursion from Manali.

Yatra- Kullu, The valley of Gods

Kullu in Himachal Pradesh, popularly known as Valley of Gods, is a beautiful open valley created by River Bias. Surrounded by the great Himalayan heights Kullu lies on the banks of River Beas. Visiting Kullu is not only for pilgrimage but also for some adventure! River Beas is very popular for white water rafting. Well then ... time to get on a raft! whoo hooo!

Yatra- Hidimba Devi temple in Manali

Hidimba Devi temple in Manali, Himachal Pradesh, the most popular among Hidimba temples. The most powerful being in Kullu Valley. The 500 year old Dhoongri temple is built with wood and has a wooden pagoda with three tapering roofs. The doors and the outer walls are carved very beautifully and intricately. The Hidimba Devi image is in a massive rock cave. The temple is one of the five sites awaiting to be added to UNESCO World Heritage Sites list.

Hill Station- Manali and up in Rothang Pass

Since my childhood I had heard about this Kullu-Manali package tours which honeymooners take ... because when I was very small my sister went for her honeymoon there ... since then I wanted to go to Kullu-Manali! Now was the time to explore the beautiful Himachal! I took a shared ride in a mini-van from Dharmashala to Manali. The drive in the night was a wonderful experience. It was dark, from the front seat only thing I could see in the headlights was the narrow road with pits and pot holes, blind curves, steep gradients, no street lights in most of the forest area! I reached Manali safe and sound early in the morning. After dealing with the agents I checked in to a hotel for 2N/3D package with food and 2.5 days shared tours for Rs.4000. For the quality of food, room and the tours it doesn't look expensive.

Heritage- Ancient temple of Masroor

It is strange that many who visit Dharmashala do not know about Masroor! What is here? ... 15 rock-cut temples which are built in Indo-Aryan style. The richly carved temples are protected monuments. The temple complex is awaiting the entry into the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list.

Heritage- Ancient city Kangra

Kangra, Himachal Pradesh is a historical town which is 18Km from Dharmashala. Once upon a time it was Nagarkot, the rich city founded by Chandravanshi Katoch Rajputs. It was a beautiful fort city of rich temples and vast treasure. Gazni Muhammad invaded the fort, looted the temples and took away the treasure as any other Muslim invader did. The Vajreshwari temple was the oldest and wealthiest temples in northern India. Gazni, and then Tughlaqs destroyed it along with the fort and the town. The temple is rebuilt and is still functioning. It is one of the Shaktipeethas. From Dharmashala I took a day-long excursion to Kangra and Masroor temples.

Cities- Dharmashala, Little Lhasa of India

Dharmashala, a hill station on the spur of mighty Dhauladhar Range is the district headquarters of Kangra. It is the temporary residence of His Holiness Dalai Lama and so gained international fame and is now popularly referred to as Little Lhasa of India.