bhakti kansara
THE WORLD THROUGH MY EYES
One of the famous trekking destinations of Himachal located in Parvati Valley
KHEERGANGA
[ Travel date : April 2017 ]
Kheerganga, one of the famous trekking destinations of Himachal, is located in Parvati valley at a height of about 2950m. This trekking is considered easy for beginners.
History / Indian Mythology:
It's a spiritual site where Shiva is said to have meditated for 3000 years. The hot springs at Kheerganga are extremely important for Hindu and Sikh pilgrims as well as many others who believe the waters have sacred healing properties.
If you are a beginner and want to start and experience trekking, Kheerganga will not fail to impress you. This 12-13 km trek (one way) which takes around 6-7 hours to reach the top has the best scenic views. While trekking, on one side there's a continuous stream of water flowing by, and on the other side, a series of big mountains as far as you can see, with snow at the top shining as the sunlight falls on it. The view and the sound of water feel very peaceful and relaxing.
Best Time to visit :
Kheerganga Trek can be done almost anytime throughout the year. The best time for the trek is between April to November except for the monsoon season, as the path can become very slippery and muddy.
So.. we went for a 2-day trek. We had our guide along with us, however, I saw many people going on their own as directions are provided almost at every point. There are multiple trekking routes for Kheerganga.
Day 1 : Manikaran
Woke up early at around 4 AM in the morning. Our trek was going to start at around 11 AM from Kasol but since we also wanted to explore Manikaran, we started our journey early. It's around 3 hours of drive from Manali to Manikaran.
As soon as I arrive at a new place I forget that I had already declared someplace my favorite - this happens when you are visiting the northern part of India. You don't know when you come across the most beautiful views. Manikaran was no different. It is located in the Parvati Valley of Kullu district. It is a pilgrimage center for Hindus and Sikhs.
One of the prominent views you will find in this place is around the bridge over the Parvati river. This place is also known for its hot water springs, temples, and gurudwaras.
Since we reached early in the morning around 7 AM, prayers were going on in about all the temples. The atmosphere and feel of this place are unbeatable. The sound of water flowing by mixed with that of the prayers and ringing bells adds to the vibes one gets here. We did our prayers in the temple and also visited the famous Gurudwara where you can often see pilgrims cooking rice and lentils in cloth pouches.
Strolling around this place - carrying all of my luggage was also one of the embarrassing moments I had. We checked out of our hotel and had to carry the luggage along with us. For an hour or two, it felt like we were homeless :P
Our guide picked us from Manikaran, it was about an hour-long route from there. As we were reaching the starting point - Barshaini village, the excitement was just increasing and I had butterflies in my stomach while looking at the tall mountains and thinking about the journey ahead and how our trekking experience would be like.
Around 8 AM, we were searching for a place to have breakfast. Since it was too early in the morning, most of the shops were yet to open but then we came across one shop where an old lady invited us in a very pleasant manner. Maybe she understood how hungry we were by just looking at our faces and called us. We had some "Aloo paratha" and "Chai".
It is recommended to start your trek by 8-10 AM so that you can reach Kheerganga before sunset.
Barshaini village is the starting point of the Kheerganga trek. One of the highlights of this place is a small dam on the Parvati river that was under construction at that time.
So we started our trek along with our guide, he made us keep unnecessary luggage in the car itself. We carried only a single backpack and water bottle needed on our way.
Although it was the month of May and the sun was just above us, but the wind was very cold due to the river running between the mountains and because we were at a high altitude.
As we made our way, we passed by many villages, where people living their simple life, doing usual activities.
Hikers who were returning from Kheerganga told us just one thing: "Long way to go. Good luck!". Yes, we got a little worried after hearing it, but still, we were excited.
After approximately 1 hour of slow walking, there was a high and steep road a bit exhausting, but our guide made sure don't stop and delay our trek :P
The initial route is z-shaped, and you can still see the Parbati dam even after 1 hour of trekking. Believe me, you will feel like even after you have walked so far, you are still at the same point :D
This journey gave me an entirely new experience and helped me to discover who I am and who I want to be.
Every time I travel to a new place makes me realize that there is something amazing about this world, there’s so much more than what we see every day & that there is so much we haven’t seen & may never get to. So much that we can only feel if we take that step to try something new.
But then you will arrive at a village and from where the whole landscape will change.
While wandering through the beautiful scenery, you will enjoy the majestic sights of nature.
When we arrived at the village, I was just tired and sat for some time on a bench. An 80-year-old uncle was sitting in front of me, he was very calm, joyful and started talking to us. He offered water and asked if we would like to eat something. He made us laugh with his jokes and also asked us what we were doing, where we were, and what brought us to this place. When he asked us a question t"Why do you people like to live in a crowded city? Look at us, we live here in such a peaceful place with all we need." Trust me, that question made me think for a while.
Later, we said goodbye to him. He gave us his blessings and we carried on our journey.
After crossing the village, we stopped at a small dhaba for lunch. Finally... some rest for a while. When we arrived, the uncle and aunt who owned the Dhaba, made us lunch. I was very keen to see that how they were actually managing the resources they need to run the Dhaba in such a remote area. They prepared us a delicious home-cooked lunch and were also happy to see that we really enjoyed the food.
We resumed our journey, and as we made our way upward, we could hear the Parvati and Tosh rivers flowing down through the mountains.
A few kilometers further, you reach the waterfall, it's one of the famous points that you will find midway through the trekking. You can relax here too and enjoy the sight and noise of the waterfall. Play around in the waterfall for a bit and you can resume your trek.
Later, as we progressed, the scene was completely changed, and it seemed that we were crossing a rainforest with huge pine trees, so large and wide that the sun became completely hidden and sunlight barely reached us through them. I fully enjoyed this jungle trail and the ascent was also fairly minimal.
As we were almost at the top, I was totally tired and my legs began to tremble as well due to continuous trekking for 6 hours, and were almost losing my patience to get to the top. I literally asked my guide like 50 times, how long it would take. It was already 5 PM and I also wanted to see the sunset from up there.
With a completely tired face and the thought that I do not know how long I must walk now, just then, we reached the summit. And as I looked at the clouds, the sun, and the view of this place all I wanted was my "chai" and sit anywhere and watch the sunset.
As soon as we sat down and ordered our tea, this little girl called Khushi came running toward me. She was a very playful daughter of the owner. It was fun to play and talk to her.
I can tell you that it was the first trip of my life, where I interacted with the locals and had fun. Made me want to do this wherever I go.
If you remember, initially I told you that Kheerganga is also famous for its hot spring. There is a small temple and a hot spring which you can visit.
Though I was barely able to walk after reaching the top, still there's no way I would have missed hot spring, and trust me when I say this, after such a long and tiresome trek, this warm spring is the best therapy to free all the pain of your body. It was my first time at the hot spring and it was one of the best moments of this journey.
After taking a refreshing dip in the hot spring that I did not want to leave, we went to eat because we were very hungry. We sat and watched the lovely sunset from a place that will make you feel completely disconnected from the world.
We sat down near the campfire because it began to feel colder as the sun gradually set and the moon came out spreading the light all around with hundreds and thousands of stars accompanying it. A group of people playing guitar and singing songs made the ambiance of the place more enjoyable and soothing. Listening to it, talking about random life experiences, gazing at the beautiful stars, and enjoying the vibe... what an end to a very tiring day.
Later, we had our dinner and headed to our tent. Frankly, I didn't want to sleep thinking it would be a waste of time and I just wanted to do stargazing all night, but since I was very tired and we had to go back to Barshaini the next day, we had to take some rest.
Spending a night in this small tent was one hell of an experience, the temperature decreasing as night gradually passing, utter silence in the mountains such that even the slightest sounds were clearly audible. At midnight, we woke up frightened because a horse was grazing right next to our tent and as in the movies, the shadow was falling right on our tent and we were afraid that the horse might step on our tent. Not less than a scary experience :P
Day 2 : Returning back to Barshaini
We woke up in the morning with a lovely sunrise and meditative sounds of birds and trees as the wind blew.
We had breakfast and spent time watching and enjoying the view. I was wandering all over the place and clicking pictures. Then we said goodbye to this place and started our trek again back to Barshaini (the starting point).
When we came back to Barshaini, I had quite a mixed feeling - happiness (for experiencing such a beautiful journey), sadness (for ending this trip), and obviously tiredness (due to such a long trek). From there, our guide dropped us at the local bus stop. We returned to the main bus stop from where we had to take our bus for Delhi.
At the end of the day, we were completely exhausted and sleepy and headed back to our home with lots of memories and pictures to remember this journey by.
Ending this travel story with a quote that I would like to share with you all :
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
– P.S. I Love You (Movie)
Things to keep in mind during trekking :
Network connectivity will definitely be an issue. Only the BSNL network works the best and at some points Airtel. However, I find this as one of the advantages which helps me in being isolated from the world.
While trekking, only pack necessary things, avoid making your backpack heavy as 5-6 hours of the trek can be tiring if you are carrying a heavy load.
Keep a water bottle with you during the trek to avoid buying plastic bottles on the way.
If going in rainy/snowy weather, make sure to keep a poncho along with you, as you won't be able to stop anywhere in between.
Don't wear normal sport shoes, if possible. Wear trekking shoes, as in between there are muddy roads and slippery/edgy routes where you might get a trip or fall.