Dharamshala

From a picturesque relic of a ruthless colonizing force, Dalhousie, and after the brief sojourn at Khajjiar, our  journey now moved on to a place which over the last few decades has come to symbolize the survival of an exiled nation against the iron fist dogma of an emerging superpower; Dharamshala.

A small bustling town, which embodies the characteristic flavor of Himachal, Dharamshala is known in the modern times as the refuge of Tibetan government banished by the Chinese government. The Tibetan people who migrated here have brought their culture along with them and one cannot help but notice this as we reach this place. A busy market filled with tourists welcomes you to this place which also known as Lower Dharamshala. A narrow, steeply climbing road leads to McLeodganj, also known as Upper Dharamshala. This is the place which has the residence of the Dalai Lama and the offices of the Tibetan government in exile. It is also the religious centre of the Buddhist faith, with the well known Namgyal monastery standing out among the various monasteries and temples dotting the landscape.

It was late in the afternoon when we reached upper Dharamshala. Asking our driver to rest, we set out to explore this place on foot. On walking for a few minutes we reached an entrance to a property which could be easily passed off as yet another touristy resort. But a closer look revealed that this place was having some of the offices of the Tibetan government. Nestled on a sloping hillside with a commanding view of the vast countryside, the quaint and peaceful surroundings added to the beauty of this place. To our sweet surprise, we found that this place also housed the ‘Library of Tibetan Works and Archives’ established by the Dalai Lama.

This library has a rich collection of Tibetan archives and artifacts. The third floor houses a museum which has some breathtaking carved models of monasteries on display along with many finely detailed paintings describing the Buddhist heritage. The caretaker was a sweet young lady who gave us information on the exhibits. An hour well spent indeed!

The Namgyal monastery was next on our list. A personal monastery of the Dalai Lama and place of religious significance, monks from all over converge here to offer their prayers. The place was abuzz with activity when we reached there. A candle march was about to enter the monastery. Though initially we could not figure out the cause behind this candle march, soon we found ourselves to be a part of this procession. It was twilight and we entered the monastery with the procession. Once inside, people gathered in a quadrangle which was surrounded by monastery building on three sides and a deep blue valley on the fourth side. It is here that we learnt that this peaceful protest was against the atrocities of the Chinese army on monks in a monastery in Tibet. The gruesome images on a poster exposed the dark side of a ‘progressive’ communist regime where human life and freedom is ruthlessly being slaughtered on the premise of progress.

Along with the crowd, we now sat down to listen to a sermon being delivered by the head monks. Sitting among a hundred people in a pin-drop silence and praying for peace was not something I was highly familiar with. But this experience here at Namgyal was something which bordered on the extraordinary.

The sermon ended with everyone placing their candles on a table and offering their prayers. Gradually the crowd thinned out and we had a chance to look around the monastery. Though only a limited section was open to public viewing, we could get a good look a golden statue of Buddha sitting on a beautifully decorated throne.

As we came out of the monastery, evening had given way to night and it was time to move on to our next destination, Manali. A few discussions down the line, we figured that night stay at Dharamshala was not working out as per schedule. So now we had to push on towards Kulu-Manali and cover as much distance as possible. A good few hours on the road, we finally could manage to pull in a decent hotel where we had food and crashed on the bed. Another eventful day had come to an end with some amazing experiences still fresh in our mind !!

Switzerland of India

The last post was on Dalhousie. The next leg of journey was Dharamshala. On the way our driver suggested that we should stop at Khajjiar. Not sure of what was in store, we decide to give it a try nonetheless. We reached a large meadow surrounded by trees on all sides with a small pond at its centre. An early start in the morning meant that we could spend an hour over here.

 

The pristine surroundings with misty blue peaks towering over the pine forests gave did give some credibility to our claim made by our driver-cum-guide that this place is also known as the ‘Switzerland of India’. Along the periphery of this meadow runs a stone path which touches the dense tree cover on one side and gives a splendid view of the glade on the other. While walking along this path one comes across a charming wooden cabin painted in white and which gives the impression that it has been ‘cut’ and ‘pasted’ there right out of a desktop wallpaper. A few ponies could be seen grazing on the grass near the pond along with many sheep. Images like these stay printed in the memory forever and this place does provide you with an eyeful.

A round of tea and biscuits and we were off on our way again. Through the hills, up and down the winding roads, with a glorious sunny day bringing out the best in the natural flora around us, our journey moved forward to a new place !!

From one heaven to another !!

Travelling in a land where the terrain is uneven means that the distance-speed-time calculations get thrown out of the window. The meandering roads, the alternating climbs and downward slopes reminded me of the concept in school Physics - the distance traveled is most often greater than the actual displacement. Here, it was a bit too much for one's liking. However, the awesome views and great weather did not give us much of chance to complain. Our next stop was Udhampur near Jammu from where we had to board the train for Pathankot. This place has the headquarters of the Northern command of the Indian military and serves as an important transit point between Jammu and Srinagar. Its a part of the Kashmir railway which is supposed to reach Baramulla throuh Srinagar by 2017. An engineering marvel indeed - running through mountain ranges with numerous small tunnels and bridges along the way till Jammu. From Jammu onwards, the terrain is less uneven as we enter into Punjab.

It was 8 pm when we reached Pathankot, waking up to a busy railway station. Thankfully a few cab rental outlets were still open near the station and we could soon hire a cab to move about in the Himachal for the next few days. The twisted road ensured that we could hardly sleep alont the way to Dalhousie. We were hoping to find a place in the Youth hostel of Dalhousie. With some luck we and planning we did manage to find a dorm room with bunker beds and soon crashed into them.

Youth hostel at Dalhousie

The morning sun shining through the window woke us up. The balcony offered a breathtaking view of the mountain ranges bathing in the sun right up till the point where they faded in the horizon. The light chill in the air was refreshing. After a breakfast of filling paranthas, we set out in our hired Indica for Khajjiar - supposedly the Switzerland of India. The road to Khajjiar goes winding up a hill. It got increasingly colder as we drove up and snow could be seen at places. Near the peak of the hill, our driver suggested that we try a trekking path. Enthusiastic as we'd been till them, we decided to give it a try. A few hundred feet in the jungle and we started to feel the gripping cold there. Courage was replaced by survival instinct as we unanimously decided to turn back to the car. Once in the open, we realised that hail had started coming down. It was the first time when I saw something solid fall down from the heavens. Soon, the hailstorm grew pretty heavy and we had to take shelter in the car. 

Sumit catching a few hailstones as they fell

Freeze !!

This is when it really started coming down..

Our driver started driving slowly only to find our car skidding on nearly an inch of ice that had formed on the road. We had a situation on our hand here !! Our driver warned us that going ahead could mean getting stuck in the middle of nowhere with snow all around. However, turning back wasn't the easiest thing to do. We were facing a downhill road with ice on it. To lighten up the load on the brakes of the car, we stepped out and walked along the car. The driver was steering the car very delicately. Its weight was enough to make it glide on the slick, grayish slab of ice. He almost ran off the road into the sloping hillside at one turn. To help the hassled driver, we picked up brick sized rocks and started walking ahead of the car. Our driver was to signal us to drop them in front of the wheels in case the car started slipping out of control. If one has ever carried a chunk of ice with bare hands, they'll understand how we felt while carrying these rocks. Holding them for a couple of minutes froze my hands. Yet, we needed to carry them for some distance. 

White roads anyone ??

This game is called 'Walk along the car'

Its raining snow !!

Can't get enough of it !!

Some disgruntled tourists !!

A white bedsheet !!

A fireplace in a shop !!

We heaved a sigh of relief when a few houses came in our sight. There were some shops around and one of them had a fireplace where the localites had gathered. Warming up our frozen hands near the fire, we were still soaking in the experience we just had. Thankfully, they had hot tea available and we gulped down 

(yes...gulped..before it froze) a few cups with biscuits!! A small liquor shop nearby helped us to warm ourselves with some Doctor's brandy. The snowfall had now subsided and we moved back to Dalhousie again. It was time to explore this beautiful small town nestled on sloping hillsides. 

The sun-basking mountain ranges !!

Houses nestled on the slopes !!

I hate power cables at such places..grrr !!

Spotless perfection !!

At the balcony of our room !!

In this whole trip, none of the places that we visited charmed me more than Dalhousie. It must have been a favorite of the British officers. The various Victorian styled villas add a touch of glamor to the narrow roads thickly lined with pines and firs. They are still well maintained look smartly decked up. Many a mountain path go up and down the slopes. There are quite a few churches too. Some are nestled in secluded woods - others near the bustling town center. One of the churches in the woods was closed for visitors and had quite a spooky aura about it. We retired to our rooms to catch up on some sleep.

One of the Victorian villas !!

One of the churches !!

Inside the church

Little puppy !!

Many a tourists had gathered at one of the busy chowks in the evening. There are many shops selling woolen clothes and souveneirs. We wandered around before settling for dinner. The experience of discovering a new place which tugs at your heart can be exhilarating. And with that comes the wish that this place would never change. With that wish in mind, it was time to blow off the candles for tonight !!

Srinagar - an unforgettable place

Its been a long time since the last post and this time I have outdone myself in procrastination. 'Need to be in the right frame of mind' can be a plausible excuse for not updating this blog regularly. By the way, all the pics in this blog have been captured by us and not 'dhaapo-fied' from the net !!

The last post was on Sonamarg. We came back to Srinagar by evening. Near Nishat Baug, on the banks of Dal lake, there many shops which sell dryfruits, saffron and other specialties of this region. We bought some saffron packed in tiny cases here. Nishat baug was built by Mughal rulers as recreational area for their Begums. This is a place frequented by the the youth of Kashmir - and by that I also mean a lot of children. There are stepped terraces which are laden with beautiful flowers of different varieties interlaced with lush grass. The place exudes grandeur by the fact that it overlooks the Dal lake with the mountain range turning cobalt blue in the evening light.

One can't really claim to have seen a place until you have eaten the local fare of that place. The dinner had been planned at a restaurant in the city and Irfan was more than happy to take us there in his auto. We hadn't done our research here and it was up to our friendly host-cum-autowallah Irfan to guide us on this culinary ride. He strongly persuaded to us try the 'Wazwan.' We had little idea how it would be apart from a little what we gathered from the waiter. It was supposed to be meat gravy with rice. We decided to give it a try nonetheless. And some delight it was!! It had the most succulent pieces of finely minced meat in a delectable dark red gravy I've had anywhere. Accompanied with the steaming basmati rice, it was food fit for royalty. Thankfully for us, Irfan later told us that we were having but a few dishes of what is supposed to be a seven course meal. With generous servings of the gravy - Rista as it is called, and the rice, it took some doing on our part to finish it. A lesson learnt for today - do a basic research before placing the order. On our way back, we found the city had shut shop for the day and there was hardly a soul to be seen on the road. The quite roads gave an unnerving feeling - a feeling of being watched !!

Back to the supposed safety of the hotel, it was time to plan ahead. Puneet, Sumeet and me worked on the the plans for the next few days, while Prathamesh checked his Outlook Inbox for mails on his laptop while uploading the pics of the day. A suggestion to budget travelers visting this place. Make sure your rooms get heated water even at wash basin. Washing hands in icy cold water can be a 'chilling' experience - not to mention the various other parts of the body.

Next morning, it was time to leave this place and head to Dalhousie in Himachal Pradesh. Before hopping into the van, we had a last look at the place and took in the atmosphere. The morning chill and shining sun giving it a magical touch. The feeling that we may never come back to this place again weighed on us. We started on our way to the Udhampur station. A new land awaited us !!

Sonamarg

Gulmarg left us asking for more of snow fun. Puneet as always had the entire plan chalked out. Now, Sonamarg can be thought of as a lesser famous cousin of Gulmarg - untouched, secluded and serene. We started out early, with the town still sleepy and shops just about opening for business. The placid Dal lake on the left side of the road reflected the purple mountains in its calm water. After filling our tummies with some heavy parathas at one of the Vaishnav dhabas, we were on the road again.

The placid Dal lake reflecting the snow-capped peaks

There is something surreal about this place. As if a master craftsman has worked on it with all his skill and passion (rather than delegating the job to his apprentice). We could now get glimpses of snow along the roadside. The snow cover got thicker by the minute as we moved towards Sonamarg. A small rivulet ran along the road and with snow melting along its banks. We couldn't resist the temptation to dip our feet in this rivulet. And man was it cold or what !!  We literally got 'cold feet' from freshly melted snow water. From here, the road ahead turned corners around some rock cliffs, which gave the appearance as if they were they cut by a giant hacksaw, their jagged edges jutting out of the surface. This glacier becomes inaccessible during the winter months. Luckily for us, it was April.

The Jhelum river

The rivulet which ran along the road

Snow melting into the rivulet !!

This is the Sonamarg glacier !!

From a point onwards, we could move ahead only on horseback. We bargained a deal with one of the local guides chasing us and soon were mounted on our steeds. It was a climb towards the glacier along a 4 feet wide mountain path. For once I wished I weighed a little less for the sake of the poor horsey !! The winding path took us towards a place which I can easily describe as the most beautiful place I have experienced till now. Snow covered mountains on all four sides, dark green pine trees and the clear blue sky above. The glacier is like a river of snow, but it flows a speed which is not detectable. It was time to leave the horses for a climb towards the glacier. Our guide led us from the front and we struggled behind him in the thick snow. We reached a point along the bank of the glacier and our guide would not let us go any further. He warned us that the snow ahead could be deep enough at places to pull you inside the white blanket. One needs dark goggles in the snow to prevent getting dazed from the light reflecting from the pure white snow all around. It was time for photos against some mesmerizing backdrops. Along the way, our guide showed us the bark of a tree which ancient scholars used as paper to write their scrolls upon.

After experiencing heavenly peace, it was time to descend down to earth. We had tea at a small makeshift stall and mounted our horses to make our way back to the road where all cars were parked. It was here while having lunch we learnt that this is one of the points where the Amarnath Yatris gather to proceed towards their destination. It was now past 3 pm in the afternoon and time to return to Srinagar before nightfall. We left the place our hearts full of admiration for the amazing beauty of nature which we had just experienced. The city had an eerie silence in the evening and last few shops were winding up for the day. Back in our hotel room, it was time to transfer the pics to Prathamesh's laptop. Irfan the autowallah took us to a local eatery where we had some good food. Another marvellous day had come to an end. Tomorrow was the day to leave this heaven on earth for the next stop on our journey !!!

Further posts coming up pretty soon !!

Gulmarg

We started out for Gulmarg early in the morning.  The 40km road from Srinagar to Gulmarg is bestowed with nature's abundance. Just as we leave the streets of Srinagar, one is greeted by the Jhelum river which flows along the road for a few kilometres of the road. On both sides of the road, the mountain ranges crowned with their snow-capped peaks stand guard. No wonder its called 'the Valley'.

The first feel of snow can be an exhilirating experience. We were as excited as 6-year old kids getting their first bicycles. There are many spots to visit in Gulmarg. Soon, we were surrounded by guides with their ponies. After some bargaining, we agreed on what we thought was a good deal (only to find out later that we were fleeced). Not being the types of those who grew up riding horses, I found the ride on the malnourished ponies pretty bumpy. But it was fun and offered many opportunities for Orkut-able pics (maybe Facebookable nowadays). Now, it seems pretty easy in the films, but believe you me, skiing is not for the faint-hearted (or for the weak-kneed either). That's what we found out the hard way by taking a few nasty falls on the slopes of Khillanmarg. In English, it means 'a place to play'. This place used to be the summer capital of the Prince of Kashmir state. It has some pretty bungalows made of pine wood. After a few cups of hot tea, we moved further on horseback (ok...ponyback). It was a trail through the pine woods with snow laden bushes along the way. Strange as it may seem, a church lies in the middle of a vast meadow here. Renovated in 2003, it exemplifies the adage that beauty comes in small packets. One is tempted to think that there couldn't be a more peaceful on earth. Only to be reminded by our guide that right across the fence at some distance is a heavily fortified military base of the Indian Army.

As afternoon turned to evening, we knew it was time to be on our way back. By nightfall, we were back in Srinagar, which wore an even more deserted look than during daytime. Under the suspecting eyes of the military patrols, we reached our hotel. It was now time to recharcge our batteries as had been on the go for quite some time now.