Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Let the Silence Speak at Rewalsar

There are certain places you visit during a journey unplanned. On the spur of the moment. It is only after being to these spots that you realize how worthwhile it was to visit them. Rewalsar was one such destination for us. We visited it in the summer of year 2007.

We had just one day left as our holidays drew to a close. We drove down to Rewalsar, about 25 kms from Mandi, on our way back from Manali with no big surprises/plans in mind. I had only heard of a lake and few monasteries around it.

In the month of May, the weather was warm and sunny on the road to Rewalsar, quite different from the weather in Manali. There had been some showers in the valley (which meant a thin layer of ice up in Rohtang).

As we came down, the hills shrunk and the greenery on top of the hills grew less. There were no more apple orchards lining the road. Just regular vegetation that reminded me I was approaching Delhi and the vacation was ending.

But the moment we entered Rewalsar, a small town in Mandi district, my mood changed. Was it a historical town? Or a grand location? Not exactly. But the interesting mixed population of the town struck me first. There were monks, playful Tibetans youth/kids, a few Himachali people and probably an equal number of foreigners.

The lanes were just wide enough to fit a medium-sized car, else you would run into a monastery. In a few minutes, I was able to figure out that the entire town was hardly a few metres across and then the lake began. The lake was sombre, green, and so peaceful. Even ripples created by wind ruffled its surface.

A lake Stay


We soon checked into a HPTDC hotel, which matched the calmness of the lake and town. The hotel was clean and has basic amenities in true sarkari (government) style. If you are not too much of a city slicker you would love the place.

We chose a corner room, which offered a colourful view of the town and a giant statue of Lord Buddha. I suddenly realised that my physical and mental fatigue had eased. I was ready to embark on a walk in the town.

We were advised to shut our rooms to keep our belongings safe from mischievous monkeys, who lived just a floor above, over the slanting roof of the hotel and adjoining trees.

The hotel clerk also told us that we did not need to waste eight hours a night sleeping because the silence of the town was so magical one could feel recharged in just four or five hours.

I completely agreed with him.

We decided to go for a walk. You don't need a car to get around town; it would be just a 10 minute drive. Close to the HPTDC hotel was Hotel Lotus Lake. This hotel, we discovered, was rather nice and modern. Most of the people staying there were tourists. They were all over the hotel -- eating Maggi noodles in the cafe, reading novels and praying.

Apart from the life around the lake one has to also take a look at the life inside the lake. The lake swarmed with fish which you cannot see unless you open up a pack of biscuits or offer them atta balls, available locally. They are considered holy fish and nobody is allowed to hook them or drink water from the lake.

The locals vouch for the holy nature of the lake -- if you pray here with a true heart your wishes are fulfilled. You cannot complete a visit to the lake without visiting the Lomas Rishi temple. The pujari told us that the name Rewalsar came from names of Rishi Putri Rewa and Lomas Rishi.

Kuntikund, Naina Devi Temple, and yet another monastery on the peak

Seven kms from Rewalsar was a web of lakes, which were full during the rainy season. A local told us that these lakes are of different colours and came into being during the days of the Mahabharata, when Arjun shot an arrow to fetch water for Kunti. We could not go there because a heavy downpour was expected.

The road will guide you to another monastery and a Naina Devi temple, which is thronged by Himachali during Navratris. The monastery was even calmer than those at Rewalsar lake. When we reached a few old ladies guided us to a dark cave in which a huge statue of Lord Buddha was seated. For once in my life, the silence deafened my ears.

By the time we returned to the hotel after our grand round of Rewalsar it was five. We were famished and decided to go the Tibet way. Unless you are missing parathas, rajma and similar Indian fare you will find the thupka, noodles and momos quite satisfying. It was a wonderful end to a lovely day

And by nightfall I was ready to stay in Rewalsar forever.

A few facts

Rewalsar is located at an altitude of 4,100 feet, south-west of Mandi in Himachal Pradesh. You can book the hotel in advance at HPTDC office (www.hptdc.nic.in). The hotel also offers sleeping quarters for drivers.

Try the various Tibetan shops for local souvenirs, T-shirts, prayer wheels, malas

Behind HPTDC hotel is a local market for mithai fruits, vegetables and hand-made shoes.

Lastly an early morning walk around the lake, with the background of chants in the monasteries around, is extremely soothing.


Our Fancy Trips to the Jim Corbett National Park

When the city-life makes us breathless, we run for cover to the nearest haven, the Jim Corbett national park. The fun starts from booking tickets in Ranikhet Express, a train from from Delhi to Kathgodam, which has limited coaches for Ram Nagar (a town about 9 kms farther from the Corbett territory). After boarding in from the Old Delhi Railway Station at about 10.45 p.m., the train reaches Ram Nagar at about 5 o’ clock in the morning. And, then the moment you move out the station, you start feeling a different breeze—fresh and chilly, that can never be replicated by an AC or a deo. The condition remains that you enjoy it in early morning.

Most of the hotels/resorts are located at Dhikuli. All hotels in this belt are rather expensive, but they do provide cozy and fancy living at the foothills of the jungle. Almost all the hotels have the Kosi river in their backdrop which just roars in its season (post-monsoon).

We prefer to stay in Tiger Camp, a very hospitable resort in Dhikuli. They arrange pick-up from the station in their Maruti Gyspies, which make the morning ride quite windy and an eye-opener (literally). But, yes if you are covered well, you may enjoy them. Tiger Camp provides cozy cottages to live. It is also worth mentioning the Golghar-based buffet dining they provide. The menu is mainly Indian, served with English convenience. Not sure if they mastered these facilities, but now almost every hotel in that ring boasts of cottages, river-view, and similar eating arrangement. However, the hotel also has a trademark guide (aka naturalist) named Dhanu. A seasoned jungle and bird-watching expert who just pours his passion into the profession. Do request him to host the evening slide-show arranged around the bonfire. His jungle stories, animal tales, and tiger encounters will certainly leave you more literate about animals, trees, and birds around.

You can make a schedule of 1.5 or 2 days to spend here. Given below are our five must-dos here.

1. A safari in the jungle - From the Dhikuli area, jungle safaris (limited in number) are arranged via the Bijrani gate every morning and evening. Keep your fingers crossed for spotting a tiger. The guides (compulsory with every jeep) may keep you hooked for sometime by showing the tiger pugmarks and scratches. However, be ready to see lots of langoors, deers, and birds, beyond zoo.

Note: For Safaris, permission need to be obtained from the forest deptt at the Bijrani gate. Since limited jeeps can go (every morning and evening), include this while booking your hotel in advance; they manage it better.

2. The Corbett museum – From Dhikuli, you may also plan a 2 hour trip to the Corbett Museum in Kaladhungi. This museum is at the place where the great hunter stayed. Apart from his small statue, you can enjoy an illustrated museum with information about Corbett and national parks and Geography in general. In the other room, you can see stuffed corpses of Tigers that were hunted decades ago and are now in preserved state.

3. The Garjia temple - On a way back from the jungle, do visit the Garjia temple. Located on a small hill, the temple is surrounded by the Kosi river. A lot of locals from nearby areas come to worship devi, who is also known to protect the temple from drowning during floods in the Kosi river. There is a very small Shiv temple under the hill as well. Do move inside for a dekko and blessings of course.

Few meters away across the river is the Bhairon temple. People visit this temple in the end; however, the way to the temple requires one to cross the river over a fragile bridge, made up of cement stacks.

4. Sitabani jungle – About 22 kms from Ram Nagar is a pristine forest area. You will rarely come across any animal other than monkeys and deers. However, this jungle is not for watching animals. Come here to see how silent, dense, and expanse a jungle can be. In fact, you must not conclude to have seen a jungle until you see this one. A dense green forest consisting of tress of sal, kattha, and many more. A long and bumpy ride will take you to a small desolate ashram and temple, where Sitaji is said to have spent her years with Luv and Kush, in exile. The temple is very quite and unique in every sense. Plan your trip in mid-afternoon here, as going back from the lonely jungle might seem challenging.

5. Walks to the Kosi river every morning and at the time of sunset are very relaxing. You will get addicted to the moods of the river and the noise it makes by hitting the stones and boulders.


We call this trip a fancy trip because a real jungle trip is not supposed to be that cozy. The Dhikuli-Ramnagar area is located on the outer boundaries of the Corbett forest area . To see some non-bookish real-time jungle activity, plan a visit in the Dhikala area. Enlivened by the Ramganga river (the lifeline of the entire jungle), you have better chances of spotting prized animals like tuskers and tigers. For planning a trip to Dhikala, see more details on the KMVN site.

Note: The jungle is closed for safaris during the monsoon season. The best time to visit is between November to April. However, don't be surprised to see full hotels on any odd weekend as well. Book your stay in advance.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

The thing about toy trains!


Our first trip together was to the Queen of Hills, Darjeeling. Apart from the usual sightseeing planned by the travel agent, we often walked down on our own to enjoy the locale. A walk on the winding alleys of Jhalphar road down to the Mall road used to be very engaging. I would always get lost in seeing the small tin and cement made houses, ladies doing chores, monks shopping around for household, those snappy Bangla-cum-English advertisements and ubiquitous Nathumal (a premium tea selling brand) billboards. And then, on one such day we reached the Ghoom station. There I saw something that will always remain a refreshing shot in my mind. The great Darjeeling Himalayan train was resting for a while. Back then, I was unaware of the heritage status of this train, but still I got attracted towards this small toy-like train; it was unlike any locomative I had seen so far. The ambiance set by the busy chowk and snow-clad Kanchanjunga hills complemented fully. The sleek train-track meandered through the circular slopes as bravely as a rickshaw pulls itself in a busy Chandni Chowk lane. It was near 5 o'clock in the evening. People flocked on the station to wind up their day with this journey. The hustle-bustle on the station invoked some feeling in me and I insisted to my husband to buy train tickets for us. While he moved to the ticket reception, I kept adoring the navy-blue coaches, where everyone was trying to make some space to fit in. I prayed to grab a window-seat from where I planned to watch the trimmed tea gardens. Will the train move slow or fast? Would there be any river in the way? And, will the train stop in a tea garden? Not sure. And, soon my husband waved to call me. I moved towards him, fearing that I would miss the train. By the time, we ended our talk, the train had already began moving. And, my window seat was already occupied because we never boarded in. My husband, who got me from Delhi (North India) to Darjeeling (East India) by an airline, arranged living in a four-star hotel, found the ticket little expensive. Each ticket costed 250 rupees!

Since then, he owed me a ride in a toy train. In the next year, we went to Simla-Chail. We tried hard to get a ticket from Shimla to Kalka in yet another celebrated toy train. But, in the peak of a tourist season, we proved a failure again. Instead, we traveled by a bus from which I saw the toy train off-and-on chuk-chukking along the green trees, over the small streams, and under the shady tunnels. I felt like a loser, like a second-grade hero of a Hindi film, who misses the heroin for all silly reasons.

I had given all my hopes to board into a toy train. I often saw the coverage of the Darjeeling Toy Train in the Discovery channel. I could do nothing more than seeing that program again and again.

Since then, I had been to Himachal couple of more times. I never missed to ask the locals about a toy train. "Is there any toy train connecting this place?" For my husband this remained a great regret... an ultimate dream in his to-do list. Last year, in December 2007, when we went to Kangra valley in Himachal, while discussing the itinerary with the driver, my husband just happened to ask him if there is any local train around... ahem... a t-o-y train. The driver went in a somber mode. I had already turned my face to the other side of car window. And, then he said, "Yes, I think you can board into Kangra Queen. I will buy you a ticket from station A and pick you further at station B." My heart jumped with joy! Is it real? Hope we get into this one. Amen! The driver made us sit into the 6 coach train from a sleepy little station called Haripur Guler and then picked us ahead, after an hour-long ride, at the Jwalamukhi Road station. The moment I stepped into the train, the memories of encroaching a window seat became all alive. We both got window seats facing each other, sharing our winner-like smiles in camera and in eyes. The train chugged along the Dhauladhar range, over thin bridges, on springy rivulets, across small villages which probably had this train as the sole connection with the rest of the world. We got down at the Jwalaji station, so happy that our co-passengers initially stared us and then walked out. We both had finally rided a toy train.
My husband passed me the tickets for throwing them in a bin. I intended to keep them in my Himachal memorabilia. And, then suddenly I saw the cost inscribed on a ticket, it read... 4 rupees! I looked at him, congratulated him on the awesome bargain that he made over three years. He simply told me, "the cost of tickets... 8 rupess, and the joy of riding the toy train... PRICELESS!