Hidden Himachal: Rajgarh

There are so many places in Himachal that the mainstream tourists do not visit or are not aware of.

Sheeps & Goats grazing in the fog covered forests near Rajgarh

One such place is Rajgarh, a small town located at an altitude of 1555 metres in the Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh. The town in itself has nothing to boast about but it is the surrounding areas that are bountiful in their nature and beauty. 

A fruit laden tree near Rajgarh in Sirmaur

Economically the area grows lots of peaches and in fact is also sometimes called the Peach country. 

Resin being extracted from the pine trees

There are wood and wood products like the resin and turpentine oil extracted from the pine trees. See the cone shaped receptacles attached to the trees in the above picture. Cuts are made on the bark of the tree and the resin that flows from it is collected in these receptacles.

A farmer carrying a tomatoes laden basket from the field

Also some commercial vegetables are grown in plenty like the tomatoes. 

A misty path near Bhuira village beckons you to its secrets

One can make Rajgarh a base for some beautiful treks including the Churdhar Wildlife Sanctuary. If you are with family and do not have the skills or options for a longer trek then you can do small day treks for which the area has plenty of options like going to the Bhuira area (Yes the famous Himachal jam maker Bhuira is from this region) or the Bhat-ka-Saina with beautiful meadows all around. 

A fairy tale picture? This is Rajgarh in Sirmaur

As the altitude is such that the pines are in plenty but the deodars have also started (though not big ones) the effect in the mist is beautiful.

A beautiful meadow near Rajgarh, Sirmaur

I went to Rajgarh close to Monsoon, 1st July. It was drizzling mildly and thus it was perfect weather. The other advantage was that we got Off-Season discount in the HPTDC hotel. 

A plant with multi-coloured stem

One could see all kinds of vegetation growing in the wild like the multi-coloured stem of this plant trying to camouflage itself in the surrounding area. The area was full of wild flowers. 

Wild Blue Berries near Rajgarh

I also saw several berries including the blue and black berries. Sometimes I felt as if I was walking in the clouds and at other times as if I was walking above the clouds. 

Wild flowering plant with water droplets 

The fog and the mist added to the surreal beauty of the place. The water droplets on the leaves after the rains were shimmering like diamonds. 

A fairy tale house?

However, in terms of food joints Rajgarh is not the right place. There are few eateries in town. The town has practically nothing interesting to offer. The Tourist Inn run by Himachal Tourism is located at a height. It has decent rooms with view of the nearby hills. It serves decent food. On the positive side, its rates are much less than the more popular tourist destinations in Himachal.

How to reach Rajgarh: Rajgarh is about 340 kms from Delhi, 100 kms from Chandigarh and 39 kms from Solan. One has to leave the Chandigarh - Shimla national highway 22 at Solan and take a State Highway road for Rajgarh via Ochhghat and Giripul.

Also read:
Rajgarh: Pretty as a Peach?
Around Rajgarh in Himachal Pradesh
Wild Flowers of Rajgarh
Wildlife in Rajgarh

Dalhousie - Kalatop - Khajiar - Chamba Winter Trek

Though I have done this winter trek long time back it is only now while rummaging through some old photographs that I decided to write about it. One can reach Dalhousie, a hill station in Himachal by taking a train from Delhi to Pathankot and then by bus or taxis from there onward. There are plenty of options to stay in Dalhousie as this is a hill station catering to tourists coming round the year from the plains. I have on various occasions stayed in the Youth Hostel as well as HPTDC run hotels like Geetanjali. Dalhousie is located at 6800 feet above sea level so in summers also you get cool weather here.

First day of the trek started from Dalhousie. Initially there was no snow but snow patches started immediately after us leaving the town and it kept increasing the farther we went towards Lakkadmandi which is about 10 kms from Dalhousie.

Chocolate covered with cream!

The fresh snow on the stones were giving the impression as if chocolate has been covered by white cream.

We finally stopped at Lakkadmandi at a tea shop as there was no other accommodation there. The tea shop guy offered two rooms upstairs where the whole team slept like a pack of sardines but nobody minded as everyone slept soundly as they were all dog tired after whole day of trekking.

Snow covered terraced fields 

Three kilometers from Lakkadmnadi is the Kalatop Rest House. The walk from Lakkadmandi to the Kalatop is beautiful and is part of the Kalatop-Khajjiar Reserve forest. For booking the Rest House one has the contact the Divisional Forest Officer, Wildlife, Chamba. The first time I was not able to go to the Kalatop proper as I was with a big group and the snow was several feet deep. It was only on another trip that I trekked the reserve forest and even spotted several rare birds and animals inside the reserve.

Snow trek

Next day we all had Alloo paranthas in the morning prepared as a team work and started on the trek. The snow was now even deeper and at several places became thigh deep and was tiring for the ones leading the trek or for those for whom a snow trek was a first time experience (which it was for most).

Time to take a break and enjoy nature

Closer to Khajjiar the snow became less and less as we were going down in altitude.

Khajjiar Lake

Khajjiar lake is saucer shaped surrounded by deodar trees. Over the years the lake has shrunk. It is a really beautiful place which has been a location of shooting of lot of Bollywood films in the earlier years. I liked the winter time better than summers as there are sometimes too many tourist in summers.

Frost at Khajjiar

Khajjiar is also known as the 'Mini Switzerland' of India. The place and surrounding areas is now also a venue for paragliding. At Khajjiar for those who are interested there is horse riding available.

View of the snow capped mountains in Chamba district

The route after Kahjjiar towards Chamba is all downhill - infact too downhill. I like climbing and not descending as after some time of steep descends ones knees start shaking. The route became a bit tortuous as this part of the stretch was not only long but was completely downhill and therefore warmer also. Chamba  is located at an altitude of 3268 ft.

Overall the trek was enjoyable. On reaching Chamba town we stayed at hotel Iravati maintained by the HPTDC. The main sight seeing places in this ancient town are the Laxmi Naryan temple complex, the Chowgan, Bhuri Singh museum, St Andrew's church. But I will write about Chamba proper in another blog post later.

(Some of the above photographs have not been necessarily taken by me as we were moving in a group sharing photos and cameras!)

Flora at Renuka

Renuka does not only have a rich fauna but equally a rich flora also. I went there when it is not really a flowering season but still there were several flowering plants and trees. Also there were several kind of creepers as well as water plants. 

In abundance were these red, orange and yellowish flowering plants with a height of 5-10 foot.

Red and Orange flowers

Around the Renuka lake there are trees with huge girths denoting that they are quite old trees.

A huge tree with multiple trunks

Some of the creepers make very beautiful patterns. The creepers would climb any tree be it the Dates or any other tree with a strong trunk.

A creeper on a Date tree

Then there were beautiful water flowers growing in the lake itself.

Beautiful White small flowers with big leaves

The Date trees I think are not part of the local ecology but has been planted there.

A monkey resting on a Date tree

The Renuka lake is located in the Sirmour district of Himachal Pradesh and the nearest town is Nahan.

General vegetation around the Renuka lake 

Renka has only one hotel by the same name itself run by the HPTDC whereas all other properties are at least three kilometers away.

Water on a Lotus leaf

The water in the lake is relatively clean though some parts of the lake are now being consumed by the silting and the weeds.

A creeper completely covering a tree

Renuka is a serene little place away from the hustle and bustle of the main tourist circuits.

White flowers and lemon like wild fruit

Best time to be at Renuka would be from October to March.

Wild flowers

Once you gain height above the Renuka lake the Pine trees start. At lowers heights these are small in size but become larger and larger with the increase in altitude. These are replaced by deodar once one reaches areas where in winters there is snowfall.

Pine trees

More red flowers with dense vegetation in the background.

Flowers

I would write on the aquatic life is another post.

Accommodation at Renuka

This post is subsequent to my earlier post wherein I had stated that I would write about the accommodation scenario in Renuka.

Renuka in itself has only one hotel and that is 'The Renuka' managed by the HPTDC which is a Himachal Government enterprise. The closest private hotels to Renuka lake are at least three kilometers away and therefore at least in location no hotel can beat The Renuka.

The Renuka hotel has two wings - One is the newer wing as can be seen in the photo below. It has good looks from outside and the bath and toilet facilities are modern. This wing also has the dining hall and the kitchen. But then the good points about this wing stop here. No mediocre architect also would have aligned the wing in such a position that the rooms do not face the lake! That is the travesty of the modern India. People do not know how to make rooms!

Newer wing of Hotel Renuka

Compared to this the older wing was built nearly 60 years back (that is where I stayed) which gives you the best view from all rooms (as well as if you sit outside the rooms) of the lake. I would give 10 out of 10 for the positioning of the rooms.

Older wing of Hotel Renuka

You can see the lake (see the photo below) right from where you are sitting throughput the day. The older wing actually was a Forest Rest House earlier and only later became Hotel Renuka.

View of the Renuka from my Room

The rooms in the older wing have very high ceilings compared to the new wing and have 'roshandaans' or high windows for light as well as cross ventilation of air so that even in summers one may not require an air-conditioner despite the fact that Renuka's altitude is not very high.

High ceiling Rooms

I would definitely recommend the old wing for staying because of all the reasons cited above. The only problematic thing in the old wing is that the toilets are 'Indian' in all rooms except one. Also in the hotel rooms though the TV with satellite facility is there but it hardly works (though this was a boon for me as I prefer not to watch the idiot box when I go out of Delhi).  

Boat as flower pot at Renuka

An interesting use of the boats that have now been discarded is that they have been turned into huge flower pots as can be seen in the photo above as well as below. The boat shaped flower pots in the photo below are not boats but are side attachments of a boat. These were diesel boats that used to pollute the lake.

Side attachments of boat as flowerpots at Renuka

Boating facility (only pedal boats - which is good for the lake) is available here though I feel it is expensive (Rs 300 to 500 for half an hour).

The food at the hotel is decent and not very spicy. The best bet for breakfast is 'Aloo Parantha'. I stayed there for six days (normally people stay either less than 24 hours!) as I wanted a leisurely holiday. Therefore, I found the menu 'limited'. The 'Sabudana Kheer' was prepared well.

Renuka - the Reclining Woman

In beginning of October this year as there were several holidays I decided to hit the mountains and as usual I decided not to go to too touristy a place. I went to Renuka lake located in Sirmour district of Himachal Pradesh. One has to take National Highway 72 from Ambala till Nahan. This distance is about 85 kilometers. The road condition is good and one enters Himachal at Kala Amb. After this one has to take a Major District Road till Renuka. Nahan to Renuka is about 40 kilometers. Some stretches of the road is not good but overall it is not bad.

It took me about eight hours of normal driving to reach Renuka from Delhi. At Renuka I stayed at hotel Renuka which is run by Himachal Tourism Development Corporation. The advantage of this hotel is its location as this is the only hotel located right next to the Renuka lake as one can see from the picture below taken from my room.

View of Renuka Lake from my hotel room

I will blog about the accommodation in another post. This is the biggest lake in Himachal situated at 672 meters above sea level and is named after goddess Renuka. According to the mythology this is the birth place of Lord Parshuram son of Renuka.

Reflections in the Lake

One can take a walk of the whole circumference of the lake, which would be a little over three kilometers. All around there is dense flora and a wild life sanctuary. Additionally boating facilities are available.

Two suns - sunset at Renuka Lake

The sunrise and sunsets, cloud permitting, could be beautiful.

The Renuka lake is supposedly having a shape of a reclining woman. As the shape is not visible at ground level I first drove several kilometers gaining altitude and then even trekked to get a glimpse of this reclining posture. With little bit of imagination mixed with reality (see the photo below) one can see that the shape of the lake is that of a woman reclining.

The Reclining Woman - Renuka

Unfortunately, the size of the lake is shrinking due to silting and weeds especially on the eastern side of the lake. The local authorities must take steps of rectify this else a beautiful place like this would one day cease to exist.

Kharapathar and Giri Ganga

I try and visit locations which are normally not frequented too much by the tourists and so I went to Kharapathar and Giri Ganga. Kharapathar is a small village about 85 kms from Shimla in the Pabbar valley and has scenic snow capped views, green dense forests, orchards and wild flowers.

Giri Ganga Resort, Kharapathar

I stayed at the Giri Ganga Resort run by the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) - a state government enterprise. The rooms are decent and give good views of the valley and the peaks.

View of the Snow Capped Peaks

Wild Flowers

Next day after a hearty breakfast I decided to take the trail leading to the source of Giri Ganga. The trail is approximately six to seven kms from the hotel one way. I packed a knapsack with water, snacks, chocolates etc  and started at Nine in the morning. The view on the trail is very good and you get a panoramic view of the snow capped peaks. If one wants one can drive right up to the top but if you are interested to do so make sure that you have a 4x4 with a high clearance vehicle.

Deodar Forests

The last one-third of the journey not only have denser forest but also the rocks are huge (some several hundred feet long). The path is along the pines first and later deodars and full of wild flowers.

A Water Snout on the trail

Flowers

Flowers

Flowers

 The Giri Ganga temple complex has five-six small temples of Durga, Shiva etc.

Giri Ganga Temple Complex

Durga Temple at Giri Ganga

The point where the Giri Ganga reemerges (presumably it originates at Kuppar peak and then vanishes and reemerges here. Also known as Giri, it later on merges with the river Yamuna. The actual point is quite hidden and most people presume the larger concrete pond to be the place instead of the actual one (photo given below)

The Source where the Giri Ganga Reemerges (presumably) 

The temple complex does not have even a tea stall leave aside any place to eat so it was just as well that I had carried some stuff with me. During pilgrim season I believe several pilgrims do visit the place so it is important that either a private enterprise or the state government comes up with a place to stay and as well as some eateries.