This blog is about the experience that we, students of IIM Ahmedabad had for one of the peculiar courses offered in our institute. We couldn’t resist but to pen down our experiences and share it with our friends and family so that they don’t miss out on the wonderful opportunity that we had.
This year, as a part of our course we decided to trek the unexplored villages in Churah valley in Himachal Pradesh. The trek was organized by NotonMap (www.notonmap.com). The name of the organization itself added some curiosity in me towards the trek which turned out to be a life-changing event for me.
A little about NotOnMap:
NotonMap is an organisation which helps the travellers around the world to indulge and learn about the culture, experience the food and the hospitality of the real and incredible India. They have curated their itinerary from the local villagers to provide the travellers with breath-taking views and experience of Mother Nature. They provide homestays which are authentic and affordable and provides travellers with an opportunity to directly interact with the locals.
A little about Churah Valley:
The hidden valley of Himachal, Churah is located in the beautiful district of Chamba, Himachal Pradesh. It remains to be one of the roads less frequented by the travellers visiting Himachal. The Dazzling charm of this hidden valley will definitely prove to be an exceptional experience for those choosing this path less travelled.
Churah literally means four paths. From Bhanjaru, the central place of Churah valley from where paths lead to four different directions connecting Jammu and Kashmir. Indo-Greek silver coins in the Bhuri Singh museum proves that there must be a trade route through which Greek armed forces should have walked up the Indus valley in 326BC. Lack of publicity and proper communication has made this a difficult place for the tourists to spot.
Churah is famous for different kothis built by Rajas almost in each pargana. Kothis like Devi kothi, Sei kothi, thanei kothi, Ladan kothi etc were used as rest houses. The entire valley offers extraordinary perspectives of the mighty Pir Panjal ranges.
In short, Churah is an amazingly beautiful yet unexplored landscape with the rich culture and tradition still alive from ages.
We will now see some of the most important villages of churah valley which awestruck us during our trek. I will try to write it in the form of experience which I felt in my mind when I explored these places.
Bhanjraru:
Also known as Tissa, this village is at the heart of Churah valley. This was the very first village which we went to start our trip. NotonMap told us that the first day would be the difficult trek but yet one of the most rewarding treks that we would be having in our journey. The trek was from Tissa to Devikothi covering around 12km into the woods. Being the first day we began super-enthusiastically exploring into the woods and trekking on the less-travelled terrain regions. After about 30 mins of tedious trek and funny chitchats, the view that we came across just made us freeze there.
Instantly our mind became empty and we were just standing there still enjoying this beauty until people from behind asked us to move forward. But what we don’t know was that this was just a small trailer to the main picture which we were about to experience.
But the route from Tissa to Devikothi is not just about these beautiful mountains and sceneries. For people who love the adrenaline rush, this would be one of the best treks which I would recommend. At certain parts during the treks, there would be paths which would accommodate just your one foot. But believe me the scarier it gets the more fun you are going to experience. We had a great time in trekking through these paths and putting ourselves to the challenges that we are thrown with.
Post lunch, We continued with our trek for the rest of the day. Guess what. We were feasted again. The only difference is that this time the feast was by Nature. “A Waterfall”. That too in the middle of the roads!!. I have been to many hill stations before but have never seen such a scenic place. This place ended up to be our photo-shoot as everyone was busy taking their pictures to change their Facebook and Instagram DP.
To cut it short in a line – The first day of trekking was a combination of Beauty (sceneries and food) and the Beast (narrow paths and tedious trek)
Devi Kothi
The second day was composed of a tiring trek but it was relatively simple when compared to the first day. Because of its mesmerizing sceneries, Devikothi is rightly called as the “The Jewel of Churah Valley”. The mighty Chaini and Ali Pattan pass guard the northern frontiers of this village. The village is also famous for its shrine (temple) which encompasses the finest woods decorated with votive bells. The temple is surrounded by a green field and right close to the temple you would be able to find a viewpoint. Believe me: The view of an eagle circling around the clouds surrounded by the vast mountainous land brought me the most spectacular view I ever had.
We heard that there used to be some festival organised in the month of July for the pilgrim.
Followed by this feast for eyes we proceeded to trek forward towards the Bairagarh. This trek path was completely different from what we experienced on the first day of trek. The day’s trek was mostly on the meadow region with one or two pit stops in-between. If you are lucky you may even spot some horses in the meadow which would be a perfect moment for a picture.
The trek on the 3rd day from Devikothi to Bairagarh seemed to be pretty simple with just a few hurdles on the path. This is one of the best villages for short treks and overnight camping for the beginners. You can see some stunning scenes in this village which would make you want the view to be your desktop background.
The locals in this village are also very friendly and curious. There are quite a few homestays present in this village which attracts tourists to this place.
Mangli
The 4th day of our trek was one of the best and easiest treks we had on these 4 days. It was from Bairagarh to Mangli. Though the terrains were mostly flat, the long journey made the trek to look tiresome. On our way, we were able to spot some wonderful waterfalls which look scenic. The old hanging bridge across the waterfalls makes it a picturesque place.
After the tiring long walk, the reception we got at the Mangli village was refreshing. We were received by the local villagers with their traditional music and dance. We were asked to join their party and dance with them. The sound from their local music instruments was so soothing to the ears that you forget everything and start dancing to their tunes. Right from children to old people, everyone in the village joined the party and was dancing with us. The people were so enthusiastic when a girl from our team decided to go forward and learn their musical instruments.
It is not just nature which adds to the memories of the trip. Sometimes the local people do make a big part of our trip memories. For us, this was the scenario. Though there were many beautiful sceneries and stunning landscapes in the Churah valley, I would say it is the people in the village, which makes the experience more joyful. If you ask one thing which comes to the top of my mind, it would be the dance and the music party which we had at the Mangli village.
To the readers of this blog, I would highly recommend you to visit Churah valley and enjoy the experience of the mountains and local people. Homestay along with home cooked food is becoming popular in the region and organisations like NotonMap are constantly working towards creating a touristic feel to these unexplored places. If you are a travel enthusiast and looking for a place which gives you both the feel of adventure and pleasant views, then Churah is the place you would want to go.
In a nutshell, Churah valley is a place that becomes whatever you make of it.
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