Samatva

Perfect setting for the soul. Baijnath

Baijnath, Temples of Himachal…16

Timeless, grand, picturesque, popular, clean and peaceful. Very few temples have the perfect mix that Baijnath has. It is the setting for the soul.

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It is perched 50 meters high from the undulating Palampur fields. The river Binduka cuts a shallow valley along the edge of the hills. The temple has a recorded and verified history of 800 years; and possibly a timeless one before that. Shiva is worshipped as the Lord of Physicians in Baijnath.

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The temple is about fifty feet tall, very grand for this region. The architecture is impressive, with several elements of temple design integrated. Unlike most other temples of Himachal, it also has two balconies at the ground level.

The sculptures are a delight. They are richly carved; and the style and proportions of the sculptures are very uncommon. A standing Nandi and a slightly kneeling Ganpati are wonderful. A dash of hibiscus on the Ganpati; that sight alone captures the joy of idol worship.

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It overlooks the entire Dauladhar range that rises from 500 odd meters to almost 5000 meters in a single vertical span. In between is the shallow valley with a gently flowing Binduka. There are only a few temples that can match the setting, like Kedarnath, Mahabalipuram, Tiruchendur, Somnath..

It is maintained by ASI, so there is a nice clear grassy perimeter; and photographs are allowed. The temple excels in cleanliness even for Himachal standards. The  calm of the temple is incredible even though it is on the highway.

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For a complete temple experience, Baijnath is one of the places to head to.  

I first went to Baijnath in Himachal with my in 2013. I have been there twice since then, once for gratitude and the second time with son; and there will be more times.

The region around has so much to offer; the grand paragliding experience at Bir, the tea estates (overrated) of Palampur, the calm of Kanbari ashram, and the temple stretches of Chamunda and Kangra. It is an endless list.

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Then the incredible views of Dhauladhar hills from Andretta. Then there is the Barot valley and its funicular which I hope to see one day. The piece de resistance is the toy train that runs from Joginder Nagar to Pathankot. The train travels through unparalleled (and totally underrated) variety of landscapes overlooking lakes, rivers, gorges, snowclad mountains. It is actually a train that transports, without the touristy character of other hill trains. 

If you have a chance to spend two or more days out of Delhi, head to Baijnath region. Gaggal airport of Dharamshala is 50 kms from Baijnath.

A short beautiful drive through tea gardens; and then you are at the perfect setting for your soul.

Coming out of Mud, Dhankar

Dhankar. Temples of Himachal….7.

Spiti is sparsely populated. It is part of a district that has 3 people per sq km that makes up for less than a percent of India’s density. I was sold on this area by one of the earliest outlook travellers books on Himachal. It had a trek called Spiti left bank trek. I stepped out with an ambition to do it solo.

Once I reached Spiti, I quickly gave up on the trek idea. The heights, landscape and desolation scared me off the solo idea. The trip became a slow travel over ten days or so. Dhankar was one of the stops.

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It is a monastery on a ridge line and makes for spectacular views. It is on a mud cliff, all sides and edges ragged by raging winds; and then snow that drags the mud down every season. It looks like a giant termite mound as a result. The location overlooks the confluence of two great rivers, Pin and Spiti, which eventually become the Sutlej.

I reached by afternoon and then ran into a small group of very serious young photographers from Karnataka. They use only the morning and evening sunlight and were maniacal in their attention to detail.

Next morning, they decided to climb up the mountain further to get an early morning shot of the monastery and I went along with them. The monastery itself is at about 12500 feet and we went some bit higher. The Sun slowly crept up on the ridge line and the shadows receded, lighting up the monastery.

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Dhankar has other distractions, a short hike to a mountaintop plateau with a lake. An abandoned Santro car, since towing it to Manali is not worth the salvage value, a really cost monastery hostel, budding monks and great food.

I also realised that Hrishikesh Sagar, one of the serious photographers, is a wonderful wildlife enthusiast, and his photos are a pleasure to see, everytime.

Coming out of Mud. Dhankar Monastery, Spiti, Himachal Pradesh

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Mataji, Mountains and Maggi, Dainkund

Dainkund. Temples of Himachal… 6.

There are several temples in Himachal on hilltops. Although they are neither grand nor popular, the location makes up for it.

Dainkund is one such temple. At about 9000 feet height, it is near Dalhousie, itself lesser visited than Dharamshala or Shimla. It is a nice family hike, not too strenuous for anyone; It offers a 180 degree plus view of Himalayas, if you are blessed with a clear day.

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Dainkund is a hilltop drive from Dalhousie till a fork, after which the road is controlled by armed forces. My guess is a radar station and missile defence. That makes it a perfect location for the Himalayan vista too.

Each morning a defence vehicle comes down the hills and clears the start of civilian traffic. It is a snaking drive up to another spot where all traffic is stopped. Then you start walking: a sharp climb to a ridge and then walk on a narrow ridge top. It snows heavily and the repeated tourist flow melts and hardens the snow making it slippery to walk. After about 45 minutes or so, you reach the temple. Like most of the traditions of Himachal, this is a Devi temple, for Phaloni Devi.

Dainkund gives you early snow, a short family hike, a great snowcap view, ridgewalk, and picture book maggi.

Mataji, Mountains and Maggi at, Dainkund, Dalhousie, Himachal

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