Samatva
Byte Sized Travel Stories
people, places and stories.
nothing else.
just the trivial things.......
that make travel interesting....
and memorable

The perspective of Buddha, Langza

Sun Temple of Sutlej Valley, Nirath

Everyday life at Kali Bhari, Shimla

Hatkoti, on its own

Variety of Manikiran

Perfect setting for the soul. Baijnath

Mataji, Mountains and Maggi, Dainkund

When the whole town is a temple, Kullu Dussehrah

Coming out of Mud, Dhankar

Hanumanji at hilltop, Shimla

Lake placid at Renukaji

The pleasure of doing nothing at Ki

Land’s end at Bharmour

One of her kind, Bhimkali at Sarahan

Philosophy at a glance, Kardang

Harmony lived each day, Triloknath

Philosophy at a glance, Kardang
Kardang Monastery. Temples of Himachal … 4.
Kardang is one of the many monasteries in Keylong. Probably one of the oldest, the building has been rebuilt maybe several times. It looks quite modern despite being 900 years old.
It is across the Bagha river that flows fast, thin and deep. The walk requires either a steep trek down and up, crossing the river (or) a long winded drive which crosses the river further ahead at Tundi with a gentle, but long drop and climb.
The views across Keylong
Armed with a scooty, I chose the drive and by evening, reached the monastery. The monastery has several things to see, including the rock carvings that I unfortunately missed. However, the most striking part of the monastery is outside of it. A sitting Buddha, maybe three or four feet tall, made of sandstone that you could mistake to be from Orissa. The Buddha is seated on a pedestal that is chest high, with a small pot of plants next to him. He overlooks the snowy peaks of the north, Ladakh and beyond.
To gaze along Buddha’s line of vision is to live the entire Buddhist philosophy in a single moment. There is absolute nothingness in terms of civilization. The view jumps over all of Keylong, the grassy slopes above it, and the treeless rock faces further above. You see Buddha and then the sharp snow clad mountains at the distance, in one frame.
Few places summarise their philosophy in just the setting. Kardang is one such.
Kardang, across Keylong, Lahual, Himachal.
Grazing pastures near Kardang monastery
Views behind the Kardang Monastery
Keylond and its fields, from Kardang Monastery
The Bagha valley at Keylong

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.
Dhankar, the new and the ancient
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.
The landscape of Dhankar
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
Dhankar Fort that seems to just pop out of Mud
Budding monks at Dhankar Monastery

Harmony lived each day, Triloknath
Triloknath. Temples of Himachal…14
Triloknath is a small, but primary temple in Lahaul valley of Himachal. The valley is cut off for six months each year. The snow blocks the passes and the residents just live out the winter. Every now and then, a chopper addresses emergencies; and drops firewood when the winter sours. That will soon change as the tunnel near Manali will make it accessible all year.
The Chandrabagha, as Chenab is called in Lahaul, defines the Lahaul valley. A thin strip of green stretches on the sides of the river continuously. Then suddenly there is a sharp rock outcrop with a vertical face, almost as if someone worked on it. Across the river. Triloknath temple is on top of it.
It is a totally nondescript temple with a deep message. Its original identity is claimed as both Hindu and Buddhist, 1000 or 2000 years old. The deity is worshipped as Shiva by Hindus and as a bodhisattva by Buddhists. The form of worship defines harmony. There are both Hindu and Buddhist priests sitting together. The pujas alternate between the traditions every few hours. The festivals also keep flipping between Hindu, Buddhist and common festivals. This is not photo-op secularism but deep lived harmony.
Triloknath towers above the Chandrabagha valley
The landscape around adds to the harmony. There are stunning patches of greenery amidst the sand and rock face. Chenab snaking through the thin valley. Suspension bridges adding mystery to the landscape. Streams cutting through mountain passes to feed Chenab. I was happy riding a scooter and took more than 4 hours to cover the 40 km distance along the valley.
Lived harmony in the temples of Himachal. Triloknath.
Chenab Valley
Around Trilokanath in Lahaul
Farming at the riverfront of Chandrabagha
The many suspension bridges across Chandrabagha