Samatva
Byte Sized Travel Stories
people, places and stories.
nothing else.
just the trivial things.......
that make travel interesting....
and memorable
- All (76)
- Footsteps of Rama (3)
- Himachal (16)
- Quiz (0)
- Temples (16)
Case 1
Resilience
Focus
Will Power
Olympics
Elementor #6683
Manifestations of Shiva
Republican Traditions
The Variety of Sankranti
Surya, A Solstice Quiz
Gurudwaras – Legends and Locations
Gurudwaras – Legends and Locations
Sun Temple of Sutlej Valley, Nirath
Variety of Manikiran
Mataji, Mountains and Maggi, Dainkund
Perfect setting for the soul. Baijnath
Land’s end at Bharmour
Philosophy at a glance, Kardang
The perspective of Buddha, Langza
Harmony lived each day, Triloknath
Hanumanji at hilltop, Shimla
The pleasure of doing nothing at Ki
Coming out of Mud, Dhankar
When the whole town is a temple, Kullu Dussehrah
Hatkoti, on its own
Lake placid at Renukaji
Everyday life at Kali Bhari, Shimla
One of her kind, Bhimkali at Sarahan
Everyday life at Kali Bhari, Shimla
Kali Bhari at Shimla. Temples of Himachal …10.
There are grand temples, there are popular temples and there are temples at great locations. Then there are some that are part of everyday life.
Kali Bari temple in Shimla is a part of the daily life. It is an interesting blend of native history and migration. Kali as Shyamala represents what is native, giving the city its name; and as Kali, gives identity to the Bengalis who accompanied the British into the city in its early years.
It is at the western end of the ridge, a few hundred meters after Scandal point where most tourists stop. My client in Shimla has a habit of walking to the temple every day, and I have accompanied him a few times.
The temple is grand because of this routine of its devotees. One June, we were at the temple when it had started raining heavily, The chill was unbearable and bare feet were making it worse. I took a glance from within the temple outside.
There is a small but open courtyard and you can look at all of Shimla from there. A bench if you are tired of the walking, a tiny oil lamp on the wall, shielded from the rain and snow; which must have been here since 1845. Then the sight of modernity – a solar lamp post. The sight of the bells in the background of dusk, create serenity. The locality is nothing such, but faith does create an oasis.
Everyday life at Kali Bari temple, Shimla
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
The perspective of Buddha, Langza
Langza. Temples of Himachal ….12
The river Spiti is the spine of the region and Kaza, the largest town. It is about 3800 meters altitude. The river valley is somewhat narrow and hardly has any vegetation along it. A number of villages rise up the valley at different heights. Each has a patch of land, some large, some small, that surprisingly is cultivable.
Langza is one such village. It has less than 150 people. It is at 4250 meters. It is a sharp climb from the valley on barren mountain face. The road snakes through gaps in the mountains and then it suddenly opens up to the vista. You can see tiny specks of the village and houses at a distance.
The first glance of Langza
The centrepiece of the village is the Buddha statue, giant, maybe 40 or 50 feet high. He overlooks the vast plains and it is difficult to get a sense of proportion with all that space. Right behind the Buddha is the 21000 feet Chau Chau mountain. With snow all around the year, it looks like a ice cream cone.
Buddha and Chau Chau mountain
There are a couple of houses that host guests. When I reached early afternoon there was no one around at the place I was planning to stay. A toddler asked me to settle down and said his dad will come in a while. Time kind of doesn’t make sense here and he eventually came, hosted, guided and cooked for me. The womenfolk are totally engrossed in the farm work and don’t waste a minute of sunshine in late summer. Langza is also known for fossils which I didn’t buy from the two women bent on selling to me. I should have. I had plans for Annapurna in the autumn and thought I’d buy them there. I should have bought some in Langza.
High street retail at Langza, Fossil sellers
Langza also leads up to Hikkim which the world’s highest post office; and further on to Komic which has a road at 4600 meters.
Langza and the Buddha, at 4250 meters, more than take the breath away. It is a different perspective.
Around Langza 
Around Langza 
Post office of Hikim
The landscape of Langza