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
Perfect setting for the soul. Baijnath
Sun Temple of Sutlej Valley, Nirath
One of her kind, Bhimkali at Sarahan
Mataji, Mountains and Maggi, Dainkund
Hatkoti, on its own
Land’s end at Bharmour
The pleasure of doing nothing at Ki
Coming out of Mud, Dhankar
Variety of Manikiran
Philosophy at a glance, Kardang
Everyday life at Kali Bhari, Shimla
Hanumanji at hilltop, Shimla
Harmony lived each day, Triloknath
When the whole town is a temple, Kullu Dussehrah
Lake placid at Renukaji
The perspective of Buddha, Langza
Hatkoti, on its own
Hatkoti, Temples of Himachal… 5.
Shimla is over visited, so is Dehradun-Mussourie. Surprisingly, the region between Shimla and Dehradun is not. There are several routes, some as short as six hours.
Hatkoti is in one of them, a 100 odd kms east of Shimla. This is the start of the Yamuna river territory. Every drop of water that falls on this side finds its way to Yamuna and eventually to Allahabad and Varanasi and Bay of Bengal. The road passes through Karapathar: a hill station that Himachal tries to hide for its own good. You can see all the snow you want, and also leave behind the crowds of Kufri and Shimla.
Entrance gate of Hatkoti
The Hateshwari temple is at Hatkoti, where the road meets the river Pabbar. At Hatkoti, Pabbar opens up into a wide valley and the temple overlooks the valley and the rice plains.
On an idle day, there is so much to do around. You can wander in any direction and into any field as guests are assumed to be non threatening. There was a dam under construction and I even slithered up the spillway without anyone objecting. The depth of knowledge in the chit chat within the temple; the extent of their global awareness stunned my assumptions.
December Sun at Hatkoti
Gup Shup at Hatkoti Temple
Hatkoti temple, on its own
Guardians of Hatkoti
Shrines of Hatkoti
The route from Hatkoti towards Dehradun is bliss. It snakes along the Pabbar river at level; jumps over the confluence of Tons and Pabbar; and then runs along the Tons for several miles. There is not an outside soul and no Gujarati, South Indian, Chinese Vaisnavi Dhaba. I stopped at the riverside and was served fresh milk tea, by a Gujjar family.
Temples, rivers and hospitality, Hatkoti, Himachal Pradesh
Pabbar river that meets Tons to flow into Yamuna eventually
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
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.
180 degree plus views from Dainkund
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
The lightest of new year snow at Dainkund
Maggi is made for mountains