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Kangra Altitude :
615m
Places Of Interest : Jawalamukhi,
Kangra Fort, Brajeshwari Temple
Best Time
To Visit : Mid-May To Mid-November
HOW TO
GET THERE
Road: Kangra is well connected by road with Dharamsala, which is 18-km away.
Rail: Nearest broad-gauge railhead at Pathankot is 86-km
away . Kangra Valley express is a narrow gauge train, starting
from Pathankot and continues to Bajinath.
Air: Kangra airport is
7-km away and has got straight flights from Delhi
How To Get
There:-
The airport
at Bhuntar is 10km from Kullu, where taxis and buses are available.
The closest narrow gauge railhead is at Jogindernager, 95km from
Kullu. By road, the distance from Delhi via Mandi is 530 km and
from Shimla this is 240km. From Delhi and Shimla, luxury buses
fly to Kullu.
In winter, the temperature gets quite low when heavy
woolens are required. It is pleasant in summer and cottons are
recommended.
Kullu (1220m) was once known as Kulanthpitha-
'the end of the habitable world'. Beyond rose the
forbidding heights of the Greater Himalayas, and by the banks
of the shining river Beas, lay the fabled 'Silver
Velley.' Kullu got its first motor able
access only after Independence. The long centuries of seclusion
have however allowed the area to retain a
considerable measure of its traditional charm. Here is the
core of an intricate web of numerous valleys each of which is a
visual delight and seems more beautiful than the other.
The 'Silver Valley' has nature's treasures that lie carelessly
scattered as flowers on the high meadows. Here are riches
which cannot be measured and echo down the ages with the words of
every myth and ancient legend- and glow in the warm smiles of
its gentle people. There is pleasure in every step you take in
these enchanted valleys and in every gurgle you hear in the clear
mountain streams.
Blessed with an abundance of Natural beauty,
the Kullu Valley, Himachal's prized tourist destination, is rightly
celebrated as the valley of the Gods. Nestled between the Dhauladhar
and Pir Panjal ranges, it is the cradle of the
great River Beas. About 80km long, this lush valley
extends from the gorge at Aut to the Rohtang pass. it harbours
forests, alpine meadows, gurgling rivulets and orchards laden
with fruit, and its Inhabitants are a joyful and
gentlepeople. Treat yourself to a glimpse of this
Himalayan paradise. Wander through the valley, succumb to its
Magical charms and discover Himachal at its best.
Places of Interest in and around
Kullu
Raghunath Temple:
In the 17th century, Raja Jagat Singh of Kulu
committed a great wrong. To atone for the sin he sent a senior
counter to Ayodhya for statue of Lord Raghunath- Lord Rama. This
temple was built by Raja Jagat Singh to house the image and
even today, is greatly revered.
Bijali
Mahadev (14
km)
There is a strange phenomenon of nature, every year
lightening takes place on a particular plateau. It is so forceful
that the entire locality around resounds with violent howl. What is
amazing is that no destruction takes place. According to a legend
Rudra, one of the great gods has to spit its anger in the form of
tremendous fire once an year which damaged earthly life and material
that the Saint Vashishitha approached Rudra to shun away the habit
but he was refused with the reason that that was the nature of Rudra
otherwise tremendous energy stored in the body would destroy Rudra
himself. It was decided that a particular place might be chosen for
that action and some of the great gods must come forward for the
rescue of the people suffering due to that fire as there was no
fault of the inhabitants living on that spot. Lord Shiva was
approached and was requested that several times he had rescued the
life on earth he might suggest some way to avoid unnecessary
destruction. Lord with a serious thought, agreed upon the proposal
and offered himself that he would bear all the consequences of the
lightening on his symbolic structure of Linga but after the
lightening some one from the locality have to give a healing touch
to the symbolic structure enshrined on the top of the hillock. Thus
the problem was sought out. This was the strange phenomenon that
Rudra was another aspect of Lord Shiva and Lord Shiva was there to
bear the consequences of his wrath. There is a hymn in Rigveda
(3/46/7)
"0
Rudra the lightening that apears on earth from the sky may leave us,
on This earth in peace". And there is another hymn:
"Swapivat," oh great god there are several cures in form of
medicinal herbs don's destroy this earth. "Swapivat" is term used
for self affliction. It was the fire emitted by lord Shiva and it
should be engulfed by himself only. There was no other god to face
the thrust of that energetic emittance. With the result that Rudra
himself came to rescue and absorbed the powerful thrust on himself
in the form of Linga which was erected on a hillock on the
confluence of Parvati and Beas. There is a small temple known as
Bijali Mahadev or Bijaleshwar. It is said that the tenure of
lightening was changed from an year to once in twelve years. the
people and the priest of the temple narrate that after every twelve
years phenomenon of lightening is repeated and the Linga
shatters into pieces which are colleted piece by piece and glued
together with the help of butter collected from the public. The
butter is pure one and the people themselves offer in bits. The
priest while chanting the hymns recreates the Linga by assembling
small pieces glued together with the butter collected in this way.
The butter leaves behind its melting point and solidifies as stone.
This is a strange phenomenon and the scientists are baffled that how
this metamorphosis takes place.
The
place is called as Mathana or Thamana which is situated at about
eight kilometres from the town of Kullu, at the height of about 9000
feet. There is a small temple erected on a plateau. It is a hill
style of temple and the main deity is of lord Shiva. One has to
climb a steep path to reach the temple. The narrow path twins along
the apple orchids and virtually ends on the top of the Kullu valley
overlooking the vast span of the lush green forests, the cascading
waters of Beas shimmering in the sun and the small box like huts as
if toys are placed in the lush green fields.
There
are a number of anecdotes prevalent in the valley about the mystic
aspects of Bijali Mahadev. According to one the deity was discovered
from a field while ploughing, The farmer took it along with him and
kept the image in his box of corn. It so happened that the
corn overflowed from the box the next day. The villagers were
astonished to see the phenomenon.
The
next day when a dumb cowboy was escorting the cows back from
the grazing site he found that a cow was missing. He searched for
her and was astonished to find that she was giving milk nearby a
rock. He tried to explain the strange process to the landlord but he
did not believe him. On the second day again cow was seen on
the same spot giving milk that the cowboy rushed to the house of the
landlord to show the family members the strange phenomenon but till
then the cow had returned. In the night, the landlord had a dream
that the image of Lord Shiva be installed on the place where the cow
voluntarily showed her Pleasantries. The landlord questioned the
validity and asked in the dream to the heavenly voice that he would
agree to the proposal provided the dumb cow boy gets his voice back.
According to the old men of the locality the cowboy got his voice
back the next day and returning from his toil he demanded the food
in his voice instead of gestures. Thus the temple of Bijali Mahadev
came into existence.
Nearby
the temple of Bijli Mahadev there are a number of other
religious places where the god rests a while before it is carried to
the assembly of the gods during Dushera. The
people from far and wide come there to offer their homage and get
their wishes fulfilled. Once in a year there use to be a fair where
the people from the locality and Kullu come there to participate in
the fare. There is a small inn by the side of temple where the
pilgrims can stay overnight.
[
Dr Ashok Jerath is the author of Hindu
Shrines of the
Western Himalayas]
Bajaura (15 km) :One
of the most charming temples in the Kullu valley, this
is renowned for its intricate stone carvings
Other Temples: The Vaishno Devi temple
(4 km) the Devi Jagannathi temple at Bekhi (5 km) and the Vishnu
temple at Dayar (12 km) are other important shrines around
Kulu.
Kaisdhar (15 km): A high meadow
fringed by deodar trees. A pictureque spot.
Kasol (42 km) : An open glade
by the banks of the river Paravti. Clean white sand separates the
lush green grass from the waters. A good spot for trout. Himachal
Tourism has a Tourist Hut here.
Manikaran (45km) :
At 1737 m, here are hot sulphur
springs that bubble next to the icy waters of the Parvati river. The
place is revered by both Hindus and Sikhs. Treks from here lead to
Pulga, Khirganga and Mantalai- a strech of considerable natural
beauty. The route finally reaches the Pin Parvati Pass (4802 m)
which opens into the Sutlej valley. At Manikaran Himachal Tourism
runs the Hotel Parvati.
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ROERICH Gallery
 Nicholas Roerich was a Russian-born artist who became
a cultural figure of global significance, a passionate
promoter through his art and writings of an increased
appreciation of the value to the world of the cultural
heritage of all nations, and of the ways in which this
appreciation can help to achieve peace in the
world.
"India, we know the depths
and the fineness of thy thoughts. We know the great OM which
leads to inexpressible heights. We know thy great
guiding spirit. India , we know thy ancient
wisdom, thy sacred scriptures in which is outlined the past,
present and the future. And we shall remem6er thee with the
same tremor as the most precious first flower on the spring
meadow."
These are words of
the Artist, Archaeologist, Explorer, Philosopher and Humanist,
Nicholas Roerich; born in St. Petersburg (Russia) on 9
October, 1874. Apostle of Beauty, Messenger of Culture, mighty
Warrior of the Spirit, Master of Himalayas -thus was Nicholas
Roerich called by some of his eminent contemporaries. His work
comprises around 7000 paintings and sketches, which can be
found in many famous museums and private collections all
around the world; he created stage decorations, designs and
costumes for the most acclaimed theatres and opera houses in
Europe and the USA; he is an author of a great number of
books, countless articles and essays. His deep love for world
culture has been materialized in the unfurling of the Roerich
International Banner of Peace. It's main task was to guard and
protect the lofty monuments of artistic and scientific
institutions and collections of the creative spirit of human
genius from the havoc of war and acts of barbarity. The Pact
was signed in 1935 in Washington by 21 countries in presence
of the President F. Roosevelt.
Under his leadership, several
institutions and organizations have been founded around the
world, the avowed purpose of them being promotion of art and
culture. After returning from Central Asiatic Expedition,
N. Roerich with his
family settled in Naggar, near Kullu in Himachal Pradesh and
spent here almost 20 years, full of incessant and creative
work. He painted high peaks of Himalayas, vast lands of
Central Asia and its peoples -their history, legends and
spiritual traditions. His canvases startle with harmony of
composition and amazing consonance of the colours.
"When I think of Nicholas Roerich
I am astounded at the scope and abundance of his activities
and creative genius. A great artist, a great scholar and
writer, archaeologist and explorer, he touched and lighted up
so many aspects of human endeavour. The very quantity is
stupendous-thousands of paintings and each one of them a great
work of art. When you look at these paintings, so many of them
of the Himalayas, you seem to catch the spirit of those great
mountains which have towered over the Indian plain and been
our sentinels for ages past. They remind us of spiritual
heritage so much not merely of the India of the past but of
something that is permanent and eternal about India, that we
cannot help feeling a great sense of indebtedness to Nicholas
Roerich who has enshrined that spirit in these magnificent
canvases.
Jawaharlal
Nehru
The
pursuit of refinement and beauty was sacred for Roerich. He
believed that although earthly temples and artifacts may
perish, the thought that brings them into existence does not
die but is part of an eternal stream of consciousness -- man's
aspirations nourished by his directed will and by the energy
of thought. Finally, he believed that peace on Earth was
a prerequisite to planetary survival and the continuing
process of spiritual evolution, and he exhorted his fellow man
to help achieve that peace by uniting in the common language
of Beauty and Nicholas Roerich died in Kullu on December
13, 1947. His body was cremated and its ashes buried on a
slope facing the mountains he loved and portrayed in many of
his nearly seven thousand works.
ROERICH
GALLERY
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Fishing and
Adventure
The
Kullu valley has numerous places for trout fishing. These include
Katrain, Raison, Kasol and
Naggar, then along the river Tirthan near Larji, in the Sainj Valley
and in the Hurla Khud.The valley is the nucleus of several trek
routes. Some major ones are over the Chander khani Pass
Kullu
Dussehra
When Dussehra celebrations come to an
end in the rest of the country, they begin at Kullu. Over 600 local
deities come to pay homage to Lord Raghunath. This is a time when
the valley is at its colourful best. to Malana, over the Jalori Pass
or Bashleo Pass to Shimla, and over the Pin Parvati Pass to
Sarahan
Pin Parvati Pass to
Sarahan
The river Beas offers
excellent opportunities for while water rafting.
Shopping: Shawls, local tweeds,
rugs ('namdas'), foot wear ('pullan'), baskets, natural oils (almond
and olive), caps.
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The Great Himalayan National
Park was set up in 1984 and comprises the valleys of the
Sainj and Tirthan, tributaries of the Beas. Read
more....
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