24/05/2018
Har-ki-Dun trek
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Har k i dun (Har – Shiva, Dun – Valley) means Valley of the Gods. In the far western frontier of Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand bordering Himachal Pradesh lies the Govind National Park that covers the watershed valleys of Rupin, Supin, Tons and Yamuna rivers. Har k i dun (12,000 ft) valley runs along the Supin River that leads to the beautiful Mt. Swargarohini (6,250m) group of peaks (I, II & III) and Jaundhar Glacier. Also to the east lies the Bandar Pooch massif, Mt. Kalanag (Black peak) and Ruinsara Taal (lake), to the west lies Maninda Taal and Rupin river valley and to the north lies Chitkul on Baspa river valley of Kinnaur district, Himachal Pradesh. This region provides a lot of options for trekking and climbing expedition like Rupin Pass, Borasu Pass, Maninda Taal, Satopanth Taal, Ruinsara Taal trek, Mt Kalanag, Satopanth and Swaragrohini peak expedition. The 25 km long Hark i Dun trek starts from Taluka with overnight stay at Osla (13 kms) and reaching Hark i Dun Camp site (12 kms) next day and further to Jaundhar Glacier and back. Other places covered during this trek are Gangani, Puani Garaat to Kalkatiyadhar.
It is an easy-to-moderate trail crossing wooden bridges, multiple streams, terraced wheat fields, ancient villages with rich history and mythology, unique wooden temple architectures, thick pine and rhododendron forests, lush green mountain meadows, and flower blooms. A spectacular view of snow clad mountains, glacier basins and moraine ridges make this count among the best and beautiful hiking trails in India and happens to be on the bucket list of the travelers and hikers all around the world.
Himalayan langurs, mountain goats, black bears, wild boars, deers, colorful monal (state bird of Uttarakhand) are found in this region.
Source: Google Maps, An ariel view of Hark i Doon Valley and Swargarohini peaks
Bramhakamal (Saussurea obvallata) a rare and legendary flowering plant is also native to the upper reaches of mountains. Another native is Keera Jari or Yarchagumba (Nepali), a fungus growing on caterpillar of Ghost Moth that is prized as “Himalayan Viagra” and sells for very high value. Locals are known to be using more than hundred species of Himalayan plants and herbs like Aesculus indica, Asparagus filicinus, Berberis chitria, Bidens biternata, Cannabis sativa, Cinnamomum tamala, Solanum ferox, Thalictrum foliolosum, Viola canescens, Zanthoxylum armatum etc for traditional Ayurvedic medicines and other uses. Wild Himalayan cannabis plants are found in abundance in and around Osla and one might see one of the local elders smoking cannabis using a traditional ‘Chillum’. At night, if the sky is clear, one can clearly see our Milky Way galaxy in all its glory and this might be a good time to capture some stunning photographs of the night sky and create night time-lapses.
This place boasts a rich unique history, folklores and cultural ethos that is both mystical and mysterious. There are two local tribes Jaunsar and Bawar who claim to be direct descendants of Pandavas and Kauravas of the ancient A***n – Kuru kingdom famous for India’s and world’s greatest poem “Mahabharat”. Their dialect is different from Garwahlis. Jaunsaris live in the lower altitudes and Bawar live in the upper snow clad remote villages. Bawar is a predominant tribal community having very limited social contact with the outside world that has enabled them to preserve their culture and traditions which have lured many famous historians and anthropologists for conducting research work in this region. The seeds of Hinduism were sowed in these valleys by the sages (Munis & Rishis of Vedic period) and dates back to Iron Ages (3000 – 10000 BC) and gave the world Spiritualism. This region hosts one of the very few temples dedicated to Duryodhana Maharaj from Mahabharata. The wooden Someswara temple was built at Osla by the people of this valley who still worship the Kauravas as their ancestors. It is believed that on the death of their king, Duryodhana, these people cried their eyes out and the river called ‘Tons’ or ‘Tamas’ or ‘Karmanashini’ was formed out of their tears! The end of Mahabharata war marks the beginning Kaliyuga period. The idol of Duryodhana is rotated for worshipping across several village (Jarkhol, Rekcha, Rala Sankri, Sauni, Saturi, and Panwari) temples during festivals. Naubati is the practice of traditional beating of drums thrice a day in respect of the beloved king. Jaunsari community reveres to ‘Mahasu Devta’ which is one of the principal deities of Jaunsari tribes Notable local festivals include Magh Mela and Bissu that marks the harvesting period. The local people wear colorful ethnic dresses ‘Thalka’ or ‘Lohiya’ (long coat), sing melodious folk music, Rajput priests, Sayanas (village headman) join and Bagjis play dhol (drums) and perform folk dances like Barada Nati, Harul and Raso and entire villages take part in religious processions. During Magh Mela villagers sacrifice ‘Maroj’ to their deity as according to a local legend it is believed that Maroj haunted in the valley for years. Age old culture and rituals like polygamy and polyandry and occult were found to be in practice until recently although not common now. Their culture tends to be more liberal and their women enjoy greater freedom of choosing their husbands and divorcing. Another practice is when groom’s family need to pay a price for the bride unlike the dowry system prevalent on other Hindu communities. They religious belief is “Athithi Devo Bhava” meaning “Guest is equivalent to God” which can be easily surmised in the gracious way they welcome their guests and play perfect hosts. The simplicity of these people and charm of easy going slow placed village life is a pleasant sight for tourists to enjoy far from the madding crowd of city life.
Last but not the least it is debatable if Mt Swargarohini (Path to Heaven) is the actual mountain Pandavas took in their attempt to reach Heaven along with a dog (Yamaraj in disguise) where while others perished, only Yudhistira the eldest brother could make it. Although, Hindu mythology claims that it was Mount Sumeru that remains hidden in some other dimension during the Kali Yuga period.
So there’s a lot to explore and discover in the myths that remain associated with places in this Trek apart from the stunning views of Himalayas making this trek very special.
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