01/12/2024
Kumaon Ghumaun: A Day in Mura
Yesterday, our guests ventured into Mura, a remote village 25 kilometers beyond Mukteshwar, for a truly local experience. With just eight homes and about 100 residents, Mura is a quiet haven surrounded by terraced fields growing potatoes, radishes, maize, and peas.
They arrived at Suresh Ji’s traditional baakhli-style home, where his family was ready to host the group of 15. The sunny courtyard welcomed everyone, and the guests sank into the warmth, lounging on mats and steps. At the tour leaders’ request, fresh mattha (buttermilk), flavored with hill garlic salt, was served—a perfect refreshment under the sharp winter sun.
In their small wood-fired kitchen, Suresh Ji’s wife prepared lunch while the guests relaxed. Soon, a feast arrived: chaulai ka saag, smoky rajma dal, fresh radishes with hill salt, curd, steamed rice, and rotis slow-cooked over the fire. It was more than a meal; it was Kumaon’s soul on a plate—flavors of simplicity, hospitality, and the earth itself.
This is the essence of “Kumaon Ghumaun”—immersing in the authentic, not the typical. As they savored jaggery to end the meal, the sweetness stayed with them, just like Mura’s unforgettable warmth.
Today, they head to Kausani, where malta trees await.
