Indrahaar Pass Trek-A detailed travelogue

I have a strange, alluring fascination for the Mountains. Since, I was born in the Kashmir valley, being surrounded by the Mountains gives me a feeling of Nostalgia and the much cherished memories of good old times once again get refreshed. I find excuses to be near them.

When the topic of Trekking to Himalayas popped up between Sunil Raina and me, I was more than willing to organise the Trek. After much deliberation, we decided to undertake the Indrahaar Trek.

Since, we had planned this Trek much in advance, we took the services of An Adventure company-Adventure Nation for this 4 day 3 night Trek. Sunil Raina, Ajay Chauhan and Parvesh Ranga were my trek mates.

We were supposed to report at Shiv Shakti Guesthouse, Dharamkot, Macleondgang by 10 am on 8th Oct 2019.

Ajay and Parvesh-The experienced Trekkers, had reached the Guesthouse early morning. By the time, I and Sunil joined them by around 10 in the morning, They were almost ready.

Since this was an arduous and long Trek, Hence A guide was allotted to us. He was a young lad named Rohit and was supposed to accompany us till the Indrahaar pass. Packed meals were given to us before we left for our first halt- Mana.

There was another young – Students –group, aged 18-19 years, hailing from Kerala . They were six in number, 5 boys and one Girl. They had opted for the Laka Glacier trek. That meant, they too had to follow the same route as ours till Laka Got-The high altitude meadow. This meadow acts like a base camp for both the Laka Glacier as well as the Indrahaar pass.

We left the Guesthouse by around 11 am. All the four of us were carrying Haversacks on our backs as well as foldable walking/Trekking Sticks . Sunil’s Haversack was the lightest and might have weighed around 10 kg. The heaviest bags were those of Ajay and mine. Both weighed above 15kgs.

En route, At Dharamkot market , we had some snacks in a local restaurant . From this place onwards, the actual trek began. We soon reached the BhagsuNag falls. We clicked some pictures there. From this point onwards, the actual ascend started.

Rohit was leading us through the narrow footpath that would lead us to our next destination-Mana. Almost, all the route from Dharamkot till Indrahaar pass is stony. We rested briefly at some unnamed stretches. There was not much communication amongst us, as we were gasping because of the steep climb and the load we were carrying on our Backs.

Every half an hour, we would sip in some water to compensate the water loss due to excessive sweating.

After around 2 hours, we reached a small meadow, that housed few Gaddis-the local shepherds. The whole group , including the four of us and the 6 young students rested at this place for around half an hour. They too had a Guide with them and his name was Sansaar.

At this very small Meadow, we had our packed meals that consisted of some sandwiches , refreshment drinks and a Choclate.

After the small meal,Sunil accosted some of the students out of curiosity!

‘Hi ! how are you? Where do you hail from?’ asked Sunil to one guy from that group.

‘ I am Vishnu. We are all from IIT Dhanbad and our native place is Kerala’, the young boy politely replied. He introduced his group to us as Jefferson, Chandra and the Girl as livia.

Soon,We again resumed our trek.

Occasionally, I would ask Rohit, ‘How far we have to go?’, He would point out his finger to a distant cliff and with a smile, reply, ‘ we have to reach that point Sir.’

It used to be an ambiguous reply, but I would nod my head as if I have understood.

Finally, we reached a cliff after an hour or so. The views from that cliff were stupendous. We put down our heavy haversacks from our shoulders and took some photos with different poses. we had some biscuits too. After spending some 20 minutes at this point, we again resumed our journey.

However, it was a 10-15 minutes descend .

we finally reached Mana- A beautiful hamlet with few Gaddi houses.A small ground/meadow was going to be the place for our first night halt. We had to stay at this place in tents .

Sunil and I stayed in one tent while Ajay and parvesh in another tent. This place is very scenic and the mighty Dauladhars stand tall and gives an impression of an amphitheater.

I took many pictures at this place, whereas, Ajay and parvesh took some videos too.

Goddess Mana-The Shakti incarnate, is the deity of this small hamlet. The temple dedicated to this Goddess was hardly 200 mts from our camp. I and Sunil decided to pay our Obeisance to her.

The temple is situated at the edge of the cliff. From that point, we could see the abrupt twinkling lights somewhere down in the plains.

It was the Dusshera Night .
Those sparkling lights in the distant Horizon were the fireworks associated with The annual celebration of burning Ravana and his Bother.

Soon it was dark.

We switched on our Head-torches and quickly ambled towards our camp . There is no electricity access at this place and Hence ,The camp staff had made an early dinner for us. I , sunil and parvesh had Rice, Daal(lentils) and Mattar-paneer for our dinner while as Ajay had Chicken.

The camp Organisers gave a couple of Blankets to each of us . we soon retired to our tents for the night as nothing much could be done outside. We used our headlights inside the tent for light.

By 9 Pm, all of us must have slept.

The app showed that we had travelled 10.12 kms with 15,526 steps on 8th Oct. The altimeter showed an altitude of 2400 mts.

Next day, Early Morning , Ajay greeted me loudly from outside my tent.
Good morning sandeep ji ! Are you coming out of your tent or not!’
I zipped up the Tent zipper , peeped through the tent, and greeted back, ‘ Good morning Ajay ji! I am just coming out.’

A cool breeze greeted me outside . I could see some clouds too.

In the morning, we were served a Breakfast of puri-aalo.

Since,We had to leave by 8 in the morning hence, We packed our Haversacks quickly and were ready to go for our next destination-Laka Got.

Rohit was again leading us. After some 45 minutes, we halted at a shop en route and each of us had a cup of tea. For Another 1 hour, we gently ascended and finally reached Truind-A beautiful small meadow situated at an altitude of around 2900mts MSL. It offers a majestic view of both the plains as well as the Dauladhar.

We rested there for half an hour and had some light snacks at this point .We also took some photographs and videos .

Just after crossing Truind, the footpaths became more narrow, tortuous and rocky. The clouds had started to besiege the Mountains and soon it started to Drizzle. We stopped at a small temple known as Tiranga mata . we pulled up the rain coat from the Haversacks , wore it quickly, to prevent us from getting wet and resumed our journey.

The student group was not prepared for this sudden change of weather .

Soon, We left them far behind, as we were unaffected by the rains. The rain however, had put breaks on our speed as the path had become wet and slippery.

We passed through a small café by the name- ‘snowline’ . However, we did not stop there. A small pond just adjacent to this café served as a point of another photo -shoot for us. We clicked some more photos at this point. From snowline café, the elevation of the slope was more or less the same. However, the terrain had become more rocky and at some points more slushy.

Another 45 minutes or so, we reached our next destination –Laka Got. This meadow was going to be our halt station for next 2 nights. By the time, we reached Laka, the rain had stopped.
I looked at my watch. It was 5 P.M.

Some tea was served to us on our arrival. However, that did not help me much as I was feeling some side-effects of High altitude. I had a mild Headache and my nose was running. I have experienced these symptoms earlier too; whenever I am at places , that have an altitude of 10000 feet or more. Parvesh too was feeling the same symptoms. Sunil and Ajay too had some symptoms associated with High altitude.

Meanwhile, Rohit and his associates erected tents for us .

The surface at the campsite was uneven. Ajay-who is an Professor of Geography – explained the reason for the uneven surface. He told me that the places where there is a thermo frost, these small uneven patches are formed and it is a natural Phenomenon.

The camp site too looked like a high altitude pass. A deep valley-hardly 15 mts away from our camps-was resounding with chilling winds. Nevertheless, we did click some more pictures at that point too. Strangely, the place, where our tents were erected was bereft of the Chilling winds !

By 6.30 P.M, we were already in our respective tents. Sunil was my tent-mate at Laka too. Since, It was very cold outside, hence ,The Dinner was served to us in our tents .

The dinner consisted of Semi-Cooked rice and Daal. When I asked Rohit, why was the Rice semi-cooked, he replied that the Gas cylinder has been totally exhausted, and they didn’t have a spare one. Hence, they had to make the dinner by burning some twigs and wooden logs!

The Dinner was awful! But there was no alternative and hence we had to eat it.

After Dinner, we again came out of our tents. I asked Ajay casually, ‘what do you think! How will be the weather tomorrow?’
‘if the weather will be clear, then only we will go to Indrahaar, Otherwise, we will explore the places near to our campsite’ He opined.

By 7.30 Pm, I was again in my camp. I was tired because of the long hike. Sunil too was much exhausted and had muscle spasms. It didn’t look as if he was ready for the arduous trek, that we had to undertake the next day.

‘let us go back to Mcleondgang tomorrow’, He pleaded, supinely lying inside his sleeping Bag.

‘if the weather will be hostile, we won’t go to Indrahaar. And if it will be Sunny, and you don’t feel better till morning, you stay put at this camp, while we will go to the pass’, I tried to comfort him.

Soon , we both fell asleep. I woke up in the night as I was feeling nauseatic, However, I did not vomit . I had a sip of water and again pretended to be sleeping. The uneven surface was hurting my back; but still I was able to catch some intermittent sleep.

The app showed that we had walked 21,011 steps and covered a distance of 13.43 kms.The Altmeter was showing a height of 3200 mts aboveMSL.

Next day, 10th Oct,We woke up at 6 in the morning. A bright Sunshine greeted us all.
I asked Sunil, ‘How are you feeling today? Will you come with us?’
‘Oh yes! That is for what I have come here.’ He answered cheerfully.

At around 7.30 am, we had our awful Breakfast of puri-Aalu(again).

It was told to us that from Laka to Indrahaar pass, we would be given an extra Guide apart from Rohit. But that did not happen. Instead, Rohit was attached to the student group, while as their Guide-Sansaar -was given to us.

Anyways,We started at around 8.20 am towards the Indrahaar pass.

After around 45 minutes or so, we reached at Laka Glacier. A small stream flows downwards from beneath the Long Glacier. We filled our water bottles and clicked some photos.
From this Glacier, The ascend started.

‘where is the pass?’, I asked Sansaar. He pointed his finger at the top of the Mountain,
‘ There sir. We have to reach at that top’, he Replied.

It looked like a steep vertical ascend.

We plodded on the rough stony trek. Even at this point, we were feeling some effects of the rough terrain as well as the side effects of High Altitute . I was gasping ,so were my trek mates. From the glacier, it took some more time, before we reached a point known as ‘Lahesh caves’. It is a natural cave and definitely a place to visit. We all halted there briefly. The warmth of the Bright sun was soothing.

Two Gaddi Dogs had followed us throughout the trek from Laka. Whenever, we stopped for a light snacks break, we would give them something to eat too. These Gaddi dogs are extremely friendly and it seemed, they really like the company of men. The dog was Black in color and we named him ‘Kaalu’. The Bitch was named ‘Rani’. She was our constant companion up till the pass and back. It looked as if, they had come to the pass earlier too as they knew the way up to the pass and even led us at some blind curves.

From lahesh caves till the top of the Pass; at many stretches some stairs/steps have been made by the local Gaddis-The shepherds. Building Stairs/steps at this rough terrain and at such an altitude is nothing less than a wonder!

Some Trekkers and Hikers have done a yoeman’s job by placing cairn guidance all along the route; right from Laka Got/ Illaka up to the Indrahaar pass. At many points, They have painted a red arrow mark on the Boulders too, to clearly define the route. These cairn guidance and arrows are of a great help to the new trekkers. And a boon to solo Trekkers.

The path further up was becoming more steeper as well as stony. After 3600 mts above MSL, I again felt nauseated and the intensity of my Headache increased with the increased Altitude. At around 3800 mts above MSL, the snow patches seemed more prominent to the landscape with many white snowy patches. we were now walking on the fresh slippery snow.

At around 4000mts above MSL, Sunil revolted. He wanted to go back . Ajay too wanted to go Back . He was apprehensive and doubted whether we will be able to climb down safely, as we had no ropes and ice-Axes with us. Even though, I and parvesh too were suffering from the high altitude sickness, still we insisted that we should climb up to the summit, Because we had come so far and were so near to it.

Sunil and Ajay had to give in, even though Halfheartedly.

The snow from 4100mts and above was anywhere between 10 cm to one feet.
From 4200mts up to the pass, it is almost a vertical height. There was less trekking and more intermittent Rock climbing involved . We were slowly and cautiously climbing up.

All the drinking water was exhausted. However, We had filled fresh snow in our bottles and sipped it whenever we felt thirsty.

At around 1.45 Pm, we reached the top of the pass.

A sort-of-open-shrine dedicated to lord Indra is made at the top of the Pass by the Gaddis. Many tridents are installed at this small shrine. The local Shepherds-The Gaddis revere this place and this pass is used by them to cross over to Chamba. The height of this pass is around 4300 mts above MSL. Some most beautiful vistas can be seem from this pass.
We clicked some photos and made some quick videos. Sunil even recited the IndrakshiStrotam at the Holy site. We stayed there for hardly 20 minutes. It had started to snow again and we knew, it would be dangerous to stay there.

We started our descend.

It was not easy to Descend. The trial had become very slippery. Sansaar was clearing the path so that we had a safe descend. With some difficulty, we climbed down the initial dangerous descend of 200 mts. After that, even though, it was slippery, but not as dangerous.

The sleet followed us during our first hour of descend. All of us, except parvesh had a fall on this slippery path. The Health condition was getting better as we descended. During the descend, Parvesh was the most active and would run downwards, wait there for us ,and shoot videos.

It was anticipated by Sansaar, that we will reach Laka Got by 6 PM-When still there will be some sunlight. But that did not happen. After laka Glacier, It turned dark but that didn’t affect us in any ways. We were prepared and all of us were carrying Head torches with us. The stretch from the laka glacier onward was covered by us by switching on our Head torches. By 7 or 7.30 Pm, we reached our camp at laka Got. Warm water followed by warm tea was served to us immediately.

By 8.00 Pm, Dinner consisting of dal, aalu, Rice and chappati was served to us.

By 8.30 PM, We all were in our sleeping Bags.
The app showed that we had walked 20,876 steps and covered a distance of 13.35 kms.

Next day, 11th Oct, we woke up at around 6 a.m. After having our Breakfast of Aalu-Paranthas, we started our descend. It was again a bright sunny day and we were feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. The descend to the Truind was rather very fast. We stopped at this place for some time and took a different route to descend(not Bhagsu falls).

The Downward , well defined trek was broader and many Indian and international tourists were trekking up towards Truind.

We reached back to the Shiv-Shakti Guest House by 3 Pm. The bath with the warm water at the Guest house was so refreshing.
At around 4.15 pm, we had a proper tasty lunch after 3 days.

I along with sunil left that palce at 4.45 pm for our respective homes. Ajay and Parvesh had booked a ticket for the Bus to Chandigarh and were supposed to leave by 8 pm.

The app showed that we had walked 29,437 steps and covered a distance of 20.08 Kms.

We are very thankful to Sansaar-our guide. He behaved very politely as well as responsibly throughout the trek. Without him, we could not have made it to the pass as a team.

However, We feel cheated by Adventure Nation, as we did not get , what we were told. They did not even follow , what they had given us in writing.

Anyways,

This trek no doubt, challenges the physical and mental strength. It makes one realize the strength and weaknesses of both Body and mind. And how the willpower pervades both of them. It Highlights the hidden strength within and promotes team spirit and camaraderie.

This is not an easy Trek. I would rather rate it between moderate to difficult. The whole trek is no doubt beautiful, and if time and body permits, the seekers of adventure and trekking must undertake this journey.

I promise, They won’t regret it.

Sancha Vidhya – A glorious gift of to Himachal Pradesh

In the times bygone, Kashmir excelled in many spheres of art, literature and culture, in which it achieved great heights. The cross cultural-religious strands that stretched between Kashmir and present day Himachal Pradesh successfully withstood the centuries old time-warp and refused to fade-away into oblivion. Apart from the natural brilliance of the landscapes, both the states share a deep rooted faith of the people in the time tested traditions, belief systems and ancient wisdom, which are enshrined in their holy scriptures. They form an integral part of our common heritage. The ancient Sancha scripture of Himachal Pradesh is an illustrious example of the same. It is a combination of Jyotish and Tantric knowledge. Even today, in the present scientific age, this ancient priceless knowledge is quite popular in Shimla, Sirmour and Solan areas of Himachal Pradesh. The ‘Sancha Granth’ is believed to have travelled to Himachal Pradesh from Kashmir hundreds of years back. The present day custodians of this ancient legacy, who are natives of Himachal Pradesh are believed to be the descendants of Kashmiri Panndits. The ‘Sancha’ treatise is a unique combination of ‘Mantra (sacred incantations), ‘Yantra’ (hallowed implements) and ‘Tantra’ (mystical hymns or invocations). The scripts of Sancha treatise are known by the names of ‘Bhatakshri’ or ‘Pabuchi’, which are Himachali variations of ‘Sharda’, the ancient script of Kashmir. In earlier times, the said script was also known as ‘Takri’.

In Himachal Pradesh, in addition to ‘Bhatakshri’ and ‘Pabuchi’, the ancient ‘Takri’ dialect has survived in many resembling forms like ‘Chambyali’, ‘Kalluvi’ Mandyali’ and ‘Sirmouri’ etc., which are the present day spoken dialects of Chamba, Kallu, Mandi and Sirmour areas of Himachal Pradesh. In earlier times, the scholarly and learned Himachali Brahmans were known as ‘Pabuch’ due to their demonstrative grip and hold over the ancient ‘Sancha’ knowledge. The ‘Sancha’ growth deals with a wide range of topics ranging from necromancy, black magic, witchcraft, occult effects and negative influences of evil spirits besides demonology. The ‘Sancha’ text offers solutions and remedies to the persons who are troubled by the negative influences of the above. In addition to it, all those persons, who are saddled by anxieties and worries arising out of afflictions by various ailments can find health assuring remedies by consulting ‘Sancha’ system. The ‘Sancha’ treatise also guarantees a triumph over one’s ‘hidden’ enemies by recitation of certain ‘mantras’ i.e. secret incantations.
Its help is also sought in adopting a religious recourse to the matters connected with almost all the Hindu Sanskars right from birth to death. In addition to it, ‘Sancha’ knowledge also aids in the recovery of stolen items by giving clues and hints about the identity of the thief, the time of the occurrence of the theft and number of persons involved in the act. An accurate and exact knowledge of the auspicious timing or ‘Hora’ is also possible by consulting ‘Sancha’ text. The word ‘Sancha’ owes it’s origin to the Sanskrit word ‘Sanch’ or ‘Sanchai’, which means a repository or a compilation. The Brahmans well-versed with the ‘Sancha’ knowledge are called ‘Pabuch’ or ‘Baat’. In addition to ‘Pabuchi’ or ‘Bhatakshri’ dialects, the ‘Sancha’ texts are also found in ‘Chandvani’, ‘Pandvani’ and ‘Butakhshri’ dialects. The script employed by the Brahmans of the ‘Panda’ sect is called ‘Pandvani’, while as the inscription used by the Brahmans of the ‘Bhat’ sect is known by the name of ‘Bhatakshri’. According to a legend, an ancient ruler of the erstwhile Sirmour Kingdom came under the spell of a curse by a female dancer. As a consequence, the capital of the ancient kingdom of Sirmour was completely submerged under water and the royalty became kingless. Depressed by the loss of entire royal clan and to ensure a new heir to the Sirmour throne, two ministers of the Kingdom namely Roymoan and Roy Gopal are said to have travelled all the way from Sirmour to Srinagar, the capital of Kashmir in the eleventh century A.D. The two Sirmour ministers are believed to have requested the then Kashmir King to send a Kashmiri Prince, who could take charge of the Sirmour Kingdom.

According to the oral legend, out of the two queens of the then Kashmiri King, one had an adopted son, while the second one named Sumitra was in a family way at that time. In pursuance of the then prevalent bestowal of alms custom, the King of Kashmir agreed to send his pregnant queen in the form of ‘Shaya Daan’ to the princely state of Sirmour. In furtherance of it and to facilitate the subsequent coronation of the Kashmiri Prince as a King of Sirmour, the queen Sumitra of Kashmir went to Sirmour. She was accompanied by a host of Rishis, saints, learned Brahmans, bards, artists and ministrels, in addition to numerous footmen and domestics. The accompanying Kashmiri Pandits are said to have carried with them their prized possession the ‘Sancha’ knowledge system. In the historical documents of Himachal, this notable event is recorded in the following lines “Loia Aana Mangtoo, Purohit Sath Loia Aana Raoy Baat Loia Aana Vikram Samvat Saat thi todi 1152 Mahina Magh.” It fully affirms and supports the historical fact that the carriers of the ‘Sancha’ treatise or knowledge to Himachal Pradesh were none other than the Kashmiri Pandits. Corresponding to the above Vikram Samvat, the exact year of the said event can be said to be 1095 AD.

The Kashmiri origin of the ‘Sancha’ treatise is further collaborated by the fact that even today before consulting the ‘Sancha’ text, Himachali Brahmans pay obeisance to Kashmir in the following lines, “Vidhya Suri Kashmiri Lagan dekh Shodan Vichar”. The Sancha Granth has detailed information about astrology, planetary placements, interpretation of Zodiac and planetary movements. Based on the intricate knowledge of ‘Sancha Granth’, the ‘Pabuchi’ scholars prepare a local variation of almanac (Jantri) called ‘Chri’. The three important components of ‘Chri’ are ‘Var’ i.e. day of the week or an occasion, ‘Tithi’ i.e. a lunar day or date and the planetary movements and their positions. The ‘Chiri’ is based on the solar planetary system, which regards Baisakhi as the first day of the New Year. To get solutions, answers and remedies for the different paradoxes that rock the day to day life, the ‘Sancha’ text is always consulted for the required help. Resembling a gambling dice, the ‘pasha’ or ‘pasa’ is employed in deciphering the required information from the ‘Sancha’ text. The ‘pasha’ or ‘pasa’ has an inscription of four numerical digits marked as 0,00,000 and 0000, which have the corresponding numerical strength of 1,2,3 and 4 respectively. These numerical digits are marked on the individual pages separately. Each numerical digit with an individual value of sixteen ‘Horas’ make a sum total of sixty four ‘Horas’, with one ‘Hora’ being equal to one twenty fourth part of a day.

The ‘Pashas’ or ‘Pasa’ are specially prepared only on auspicious days and involve elaborate religious rituals. The different ‘Horas’ that are in-vogue in the ‘Sancha Granth’ are known as ‘Kaalgaymi Hora’, ‘Bhoot Prashan Hora’, ‘Lagan Ki Hora’ and ‘Tithi Ki Hora’ etc. The square shaped ‘pasha’ or ‘pasa’ is usually made up of an elephant tooth, being 1½ to 2 inches in length and with the width of a finger. According to a belief in Sirmour area, the ‘Yantra’ and ‘Lagans’ made from the soil brought from the village Chanan, give better results while consulting ‘Sancha’ text. The Brahmans engaged in the ‘Sancha’ profession take every care to maintain the knowledge secrecy and imparting of it’s knowledge is confined only within the family.

The Kashmiri origin of the ‘Sancha’ text has also been acknowledged by Sh. Sudershan Vashisht, who is a well known author and researcher of Himachal Pradesh and has done note-worthy research work in this direction. The ancient and precious Sancha texts are also found in tehsil Chopal, tehsil Shilayi and Chakrota area of Uttar Pradesh.Pandit Om Prakash and Pandit Devi Ram, the native Brahmans of the village Khadanka in Sirmour are experts in Sancha knowledge and it’s system. Another Brahman named Pandit Shivanand, a resident of the village Janloag in Sirmour has also thorough knowledge of ‘Sancha’ texts. He makes accurate predictions based on it’s knowledge. Pt. Mohan Lal, a native of the village Dehar in Sirmour is a well-known name due to his thorough and intimate Sancha knowledge. The present day experts of Sancha Vidhya acknowledge their Kashmiri origin and lineage.
Undoubtedly, ‘Sancha’ is an ancient and sacred knowledge of Kashmiri origin, which is an integral part of our historical cultural heritage. It is a glorious reminder of our rich past and the proud contribution of Kashmiri Pandits, who have left an indelible mark on the pages of history.

(By Upendar Ambardar)