Nondescript destinations of Kumaon – Tarikhet

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Nondescript destinations of Kumaon – Tarikhet

A panoramic view of main road & market of Tarikhet

          Tarikhet is a big hamlet, which is the Block headquarters that goes by the same name and comprises of 134 village Panchayats.  The STD code of the destination is – 05966 and PIN code is – 263663.  It is at a lower elevation of about 1500 odd meters above mean sea level and apart from the Block Development Office, it houses banks, ATMs, a Primary Health Centre, Govt. Inter College et al.  With Indian independence struggle movement in its credit, Tarikhet is a charming, verdant and beautiful cute village nearby Ranikhet on the way to I have been away from writing blogs for a long time and as I am struck down because of the pandemic, while searching for smaller destinations in the region of the internet, I could find only some scanty and scattered information.  Accordingly, I decided to gather information and put them on the internet in form of blogs for the readers and hence starting this series as ‘Nondescript destinations of Kumaon’.  In this series, I am starting with Tarikhet being the nearest township from my village.

A panoramic view of Tarikhet from Gandhi Kutir

 Tarikhet is a charming, verdant and beautiful cute hamlet nearby Ranikhet on the way to Ramnagar. It is a rather big hamlet, which is the Block headquarters that goes by the same name and comprises of 134 village Panchayats.   It is perched at a lower elevation of about 1500 odd meters above mean sea level, but has salubrious climate the year round.  Being the block headquarters, apart from housing the Block Development Office, it also has two banks and their ATMs, a Primary Health Centre, many private run as well as Government run schools, Govt. Inter College et al.  The STD code of the destination is – 05966 and PIN code is – 263663.

Outside view of the Gandhi Kutir

Close up of the pillar commemorating visit by Gandhi ji

A plaque indicating the Gandhi kutir

Tarikhet is well known for its association with the Indian independence struggle movement in its credit.  The recognition of Tarikhet and its association with freedom struggle is attributable to the famous ‘Gandhi Kutiya', a small hut where Mahatma Gandhi stayed for three days in June, 1929. Tarikhet was the nerve center for all the activities related to the freedom struggle. This is a must place to be visited to get the feeling of the history of India and its independence.  This prime attraction is now in a rather neglected state here, which is the small hut known as Gandhi Kuti, where Mahatma Gandhi, the great symbol of peace and tranquility and Father of our Nation, stayed once during the freedom movement. This place is thus, a symbol of India’s freedom struggle against the British Raj.  However, as you approach this venerated place, the government apathy is palpable & noticeable straight away.  The condition of the approach road is atrocious, with no maintenance whatsoever.  Even more so is the actual Kutir, which is ceremonially spruced and decked up during the Gandhi Jayanti etc., as informed by the local residents, or else in case when some local leaders troop in and make tall claims, only to disappear later.  The staircase is in bad shape, the place where Gandhiji stayed was converted into a school but the same is now in a state of total disrepair and the locals have even removed the doors & windows from the building, that sans any kind of security or periphery wall whatsoever.  The statute of Ghandhiji that was placed inside the Kutir and was on verge of being vandalized, has been kept in safe custody by the Principal of the local school of Prem Vidyalaya, Tarikhet. 

The statue of Gandhi ji kept in Prem Vidyalaya in Tarkhet

 The place bristles with activities all round the year, with people moving to and fro in the market or visiting Government offices for their works.  The market is spread across both sides of the State Highway that connects Ranikhet with Ramnagar and is the main market for local villagers for sourcing their requirements, be it clothes or other day to day sundry requirements.  It houses some quaint little sweetmeat shops and a few restaurants that cater mainly to local cuisine.  There is a small hotel or rather a home stay that goes by the name of ‘Pine grove Hotel’ and is situated in the outer vicinity of the township.  The place also offers an opportunity to visit a temple housing the famed Golu Devta, the reverend deity of the region and also is home to a small temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman inside the temple complex. 

             Thus, this destination known as Tarikhet, although may not be a destination of great tourist attraction, but is definitely a quaint and tranquil little destination, where the nature lover traveler can spend a few days in solitude.

Here is a link to a short video of the destination

 

An enjoyable visit to Assan Barrage – a bird watcher’s delight

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An enjoyable visit to Assan Barrage – a bird watcher’s delight

(A photo essay)

 

A panoramic view of the Assan Barrage or Dhalipur lake

         Having visited Rajaji National Park, we headed towards Dehradun, as we also intended to visit the famed Assan Barrage Bird Sanctuary, which is situated about 40 odd Kms. from Dehradun.  We started from Chilla at around 9.30 A.M and headed along the Chilla Dam road, as it was the shortest route to the destination i.e. about 97 Kms. via Rishikeh-Raiwala-Doiwala on the Dehradun Ambala National Highway and as we encountered some blocked roads and heavy traffic in Dehradun, thus it took us around six hours to reach the destination, albeit with quite a few stoppages in between.  While loitering around the barrage looking for a few birds to photograph during the previous day evening, an elderly gentleman had approached me and he introduced himself to be a photographer as well as a guide.  During the course of discussion he had pointed two birding spots to me, the first one was beyond the cut on the road towards the lane leading to village Ganga Bhogpur on the Chilla dam road itself, which was part of Rajaji Wild trail and could be accessed by a small dirt road that digressed from the main road, whereas the other was near ‘Bhumi Devta’ temple and at quite some distance.  So we decided to explore the region of Rajaji Wild trail on our way to Dehradun, since this destination sat right on our path.

Sighted a Mountain Hawk Eagle - on the way

A Rufous Treepie in Rajaji Wildlife trail

A Small Minivet in Rajaji Wildlife trail

        It was easy for us to trace the location we intended to visit and having parked the vehicle under the shade of a tree, the driver preferring to have a cup of piping hot tea at the road side tea stall while enjoying the morning Sun, I proceeded towards the place, which was actually a dirt trail leading upto banks of holy River Ganga and on its banks it bifurcated towards the opposite directions, running parallel to the River banks.  It was a wooded place with shrubs covering most of the forest floor.  However, even before we could reach the site we had to make a stop on the road, having spotted a handsome bird of the Eagle family, whose photograph and identity I have placed in the blog.  This destination too appears to have a great potential for bird watchers, as apart from water birds, I could hear a cacophony of birds chirping in the undergrowth and I could even spot a Red billed Leothrix also commonly called the ‘Liksptick bird’ because of its red coloured bill, but could not capture it in the camera, as I was a bit casual in approach.  Even this short visit showed immense potential and it is advisable for the bird watchers to have a look at this place, next time you visit Chilla.

Entry gate of Tourist Rest House at Assan Barrage run by GMVN ltd.

A group of Bramhiny ducks in the Assan Barrage waters

An Eagle flying in the sky above

We proceeded further and were relying on the Google Map for directions, albeit that I was also continuously back checking from locals also, as there have had been instances where this web based application leads persons to such places wherefrom it becomes very difficult to proceed further.  I had faced this malady earlier too and this time around also having gone past the Rishikesh Railway station, the application led us to a dirt road that seemed to end next to a huge bridge under construction.  We were flummoxed and after approaching some locals, we were told that if we continued along the dirt track that was totally on undulating terrain, we would be able to reach the road and join the traffic just after where the bridge construction ends.  We followed advice, as we did not have many more options and after many a tortuous moments, we were finally able to land of the Ambala-Dehradun Highway.  The Highway was well kept and we made it to Dehradun in good time, but once inside the city we were just pommelled to almost a standstill due to huge traffic snarls, especially in the market region and we lost much time during this part of the journey.  Having gone past the market area, we drove past the Dehradun Airport and thereafter, the traffic was smooth again.  But we were late and I was a bit famished by now, so when I saw some people selling fresh Orange juice along the highway, we stopped and had some quality fresh juice that immediately rejuvenated our flagging spirits.

Bramhiny ducks in flight

Another group of Bramhiny ducks in flight

A Watercock (female) in the lake

A group of Common Coot in the lake waters

        It was almost late afternoon when we reached the Assan Barrage site and as we had pre-booked the Tourist Rest House accommodation managed by the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam, we headed directly for the destination.  But being holidays, the entire place was choked and teeming with people.  I somehow made it to the Managers office and found that every staff had been deployed to serve food and beverages to the customers.  I showed him my booking and he directed some staff member to lead us to our rooms, but due to very heavy rush we had to do the honours of transferring our luggage to our rooms.  Further, due to shortage of staff and coupled with heavy rush on that day, despite placing order for some snacks etc., as we were already a famished lot, I had to remind them for food for quite a few number of times, before the same was delivered. 

A pond heron in the lake

A large conglomeration of water birds away from prying eyes of humans - on distant side of the lake

A pair of Red crested Pochard along with other water birds in the lake

A Ferruginious Pochard in flight over the lake

As the evening sets in - the Bramhiny ducks seek a resting place

A group of Pochard's also doze off as the evening sets in

            Having had the snacks and a cup of tea/coffee as per individual choice, we decided to drive towards the other side of the Assan Barrage or Dhalipur Lake.  This place comprises of a man-made lake that resulted from construction of a barrage across the Asan River and a discharge channel from Yamuna River that draws water to the Dhalipur Power station in the year 1967.  The lake with semi-marshy conditions prevailing in some parts, spread over an area of over four square kilometres.  The altitude is merely 389.4 meters over mean sea level and is a perennial lake i.e. it has water all the year round.  As per the records, the lake has about 53 species of water birds, of which 19 are winter migrants from Europe and Asia. During this period a record of 90% of the water birds population comprises the following 11 (Eleven) migratory species, namely Brahminy Duck, Pintail, Red Crested Pochard, Gadwall, Common Pochard, Mallard, Coot, Wigeon, Common Teal, Tufted Duck, and Shoveller.  We drove across the barrage and headed left towards the village side to watch the birds and were glad that we did so, as many of the birds preferred the isolated region, away from the hustle and bustle of the barrage area, which has a constant flow of traffic.  We spent some quality time watching and photographing the birds and as the evening set in, we headed back to the Tourist Rest House (TRH).

A group of Red crested Pochards at Assang Barrage TRH

A Grey Hornbill at the Assan Barrage TRH

Some Greater Scaup(s) resting in Hathni Kund Barrage

Another view around Hathni Kund Barrage

         By the time we arrived back at the TRH, the visiting hours were well over and the humongous crowd that had gathered during the day the quietly dispersed.  We had the complex all to ourselves and ordered a fresh round of snacks & beverages that not only arrived promptly, but was prepared in much better manner.  We had our dinner at the lakeside enclosure, enjoying the food as well as the starlit night sky and calling of the water birds, comforting each other.  Thereafter, we retired for the night and the next morning was glorious with full view of the lake and birds, I photographed a few birds in the complex itself and also made a video that I have shared below.  Then having B’fast at around 9.00 A.M we headed back towards Delhi via Yamuna Nagar and Karnal.  On the way we stopped over for a few minutes at the Hathni Kund Barrage to check out for migratory birds.  However, as we approached these heavily industrialized zones, the fog that envelopes the plains during winters made an appearance and we were literally crawling at places due to very dense fog and at times traffic.  We reached Delhi late in the evening and thus ended our winter sojourn for the year.

Here is the link to the video for the destination

©S. Roy Biswas

A short visit to Rajaji National Park – Chilla range

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A short visit to Rajaji National Park – Chilla range

A Golden backed woodpecker inside the TRH Chilla

             We were struck up and could not undertake any short trips due to certain difficulties in my home front.  However, we got a short window of about a few days and I had to plan for a destination that could be reached overnight or across a day and after visiting the destination for a day, return back the next day.  After much research, I zeroed in on Chilla range of Rajaji National Park.  It is situated in Haridwar District of Uttarakhand and is about 220 odd kilometres from Delhi and further lies about 8 Kms. from the Hardwar Railway Station.  The distance was doable within about five hours and in case of any exigency I could rush back at home quickly.   Being a reserve forest, it was an ideal location for us, to be away from the hustle and bustle of city life for some time.   For the trip to fructify, the foremost requirement was to identify a suitable place to stay at the location and also to find out if any accommodation was still available.  There are only two good boarding & lodging arrangement within the precincts as well as periphery of the Park vicinity i.e. the Forest Rest House and the other one is the Tourist Rest House run by Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam Ltd. (GMVN for short).  By luck I could source a family room in the GMVN run facility, as the Forest Rest house was fully booked.

A map showing location of Rajaji National Park, Chilla (sourced from net)

The outer gate of TRH, Chilla

Inside wide-angle view of TRH, Chilla

View of water canal formed by the barrage behind TRH, Chilla

A Cormorant looking for fish in the canal behind TRH, Chilla

           We started in the morning at around 7.30 A.M, which was quite late by our standards, considering the fact that whenever I visit my summer pad in Ranikhet, we usually start at around 6.00 A.M sharp.  But as the distance was about more than a 100 Kms. less and coupled with the fact that the present drive did not require any hill driving, we were quite comfortably placed.  The road from Delhi to Meerut was excellent, being newly constructed, by using the bye-pass we were able to make quick progress upto Meerut.  Thereafter, the road was again congested and the journey, time consuming.  Around 10.00 A.M we reached Muzzafar Nagar and had our first break for B’fast at Bikanerwala, which is very conveniently placed, right on the highway, with ample parking space.  The restaurant offers great food and there is a wide variety to choose from and the public utilities are well maintained and is a most suitable spot to drop in for a short break.  Having, had our fill we proceeded further and reached Haridwar after negotiating another bottleneck at Roorkee.  Having reached Haridwar, we overshot the cut which led to the destination and instead manoeuvred our car towards the barrage entry and were rightly guided back to take the cut from road that leads towards Chandi Devi temple and we finally reached Chilla at around 3.00 P.M.  Thereafter, having made ourselves comfortable in our rooms, we ordered some snacks and really enjoyed them, the food per se was quite delicious in the GMVN run Tourist Rest House.  Having had our tea and snacks, it was time to call up Viru Negi to check out about the next day’s safari booking for visiting Rajaji National Park.  Late in the evening he turned up in his Jeep and after dropping his guests for the day, we had tete a’ tete and I sought the afternoon safari for the next day.  During the period that I waited for Viru Negi ji to make an appearance, I strolled along the canal formed due to barrage across the Ganga River and could spot quite a few birds around the TRH complex itself and shot photographs using my camera and am sharing with you all in my blog.

A Buzzard flying by at the birding spot near Chilla

Some Cormorants flying across in the sky avboe

Bahminy Shelduck in Ganga in the birding spot near Chilla

A Common Kingfisher in the birding spot near Chilla

            New day morning while I was strolling with my camera along the side of TRH, another local bird enthusiast approached me and gave me some information about another birding spot in the locality and we drove up to the destination and shot a few birds with my camera, accompanied by my Son and daughter.  Thereafter, we returned back to have lunch around 1.30 P.M and were thereafter, picked up by Viru Negi ji for our afternoon safari at around 2.30 P.M, since the safari began at 3.00 P.M.  The Rajaji National Park is situated along the hills and foothills of Shiwalik ranges in the Himalayan foothills within the Shivalik biosphere.  Historically speaking, there used to be three separate wildlife sanctuaries namely – Rajaji Wildlife Sanctuary established in 1948; Moticur Wildlife Sanctuary established in 1964; and Chilla Wildlife Sanctuary established in 1977.  In the year 1983 all these three reserves were all combined to create one body named as the Rajaji National Park and in the year 2015 it received the status of a Tiger Reserve.  It is named after Sri C Rajagopalachari – the first Governor General of free India.  Spread across more than 800 Sq. Km., with altitude spanning from 330 to 1350 meters, it is a fairly large park that is adjacent to the holy cities of Hardwar, Rishikesh and Dehradun in Uttarakhand.  Chilla Reserve is situated next to the hydropower plant.  So one can see a branch of Ganga flowing here, with many seasonal rivers merging into it.   In fact, the GMVN guest house is located on a narrow strip of land where one such seasonal stream meets the Ganga.

A Golden backed woodpecker inside Chilla range

Terai like grasslands inside the Chilla range

Huge Sal trees and other trees inside the forest in Chilla range

A Back shouldered Kite inside the Chilla range

A Siberian stonechat inside Chilla range

A male Chital or Spotted deer inside Chilla range

        A small portion of the holy River Ganga flows for about 24 km within the park precincts. Other small seasonal rivers or rivulets join it at various places within the reserve forest.  However, we could only see some dry River beds across the reserve, through which our jeeps drove through during the safari.  The area is covered with diverse forest types ranging from semi-evergreen to deciduous and from mixed broad-leaved to terai like grassland and has been classified as Indus-Ganges Monsoon Forest type. Lofty strands of Sal dominate in many parts of this forest range giving it a surreal feeling, as the evenings set in. 

Pug mark of both Elephant and a leopard inside Chilla range

A watch tower inside the Chilla range

A Mountain Hawk Eagle inside the Chilla range

A juvenile Sambar male inside the Chilla range

A Sambar female inside Chilla range

           Rajaji is home to a plethora of avian species, which are found in forested foothills and in open grassland.   The location of this reserve forest being in a transition zone between temperate western Himalaya and central Himalaya enhances the species diversity and consequently the viewing prospects of a large number of birds that inhabit this broad spectrum. As per the official website, the Rajaji's checklist has about 400 bird species and includes good birds like Greater Scaup, White-naped Woodpecker, Great Hornbill, Black-bellied Tern, Pallas's Fish Eagle, Northern Goshawk, Black-necked Stork, Yellow-billed Blue Magpie, Scaly Thrush, Snowy-browed Flycatcher, Rusty-flanked Tree-creepers, Pale-footed Bush Warbler, Tytler's Leaf Warbler, Green Avadavat and Reed Bunting.  Apart from this, the National park is best known for is its elephants. I had always heard about herds of elephants roaming freely in the region that one can come across while driving through the forest, but it was not to be in our case. In fact, this is the identified North Western end of Elephant corridor in India. If you travel further North or West from here, you would not find any wild elephants.

A male Peacock inside Chilla range

A female Red Jungle fowl inside Chilla range

A White breasted Kingfisher inside Chilla range

A Woolly necked Stork inside Chilla range

Sambhar deer - both male & female inside Chilla range

        The safari charges are quite reasonable with a Jeep Safari of two and half hours duration costing around Rs.3,500/- with guide, but may vary from season to season.  As the winters had yet to pass and the weather was not very clear and being quite cold early in the morning, I preferred an afternoon safari.  The afternoon safari starts at about 3.00 P.M and ends at about 5.30 P.M and one can book it in advance or get one at the entry gate itself, if the rush is less.  I, on the other hand, was able to establish contact with one of the well-known guides operating in the Rajaji National Park and is quite well acquainted with all the portions of the park.  I had contacted him over phone and he was courteous enough to arrange for the entire safari for us and his name is Viru Negi (Mobile No.+91-9917606031).  He is a very nice person and anyone interested can contact him directly on this mobile.  The safari itself is better than that of Corbett in respect of time and distance covered, albeit there are fewer Tiger sightings in the region.  We got to see a lots of deer, birds including Jungle fowls and by the time as the evening set in, we could hear alarm calls of Langurs and Sambars, but could not sight any Tiger nor any Elephants to speak of.  By the time we were returning back, it had become literally cold and we were also famished, as the Park authorities do not allow any packed food items inside the park and rightly so.  The photographs shall speak for themselves about the trip and a short video of the safari inside the park for my viewers –

 © S. Roy Biswas