Enchanting Himachal – Visiting Chowari Jot

Enchanting Himachal – Visiting Chowari Jot

 

Panoramic view of Chowari Jot

         We started from Chamba early in the morning sans B’fast, as we were to reach Dalhousie, which is 56 Kms. away after visiting Chowari Jot.  On the way we got the B’fast packed and headed upwards towards Chowari Jot.  ‘Jot’ in the local dialect refers to a high mountain pass and the name Chowari is based on the name of village on the way towards Kangra, as Chowari Jot is the pass that connects Chamba & Kangra Districts of Himachal Pradesh.  The other route to reach Kangra from Chamba is via Pathankot.  However, the Chowari Jot is only accessible during the summers as being perched at an altitude of 2300 meters above sea level, it is receives copious amounts of snow during the winter season and is closed for vehicular traffic.  From Chamba one reaches Gete village, wherefrom the road bifurcates towards Chowari Jot and Khajjiar.  Even the route for Dalhousie through Khajjiar (about 56 Kms.) gets blocked during the winter months and the vehicles from Chamba have to traverse all the way back upto Banikhet to reach Dalhousie.

As the road meanders towards Chowari jot from Chamba

            Chowari Jot is therefore, a strategic mountain pass of the region and after reaching Gete village, we took the road towards the Jot, which is further 11 Kms. from this point and the total distance from Chamba to Chowari Jot is 22 Kms.  The road from Gete village onwards gets fairly steep as the pass is perched atop the hillock.  However, the local villages perched atop hills & vales below offer interesting sights and gradually as one heads upwards, the vegetation too changes from Pines to Deodar trees and flowers like Daisies start appearing by roadsides.  The Government has constructed small huts atop numerous hillocks that mark the Chowari Jot top, in order to encourage tourism.  However, it does not appear to have taken off, as there are hardly any eating joints or any such other attractions catering to tourists atop Chowari Jot.  Moreover, local herders were found grazing the cattle inside the designated picnic spot, which were found loitering & littering dung all over.  It is not for the Government only to prepare the infrastructure, but local participation by residents is also a must to make an idea a success, which would finally have helped the locals economically, in case the tourists arrived at the destination.  However, in the present conditions, I do not think foreign & economically sound tourists would enjoy the destination.  Moreover, as the Dian Kund of Dalhousie is connected to Chowari Jot through a trekking route, this spot could have been converted into a adventure sport destination also.  Since we were carrying our B’fast, we did not mind this little debacle and had our B’fast at a clean spot.

Daisies galore at Chowari jot

Panoramic view of Pir Panjal ranges from Chowari jot

Close up of the mountain ranges from Chowari jot

            Chowari Jot offers spectacular views of the Himalayan vistas across a 180 degree angle and the entire Dhauladhar Ranges, Pir Panjal Ranges and the mighty Zanskar Range is also visible from the spot.  However, as it had not rained and there was considerable dust in the air, the view was not all that clear but from the strategic location it can be easily assumed that this spot would offer a spectacular view for the mountain/Himalayas lover on a clear day.  We shot photographs and also a video of the destination and my son, being a bit overwhelmed by the sights, decided to take a shot from a vantage point.  No sooner had he perched himself for the shoot, that he scampered down at break neck speed with a Ram in hot pursuit.  It was only that he had crossed me that the Ram stopped and walked away.  We spent some quality time amongst the Daisies at Chowari Jot and for a nature lover, the place would remain ensconced in one’s heart for long. 

View of theKangra side from Chowari jot

            During our return leg, the driver purchased some local sweetmeat (locally known as Barfi in Hindi) prepared from condensed milk produced locally by slowly heating milk with sugar over a long duration.  My wife too purchased a pack for consumption and thus, ended our visit to the famed Chowari Jot.

Video of the destination -

Enchanting Himachal – Chamba (an intorduction)

Enchanting Himachal – Chamba (an intorduction)

 

The spectacular sights of Chamba 

Chamba in the millennium township of Himachal Pradesh as its history can be traced back to more than thousand years.  In order to commemorate this, the Government of Himachal Pradesh erected a Millenium Gate at the Chowgan grounds of Chamba, around this square meadow the township had evolved during the millennium of its existence. Chamba is the temple town of Himachal Pradesh with a plethora to temples, some dating back to 10^th Century AD, built in Sikhara style.

Panoramic view of Chamba town

The aerial view of temples of Chamba

Ravi River meanders by Chamba township 

The Millenium Gate at Chowgan in Chamba

Bharmour, anciently known as Brahmpura, was the ancient capital of Chamba, Himachal Pradesh (India) till 920 AD. Bharmour is situated in Budhil and Ravi valley at an altitude of 2195 meters from sea level 65 kms. to the south-east of Chamba.  Bharmour is also popular because of its proximity with Manimahesh Lake, Manimahesh Kailash and Chaurasi (84) ancient temples, which are reflecting the glorious past of this hidden town. Bharmour is also known as the Abode of Shiva as there are numerous temple dedicated to Lord Shiva in and nearby regions The whole region around Bharmour is considered to be under the control of Lord Shiva, hence is also known as the Shiv Bhumi.

Panoramic view of Chamera dam just beyond Chamba

Panoramic view of Bharmour town

             The famous Manimahesh trek starts from the village of Hadsar, which is about 13 Kms. from Bharmour and the picturesque road runs along the beautiful Budhil river (a tributary of Ravi).  The trek of 14 Kms. starts from this point onwards towards Manimahesh.  Beyond Hadsar, one crosses a small bridge across the Budhil River and then traverses along its left side for another 9 Kms. to reach Dharol and now the road has been added another 3 Kms. further ahead and therefrom the 3 Kms. trek to Kugti village & beyond starts.  It is a starting point for many treks, which take the trekkers beyond the snow bound passes into Manali & Ladakh and this traditional trek routes are also used by the local Gaddis (Sheep herders) to take their flock to the higher meadows rich in grass & minerals that provide special quality to the top quality wool being gathered from them.  

View of Budhil River valley from Hadsar

             On the other side of Bharmour lies Holi, which is about 51 Kms. from Bharmour and the road runs alongside the Ravi River and is spectacular site for nature lovers.  This road ends just beyond Nayagraon, about 3 Kms. further where the famous temple of Laake Wali Mata is situated and here the road ends.  The Himachal Government is exploring the idea of building a 3 Kms. long tunnel below the mountains here, which will help connect Chamba with Kangra and reduce the road distance by almost 70 Kms.  As of now, the vehicles have to traverse across the high Jot Pass to cross over the Dhauladhars towards Kangra valley.  The pass is at an altitude of about 2800 meters and about 22 Kms. from Chamba town and is usually closed during the winter months due to heavy snowfall.

View of Ravi River flowing by Holi

            Dalhousie is the most famous tourist destination and hill station of Chamba District of Himachal Pradesh.  Perched at an altitude of 2039 mts. in the outer slopes of Dhauladhar range with its natural beauty and quiet surroundings is the best holiday resort. It comprises of 5 Hills namely Balun, Kathlog, Potreyn, Tehra and Bakrota with heights ranging between 1525 mts. to 2378 mts. It has many level and interesting walks amongst dense forest.  However, due to its proximity to Punjab, especially Gurdaspur etc., the place is for ever jam packed and almost all the homes appear to have been converted into Hotels or makeshift ones during the season and the traffic is a nightmare.  People come without bookings and time you will find them spending nights in their vehicles, it is a catastrophe waiting to happen.  Another destination near Dalhousie is Khajjiar, about 23 Kms. is another over-rated and over crowded destinations where the entire road gets blocked by traffic with the locals enticing them with all kinds of trade, at the cost of the nature of course.

Jot Pass view

Panoramic view of of Khajjiar

The squalor of Dalhousie

            This is the overview of the destination called Chamba, with a lot of scenic beauties hidden in its folds, which I shall be narrating in detail in the coming weeks.

Map of Chamba District of Himachal Pradesh