Backpacker's heaven in North India - Himachal Pradesh

Escalate with me to the magical valley of India.A mysterious valley of cosmic beauty. A land of love and peace.

Climb with me to the highest mountains on the rooftop of the globe.

Let me walk you through the flowing valley and make you hear the gushing sounds of water.

I will drift you through depths of ancient seas. Let me show you the kaleidoscopic pattern of the clouds. I will take your through captivating villages and it's culture .Lets swim in the every flowing milky water of hope.

Won’t you come with me to Parvati Valley, the longing love of Lord Shiva, the backpacker’s heaven in the north of India?

Juxtaposed between the hustling Mumbai city traffic and soon to depart Delhi train, we arrive at Bombay central station to realise that we missed our train by 3 minutes. Suddenly hopping on to a general compartment of next Golden temple train in the darkening of night, I realised it is rightly said “Don’t underestimate the allure of darkness, even the purest hearts are drawn to it”

Just as the dawn broke next day, we boarded a bus from Delhi and crossed into Himachal Pradesh border to parvati valley. Crossing from one state into another, one could sense the change of cultures. The mist in the sky was no longer our friend and the sun made its way through layers of clouds, its rays stroking the cold damn trees that stood still in the breezeless morning. The symmetrically aligned gigantic pine trees added to the beauty of naked mountains. The cold climate sent thrills in my body as we went higher and higher along the blind curved roads of the mountain.

Finally I was at parvati valley, standing at the base camp in Kasol, it sent me back to time and space. And then I saw, garment of mountains, covered with dense forests, here was a landscape that a will leave you in awe. I closed my mouth and spoke to the nature in hundred silent ways. The valley stretched from Bhunter to Spiti. It offered me a heady mix of scenic landscapes and an entrance to heaven. The great Himalayas with their snow capped peaks surrounded the valley. A handful of wild enthusiasts like me wondered around the place in peace and harmony.

The narrow pebbly mountain road led us through the forest and was soon replaced by a lose cable steel bridge with river flowing under it. The gushing sound of the valley had formed an envelope of soulful sound which remained constant along the way. The plantation of pine trees along the forest made our way into the nearest village, Challah on the other side of parvati valley.

Lounging with an ‘old but yet so young’ Russian couple in Challah, it made me believe that the purest people are found in the purest place . Trekking around huge pine trees along the banks of Parvati valley, the freshness in the air, the beautiful souls, the hardworking villagers, all creatures living in peace and harmony together, the melodious cultures, the longing for Mother Nature, all this took me through deep understanding of life.

After an extended period of lounging around all day, eating mouth-watering food all the time, we decided to hitch-hike up to Rasol the very next morning. Nestled close to Chandarkani pass, this quite village lies hidden from the base of the mountain. Rasol lies at 3 hours trek from the base village, leading us through array of experiences with beautiful enthusiasts passing along its trail.

The splendid view of mountains falling away into the valley, through which we had climbed, and ocean blue sky painted with the hues of sunset and frozen crystal clouds embracing the heads of snow covered peaks soothed all my brain cells. The most unbelievable part was that this view comes for two hundred rupees a night at the local guest house along with friendly villagers ever ready to tell a tale and a balcony with soft mattresses and swing, where you can sit and drink in the beauty of nature all day long.

Sweet smelling the air, mixed with fragrance of hashish, we realised that land of unshaken faith is arrived. The change in culture was as perceptible as we walked along the paths without touching anything. Sitting on a perched balcony and talking to a farmer about their tribal culture, watching the wide open lush green hanging valleys. Unaffected by the modern civilization, Malana has its own lifestyle and social structure. Weed and the valley are two things which cannot be separated from the ancient culture.

Climb with me to head of Parvati valley and see what we call ' God's own country".A six hour trek through the rocky narrow mountain path,watching the magic of sun and moon abound together in that lonely planet. That’s cosmic life in Kheerganga. Celebrating my birthday at Kheerganga was a rebirth.

The trail ascended us from thick tall pine trees to spiritual site of Kheerganga. With Mahadev’s powerful blessings on this place, the aura of the place is very pure and divine. It’s easy to forget about everything on these mountains, away from network and all the connections. The weather in Kheerganga was pleasant but brings a bag full of surprises. What started out as a chilly cold morning for us turned into snowy afternoon and super chilled nights.

The hot springs pool is at the majestic peak of the mountain, dipping in which one feels comforted from the extreme cold wind blows circling around it. The hot springs at Kheerganga are very pure and divine as who believe the waters have sacred healing properties.

My soul still doesn't understand concept of time and reality, we are infinite, enjoy every passing moment with nature's beauty gifted to you by God.