Rasol: The Land of Snow and Sanctity

"Bhai chup chap Kasol may hi chill karo, hum Pulga mai pach din atakne ke baad aaj vapas aye hai" hearing these words from the group that occupied the room beside ours made us speculate about our decision to head towards Rasol the next morning. Heavy snowfall had shut roads to and from Kasol and had made trtekking to Rasol extremely difficult and dangerous. The wine shop owner was the latest to be added into the list of people who warned us against going trekking after our host and our taxi driver. Yet the next morning as wanderlust filled our hearts, we set out on a journey to conquer the mountain. The 5-degree freezing weather in alliance with 5kms of snow trail lay ahead of us as we left Kasol for our trek to Rasol. Our trek to Rasol started with an easy a scenic walk to Chalal, a small yet beautiful village filled with a number of cafes and homestay options. After crossing Chalal the hike got steeper but at the same time as we were showered by a flutter of snow from the above pine trees and the sound of flowing water from nearby streams filled our ears the climb became a rejuvenating one. Not before long we were joined by two furry mountain dogs who were not only friendly company but also led the way all the way up to Rasol. As we crossed wooden bridges and walked through snow-filled trails, we found ourselves mesmerized amidst the peace of the Parvati.

At 11:00am as we walked beside the sinuous Parvati river we spotted a small wooden lodge and decided to stop there for a short break, after having a plate of spicy yet delicious Maggi and a hot cup of chai which was much needed in the cold weather we fed our furry friends a packet of Parle G and once again headed towards Rasol. The climb now got steeper and was a real test of our endurance. Along the way as the snow increased, we amused ourselves with snowball fights and snow angels, Rasol was now within sight and seemed really close but was still at least an hour away. Our final stop before Rasol was at a guest house where we were welcomed by the owner to keep warm by the heater where we sipped on our glasses of some delicious lemon tea and spoke to locals about the local culture and their occupations. As we waved goodbye and marched ahead for the final segment of the trek our hearts were filled with gratitude for the hospitality and home-like service of the locals. We reached Rasol by 3:00 pm and were greeted by smiling faces and snowballs from the local children, but what captivated us the most were the signboards saying “Do Not Touch the temple” and ”Do not enter” around the temple in Rasol, after speaking to a young local boy we realized that the villagers consider us to be unholy and wish to maintain the sanctity of the temple. We finally reached our guesthouse and the view was absolutely magnificent, it made the trek worth every step. As we stared in marvel at snow-capped mountains, we realized that none of us had updated our families about our trek. We pulled out our phones only to see that none of us had even a single bar of network available. We asked a group of local men nearby if we could borrow their phone for a quick call home but we were surprised to learn that none of them had one. Upon inquiring how they could manage their day to day activities without a phone one of them replied saying “Beta humara duniya uss ghar se le kar is mandir tak hai, humme phone ki kya zarurat?”

In the night as we gathered around the fire to keep warm under the starry sky, we shared our wildest dreams, our biggest fears, and our deepest secrets. At that moment we knew that the bonds we shared were irreplaceable. The next morning after an appetizing breakfast and a group picture we started our descend, as we left the heavenly abode of Rasol we found ourselves conquered by the mountain we had set out to conquer.