Magical Kasar Devi

The huge increase in tourism and travel has bloomed many sectors related to travel and led people to go ahead and explore the many less explored areas across the country. But, this has also led to the fact that wherever you go, you would find yourself amidst other travellers which can sometimes be a thumbs down point for travellers who look for solace and peace of mind.

I too am among those who not only want to chase the thrill but also succumb to the peace that a place offers. Thus, in search of peace I started looking for offbeat areas and came across the hippie hill of Kasar.

WHERE:
Kasar Devi is a village located approximately 10kms from the old town of Almora in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand.

HOW TO REACH:
A shared jeep from Almora main city will drop you at Kasar Devi for 60rs. Alternatively, there is also a hiking path that leads to the village.

SIGNIFICANCE:
Kasar Devi is the patron God of the village and there exists an established temple since very old times. In 1890 Swami Vivekananda visited the temple and meditated in the energy of the place.
There are two temples - just as you walk a little into the village you will find a temple door leading the way up the hill through the pines and deodar which leads first to the Devi temple. If you follow the stairs upwards, you will reach the area under the shed of a tree with the temples where Lord Shiva and Kal Bhairava forms are worshipped.

I sat there for hours just as the sun was setting down with the golden envelope over the nearby Crank's Ridge and the wind whispered through the tree branches in silence.

Kasar Devi falls in the Allen Belt which in very simple words is an area with high geomagnetic fields and radiation.
If you want to explain to your rational mind, you can think of the above reason. But if you are like me and don't think that spirituality needs an explanation or reasoning, just spending a day at the Kasar Devi temple will give you all the peace you are looking for.

Tip: Visit the place on a full moon.