Chitkul: Journey to the Last Village of India
Chitkul by Oyo Sometimes, we all just want to pack our bags like Bunny from Yeh Jawani Hai Diwani and go on an adventure trip with our best friends. But unfortunately, unlike the movie, our friends never make plans. And when they do, we can never find a good destination with equal parts adventure and fun. Isn’t it? But, don’t worry! Even though we won’t be able to help you with your friends who often ditch us last minute, but we can help you with the perfect destination for your next adventure destination, i.e., Chitkul. Being the last inhabitable village of India and close to the mountains, the place experiences some extreme weather conditions but provides with the best and adventurous trekking trails to choose from. Read on to know all the stories about each place at Chitkul and what will you find at each stop, because Chitkul will leave you mesmerized for sure. Mathi Devi Temple Chitkul Fort Hydro Flour Mill Karchham Dam and Lake Rani Kanda Meadows Lamkhaga Pass Trek Borasu Pass Trek Batseri 1. Mathi Devi Temple Mathi Devi Temple by Dreamstime.com Mathi Devi Temple is dedicated to Goddess Mathi, the Goddess of Kinnaur. The temple houses three shrines. The oldest of the three is about five- hundred years old and was built by a Garhwal resident. The temple is very different from other Hindu temples as unlike other temples, Mathi Devi Temple has an ark of walnut wood covered with clothes and a tuft of yak tail. There are two poles inserted in the ark to hold it properly. The temple has a very sacred legend behind its existence. According to the legend, Lord Badrinath’s wife Mathi once found a land divided into seven different parts after Baruakhad, during their journey from Brindavan to Baruakhad via Garhwal, Sirmour, Sarahan in Bushar. When passing through the place, Mathi found that her nephew Narenas was the deity of Shuang Village, so she appointed him as the guard of the village to save the village from any impending calamities and provide the residents with care. When she moved further, she reached Chasu Village, she found that Narenas was also the deity of this village and was worshipped by the entire village. Therefore, she appointed him as the guard of this village also and gave him the responsibility to save the village from any impending calamities and provide the residents with care. When she moved forward, she reached Kamru Fort, where she found that Lord Badri Nath was guarding the Thorne of Bushahr. So, she leaves it as such and moves forward to the other divisions of the seven divisions. In this manner, she covered all the divisions and appointed different people to take care of the villages as well as the village residents while assuring them a nice living. She appointed Lord Badrinath to take care of Dhumthan subdivision, Shanshares to take care of Rakchham and Barang Nag to take care of RupinGhanti. After securing the seven divisions, she further moved forward. Finally, she reached Chitkul and made the Mathi Devi Temple as her final abode and settled there forever to take care of Chitkul while also supervising all other divisions from there. After her arrival at Chitkul, the village began to prosper, making the villagers thrive with success because of abundant crops, flora and fauna. This made the villagers worship her with high reverence and it is believed it’s the Goddess who takes care of the villagers and she is the reason that the village is doing so good. 2. Chitkul Fort Chitkul Fort by Flickr Going a little ahead of the Mathi Devi Temple is the Chitkul Fort. The fort looks more like a watchtower actually. The Fort is the tallest building in the village, other than the newly opened hotels. Chitkul Fort is a three- story structure that towers over the village. It is also referred to as ‘quila’ by the locals. Though it is also a shrine, it is commonly called fort because of its tower- like structure. 3. Hydro Flour Mill Hydro Flour Mill by way2traveller.blogspot.com While it may not sound like a very touristy place but the Hydro Flour Mill in Chitkul is one of a kind and is quite interesting to see. The water from the Baspa River is used to power the Mill as well as to grind wheat flour. 4. Karchham Dam and Lake Karchham Dam and Lake by Vargis Khan The road towards Sangla and Chitkul divides from the main highway near Karchham. Karchham is best known for a huge dam located near the town and is named after town. The dam is built over the Sutlej River. The place presents a beautiful view and is a great place to click some pictures and soak into the view. 5. Rani Kanda Meadows Rani Kanda Meadows by Raacho Trekkers A campsite which also serves as a base camp for Lamkhega Pass trek, Rani Kanda Meadows offers a beautiful site to pitch your tents and enjoy the stunning view of the place. The place looks breath- taking with mountains surrounding the area as well the green meadows which are spread in the whole area. 6. Lamkhaga Pass Trek Lamkhaga Pass Trek by Discovery Hike One of the most popular trek choices in Himalayan Mountain trek routes, Lamkhega Pass is located in the Indo- China Border area in the Dhauladhar Mountain Range and connects the north- eastern Garhwal with Himachal Pradesh. It is situated at a height of 5326 meters and offers an adventurous and breath- taking trekking experience. History has it that the beautiful Lamkhega Pass Trek, which comparatively remote, was first crossed by Marco Pallis in 1933. The trekkers can choose between the two routes, either from Harshil, a stunning hill- station in the Garwhal region and end at
