Dharchula. Second Stop
Trip Start
Aug 19, 2006
1
4
21
Trip End
Sep 13, 2006
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Dharchula,
India
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Our luggage in offloaded in the designated dormitories. Refreshed with a hot bath followed by a hot cup of tea, we wander around the delightful KMVN tourist bungalow. It has a spacious terrace overlooking the River Kali which meanders through the twin towns of Dharchula on the Indian side and Darchula on the Nepal side. Had it not been raining we would have sat on the terrace and watched the dark blue clear waters of the river roaring below. Instead, we sit in the covered veranda adjoining the terrace and watch the rain fall steadily on the tree tops in front and blinking lights in the houses across the river. It has been a very long tiring day. My mind drifts to the long drive of the day through narrow mountain road ........
It is a cloudy day. We start at dawn when it is still dark. We have a long way to go and reach Dharchula before dark. It is a continuous drive towards the north-easterly direction. We pass through dense chir-pine forests. The tall and majestic pine trees are lined up as sentinels on either side of the road and softly whisper as we pass by.
At Chowkri
We reach Dhaulchina for breakfast and hit the road immediately after. We drive through Berinag. Nostalgically I look about and around, towards the wide open sky, and towards the blue mountains in the horizon which I knew so well; a cool breeze mingled with dust wafts across as I peep through the bus window, and I immediately knew it was a sigh of distress and disappointment.
Every thing has changed dramatically. The images I held in my memory so dearly do not exist any more. It has grown in to a big place. So many of the people I had known back then are there no more. Old generation is gone and taken over by new and living in the dream land of glitter and noise. Berinag of my childhood does not exist now.
The wilderness has now been tamed by humans. The foot paths and wild trails are now wide painted roads for heavy loaded motor vehicles. The tea gardens are in ruins. They have been replaced or are in the process of being replaced by the buildings all over like pimples on a beautiful face. Only a few stray struggling tea plants or their stumps remind one of the beautiful gardens that once existed. The oaks are no where to be seen; even hardy species like chir pine around Berinag having almost disappeared. Every thing - the land, the air, and the trees I knew appears alien to me now
Drive from Berinag to Chowkori is beautiful and on an almost level road. Through the opening in the tall pine trees we see the green terraced fields on our right. As we approach Chowkori scattered tea-bushes are visible, unattended and uncared for, struggling to survive. The Tea garden is almost finished now.
Chowkori is a lovely place and still retains its past glory. On clear days there is a commanding view of the snows. Here, in front of KMVN guest house, is a watch-tower built for viewing the snows above and the beautiful valley down below. Atop the tower we stand for a long time to admire the broad vista of the beautiful emerald green rolling terrain. The black ribbon of the meandering road we are to drive on shortly is visible at a distance. Today we could not sight the snows as they are concealed by clouds.
On the road again, we pass through thick chir forests as we approach Thal valley we meet the glorious river Ramganga (east) carrying waters from far of snows. Thal is on either side of this river. Crossing it over we turn left and continue ascent till we reach Sandev near Didihat at the top of the ridge. On this section of our drive we pass through most lovely terrain. It is cool and moist , covered with dense foliage of luxurious acers, maples and oaks.
At Mirthi near Didihat we break for tea offered by commandant, ITBP camp. It is a beautiful camp surrounded by chir-pine. The ITBP personnel will be with us all through until we cross over to Tibet at Lepulekh pass.
From here Pithoragarh is only about an hour away in south-easterly direction. We however, drive in north-easterly direction. The descent is continuous. We pass through dense Chir-Pine forest followed by Sal forests and enter Askot Musk-Deer Sanctuary which falls within River Kali catchments. At the end of the descent we touch the valley bottom of River Kali
As we enter Kali valley, first important place we come across is Jauljibi, situated at the confluence of Goriganga coming from Milam Glaciers and Kali coming from Lepulekh. Every year on 14 November a big fair is held here. We are now driving on almost level road along the right bank of River Kali until we reach Dharchula.
The landscape all through our journey up to Dharchula is indeed very picturesque. The terrain destroyed during road building in past seems to have recovered, and the landscape has regained its old glory. Indeed the nature works to perfection slowly but steadily, weaving together all the elements to make it whole.
It is Sunday and all Dharchula shops are shut. It continues to rain. After the dinner, it stops for awhile and we got a chance to sneak onto the terrace. It is fairly large terrace. We sit and stroll and watch the lights of the houses on either bank of the river simmering in the dark waters of Kali. As we go to bed, it starts raining again. we get up at dawn when hot-cup of bed-tea knocks our doors, it is still raining. I am rather disappointed.
Dharchula (700m.) is a small township on the bank of the River Kali. It is densely populated with houses crammed within a narrow valley surrounded on either side by tall almost vertical hills. Only a narrow strip of sky is visible. The place is hot, crowded and teeming with mosquitoes. The hills are almost bare with only a scattering of bushes and pine trees. Across the suspension bridge over the river is the Nepali township of Darchula. People move about freely from either side without any restrictions.
From here onwards we will be following River Kali right up to Lepulekh with slight diversions. River Kali forms India's international border with Nepal. It rises in Lepulekh pass and is called Sharda at Tanakpur where it enters the plains. It is a big river with vast catchments. Sarju, Gori, Dhauli and Kuthi (Kuthiyangti) are its main tributaries. These are big rivers in there own right, each having several of their own tributaries. All of them are snow-fed by the Greater Himalayan glaciers, and are therefore perennial carrying large volume of water. In upper reaches they cut narrow V-shaped valleys and are very turbulent with falls and rapids. River Kali, too, in higher reaches flows on steep slopes and therefore, wild and at its boisterous best as it gushes down. At places it is covered with huge rocks and boulders. Sarju meets River Kali at Pancheshwar, Gori at Jauljibi, Dhauli at Tawaghat, and Kuthi at Gunji.
Comments
Plant trees.....not concrete
the description of the hills, valleys and the rain, all reminded me of my trip so long back into the area. i can understand the disappointment you must have felt when you saw concrete in place of the lovely deodars that used to stand tall arms outstretched.
that is the price humanity is going to pay slowly at first anad then in a big ecological disaster of frequent floods, landslides ec.....sigh.....