Twin Towers
Trip Start
Mar 06, 2005
1
32
34
Trip End
??? ??, 2006
Sarahan,
India
Saturday, June 25, 2005
We piled all our kit into the large 4x4 that Naresh our mountain guide had arrived in and we were introduced to our driver Anil, the four of us would be covering 1,200km (approx) in the next ten days depending on the weather and therefore which routes were available to us. To say that I was excited was an understatement, travelling through the high himalaya was something I'd dreampt of but never thought I would get to experience. Jane on the other hand was not so enthusiastic as she was concerned about the state of the roads we were due to be driving along. Naresh had shown her some photos of the high passes that are only open for a couple of months of the year and the prospect of driving over them had not filled her with confidence (especially after our experiences on the local buses!).
The weather in shimla was beautiful as we drove up and out of the town. Climbing steadily towards Naldehra we passed its famed golf course spread over the hillside, it lays claim to being both the oldest and highest in the world! We then started our decent into the next valley, as we wound our way down the mountain we were treated to some magnificent views overlooking the steep grassy valley sides dotted with little farm buildings. We chatted to Naresh who pointed out features and related details about the local farms and villages we passed. He explained that this area is known for its production of high quality apples and cherries which are transported to Dehli to be sold throughout India.
Sarahan 01
As if to prove his point we made a stop at a roadside stall and he bought 2 large boxes of big red cherries....they were truly delicious, and all 4 of us spent the next couple of hours gorging ourselves on them, and spitting the stones out of the window as we rumbled down the hillside into the valley.The further we decended into the valley the warmer it got. On reaching the valley floor we hit the all too familiar baking heat we had experienced in the plaines near Chandigarh. Thankfully we soon began to climb again into the cooler air of the mountains...it was going to be a long day as we would have to cover around 175km to reach Sarahan, which may not sound a great deal and even when reviwing the map looked straightforward enough but in reality on these narrow, steep and continually winding roads it was more than enough for our first day.
The Kinnaur valley region into which we were now venturing has a reputation for containing some of the most beautiful valleys in the entire Himalaya and some of the most dangerous. In 2001 the mighty river Sutlej which drains the valley, suddenly and without warning rose over 30 metres in 2 hours. This flash flood which started in Tibet completely washed away roads, bridges and entire villages killing thousands of people submerging schools and hotels on the very roads we are now driving along. It is hard to comprehend the power and ferocity required to carry out such a level of devastation as we cruise through our tranquil surroundings on such a pleasant day.
Sarahan 03
However in a little over 24 hours we were to be treated to a first hand demonstration of exactly how suddenly and viciously these flash floods can strike.We reached Sarahan in the early evening and what a great little place it is , sitting high above the valley floor at 1920 metres sheltered at the foot of a huge Himalayan 'wall'. This was the summer retreat of the Bushahar empire and contains our main reason for visiting... the twin towers of the Bhimakali temple which were contructed using traditional Himachal methods ie alternating layers of timber and stone. This unique method of construction is used throughout this region and is meant to safeguard against earthquakes, apparently each layer of wood absorbs shockwaves and prevents the building from crumbling.....it must work as the oldest tower has stood for over 800 years!
Our 'hotel' (which is owned by the regional administrator) is a good deal less than 800 years old although judjing by the interior you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise, it is (and I'm being diplomatic here) well used and basic, but the staff are very friendly. Our room has a balcony with the most spectacular views acoss the valley towards the monumental peak of Srikhand Mahadev at 5227 metres, the views are hazy at this time of year but are still impressive. Small houses leaking whisps of spiralling smoke are scattered down the green valleyside with the huge grey brown peak looming over them in the middle distance, its bulky silhouette can be seen from anywhere in the village.
The temple is still used for worship and it has a guesthouse attached to the compound.
Sarahan 06
At 5am every morning the temple blurts out amplified chanting from megaphone speakers placed around its walls, it was loud enough to wake us up 1/2 a mile away, so those staying in its guest house must have been deaffened. As we had been woken early we had breakfast and strolled into the village where we came across old wooden shop-houses that looked as if they had been built from a selection of discarded wooden doors from ancient kitchen cabinets. They offered a range of locally produced souvenirs, wooly hats, socks, scarves etc whilst others were more practical 'general stores' selling anything from paint to toothpaste after all you cant just nip out to Tesco here!. The whole was charming and created a friendly community atmosphere.We approached the temple which consists of an inner compound, monks quarters, and the two towers. Each of the towers resembles a grey and brown horizontally striped stone pillar with an oversized but ornately carved garden shed plonked on top to create an over hanging upper storey (see photos). One tower is the original and unfortunately visitors arent allowed inside due to its fragile state and a decidedly Pizzaesque lean which it has developed, the other was reconstructed in the 1920's and it was this one we explored. Before entering the temple compound you have to cover your head (they provide a nice little felt hat) remove your shoes and any leather articles ie belts, wallets etc. As we removed our sandals I noticed a smaller temple within the courtyard and recognised it as the place of human sacrifice which was practiced here until the 19th century.
Sarahan 09
Sacraficial offerings are still made during festivals when anything from chickens to buffaloes are slaughtered to appease Bhimakali (the Himachal version of the bloodthirsty Hindu god Kali).The entrance gate to the towers is protected by statues of brightly painted Tigers, passing these and crossing the grassy stretch to the foot of the tower we were struck by how ornate the carving of the upper storeys is. We had to duck down to enter the tiny doorway into the base of the tower, inside the narrow corridor led to an even narrower flight of stairs like those you would expect to find in a hay loft. On the second floor were brightly decorated shrines dedicated to Shiva and Bhimakali set under an impressive silver filagree canopy. We waited our turn along with a few local worshippers to enter the inner sanctum, we were greeted by the resident holyman by having a red Bindi (blob of 'paint') dawbed on our foreheads.
Jane sat on the floor while he offered her advice on how to travel through the Himalaya in harmony with the gods (or something like that) and I gawped at the locals prostrating themselves infront of the shrine, feeling very much the foreigner intruding on a private ceremony. We duly left an offering (cash) thanked him for his advice (which Jane later addmitted to not understanding one word of) and left, wandering down the corridors peering out of the 'sheds' shuttered windows at the temple courtyard below and the surrounding countryside. Putting my Flipancy to one side I have to admit the tower and temple did have a 'special' atmosphere to them and we greatly enjoyed our visit, not least because of the relaxed and tranquil village setting.
It was time to move on and so we retraced our steps back down into the valley until we were at the side of the Sutlej river again but this time heading up the main valley towards our next destination, the remote mountain village of Sangla (2680 metres) in the Baspa valley, reputedly the most beautiful valley in the entire Himalaya and one which has possibly the most hairaising roads leading into it. This journey turned out to be one of the most memorable and exciting we had experienced so far on our travels and Sangla was to be the site of our helicopter rescue!
Post again soon Love Aubrey and Jane.
PS We soon hope to be spending some time relaxing in Australia and posting as many entries as possible in a short space of time in an attempt to try and bring our travelogue up to date... so far we have found it difficult to 'keep ontop of things' with a busy schedule and additional correspondence aswell as poor quality internet facilities combining to frustrate our efforts...but we want to be 'current' by the time we hit South America in a few weeks time. (really we are making excuses for being a bit lazy)
