Himachal Diaries: A Heaven On Earth Called Devidarh

Nowadays, tourists prefer to visit places which can hypnotise everyone with their beauty and solitude, away from the noise of the world. Devidarh in the Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh has just such untouched beauty. Thus, my family started making plans to go there.However, the plan kept moving back and forth due to heavy rain last year. But, as soon as the weather became a little better, we immediately started for the region. My parents, wife, daughter and son were very excited about this journey and we constantly thought about this beautiful area which was waiting for us. The journey from our home in Sundernagar to Devidarh was about two and a half hours so we hired a taxi. We reasoned that driving a car would not allow the driver to see such a beautiful place in comfort.A Scenic DriveTo reach Devidarh, we first had to reach Chail Chowk via Baggi. A little ahead of Chail Chowk, the road divided into two: one turned towards the Janjheli Valley and the other towards Devidarh. The Janjheli Valley left us spellbound; it was like heaven on earth.But, we had to turn towards Devidarh. As we did, we passed through small and big villages like Kot, Shala, Jachh, Tunna, Dhangyara, Jahal and so on. The beauty of the villages, the residents’ lifestyle and their daily routine amazed us and was just what we had come to see. The entire area is situated in the Jyuni Valley and is very fertile. Traditional crops like wheat, maize, rice etc. are grown every year on the terraced fields. However, nowadays villagers are also growing cash crops in large quantities like potatoes and peas.As we continued on our way, we saw herds of sheep and goats. Their innocent and cute children forced us to stop for a while. We took many photos while holding them in our lap, all to the smiles of their herders.Out Of This WorldWe finally reached Devidarh after journeying 17km from Chail Chowk. It is situated at an altitude of about 2,377m above sea level. On the way there, small wooden bridges built at various places along the route attracted us a lot. Tiny streams emerged from hills and the scent and scenic views of pine forests, blooming fields and village life filled us with immense self-satisfaction. When we finally crossed over into Devidarh from Jahal village, it seemed as if we had entered an imaginary world.Our first stop in Devidarh was the beautiful temple of Mata Mundasani, an avatar of the goddess Durga. The goddess is so named because she killed a demon named Mund. There is an interesting story behind the formation of the temple ground, which is located among cedar trees. When the Pandavas were in exile, they stayed on the Shikari mountain. During that time, Bhima was hungry and roamed around in search of food. At that time, he saw a demoness eating sattu—a type of flour—in the shape of a laddu. Bhima requested one for himself but the demoness did not give it to him and kept eating. Soon enough only one last sattu was left. When Bhima asked for it again, the demoness once more refused him and made a run for it. Bhima hit her hard with his mace, whereupon she became unbalanced and fell. To avoid the injury, she supported herself with her palms. Due to the strong hit, her palm kept rubbing on the ground. Because of this rubbing, all the deodar trees nearby broke and so a treeless field was formed. It is said that the demoness then cursed the last laddu of sattu which then turned into stone. My family listened to this legend with great attention and remained lost in our imagination for some time afterwards.Right next to the Mata Mundasani was another curious attraction with religious importance. It was a huge cedar tree from whose trunk four other big tree-like trunks were growing. The structure of this tree surprised everyone. It is said that whenever Kamrunag, the god of rain, gets angry with people due to their misdeeds, he comes from Kamrughati and sits under this tree. It is then up to the goddess Mundasani, who is his elder sister, to convince him to go back to his abode. A fair is held here every year from August 11-15 to pay homage to the local gods and goddesses of the surrounding areas.The Devidarh region is a gift for those who love adventure and is particularly famous for its trekking. It has mainly two routes: one to Shikhari Devi and the other to Kamrunag Lake. Both domestic and foreign tourists have started coming here to admire the beauty of the landscape and partake in the treks.In a bid to boost tourism and sightseers to the area, artificial animals and models featuring children's cartoons and fountains have been installed since last year. There's also a small lake where visitors can enjoy a boating experience which is what my family did, taking photographs galore to capture the memories.All of us enjoyed the beautiful views of Devidarh throughout the day. I can never forget the joy we felt when we had lunch sitting on the ground in the middle of a cedar forest. When it was finally time to go home, the sun was just about to dip into the horizon. We were returning home and the untouched beauty of Devidarh was returning with us.When To VisitThe time before snowfall is a good time to visit Devidarh but adventure seekers and trekkers come here throughout the year.Where To StayThere are rest houses and camps established by the Forest Department where one can stay comfortably. There are also private guest houses for visitors such as the Hotel Cozy Heaven in Jahal village and the Jai Mata Homestay in Devidarh.Getting ThereThe nearest railway station to the town is Joginder Nagar Railway Station (110km) and the closest airport is Kullu–Manali Airport (93km). You can also reach Devidarh via the Mandi-Dadour-Devidarh route (55km).

Himachal Diaries: A Heaven On Earth Called Devidarh

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