Sangla valley

Green haven

The life of the people at Sangla is simple and hard. They have a rich cultural legacy and a wealth of legends and myths. They follow Buddhism and Hinduism. It is believed that the Pandavas resided there while in exile. In ancient mythology the people of this region are known as Kinners, half way between men and gods! A temple known as Bering Nag, dedicated to Jagas God and a Buddhist Monastery is worth a visit. A trout farm has also been set up at Sangla by the Fisheries Department and the river therefore has plenty of fish. In fact, at the Banjara Camps there was fresh trout to complement our barbeque dinner every night... We noted that the village houses are unique examples of wooden architecture, as we went on a hike through Batseri and took photos the next day. A level cum gradually climbing path first took us to Basteri village across the Baspa river. On the cards was a visit to the temple, and then we quickly headed out of the village into the forest. About half an hour later the path took a sharp climb and went on for 30 minutes....and then we came upon our first glacier! We halted here a bit, obviously, took in the raw beauty of the serene white spread — and had a packed sandwich and juice! Across the glacier we entered the forest and there the path started going gradually upwards. Half an hour and many fascinating views later the path took a sudden descent and opened out into the valley. The vast spread of soothing yet luxuriant green and the river gurgling in between made for a beautiful sight. A perfect place for a photography halt! The next day we decided to visit Chitkul— a 45 minute drive across 19 km from Banjara Camps. The drive to was fascinating. Pine trees slowly gave way to Bhofpatra/Birch trees, and then the tree line disappeared as we reached the meadowland. The valleyopened up and we found ourselves facing the snow capped Great Himalayas beyond which lay Tibet. Perched on the side of the valley, below one of the ridges was the quaint Chitkul village. One look at it and the image of Shangri—La crossed all our minds. More so as Chitkul fell in what once used to be the Silk Route. We walked from there to Nagasthi and had a lunch hamper under the pine trees next to a rivulet on green grass, over looking the beautiful expanse of the valley. Nagasthi is the last border outpost and a short walk from Chitkul. We met some of the locals here, they were playing carom... They looked very happy indeed — and very pink! At our last night at Banjara Camps, it rained. That was preceded by a mild hailstorm earlier in the evening. So we sat around outside our tents for a while, taking in the serenity and the eternal snow view of the surrounding snowy mountains. As it started to rain, we moved in to the central tent to cosy up, and have hot soup! Some of us moved on to the large dinner tent which had indoor games like chess, cards and Spellofun with books and magazines. The next morning we left at the crack of dawn by road, back directly to Chandigarh. From there on, we took our flights out to our respective home towns. On the flight back home, my thoughts inevitably went back to our driving holiday to Sangla. The drive through lush green mountains, alongside the gushing waters of the Sutlej, the frustration at the traffic jam at the bridge construction, the bumpy rough road patch after Rampur... and the simple, pink cheeked ever smiling Himachalis... the cosy bonding in the tent at camp with a hailstorm outside... It was difficult to get back to reality. Because that meant crowds, technology, rush of work, ambition, polluted air and glittering city lights. Bangalore...Home.