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Sunrise over Trishul and other mountains in the range as seen from the ridge |
Puffing and
panting, I climbed up the slope in the dark with my guide Santhosh to see the
sunrise over Trishul, it was a short but nearly vertical climb and I was not
yet used to this sort of climbing. It
was dark…. But let me start at the beginning.
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A glorious Sunset from Joshi Cottage |
Deciding where
to go in the mountains, I chanced upon Joshi Cottage, a quaint and quiet
getaway from the bustle of life at home. A two kilometre walk from the Sanctuary
Road is why, unless one is an ardent nature lover, one does not want to come to
the village Dalar. It is off the beaten track for party goers, though there are
many hotels within the park premises where party animals can go.
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A rhododendron strewn path, a welcome from the forest, while walking the 2 km to the cottage |
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Joshi Cottage |
The Sanctuary
is exactly that, a heaven for birds and haven for animals (the four-legged
kind).
BWLS became a Sanctuary in 1988 as per my guide Santhosh (and one of the owners of Joshi Cottage). I could
still see the legacy of pre-park days like tapping pine for resin and terraced
fields.
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Terraced field, does not look like it is disused |
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There are plenty of rhododendron in the park and this year they are blooming early |
Though this was stopped when the
place became a Sanctuary, it is really the animals which have stopped these
activities. Wild boar, Barking Deer and
Ghural (Blue sheep), amongst the many herbivores, treated the terraced fields
as dining tables. The Leopard made a
tasty meal of these herbivores and of course came into conflict with man (and
woman) and did not mind picking up the odd grass cutter. I saw and heard Barking Deer often, but only once saw the shy Ghural. |
Indian White-eye looks for more succulent flowers |
This is a
birders paradise and birds mainly inhabit the areas near and around the
villages where titbits are to be had. Not to say that one does not find a mixed
hunting party of birds in the forest also.
There are many types of birds here, I saw three types of Woodpeckers
(Himalayan, Brown-fronted and Lesser Yellow-nape), Great Barbet, Blue-fronted
Barbet and lots of other birds. In fact
on a morning out with Santhosh, a wonderful guide and excellent spotter, I saw
about 25 species of birds in a little over an hour, all near the village Dalar.
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I could see the sun rising over Trishul from my room at the cottage, natures light show, nothing man-made can compare |
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Joshi Cottage is in a rural setting and a working household |
I could see
Trishul and other peaks from my hut, but only at that place on the ridge could I see the
entire snow-clad mountain range, Nanda Ghunti, Trishul, Nanda Devi, Nanda Kot
(the locals call it Ban Kutia as it is in the shape of a sickle's edge). So I
huffed and puffed in the dark while Santhosh went up like a mountain goat, all
so that I could see the sun rise over Trishul and other peaks. But it was worth
it as that day was clear and the rays of the sun were truly awe-inspiring, better than any man-made light show. |
Stopping for a breather, grass cutting ladies use the wall of the abandoned school for their loads |
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...another walk, along the path in the forest |
There were many
pleasant walks around, after I got used to the climbing and descent, Zero
Point, the school circuit of about three kilometres included an abandoned
school, the path from the village to the road, and along the road, and of course this climb up the ridge.
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the Jageshwar group of temples |
One day I hired
a car and spent the whole day doing touristy sight-seeing, first I went to the
carpark of Zero Point and walked (2km) up along a well defined path. Then I
went to Jageshwar, a group of temples and a museum, all of which is worth a
look. On the way back I went to Kasar Devi which has a temple, one of the three
under the Van Allen belt and where Swami Vivekananda did meditation.
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Each evening I would have a fire lit by my caring hosts |
A pity about the hotels inside the park though, but a memorable
sojourn in the BWLS and not too many Sanctuaries have a village in the midst
itself.
Wonderfully described
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