Manimahesh Yatra - A pilgrimage to Shiva's abode

 A pilgrim is a wanderer with a purpose  

In India, specially Himachal and Uttarakhand region, most of the hiking spots are associated with some religious aspect. I think it's the power of divinity that a person whether too young or old, can hike any altitude. This story is about such a pilgrimage which I did with my friends in 2017. 

We did some research about the location/best route/transportation. Below are few details about this lake-

• Name: Manimahesh lake
• Location: Bharmour, Himachal Pradesh, India
• Altitude: 4190m 
• Trek: ~15KM

We left Delhi at midnight for Chandigarh for our 4 day long trip. It was rainy season, so we were in doubt if we could really make it to Manimahesh peak as it was raining since last 2 days and trek stops by officials when it rains too much. But we moved and started our journey from Delhi.

On the way, we visited this beautiful gurudwara(temple) known as "Anandpur Sahib". As it was rainy season, the clouds had added 4 stars in the ambience of the temple.

After visiting this holy shrine, we moved ahead towards our destination. On the way, the views were fantasic. I belive whenever you visit mountains, the greenery reminds you how beautiful nature is. Few glimpse of the route can be seen here- 

We arrived at our destination in midnight around 9PM. As yatra season was about to conclude in next 3 days, most of the seasonal shops were closed by that time. Only langars(community kitchen which provides free food to all pilgrims/visitors) were open. They provided us free food but couldn't provide accommodation as it was already full by other pilgrims.

So after having our dinner, we decided to spent the night in car and will start trek to manimahesh lake in early morning. Thus we parked our car near by road where other vehicles were also parked.

Shooting stones: It was midnight and we were somehow(because we were 7) sleeping inside car and suddenly we heard a huge sound. It felt to us if some big rock has dropped from mountain. The moment we realised that another fallen rock is closer to our car, we asked driver to start the engine and move it ASAP from this location. We all were scared as the rock was big enough to cover half of the vehicle. As we were going far from the location, we could still hear the sound of shooting stones. We couldn't sleep after it and started waiting for morning. At 5AM, we all got down of car and went back to location to check what damage was done by stones. There were 2 huge rocks fallen on 2 different vehicles. 1 vehicle was in front and another was behind of our previous location and many small stones were lying at the same location where we had parked our car earlier. Both of the vehicles were not having any person inside, so no casualties reported. We thanked God for saving lives.

This is route map of the yatra.

We started trekking from Tappa and reached Dhancho in 4-5 hours. Initial climb is very steep but gradually the steepness decreases. On the way, there were still many langars available ready to serve the pilgrims of this yatra. We didn't have to worry about food and accommodation at all. We had conversation with few people there. Many persons were coming from almost all over the India to offer their prayer to lord Shiva. 

From Dhancho, we took Fountain Road so we could visit that giant waterfall. Yes, it was having giant flow like if you stand in front, you'll be wet form top to bottom in less than a minute.
Then we had some food in langar and moved towards Gauri kind which is next stop on the trek route. At 4 PM, we reached Kund and it is believed that the wife of lord Shiva(named Gauri) used to take bath in this pond. It's a natural water reservior and only women are allowed to take bath at this place. 

The climate kept on changing as we climb towards top. The views of beautiful valley and faith of pilgrimgs in Lord Shiva kept everybody motivated to walk towards destination.

Finally at 7.30PM, we reached at the door of manimahesh lake. Due to clouds, moonlight was not there so we couldn't see the Manimahesh Kailash properly. So we found a accommodation for 100₹ per person and had langar as our dinner. We were so tired that within few minutes, we fell asleep. 

Next morning was amazing. We woke up by the sound of people chanting 'Har har mahadev'. We came out of tents and what I saw, I did never imagine. This giant Manimahesh mountain standing tall in front of us which is almost 5500 ft. in height. I never went so close to any mountain of such height. The surrounding vibes were positive and everybody was waiting for sunrise. And when sunrise happened, a wave of happiness could have been seen on faces of people. It is believed that if you can see the top of mountain which means God wants you to see it. Because most of the time it is covered with bunch of clouds.

Story of Manimahesh Kailash:

Locals believe that Lord Shiva resided here with her wife. Another myth says that this is virgin peak as its unconquerable. Whomsoever tries to climb it, turns into stone. 

It was -4'C and Then we took a dip in holy pond. After dip, for a moment I felt I'm not having my head on top of body. It was so freezing cold. But we all managed to take dip.

We offered prayers at small 'open temple' which is situated near by the lake. At that time, it was huge rush which made us to stand in queue in order to visit temple.

Then we started descending towards Hadsar. On the way, we saw locals going with Doli(divine chair) who were going towards lake to offer prayers to Lord.

At 5.30PM, we reached Hadsar from where we looked for our cab and moved back towards Delhi. While coming back we felt if we were going back with our body but our soul was still wandering in those mighty mountains.

Here are few Q&A which people ask me regarding this trip-

How to reach Manimahesh?

You can take train/bus from Delhi Kashmere Gate for Pathankot and from there, you can take bus to Chamba/Bharmour. Again from Bharmour to Hadsar, you can take shared cab/bus.

Do we need trekking essentials to climb there?

Yes if you're going off-season. and No if you're going in season(july-september). Just keep woolen/raincoat whenever you visit there. We were lucky that it didn't rain in those 2 days.

What was the cost of your trip from Delhi to Manimahesh?

Delhi to Chandigarh - 260₹
Chandigarh to Manimahesh and return in cab - 12000/6=2000₹ PP
Chandigarh to Delhi - 260₹
Other Expenses - 2400/6=400₹ PP
Total cost =~ 3000₹ PP

What is the availability of washrooms/Medical help center on the route?

Every 2km, you'll find langars and there you'll find every basic emenities. Medical help center is available at Dhancho and Gauri kund both.

What would be cost for solo traveler and is it safe for female travelers?

It's purely safe for every person going to Manimahesh. You'll find people of age from 10 yrs to 55 yrs going towards lake. Cost for solo traveler-
Delhi to Pathankot train - 300₹ + 300₹(return)
Pathankot to Chamba bus ~ 200₹ + 200₹(return)
Or
Delhi to Chamba bus - 750₹ + 750₹(return)
Chamba to Bharmour bus ~ 100₹ + 100₹(return)
Accommodation @ Manimahesh lake - 200₹
Total cost =~ 1200₹(via train)/1900₹(via bus) 

Thank you for reading the blog. If you have any query/suggestion regarding the blog, comment section is always open for you.:)