Chamba Valley Trek

HIMACHAL PRADESH

Chamba Valley, Indra Har Pass and the temples of Brahmour

This is a trek that is set in a remote and largely unexplored area of the Western Himalaya . It is highly unlikely that you will meet other Westerners on this trek, the village children do not beg; in fact locals actually enjoy having their photo taken. The Dhaula-Dhar and Chamba valley region of Himachal Pradesh is inhabited by the Gaddi people: Hindu shepherds who migrate each spring with their flocks from the foothills of the Kangra valley to the rich grazing areas of Lahoul and Spiti - a journey that will entail covering high passes and mountainous terrain during the summer months before returning back to the lowlands to escape the onset of winter. In the company of Mark Butterworth you will have a real insider's view of the people, their society and traditions. Christina Noble's book 'Over The High Passes', publisher, Fontana/Collins, ISBN 0-00-637350-X, gives a perfect description of the Gaddi people and this region. The area is renowned for wildlife. In recent years a leopard killed the Butterworths' chickens! Besides leopards, there exist black bears, porcupine, various types of deer and mountain goats, langur and rhesus monkeys, jackals, pine marten, and the local equivalent of the yeti known as a Gye. The bird life is fantastic, ranging from a host of brightly-coloured small species to parrots, griffon vultures, lammergeiers, eagles and different types of forest pheasant. Mark has also personally catalogued 110 varieties of butterfly. During the trek you camp near small Gaddi villages or close to the many temples that are dedicated to the local deities. Spectacular views of the snow-capped Pir Panjal range and the locally revered Mt. Kailash, the highest mountain of a subsidiary range between the Dhaula-Dhar and Pir Panjal and sacred to the Hindus as the resting place of Lord Shiva, accompany you as you cross the Indra-Har Pass (14,610ft/4,453m) and descend into the Chamba valley. (Incidentally the more famous Mount Kailash is situated in Tibet ). The crossings of this pass and later on the Minkianni Pass (14,200ft/4,3282m) although not as high as many Himalayan passes, are challenging undertakings in wild country with magnificent views. The capital of the nomadic Gaddis is Brahmour. Known as the "Little Switzerland of India", many of the intricately carved stone temples date back to the 7th and 9th centuries. In all there are over 80 individual temples contained within the surrounds of the village.