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I have experienced that once you are bitten by a travel bug you can't stop exploring new places and learn new cultures & traditions. You just can't bound yourself in any place for too long. But everything that resides in the world including our own thoughts have two sides, I met another side of my thought when the first time I visited Rajgarh in Himachal Pradesh. Far from commercialization this place is situated in the most south eastern district of Himachal Pradesh. Mostly area is covered with large mountains & 90% of the population resides in villages. Rajgarh comprises many villages that includes Churwadhar, Nohradhar, Blyandhar, Bogdhar, Nagdhar & many other small villages. Rajgarh is the place where I felt my own thoughts contradicting & decided to spend a good period of time to explore all these villages.
Here I am listing top 05 Reasons for visiting Rajgarh :
1. Simple way of living
The first thing that made me fell in love in this valley is the rural way of living. Maximum of the population that resides in this valley lives in villages. This place is still saved from commercialization and that is the best part of the place. The people here are living a happy & content life with very less comforts as compared to the cities. They don't strive toward modernization but are happily content with the resources they have and they are efficient enough to put good use of them. The regular income of most of the houses come from farming & cattle. The market in every town of Rajgarh comprises of the shops for all the basic needs for locals as well as tourists. The way they embrace their lives, traditions and living happily & content as compared to the lives in cities inspired me a lot to stay more in this place and explore at its best.
2. This place is enriched with lots of waterfalls & natural pools
There are lots of natural pools amidst these mountains. This in another factor that make this place a must visit place. Within every 20-30 Kms you will find a waterfall sometimes its not visible from the road and are well hidden so you have to hike for reaching these waterfalls. I have myself discovered a huge waterfall with a big enough natural pool in Kandaghat just after Deedag. Few distance from this place there comes Rondi waterfall and it is one of the most amazing fall I have ever seen. You will find a series of waterfalls one after the next as you start hiking up from Rondi and every one is of breath taking beauty.
There are lots of natural pools amidst these mountains. This in another factor that make this place a must visit place. Within every 20-30 Kms you will find a waterfall sometimes its not visible from the road and are well hidden so you have to hike for reaching these waterfalls. I have myself discovered a huge waterfall with a big enough natural pool in Kandaghat just after Deedag. Few distance from this place there comes Rondi waterfall and it is one of the most amazing fall I have ever seen. You will find a series of waterfalls one after the next as you start hiking up from Rondi and every one is of breath taking beauty.
3. This place is the abode of Shirgul Maharaj – a Deity widely worshiped in Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh
Shirgul Devta Temple, according to Purana is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Situated at the height of 3640 Meters above sea level the most famous temple of Lord Shirgul which is more than 5000 year old is the main attraction for the visitors on this mountain. A wide variety of travelers come every year to offer their prayers in this temple seeking the lord’s blessing. It is a place where pilgrims bathe and wash away their sins, purify their souls and give gratitude to Lord Shiva by giving water on Linga.
4. You get to live amidst forest
If you want to experience wilderness then this is one of the best place to feel the thrill of forest. These forest are home to a vast species of flora & fauna. You can witness the lovely walks amidst rhododendron & pine trees and can spot a different species of birds and one can even spot a leopard if you are lucky enough.
The majority of trees that can be seen while trekking in this region includes rhododendron, deodar, oak & pine. Apart from the trees one may also find lots of medicinal herbs such as Aloe Vera, Amaranthus spinosus and Wild Himalayan Cherry .
This place is a bliss for Wild Life admirers, there are several species of birds that can be seen during the trek. Some of these birds include Himalayan monal, red junglefowl, Indian peafowl, multi-colored laughing thrush and the koklass pheasant.
Legions of creatures has made these mountains their home. Animals that commonly seen around this mountain include Musk deer, barking deer, goral, leopard, wild boar, pika and Asiatic black bear.
5. This is the base for many trekking trails including Churdhar Peak
Churdhar aka Churi-Chandni Dhar (Bangles of snow ridge) is the highest peak in the outside Himalayan range. The peak is surrounded with a 56 square km forest sanctuary, which make the trekking a delightful affair. The trek is a steep hike inside a dense Deodar forest, terraced fields and gujjar pasture lands. The starting point of this trek is Nohradhar from there its a 18 KM trek to the peak amidst forest and clouds.
In Photos: Rajgarh
Pictures Credits: Rahul Chaudhary