"Keep your Adventurous Spirit Alive"
Funday Sunday Road Tripping it was ! It started with my RSVP to the "Dhosi Hills-Hidden Gem-24th July'16" on the Meetup Group "Muskarate Chehare(means Smiling Faces) . The group is hosted by a very fine, energetic, full of life lady who loves making friends , bringing cheer to life of everyone she meets & true to the spirit of the Meetup group hosted by her she has a 100 watt smile on her face! Touchwood! Hats off to minute details taken care by her from detailing about the destination to which the visit was planned , the mini traveler bus for our transport, suggestions to carry snacks & like a mother instructing everyone to carry essentials in backpack & taking care of everyone all along the trip like a mother hen .
24 people on 24th July'16 Sunday Morning at 5am started Road Tripping in a mini traveler coach . The pickups were to be done from 4 defined stops in along the Delhi- Gurgaon route. I along with my brother boarded at about 5:30am & was greeted by a cheerful set of people, who were clearly as enthusiast about this road trip as I was . After the final person boarded & quick round of introductions to a houseful bus , we started towards our destination of the day - Dhosi Hills !
Journey becomes interesting not because of the destination but because of the people you are with !!
Fun began the moment everyone settled comfortably with songs , jokes, games topped up with a quick breakfast of sandwiches, biscuits , fruits! Our Lady dint let any dull moment pass and had a list of games planned for us and not to miss the 5-stars chocolates with the round of applause from everyone for the winner. Everyone felt like young children trying to win the chocolate , with heartfelt carefree laughter all around . Two of the best games worth putting on record here were - one the good old "Chinese Whisper" game and second "Make a Story". Make a story really brought out the childlike imagination of everyone & it was made more fun by the sporting spirit of a gentleman who took it in his stride (as the story started revolving around him) and finished it with a delightful Bollywood dance Shahrukh Khan style !
After few hours on road & everyone being up since early , we stopped for a break on the way for quick chai & biscuits .Luckily we found one resort partly under construction though. As soon as we parked at the resort & got off the bus - lo behold there was a trampoline in the middle of the sprawling lawn and the best we all did was let loose the child in us & straight jumped on it ! It was a sight - to see everyone trying a hand on it. It took a while to drag few off it after a while as we had some good amount of distance to cover and the sun was getting high above. some of us enjoyed a good cup of chai on a road side tea stall , just the way it is supposed to be enjoyed at its best !
Dhosi Hills - A piece of history
The drive towards Dhosi Hills was quite soothing to the eyes as there were vast green fields, intermittent small forests, area appearing more greener due to the monsoon season . A chapter from the ancient history was the first impressions of the area on reaching the base of the Hills . Dhosi Hill or Dhosi Ki Pahadi as the locals call is situated about 9kms from Narnaul , Mahendergarh District in Haryana India , which is aproxx 150kms from Delhi . Dhosi is part of the Old Aravalli Rangein north west region and was formed by a volcanic eruption & has mention in The Mahabharata as well . The uniqueness if the hill lies in the fact that it has all the features of an extinct volcano- the typical rock formations due to lava eruption , the crater at the top which holds another significant history in itself .
The hill is about 970ft and can be climbed by two paths- one spiral staircase , which a local informed me on the way has 52bends ( I dint count though) from the Kultajpur village side and the second one is steep climb with few stairs . We climbed up from the staircase path and used the back side .
All along the way up , various types of rock formations can be seen which are basically solidified lava rocks - if you try to look carefully lot of figure formations can actually be seen. I could make out a skull shaped rock, a spinal cord shaped formation , rock resembling a teddy bear etc. The way up was quite grueling as we had started a bit late & the sun was in full force by now as nearing noon . I got a severe sunburn & one of our group mate suffered from heat stroke . Hence from my experience it is advisable to do this trek in winters or when the weather is a bit pleasant . Carry water, electrol packets, glucose along for the way. Umbrella/ Raincoat or a hat along with sunglasses are also a must have depending on the season this trek is done .There a is huge hanuman idol located from where the uphill climb starts and also a water tank or shiv kund sarovar as the locals it .Lot of the local lads were doing water sports in it the desi style - jumping in the water tank from above some 20ft height !
Uphill should be done at one's own pace, specially if one is not used to a lot of adventure sport or physical activity. We all could complete the uphill climb in approx. 2-3hrs as we did small breaks to catch breath , relaxing , soaking in the picturesque landscape & enjoying photography , pepping up each other along the way !
For me , a trek is not to win against someone , its always about winning against my own limitations. Almost 60% on my way and I could feel myself breaking down with thoughts as to why I was trying to exhaust myself , to turn back . But the voice inside kept motivating myself , overcoming the negativity proved to be more powerful. By the time we were 90% uphill, we had finished all our stock of juices & water. Few villagers coming down proved to be a blessing by offering us water , which they filled from the well located in the temple compound .
The view from the top was magnificent . By the time we reached up , clouds had gathered & it had begun to drizzle. It felt like God himself was quite happy with us for making it to the top . There is a Devi temple located on a bit higher elevation . Few of my group mates did go up and as for me I was happy reaching our destination and relaxing . After a quick cup of hot chai (tea) to sooth the aching body muscles & with the drizzle coming on ,I was all set to explore the area.
The top of the hill has the crater of this extinct volcano which houses - a shiv temple , Chavan Rishi temple, couple of wells and the home of the priests along with the water tank or sarovar . The water tank or the kund fills in with the rain water & becomes medicinal due to the copper content of the hill & rare herbs present in the vicinity .It is known to cure skin ailments due to its medicinal properties . On day of Somvati Amavasya( no moon night ) lot of devotees take dip in the sarovar & festival is organized.
The Chyavana Temple of ChyavanRishi , located in the crater has few shekhawati paintings. The temple was built for the famous Chyavan rishi, who invented the recipe of the Chyavanprash( medicinal tonic used to boost immunity) by meditating here for years & worked on the local medicinal herbs. the temple compound had a peculiar rock formation of a cave like structure which resembled to me as the snake bed of Lord Vishnu (Hindu Mythology) .
After spending couple of hours exploring the area, interacting with the locals , we started our way back . the drizzle by now had begun taking the shape of pouring rain. there were rain shelters on the way & it was prudent enough to take a break there as this way down did not have staircase & was rather sharp and slippery. Siting under the shed of a rock formation with rain pouring around , fresh air and breathtaking view of the village and a quite time with myself , proved to be relaxing.
We reached back downhill at around 6pm to our waiting coach to take us back . Till that time , in all the adventure spirit , we hadn't even realized that since morning none of us had even one square meal . I guess everyone was high & full with the feeling of accomplishment of the day. On our way back , had a hearty early diner at a dhabha - Priyanka Dhabha near with freshly cooked food with the roti(bread) on the menu- "Messi Roti " being the highlight. it was made of wheat flour mixed with fenugreek and Indian spices.
I suggest if you are looking for a short break for weekend & have an adventurous spirit to explore then Dhosi Hills Trek is meant for you . Hope I have been able to influence you to plan your next break.
Do share Feedback and feel free to contact me for any other information on this trek !
Have Feet will Travel :)
Trip first published on MystikPixels