Trek to Kheerganga - Gift from NoMads to NoMads

by Kunal Singhvi (India)

A leap into the unknown India

It is a common belief that Lord Shiva, one of the main deities of the Hindu Mythology meditated at the mighty Himalayan Mountains. It is also believed that Kartikeya, son of lord Shiva came to Kheerganga after losing a race to his brother Ganesh. Following the defeat, he remained in “Samadhi” for thousands of years. Lord Shiva tried to tempt his son by a directing a stream of “Kheer”, an Indian sweet dish to bring him back. Hence the name “Kheerganga”. Almost three years back, when I went to Kasol with a group of my friends, I heard about Kheerganga from the people who were coming back from the trek. They told us that despite its obvious challenges, the trek was an incredible experience that would make for a lifetime of memories. Since then, Kheerganga had been on my list of places to go, till the opportunity finally presented itself. Last year, I decided to go for the trek, and after my packing, I went to ISBT Kashmere Gate from where I was supposed to board a bus at 10 pm. I wore my headphones comfortably, turned on the music, and settled back. This was for the first time I was travelling solo, so my over-excitement hardly let me sleep on the bus. The morning started with a stunning sunrise view that I enjoyed from a local Dhaba where we relished tea and sandwiches. After crossing the bumpy path of Manikaran and Kasol road, the bus dropped me at the Kasol Bus Stop at around 2 pm. I decided to find a hotel for a night stay in Kasol as I wanted to be completely rested for the journey. After relaxing for 2 hours, I took a stroll to the Kasol Street that is also called Mini Israel, because of the many Hebrew inscribed signboards and a variety of scrumptious Israeli dishes that are being served in the restaurants and cafes. Next day, I started my expedition at 6 am after grabbing some toast from the hotel’s restaurant. I first visited a nearby temple where I met my guide, who had 8 years of experience in trekking. We set our target to reach Kheerganga by noon. From the temple, we moved to Barshaini, the base camp, which is also the convergence point of the Parvati and Tosh Rivers. On our way to the top, we walked through the majestic landscape along with a splendid sight of nature. We passed a few wooden bridges, tricky terrains and slippery curves. I captured several mesmerising views of the sky, waterfalls and birds in my camera. We reached Rudra Nag Waterfall at 10am, where we stayed for 15 minutes to admire the beauty of the hills. We also came through villages Kalga and Pulga, where the locals sang a few Himachali folk songs for us, and that moment was truly divine! They briefed me about their lifestyle and the locals offered me a traditional desert of Himachal, Mittha, which is prepared with rice, jaggery, raisins and dry fruits. Further on, the route became sublime, with sights of flowing water streams, flowers, mud houses and alpine trees. We reached the green meadow of Kheerganga on time & with a Bang! I took a refreshing dip in the hot spring that washed off all my tiredness and leg pain from the journey. That day, I decided to spend a night in the camp. To celebrate the achievement of trekking, a bonfire was arranged for all of us at night. Playing cards, Antakshri and dancing set the tone right for the night. That was another sleepless night as people were busy interacting and sharing their experiences with each other. I had a sleep for about 2 hours and I woke up to the chilly morning breeze with a splendid view of the sunrise and flying birds. After having breakfast, I went to take another dip in the hot water spring. We started the trek back to Barshaini after breakfast at 11:30 am which took us 3 and a half hours, and then we returned to Kasol. -Avoid shortcuts in the mountains -Watch your steps at the slippery Hot water spring -No mobile networks at Kheerganga -DO NOT LITTER