CHAMOLI

ABOUT CHAMOLI

Chamoli lies in the arms of the heavenly Himalayas and is full of natural beauty. This land has inspiered the inaginations of great poets like kalidas. These mountain ranges, rivers and valleys are associated wit several Gods & Goddesses.
Chamoli, the abode of Gods, reputed for its shrines and temples, birth place of 'Chipko Movement ' with its strategic significance is one of the hill district of Uttaranchal, India. Chamoli proved itself " the most spectacular in its natural assets ; be it maintain scenery , valley aspects, water-edges, floristic varieties, dramatic landform or the climatic cardinalities.
In the arms of the heavenly Himalayas lies the enchanting land of Chamoli, which seems to be a benediction of earth. A blessed spot the place seems to have been particularly dear to Lord Shiva. There are hundreds of shrines dedicated to Lord shiva , the most important of all being the shrine of Badrinath.
The other shrines of religeous importance are Hemkund Saheb, three out of five Panch Kedar and Panch Badri, which are spread over the hills of Chamoli. During the monsoons, thousand brilliant blooms bursts forth in the fascinating " Valley of flowers" .
The place reverberates with spirituality and is associated with a number of legends. It is said that Hanuman found the Sanjeevani herb here to revivie the unconsccious laxman. It is blieved that Ved Vyas composed his immortal epic, the Mahabharata here.

HOW TO REACH THERE

Air : Nearest airport is Jollygrant, 221 kms.
Rail: Rishikesh is the nearest railway station, 204 kms.
Road: Well connected to Dehradun, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Nainitalk & Almora.

PLACES OF INTEREST IN CHAMOLI

Auli : In the summer, Auli bugyal is inviting but in the winter it is irresistible with its hoary snow slopes and skiing facilities. Auli can be reached by road or ropeway from Joshimath .It provides an excellent panoramic view of the giant mountain peaks like Nanda Devi, Kamet and Dunagiri. From January to March, the Auli slopes are usually covered with a thick carpet of snow, about 3 mts deep. The stretch of 3 Kms. with a drop in elevation of 500 mts. is considered to be a very good skiing ground by international standard. The background of lofty snow clad mountains heightens the sprit of the skiers.

Gopeshwar :Gopeshwar Situated at a height of 1308 mts. amidst beautiful mountain ranges, terrace farms and small lakes, the picturesque township of Gopeshwar is the district headquarter of Chamoli. An ancient temple of Lord Shiva is the main attraction of the town and thousands of pilgrims come here throughout the year to visit the temple. Owing to its natural beauty and fresh and serene atmosphere, Gopeshwar is becoming a major attraction for the tourists. Many well known tourist spots and religious centres are spread around this town. According to historians, the name Gopeshwar has associations with the name of Lord Krishna.
Besides the ancient temple of Lord Shiva, Vaitarni Kund, a group of temples without idols and Oak View are other places of interest.

Vasudhara : Water falls have always captivated the human imagination. 5 Kms. from Mana village, toward the west is the Vasudhara fall with a sheer drop of 145 mtrs., set in a background of snowy peaks, glaciers and rocky heights. Violent wind sometimes sprays out the entire volume of the water falling and it appears that the water fall ceases for a minute or two, giving rise to a lot of superstitious ideas to the locals.

Valley of Flowers : A profusion of wildflowers - iris, violets, roses, primulas, anemones, potentillas - mark this valley, celebrated all over the world for its lush beauty. A narrow river flows through the valley, now declared a national park. Reached by an easy bridle-path from Govindghat, visitors are no longer allowed to camp within the valley.
The valley had always been known to the local people who avoided getting to this area for fear of fairies, who they believed, would take them away. It was in 1931 that Frank Smythe and Holdsworth stumbled into the valley while returning from their successful Kamet expedition and were "at once transported from a region of solemn austerity to a fairy land of dainty flowers, most of them dwarf but brilliant in colour". Smythe wrote about the valley and its flowers - "their carpet is a celestial one, breathing innocence and joy to the world overburdened with sophistication and sorrow". His writing invoked a great interest of the people in this valley, both at home and abroad.

Satopanth Lake :This triangular lake of serene water has a perimeter of about half a kilometer. It is about 25 Kms. from Badrinath. Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwar, the Hindu trinity are believed to occupy one corner each, and which are named after them. The trek is hazardous, but full of dramatic scenery. There is no place to rest between, except caves. Cooked food, stove etc. have to be carried from Badrinath itself.

Bedni Bugyal : Bedni Bugyal Situated near Wan, Bedini Bugyal is a charming green meadow adorned with flowers in a spell binding varieties, in full bloom. There is a small lake situated in the midst of the meadow, where Tarpans are offered by the devotees. Situated nearby is a small temple where the devotees pay there obeisance, during their halt at Bedni Bugyal.

CULTURE OF CHAMOLI

HOUSE :The houses in the district have not been build according to any town planning scheme but have been up haphazardly in clusters on level ground at places where water springs are accessible or on the bank of the river in the valley. The houses are build of stones and are generally double storeyed, a few having three to five storeys, the very low rooms on the ground floor, which are usually 1.8 mrts. high being used for housing the cattle. Each house has in front of it a courtyard called a Chauk. A mud or stone staircase or a wooden ladder leads to the upper storey, the roof being of wood. The height of the upper storey is generally 2.1 mtrs. and the roof is usually a sloping structures of timber covered with Patals (quartzite slabs), the well off use corrugated galvanized iron sheets. Generally the upper storey has a Verandah in front of the upper rooms.
The houses in the higher regions are two to three storeyes with balconies all round and paved courtyard in front where people do their threshing, weaving, spinning and other house hold works. A few houses have five or six storeyes, the topmost being used as the kitchen. At times the cattle sheds are made at some distance from the villages. The houses are built in rows of half a dozen or so and strikingly picturesque in their fort like appearance.

FOOD :The staple grains consumed by the people of the district are wheat, rice, maze, mandua and jhanjora, the last three being coarse grains generally eaten by the poorer sections. The pulses consumed are urad, gahat, bhatt, soontha, tur, lopia and masor. The hindus of the district mostly vegetarian by habit and preference and although the Muslims, Christians and Sikhs are generally non vegetarian, those not able to afford eating meat daily due to want of fund or local unavailability often resulting to a vegetarian diet.

DRESS :The dress of the people of the district is simple, economical and well suited for the hill environment. The usual dress for men is a Kurta (long lose shirt) or shirt, Pyjama (tight from the knee down ), Sadri (jacket), a cap and a knee length coat, the last named being worn in winter. Those better off are increasingly taking to trousers and buttoned up coats. Women often wear the Sari and full sleeved shirt or Angra (a sort of jacket) in place of a shirt, the well to do wearing woolen jacket in winter. In the rural areas most of the women still wear the long full shirt, tight fitting long sleeved jacket and an Orhni (long scarf for covering the head and shoulders).
Girls students often wear the Salwar (very full pyjama narrow at the ankle ), Kamiz (knee length shirt) and Dupatta ( long scarf for the head and shoulders). The Bhotiyas who lives at high altitudes generally wear woolen clothes. The usual wear for the men are Pyjamas, shirt, coat and cap. The women wear gay colored Angras, a Ghagra (long full shirt), phantu (colored scarf) and a woolen shawl which is worn so as to make a pocket on each side. Both men and women wear a long piece of cotton cloth as a tight Kamarband (a sort of belt)

EVENTS & FESTIVALS IN CHAMOLI

Living in the mountains mostly in places that are not easily accessible the people of the district have been able to preserve their culture, folklore, folksongs and folkdances, the last, a distinctive feature of the district, being seasonal, traditional and religious, some of the better known being described below - The Thadiya dance, which is accompanied by song, is performed on Basant Panchami, the festival celebrating the advent of spring, the Mela, another dance, is perform on Deepawali and the Pandava during the winter after the harvesting of the crop and depicts the principal events of the Mahabharata.
Other folk dances are Jeetu Bhagdawal and Jagar or Ghariyali. These dances enact mythological stories, the participants, both men and women, put on their traditional colorful dress and dance to the tune of drums and Ransinghas. Another dance perform during the fairs and accompanied by song is the Chanchari in which both men and women participate. Folk songs are usually traditional and are sung particularly by the women, who works very hard in the fields from morning till night in all kind of weather. During the month Chaitra the women of the village gather at a central place and sing traditional song which generally relate deeds of heroism, love and the hard life which they have to lead in the hills. In the district, fairs, festivals, religious and social gatherings are the main occasions for recreation and amusement . On special occasions people arrange Swangs (open air dramatic performances) particularly depicting scenes or legends connected with Shiva and Parvati.