As the warmth of the Diwali lamps fades and the smoke from the crackers disperses winter creeps in the hills of Uttarakhand ushering in the cold freezing chill from the belly of the great Himalayas. Woollen garments, which have been gathering dust, are fished from the depths of steel trunks and dried in the harsh afternoon sun. People hurry through their morning chores and gather in their courtyards to soak in the sun and engage in discussions ranging from politics to light-hearted gossip. Local delicacies like Sana hua Nimbu (made from curd, cannabis seeds and big lemon) are prepared with jovial revelry even as the snow covered peaks stand aloof in the distance. Unlike the haughty haze during the summer months and the relentless fog during the monsoons, winter offers the most unadulterated views of the majestic peaks. The allure of the silk draped mountains, which stretch for hundreds of kilometers, rising to embrace the crystal blue skies hypnotizes the onlooker. And it is in Binsar nestled in the heavily wooded hills of the Kumaon Himalayas that these peaks bare themselves with unrestrained pride and tease the wild spirit dormant in all humans summoning them to relish this spectacle of nature.
Beyond the hill station of Almora, on the
motor able road to Kafadkhan, is located the entrance to the Binsar Wildlife
Reserve. A narrow tarred path straddled by thick forests of oak and pine climbs
in serpentine hair-pin bends leaving behind the banalities of civilization.
Ultimately it escapes from the grip of the jungle and rides on lofty ridges to
culminate at the Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam guest house. Rows of mountains
stretch to the horizon playing hide and seek with bluish green rivers which
flow stoically along sandy valleys looking up to the towering bastions of rock
and snow. Green terraced fields ornament the mountain slopes, dotted by
traditional hill houses, where bored cows and goats graze. As the afternoon sun
beats down on the landscape one can take a leisurely stroll along the jungle
trail to Jhandi Dhar. The silence
here is enchanting – the birds sing in the forest complimenting the crunching
of dry leaves as one walks deep into the jungle. The call of a barking deer
whistles through trees intoxicated by the nectar of nature. Time, abandoning
its hasty pursuits, relaxes in the shade of the oak trees relishing the playful
games of langurs.
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| Jhandi Dhar |
Another rewarding endeavour is a walk to
the Forest Rest House and beholding the sun disappear behind the rolling hills
bidding adieu to the day. In the courtyard of a quaint colonial building, one
can sit with a steaming tumbler of sweetened tea and witness the sky change
colours from blue to orange to red to bright pink. As the sun slips behind the
distant mountains, the wind returns with its icy breath even as the nuthatches
create a ruckus in the adjoining woods. These woods mother and nurture some of
the most important animals and birds of the Himalayan ecosystem like the
Himalayan Monal, leopard, goral, musk deer, chital and barking deer. For those
in the quest of an adventure, Binsar offers a trekking trail - 22kms in
distance - to the revered shrine of Vridhya Jageshwar and the temple town of
Jageshwar which has Shiva temples dating from the 7th to 18th
century. The trail passes through dense sections of the Binsar Wildlife Reserve
with splendid views of the Himalayas and a glimpse into the beauty of its lower
reaches where one can find solace far from the maddening bustle of the cities.
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| Forest Rest House |
However the final act of this overwhelming
spectacle of raw power of nature in Binsar is ironically the sunrise. At
pre-dawn, a pall of shadow looms on the gigantic bulwarks of the Indian
Himalayas; Nanda Ghunti, Trisul, Panwali Dwar, Nanda Devi, Maiktoli and
Panchachuli, all rising above 7000m, grace the canvas as the first rays of sun
break free from the grip of the dark night and illuminate the landscape. Its
fire ignites the summits like the wicks of the Diwali lamps fighting the winter
winds to spread the light. The hundreds of kilometers of Himalayas glow in the energy
of the exuberant morning heralding a new day full of hope and dreams. Suddenly
the frostiness infecting the air is burnt in the blaze of the sun which
provides warmth and comfort to numb feet and hands. The trepidations of a
modern life which trap the imagination of the mind fade away even as the heart
appreciates this unsullied camaraderie with nature. And it rejoices as the
shackles of servitude are broken and it transcends a mundane existence to bask
in the shadow of the great mountains – if only for this fleeting forgotten
moment far far away from the prying eyes of civilization!
Deeptangan Pant
December 2013
