One needs to have a 3D card in his head to figure this place out, or may be a 3D GPS in the car. Clearly, there’s no other way to find out that 18 kms up the very mountain at the foothills of which one stood a while back, lies a superbly nested tiny village called ‘Sarahan’.
Sarahan is small town in Himachal Pradesh of India and also the site of famous Bhimakali temple, dedicated to the mother goddess Bhimakali, presiding deity of the rulers of the former Bushahr State. The temple is situated about 180 kilometers from Shimla and is one of 51 Shakti Peethas. The town is known as the gateway of Kinnaur.
The way to the village winds round and round, much like the traveller’s physical & mental state. To the uninitiated, it will seem a little crazy, to go through the torture of travelling all the way so high, and for what, after all? A view? But the truth, is a bit farther. Conquering a mountain, whether by foot, on a bike, a motorbike, or even in a car, has been about figuring that little something more about yourself (perhaps about the car as well) and not just the mountain.
About figuring out how life can be as difficult as climbing the mountain and as simple as the view at the top, ooth at the same time. In some of the views that strike the climber, he discovers that one bit in himself that he never thought existed. Much like the settlements & the villages on the way. Like this one, ‘Sarahan’. One couldn’t have known it was here. Or the fact that it would conjure up such majestic views as one approached it. Above: a bit of energy across the mountains.
The hamlet of Sarahan lies in Himachal, half way through to the Kinnaur valley from Simla. It’s one of its kind. Perched high up on a mountain, giving the most serene views of the Himalayas, yet known by very few. I’m not sure how may buses ply to this place, and at what frequency. But there’s a settlement here. And a life in the hills that’d charm any traveller without trying one bit. That of locals going about their chores in the hills, of ladies making chai and pakodas in a cold evening, of men lighting fire on gathered wood. Fat, grubby dogs, lazing around the streets and little kids with burnt cheeks and monkey caps, chasing around the same fat dogs, a (eco-friendly) traffic jam, caused not by cars, but by flocks of sheep, where even the most monstrous of SUVs would be rendered helpless.
Below: The view as one approaches Sarahan.
There aren’t many hotels to interfere with this idyllic life or with the view either. There is, however, a Himachal Tourism Guest House, which apart from providing good facilities, has the perfect location. It’ll take a while for anyone to remove his eyes from the view that they behold at the guest house.
View from the Guest HouseA little further from here, an ancient Bhimakali temple adorns the heart of the village. And if the sight of several mountains moving in & out of clouds is not enough, there’s another view point, further higher, for you to stare at the mountains endlessly.
The ancient Bhimakali templeIt’s a place to build memories, to wonder at the greatness of the mountains, or sit alongside one of the houses built in a traditional architecture, or in a silent moment, to simply pause & listen to the sound of the Satluj gushing past in the valley several kilometres below. Come to think of it, Sarahan is just a simple village in the hills. Just that I still can’t figure out why I keep wanting to go back ever since I returned. Why don’t you go too & help me figure out?
