The
Tirthan Valley
The
Tirthan Valley in Kullu District is one of the most beautiful places in Himachal
Pradesh. Located within the Great Himalayan National Park, the 'pucca' road
winds its way lazily along the river through forests and past fields and tiny
hamlets with quaint names like Chalogi, Mungla, Nagini, Ghushaini ..... numerous
paths lead off the road to the snow fed river itself as it gushes its way over
the rocks to drop into pools and spread itself out over flats where every stone
is visible through its crystal clear waters, home to the wilder brown trout and
its more coveted cousin, the rainbow trout.
The
Himalayan Trout House
Run on the lines of a modern clubhouse replete with activities and facilities,
The Himalayan Trout House is a social center in the Tirthan valley
providing a friendly place for locals and visiting fishermen, trekkers, campers
and other holiday makers to meet each other, exchange stories, share bonfires
and eat outs, read, listen to music, play games, laze in hammocks, tan ..
whatever…
A modern kitchen with freezers, burners, tandoor, oven and grill provides meals
all through the day serving many of the delicacies available in the city
including some surprises. The highpoint of the menu is, of course the fresh wild
trout from the river below accompanied by fresh salads, vegetables and herbs
from a nearby bio garden and seasonal fruit from the local orchards. You
might even try your own hand at a trout recipe of your choice from the many
recorded in the kitchen cookbook.
General club facilities provided include some musical instruments, a choice of
literature, children's play area, relaxation areas, a fish tackle and tuck shop,
fishing rods and reels, mountain cycles, trekking and climbing equipment,
dartboards, shooting and archery range, astronomical and terrestrial telescope
and binoculars, art materials and a potters wheel, various kites, indoor board
games for rainy days and a collection of balls for those who don't mind running
down the hillside to fetch them back.
The
Trout House offers different options of accommodation to suit all pockets. There
are three pine panelled deluxe rooms with attached toilets and baths in the main
house, 2 large furnished 14' by 14' Swiss Cottage tents for families and other
teams, furnished 10by 10's and some smaller A's with sleeping bags for some
more. Members may even pitch their own tents in an available space.
The
Trout house remains open to visitors throughout the year offering cozy
personalised services to snowline visitors in the winter.
The
best seasons to visit are from March through to November. Even at the height of
summer light woollens may be required in the early mornings and late evenings.
However the winters in the valley are mild (for Himachal) with many days of
bright sunshine and the occasional light snowfall.
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Trout
Fishing in Himachal
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Fishermen
abound with tales of the one that got away…and the odd tale of the one that
didn't….and listeners often doubt the veracity of both. Trout fishing is a
specialized art but one that any bright child with cunning and skill can
perfect. It takes stealth to leap over rocks and approach a pool quietly and
cautiously …it takes dexterity to cast your spinner or fly out near the rocks
under which the trout hide, luck not to get it snagged and lost and fate will
decide whether your lure is taken or not. Some resident fishermen claim to know
some certain large sized trout 'by name' and will visit the ponds where these
fish live every few days to try and hook them again with innovative and creative
adjustments to their lures. It's all a part of the trout game and the Tirthan
valley is one great place to play the game…the trout are plentiful, the river
is beautiful, the valley is peaceful and the weather … wonderful
The
buzzword through the valley is 'Mepps'. For the uninitiated 'Mepps' is a spinner
brand name that trout fishermen swear by as being the best. The mere mention of
the word creates a flutter among the locals, and like magic, they get very
friendlier for whoever owns the 'mepps' owns the river. Be careful how you use
your spinner…they're expensive and the locals know that and are experts at
retrieving spinners snagged in the rocks… after the fisherman has left in
frustration
Trout fishing season extends from 1st of March to the 31st of October
Non transferable daily licenses are available and cost Rs. 100 per fisherman per
rod.
Getting
There
To
get to Nagini (550 kms from Delhi) one must turn off from Aut, just after the
Pandoh Tunnel an hour before Kullu on the Manali highway from Chandigarh. From
Aut it is 26 kms of a pleasant drive along the river via Larji, bypassing Banjar
on the way to Gushaini.
The best way is to drive in yourself. The roads are fine all the way. There are
two ways to do this.
1
- Drive down in One day. An early morning departure at 5 a.m. from Delhi should
have you past Chandigarh by 11 a.m., at Aut by 5 p.m. and at the Trout House by
6.00 p.m. in time to freshen up, stretch your legs on a short walk, and sit
around a bonfire before dinner.
2 - Another way to do it is to break journey at the Tourist Rest House in
Bilaspur along the way. You could leave Delhi at 11 a.m. to be in Bilaspur by 7
p.m. in time to book in. An early morning departure from here at 6 a.m. will
have you in the trout house by 11 a.m. with most of the day still ahead of you.
Another good way is to catch a bus opposite Imperial Hotel on Janpath at 6 p.m.
It stops for dinner enroute at about 9.30 p.m. and reaches Aut about 7 a.m. The
overnight journey can be quite painless if you slip into the spirit of things.
From there a taxi to the Trout House. Bus tickets cost Rs. 400-500 each and the
taxi seating 4 or 5 from Aut another Rs. 350
Traveling
back is much the same with the bus leaving from Aut at about 6 p.m. It hits
Delhi at about 7 a.m. the next morning and after a brief rest at home you should
be able to take on a days work at the office.
What
can one do at the Himalayan Trout House
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Besides
the inhouse facilities listed above there is a lot more to do than meets the
eye. A few options are listed below.
1
- Visit to the waterfalls. Not one but two of them. On the same stream. Both the
falls are separated from each other by about 30 minutes of steep uphill
walk on the same trail. As private as you can ever imagine a waterfall to be.
The bigger one nearly 50 feet high allows you to enjoy just the showering
if you don't want to get in to icy cold water. 45 minutes walk one
way. Mildly strenuous.
2
- Visit to the Gushaini Temple and village - 3 Km road walk to Gushaini 15
minutes mountainside climb to the Gara Durga temple at Bandal.
3
- Walk to the Great Himlayan National Park..4 hours pleasant walk through
the forest to the inner entrance of the park. Daily entry permist required.
4.
Moonlight overnight at the Dev Kanda Ridge : 4 hours strenuous uphill beyond
Nadar to the dominating ridge in the valley. Spectacular views and enchanting
full moon overnight. The descent downhill the next day though faster is not much
easier than the climb. Highly recommended for those so inclined.
5.
Mountain bike along the forest path to the National Park or along the roads
between Banjar to Gushaini or down hill from the end of the road at Bathaad.
6-
Visit to the Shalogi / Shanogi Mata temple on the way to Shoja one of the most
picturesque villages in the area.
7
- From Shoja walk to the Jalori Pass ( 3 KM) one of the two passes connecting
the Kullu valley to the Shimla Valley. Gauranteed snow at Shoja from early
December till early April.
8
- Visit to the village of Bathaad (12 KM) and there on to Bachleo Pass (6 KM).
Snow at Bathaad as well from the end of Deceber to mid February.
9
- Visit to the riverside as often as you desire. As the river is a stone's throw
in front of the Trout House.
10
- Visit to the Sai Ropa Forest Orientation Centre and a walk on the Nature Trail
if you are lucky to induce a forest guard to take you around. 2 Km from the
Trout House
11-
Go swimming in the village pool or on one of the other numerous walks that are possible in the area if you are
the exploring kind.
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