Valley of flowers, Uttarkhand

Valley of Flowers in Uttarakhand

There is much romanticism attached to this valley. And with good reason. Nestled in Uttarakhand, high in the Western Himalayas, this fairyland lay unknown to the world for centuries, thanks to an inaccessible approach.

That until a British mountaineer named Frank S Smythe stumbled upon it. Today, it has metamorphosised into a much-loved haunt for botanists, mountaineers and amateur trekkers. The valley is home to celebrated flowers including the Brahmakamal (blooms on only one night a year), the Blue Poppy and the Cobra Lily. The colours in the valley change with every season, going from a carpet of pink to red and even blue. best time to visit is July to August.

Valley of Flowers in Uttarakhand

High in the Himalayan ranges of Garhwal hills of Uttarakhand lies an enchanted valley. Here flowerful pastures with clear running streams are set against silver birches and shining snow peakf. Dew lies thick on the flowers,birds sing in the surrounding forest and the air is pure and charged with floral smells. Hidden from the probing eyes of civilisation, this valley had been known to the inhabitants as the Bhyundar Valley, the playground of fairies and nymphs.

Trespassing their celestial abode was avoided although shepherds did take the liberty to graze their cattle here.

Legends associate this valley with the area from where Hanumanji of Ramayana collected. 'Sanjeevani' herbs to revive Lakshmana, the younger brother of Rama. Hanuman had to visit far-flung areas in his search for the life-saving herbs, some named after him."

The Valley was introduced to the world as the Valley of Flowers by Frank S, Smith - mountaineer, explorer, botanist who camped here for several weeks in the monsoon of 1937 and did valuable exploratory work. He authored a book called "The Valley of Flowers" which unveiled the beauty and floral splendours of the valley and thus threw open the doors of this verdant jewel to nature-enthusiasts all over the world.

In 1939, Miss Margarate Legge, a botanist deputed by the botanical gardens of Edinburgh arrived at the valley for further studies. While she was traversing some rocky slopes to collect flowers, she slipped off and was lost for ever in the garden of the gods. Her sister later visited the valley and erected a memorial on the spot where she was buried by the locals.

Attractions of Garhwal (Uttarakhand)

Rishikesh
Rishikesh is one of the most popular pilgrim centres and gateway to the Himalayan Shrines of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. The Yoga Centres of Rishikesh have enhanced the significance of the place. From this point on, the great Ganges leaves behind her mountain home and enters the vast plains of Northern India. Rishikesh is located at a height of about 1360 feet above sea level. It is believed that several yogis and sages lived and practised penance here. Rishikesh represents the site where Vishnu vanquished the demon Madhu.

Auli
Auli, 16 kms from Joshimath, is an ideal winter resort. The divine slopes of Auli, coupled with state-of-the-art facilities have made it comparable with the best in the world.

Auli offers a 180 panoramic view of Himalayan peaks like the Nanda devi (7,817mts.) Kamet (7,756 mts.) Mana Parvat (7,273 mts.) And Dunagiri (7,066 mts.) seemingly only a snow ball thrown away.

Mussoorie
The hill resort of Mussoorie is often referred to as the "Queen of the Hills". Any tourist who experiences the magic of the hill resort will but agree with the sobriquet. Located in the foothills of the Himalayas, Mussoorie gets its name from the Mansur shrub that is commonly seen in the hill resort. The marvelous hill resort of Mussoorie is located in the foothills of the Himalayas. The hill station of Mussoorie is one of the most-loved tourist destinations of India. It has a number of waterfalls, picnic-spots, temples and tourist bungalows.

Ukhimath
182 kms. from Rishikesh. This is the winter seat of Lord Kedarnath, and worship is performed here during the winters, when the temple of Kedarnath remains closed. The temples of Usha and Anirudh, Shiva and Parvati are worth a visit.

Land of Usha (beautiful daughter of Demon Varasura). Temples of Onkareshwara, Usha, Shiva-Parvati. For accommodation, a tourist rest house, irrigation Dak bungalow, P.W.D. Inspection House and private hotels are available.

Chopta
Chopta situated on the Gopeshwar-Ukhimath Road about 40 kms. from Gopeshwar is at an altitude of about 2,900 m above sea level. One of the most picturesque spots in the entire Garhwal region, Chopta provides a breathtaking view of the Himalayan ranges and the surrounding areas. Chopta provides a breathtaking view of the Himalayan ranges and the surrounding areas.

Hemkund Sahib
Hemkund is a pilgrimage of the sikhs. Hemkund, as the name suggests, is a lake in the Himalayas. There are many lakes in the Himalayas, but few are set in as dramatic a setting as Hemkund is. At an altitude of 4,500 m above sea level, which is several hundred meters above the tree line, the lake is set like a jewel in a crown of seven of the most picturesque snow peaks of the Himalayas. In this surrealistic landscape, made up mostly of rock and ice, there is no habitation-animal or human. The place is as if made to order for a man in search of absolute peace to meditate upon the absolute truth.

Valley of Flowers
Accredited by Frank Smith ( the first botanist who explored this exotic abode) in his book " The Valley of Flowers" , as a place where god have shown his exclusive creativity by splashing magnificent colors. The book unfurled the beauty and floral splendors of the valley and thus threw open the doors of this verdant jewel to nature enthusiast all over the world.

Centre now tries to save Valley of Flowers

After the Bhagirathi valley, the Centre has now turned its focus on the enigmatic Valley of Flowers in Uttarakhand to save it from a power project.

In a letter, Union Minster of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh asked the state government to stop the 24.3-Mw Bhyundar Ganga power project in order to save the famous Valley of Flowers situated in Chamoli district of the Garhwal region.

"I am sure you will not agree to any project that will destroy the serenity, splendour and richness of the Valley of Flowers," said Ramesh in his letter to CM Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.

Ramesh also cited concerns expressed by famous environmentalist Chandi Prasad Bhat against the project and reminded the state government that similar concerns had also been expressed in the past by late Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.

Significantly, the Centre’s latest move came after it scrapped a series of hydel projects in the Bhagirathi valley this year in view of mounting environmental concerns and religious sentiments. A section of people in the hill state, however, condemn the Centre’s decision to stop these hydel projects.

When contacted, additional power secretary M C Upreti said he would look into the issue.

The Valley of Flowers, an irresistible Himalayan treat in the hill state for tourists and naturalists, had been bestowed with the status of the world heritage site by UNESCO in 2005.

Situated at a dizzying height of 3352-3962 metres, Valley of Flowers, which was discovered by Frank Smythe, a British mountaineer and explorer in 1931, is the second area to get such an honour after the famous Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve (NDBR) in the state.

The world famous 89 sq km valley, known for its immense biodiversity that include rare snow leopard is situated in upper expansion of Bhyundar Ganga in the far interior of Garhwal Himalayas.

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U'khand to restrict tourists in eco-sensitive zones

Gangotri, Valley of Flowers and other highly eco-sensitive zones of the Garhwal Himalayas in Uttarakhand may be becoming hot sites on the tourist map.

But the Uttarakhand government now wants to put up more restrictions on travellers in order to protect the precious biodiversity of the Himalayas, including the glaciers. According to a rough estimate, thousands of pilgrims, who visit the hill state during the Kumbh, Chardham and Kanwar and other religious congregations, travel to these areas leaving heaps of non-degradable waste, including plastic, which are hazardous to environment.

After the Centre decided to ban two key hydropower projects – the 480-Mw Pala Maneri and 381-Mw Bhaironghati in the Bhagirathi valley last month to protect the biodiversity of the region, the state government has now decided not to allow tourists to come near Gaumukh glacier, the origin of the Ganga in Uttarkashi district. The Gangotri National Park authorities would now put up sign boards and erect fencing just 500-metres before the Gaumukh to forbid tourists from trekking beyond.

In 2008, the government had restricted the number of tourists visiting Gaumukh and other Gangotri glaciers to only 150 per day. Another move is afoot to even restrict the number of tourists to 100 in future. According to a report of the Dehra Dun-based Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), the glaciers are melting at a rate of 17-23 metres per year. The issue had become more contentious in the wake of controversy surround the inter-governmental panel on climate change (IPCC).

“Unregulated tourism and climate change are big concerns before us. We are trying our best to protect all the sites which are highly fragile,” said Uttarakhand Principal Chief Conservator of Forests R B S Rawat.

Similarly, the government is trying to put restrictions on pilgrims to Hemkund Sahib and other shrines which are close to the Valley of Flowers, a world heritage site. Thousands of Sikhs travel every year to Hemkund Sahib, which is situated in an area known for its rich flora and fauna, and leave huge waste. The government had restricted the entry of tourists to the 14-km long area of the Nandadevi Biosephere Reserve few years ago.

On the other hand, the government is also planning to carry a renewed campaign through tourist brochures and media telling travelers to remain sensitive to these areas. “Leave only footprints and take only memories,” said a brochure on the Nanda Devi National Park issued by the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN), a state government enterprise promoting tourism in the state.


BS

Weekend Escape: Gushing in and out of Valley of Flowers

It is difficult to get off your new bike, even if it is no Ducati. I too was bitten by this bug a few years back when I got myself a 150cc bike.

Often, I would kick it to life and roam around endlessly, aimlessly. The raw whirr of its spanking new engine was intoxicating and I spent each spare minute with it. So, when the suggestion came from a group of adventurist friends to go Auli, a popular ski resort in Uttarakhand, I lustily accepted the offer. We set off on a Friday night, with Bubbles as my pillion, while others in the group took an overnight UP roadways bus to Hrishikesh. It wasn’t an easy drive, considering moody truck drivers on NH24, and the fact that my pillion loved lecturing against the vices of drinking. Add to that two hurriedly-bundled rucksacks strapped to the bike, and you have a wobbly pair of tyres, negotiating long stretches of badly tarred road.

Most of the time I was at the receiving end of either the fellow road-users or my own pillion. Every time I reached out for my ready-mix rum-coke, disturbing noises came from close behind. A couple of large swigs made the journey bearable. After a crisp ‘midnight dinner’, full of oily paneer and mushroom buttons at Cheetal (some 100 km from Delhi), we reached Hrishikesh a little before dawn. My watch told me that I had about an hour before other friends joined in. Deciding in favour of a short nap, I laid myself outside Glacier Tour office—our trusted stopover to pick up camp equipment—and with rucksack serving as a pillow, crashed for more than an hour.

A couple of hours later, we were on a tortuous mountain road to Joshimath, around 250 km from Hrishikesh. Every time I stopped for breakfast or rest, pahari kids hovered around my skinny bike and fiddled with the kick, gears and wheels. This fuelled my ego. I was a hero in my own immaterial right. The only shortfall of riding the bike was not to be able to see the Alaknanda valley view sideways; yet the pleasures of negotiating the turns on two precarious wheels were heady enough.
By five in the evening, I touched Joshimath. The notoriously reckless bus drivers were still to catch up with my wily mobike. While looking for a campsite, a friendly hotel boy offered help with an irrefusable offer—Rs 150 for a room overnight with two beds and quilts (extra quilts to cost Rs 50 each). Drunk to my gullet, I accepted. Supriya, Vipul & Sukriti, who arrived later, appreciated the decision and dropped wherever they could find space in that 10x10 room.

The next day, we took the ropeway trolley to Auli. There was no snow at that time of the year, but the peaceful hill surroundings, occasionally pierced by chiming birds, was the stuff most travel brochures are made of. The only decision we had to make now was to try Valley of trek, up and down the day next and then be back from there in time to reach Delhi by Monday evening. It looked tough.
The jeep-drivers going to Govindghat from Joshimath rid us of our dilemma. It was planned that we would take the jeep to Govindghat, stay over the
Sunday night at the Gurudwara, and then move up early in the morning to the Valley and be back the same night to Joshimath. “Thoda tej chalna padega (you will need to walk a bit fast),” the jovial driver convinced us. It meant that instead of Monday evening, we would be home a day later. The contorted face of my boss appeared briefly before my eyes. Then I let it be. Valley of flowers overpowered the Devil of the Desk.

The walk-a-bit-fast proved much more than we had expected. It took a toll on my thigh muscles and nearly killed all the zing in Bubbles. But the sit-out at the Valley, with carpets of sprouting fresh flowers of various hues, and crossing a large slippery glacier, and the misty walk downhill made our day. At Bhigunder, the point where the trek bifurcates to Valley of flowers and Hemkunt, we had large helpings of milk-jalebis, and down we scooted like a sting of powerhouse. Although jeeps had stopped plying by the time we landed at Govindghat, we took an empty truck full of sadhus from Badrinath to Joshimath.

Thought tired, it was time for more celebration when we came to know it was Sukriti’s birthday. Out came the reserve money to fetch a bottle of booze from the local shop, probably the smallest boozeshop in the world. Fortified with alcohol we spent the night in peace and massaging each other sore shoulders. I woke up early, as if the boss had himself come to see me in office by evening. The rush toward home is another adventure story but suffice it to say that we made it back in time to save my job, also ensuring the EMI for the bike that month.

ET