Churdhar Peak - Have you been there??

Introduction:

I was looking for a weekend getaway with a hiking adventure that takes you above 3000 m from sea level. I googled a lot and found ‘Churdhar’, just 400 km from Delhi and having very little info throughout the WorldWideWeb.

Lord Shiva's seat at 1200 feet - The Churdhar Peak

About the place:

Churdhar Peak is the highest peak in Sirmour district and is also the highest peak in the outer Himalayas. Churdhar is a holy place related with Shri Shirgul Maharaj (Chureshwar Maharaj), a deity widely worshipped in Sirmour and Chaupal. The peak can be approached by lots of routes but the main routes are from Nohradhar, Sirmour of 14 km and Sarahan, Chaupal of 8 km. It is from this peak that Sir George Everest made many astronomical readings and sightings of the Himalaya mountains around 1834. He was the Surveyor General of India and did the initial survey of the full length of India as well as some very accurate measurements of the earth's curvature.

Altitude from sea level: 3647 meters!

How to reach:

There are very few options for public transport to Churdhar. Hence it is advisable to have your own vehicle (any two or four wheeler will do). Preferred route to avoid the everlasting Shimla traffic jam is Delhi-Nahan-Sirmor-Chaupal.

Best time to Visit: Mid August-December or April–June and October–November

Brief Itinerary:

Day 1:   Saturday, 5 September, 2015 Leave at 6:30 pm
Day 2:   Sunday, 6 September, 2015 Reach Chopal at 11 am, Chopal to Sarahan at 12:30 pm
             Trek from Sarahan to Shirgul Maharaj Temple (8 km), overnight stay at temple hall.
Day 3:   Trek from Shirgul Maharaj Temple to Churdhar Peak (3 km), Trek downhill to Sarahan and back                 to Delhi.

Expenses:           INR 1200.00 each traveler

                            Accommodation INR 20.00 each traveler

                            Meals INR 500.00 per traveler

Total:     INR 1800.00 per traveler

Back to travelogue:

On every weekend I have this craving or more accurately itching to drive in the hills and trek to somewhere that takes me nowhere. This time I felt it was too late, I could not make my mind till Saturday evening and fortunately came to know that Monday, September 7,2015 is a US holiday 'Labor Day'. Hence, still it was a weekend shifted till Monday. As mentioned in the introduction, I found Churdhar Peak that takes you to a respectable above 3000m of altitude to have a magnificent view of The Himalayas. I rang few of my friends phones and as usual, Sanjay Kumar Kashyap who never says no, provided he be free of any time constraint, agreed to experience the unheard trek. Getting an okay from Malkeet Singh was a surprise as he always complaints of being short of time. And, by then, we were three, sorry four that counts the traveler that made us travel to last roadhead, Honda City GXI. We left at 6:30 pm Saturday, September 5,2015 and had a 'CNG' break at Singhu Border.   

Over the last 5-7 years, it seem to have become mandatory and a custom for us, Delhiites, to stop at either Sukhdev or Haveli at Murthal for a platter just after Delhi-Haryana border. This time, we thought to travel back in time and have dinner the age old way, i.e., at a traditional Dhaba with meal served on a plank placed on a 'Charpai' and it really felt awesome!

This really reminds us the days of school days when we were heading towards a remote destination, say Haridwar, on highway and these Dhabas were the only resort. I feel, every one must give it a try.


We reached Sarahan at around 12:30 and found the village to be as beautiful as heaven on earth.

a picturesque school, sorry, Sanskrit University at Sarahan

Add caption

Strange custom of embedding coins into trees by locals at Churdhar wildlife sanctuary, Sarahan, Sirmour, Himachal Pradesh, probably to ingraft the goddess Laxmi with and within the growth of these.

We began to trek at 12:30 pm and thought to reach the Shirgul Maharaj temple at around 6:30 pm. But the trek is not an easy one and at times, does takes efforts to move ahead. This lead us fall behind the schedule and we ended up walking in the jungle at 8 pm. It was pitch black dark and the only source of light was flashlights of mobile phones we had. We kept moving ahead and to our relief, at around 8:30 pm, heard few voices. We asked for help like hell and kept flashing the flashlights to signal them. We were now delighted to have them respond on our call. They were three 'INDIAN ARMY' personnel!  "Gods have arrived at the land of Gods". If any one remembered my post on Uttarakhand floods should have known these words, that came true to me this time. They told us that we were heading the entirely wrong direction and would might have been lost in the jungle. The 'Gods' took us, yes, literally, by then we had lost all hopes were afraid to move even a single move, to the God's abode, Shri Shirgul Maharjaj Temple.

The moment we reached the temple hall, the only policeman posted at this altitude offered us tea and suggested to have blankets from the temple committee. Accommodation and Meal is free here and blankets can be hired for Rs.5.00 per blanket. One would need 4-5 to counter the chill. Tired we, went to sleep.


Next morning, we woke up at 7 were off to Churdhar Peak. The trek was no less than heaven.

From here....

To Here....

the almighty Lord Shiva at Churdhar Peak

view from Churdhar Peak

a Cast Away apple on an apple tree

the Fourth traveler, ready to takes us back to Delhi

Churdhar is a trek for travelers looking for an entirely different experience of hiking and is must visit peak suggested at mustvisithimalayas. 

Keep Travelling! :)