Mountain holidays – Andretta, Himachal Pradesh
Guest post by Sowmya Shashidhara
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| Sowmya and Aditi playing the fool as always |
Sowmya is my bestie, my go-to at all times :) She is a whiz with
numbers, management and such. She is also a trained classical (Bharathnatayam) dancer. And like me (and many times with me) is a travel
junkie. When not doing amazing things and generally being a genius at work, she
takes off with her husband G, in their beast baby Bolero to explore different
parts of the country. She currently resides in Chandigarh. Andretta is
her latest gem and find in the himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh. Read on-
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Aditi and I started travelling when
we were barely out of high school. As Aditi says in her guest post ‘Idealism
of Youth’ on our blog (the blog http://cediafreedomtrail.blogspot.in/ belongs to
both me and my husband Guru aka G ) which she wrote for me a few years ago. "Youth gave us optimism, vigour, vitality and a feeling of invincibility". We were young, poor and foolish. I say foolish
because of our then headstrong devil- may -care attitude. We had the nerve to
travel all the way from Bangalore to Delhi and then up to Kulu/ Manali for a
longish trek (Chandrakhani pass) and back. We even managed to pack in a side
trip to Agra. All this with only Rs. 5,000 each in our pockets and no credit /
debit card to come to our rescue when we almost ran out of all of our moolah
towards the end.
Every trip becomes special for
different reasons. The Chandrakani pass trek, we remember for the fairly remote
hamlet of Malana where the inhabitants, to this day are of the unshakeable
faith that they are the proud descendants of Alexander the Great. And therefore
for reasons unfathomable to us, superior beings! On the plus side, being ginger
at least in some places is not so bad after all. The Goa trek is etched in our
minds for the sheer joy of stealthily sneaking away to Dudh Sagar falls at midnight
to welcome New Year by the light of the moon!!! What fun. And more recently, my
trip with G to Srinagar, apart from the incredible beauty of the valley, we
remember for the unalloyed excitement of driving to a lesser driven-to place,
untainted by the usual throng of tourists.
At Andretta, the breath taking
beauty of the place, the things G and I wanted to see and experience were a
given. However, we will always remember this trip for our choice of unique
accommodation. And true to its name, The Mirage Heritage Home stay is quite a
dreamy place not just for its elegance, setting and style but also for all the
wonderful people we met there.
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| The Mirage |
Andretta
Andretta, an artist’s village with its curious Italian name came
into being about 75 years ago when Norah Richards an Irish writer, dramatist and a follower of Tolstoy came here. Besides Norah Richards, the "nani (grandmother) of Punjabi Theatre', Gurucharan Singh who introduced studio pottery to India and known for Delhi blue pottery, his son Mansimran (Mini Singh) also a potter of no mean standing, Sobha Singh, painter of Sikh Gurus, B.C Sanyal painter and sculptor, actor Prithvi Raj Kapoor. Freda Bedi, the first Western woman to be ordained into Tibetian Buddhism (she is also the mother of actor Kiran Bedi) are some of the stalwarts whose names are closely assosciated, nay synonymous with Andretta. To know more about Andretta’s history and culture, read the article
written by Mary Singh on Andretta Pottery. Link
The Mirage
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| Food at the Mirage |
The Mirage is a home stay run by Denis
and Dolly, New Zealander - French couple who have painstakingly created this cozy
abode. Mirage sits amidst lush pine forest with the majestic snow-capped
mountains of Dhauladhar for a backdrop. The house is
filled with exquisite Indian furniture and handicrafts collected over many years
by the couple. The couple welcomed us with great warmth. We were promptly served
the most delicious yet healthy home cooked food - thanks to Dolly. Denis every
morning, made sure that we were taken for a brisk walk up the hill, down the
gorge, across fields ready for harvest and finally to a snug little welcoming chai (tea) shop. This is
probably the healthiest vacation we have ever taken in some time now! Our
fellow house guests provided stimulating conversation over lazy repasts of breakfast
and countless cups of chai on the patio making our stay all the more
pleasurable.
But wait, there is more. If you can manage to reluctantly tear
yourself away from the patio of easy camaraderie, you can engage in a host of
activities in and around Andretta.
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| Walk through the ripe fields. |
In Andretta-
Walk across to Andretta Pottery run by Mini Singh. They have
a terracotta museum with authentic Himachali pots and a small shop where you
can buy pottery made by them. If a potter’s wheel is available, you can try
your hand at it. They charge Rs. 150 for a 20 minute sitting or Rs. 1,500 for
the entire day. If you are a serious potter you can enrol yourself for a three
month residential course which will set you back by Rs. 75,000. I’ve heard that
it’s worth every penny or in this case paisa.
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| Andretta Pottery |
After, you could walk down to Andretta Chowk to check out
the Shoba Singh Art gallery. It is now run by the renowned painter’s family and
has a small collection of his original work. Paintings of heroes, freedom
fighters, religious figures, romantic tales and portraits- you name it and you
have it all there- exclusively for your viewing pleasure.
Seasonal entertainment
If you are travelling in October you can expect action at
Norah Richard’s house. The house has been renovated by the Punjabi University,
Patiala. They perform plays every year on Norah Richard's birthday October 29th
at the open air theatre. Entry is free.
Around Andretta
Temples and Monasteries
Temples and Monasteries
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| Dirru Sakya Monastery at Bir |
Bir is a Tibetian settlement about 22 km from Andretta. Bir houses the Dirru Sakya Monastery which belongs to the Sakya School of Tibetan Buddhism which was founded in 1073 by the distinguished Tibetan Master Khon Konchok Gyalpo. You can also visit Tashi Jong Monastery in the vicinity. Another option is Sherabling Monastery at Baijnath.
A trip to the ancient Shiva Temple at Baijnath (11 km) may
also be worthwhile. This is a temple built in the Nagara style, a medieval Noth Indian style of architecture in the year
1204 AD. Lord Shiva is represented as Vaidyanath or ‘the
Lord of physicians’ at
this temple.
Adventure Sports
Bir Billing is a paraglide haunt. A 14 km picturesque drive from Bir takes you to Billing the take-off point. It is the world’s third highest and Asia’s highest take off point. G enjoyed a tandem jump arranged through paragliding academy, PG Gurukul. You can call Gurpreet, who runs the academy on +919816 525205 to book a slot. If you are too queasy to jump off a cliff, I suggest you take a picnic basket to Billing and delight in stunning views of the valley. A trek in the region is also a good idea.
Massage
To relax after the adrenalin rush of paragliding, visit Kayakalp, Himalayan Research Institute for Yoga and Naturapathy at Palampur for a rejuvenating ayurvedic massage. To continue with the pampering, why not follow with a lovely lunch at Taragarh Hotel near Palampur. This imposing residential estate now belongs to the Royals of Jammu and Kashmir and was previously occupied for several years by their dowager Maharani.
Getting to Andretta -
You can reach Andretta via the much plied Dharmsala – McLeod
Ganj route. While driving to Andretta via Kangra. I would highly recommend a
visit the Kangra Fort at Old Kangra. Do hire the audio guide available both in
Hindi and English which will give you a fair understanding of the history and
story of the fort.
b) The Jammu route
You can also get there via Jammu – Fly to Jammu and then drive down to Andretta which is 5 hrs
away via Pathankot. You can also get to Pathankot by bus or train. From here it
is an easy connecting bus ride away. Alternatively, take the scenic toy train from
Pathankot to Panchrukhi. Andretta is about 2 km away.
Driving route: Jammu – Pathankot Nurpur - Gaggal – Mataur -
Nagrota Bhagwan – Maranda – Rajpur - Panchrukhi –Andretta (take right at Shoba
Singh Art Gallery which is also known as Andretta Chowk).
c) The Chandigarh route
Fly, or take a
Shatabdi train (from Delhi) to Chandigarh. Andretta is a 7 hour drive away from
Chadigarh. There are also buses which take you very close to Andretta –
Palampur, Baijnath, Kangra from where you get plenty of connections to Andretta.
Driving route: Chandigarh – Nangal - Una – Amb – Old Kangra
– Kangra bypass towards Tanda Medical College – Nagrota Bhagwan – Maranda –
Rajpur - Panchrukhi –Andretta (take right at Shoba Singh Art Gallery which is
also known as Andretta Chowk).
d) Direct from Delhi
We saw plenty of buses plying from Delhi to Kangra, Baijnath,
Palampur. There is a Volvo service as well.
e) Other route suggestions
Chandigarh – Andretta / Kangra – Amritsar is a triangle. On
the way back you have the choice of driving down to Amritsar. You can connect
direct to Delhi by Shatabdi or alternatively fly back.
Accommodation Recommendations-
Andretta – The Mirage Heritage Home stay www.mirageandretta.com .Minimum cost- Bed& Breakfast –Rs 2,750 per night for double occupancy.
Palampur – Hotel Tea Bud run by Himachal Tourism http://www.hptdc.nic.in/cir0302.htm#htbud
Bir – Blue Umbrella http://www.blueumbrella.co.in/, Colonel’s Resort http://www.colonelsresort.com/ and Namlang - Himal Resort www.namlanghimaltourism.org
Gunehad (off Bir)- 4rooms (yet to be completed) https://www.facebook.com/pages/4TABLES-Cafe-Gallery-Village-Bir/124614917546
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