Manimahesh kailash Yatra one of the toughest pilgrimages in India with
religious significance next to that of the Mansarovar in Tibet. It is held in honour of Lord Shiva with breathtaking adventurous trek which takes you in the midst of the lavish and beautiful setup of gigantic Himalayas at an altitude of 13,390 feet above the sea level. This holy destination is situated in Bharmour Sub-Division of Chamba District of the state of Himachal Pradesh. The Manimahesh Lake is situated close to Holy Kailash peak which is believed to be the abode of Lord Shiva.
Adventure lover doctors of surat, Gujarat decided to go for spiritual adventures trek of Manimahesh Kailash yatra, but after cloudburst in chamba and major landslides and broken bridge, ultimately Myself Dr. Vinesh Shah, Dr. Rahul Modi, Dr. Mayur Vaghela, Dr. Nilesh Gandhi and Dr. Hemant Modi went for yatra firmly and we felt luckiest to do Kailash Darshan
Here I am sharing my experience in this article so one can plan this yatra meticulously in advance.
# The Yatra trek opens only in the month of August/September, traditionally for 15 days from Janmashtmi (Birth of Lord Krishna) to Radhastmi (Birth of Radha Devi).
# Because this Yatra is held in rainy season one should always be prepared to face untimely rains, rocksliding, cold weather & even snowfall. U will feel temperature varied from 20°C to 0°C.
# Scenic and adventurous 14 kms continuous ascent trek which takes 2 days by walking and 1 day by khachar ride to reach manimahesh.
# The whole hike is along the himalayan mountainside with deep valley on either or both side
# Narrow Trek traverse through Rocks, sand, mud ,river, spring, waterfall and somewhere u will find hardly 3 feet wide strech.
# it's no cost yatra as you don't need to do any expense on accommodation and food during yatra.
Important things to carry
● Quality branded treking shoes having spikes
● trekking bag(rucksack)
● sleeping bag
● rain coat
● walking stick
●goggles
● head torch
● soap
● small water jug/bottle
● Oxygen cylinder
● Pulse Oxymeter
● Dry fruits and snacks
● First-aid kit
● Warm clothes,Thermal wear and if possible blankets
● Medicines as per your doctor's advice
Important instructions
●● Before starting your Yatra, registration is mandatory:with administration of himachal pradesh which can be done through official website.
●● Fitness certificate is must from qualified competent doctor.
●● one must have experience of trekking.
●● Always Start your trek early in the morning (between 5 to 6 AM).
● Try to avoid night trek
● Drink water at regular intervals and topup your bottle in the spring of himalayan, a natural resource.
● only tent stay is possible which is provided free of cost by Lord shiva devotees. However, you can hire personal tent costing 400 to 1500 per night
●● Numerous Food counter( traditionally called as Langar/bhandara ) are at regular intervals on trek route with wide range of food dishes like Punjabi, south Indian, sweet dishes , they even serve various chats, Gol gappe etc and most importantly it's totally free of cost with good hospitality. But one should try Apple of different color and that you can buy 3 in just 10rs!!!
*Travel Guide (after reaching pathankot)
Day-1)
Take Taxi and reach Bharmour which takes 7 to 8 hrs drive with beautiful shades of mountains. Take hotel at Bharmour. Online booking of HP tourism hotel is possible. We stayed in HP Tourism hotel which is close to helipad service.
Day-2)
Take 4km ascent trek to bharmani mata temple. Take bath in gaurikund of almost 0 degree temperature water and do mediation in peaceful atmosphere and return to Bharmour before sunset. It's believed that one has to take blessings of bharmani mata before going for Manimahesh kailash yatra
Day-3)
Start your journey at 6am. Take Taxi for hudsar which is 14 kms away from Bharmour with 45 mins drive. Take breakfast in hudsar and start your trekking towards Manimahesh and reach Dhancho by evening if you go only by walking. Tent Stay at Dhancho.
Day-4)
Start your trek at 6am towards Manimahesh and reach Manimahesh via gaurikund by evening if you go only by walking. Tent Stay at Manimahesh. In night you can see beautiful stars in the sky. Whole night you will observe devotees are singing bhajan, doing dhyan, sounding mahadev slogans etc
Day-5 )
Get up early in the morning, do kailash darshan with a beautiful scenic view. As the sun rises , one can see Sun as sparkling diamond (Mani) over Kailash parvat and becoz of this view this place is called as ManiMahesh. So many shed tears spontaneously while seeing this wonderful Darshan.
Day-6)
After darshan start trekking towards hudsar and reach bharmour by evening.
Day-7)
take rest and visit chorasi temple which was built 1400 years ago. Do shopping at Bharmour.
Day- 8 )
Go back to pathankot
Alternatively one can do yatra by khachar ride that will shorten your trek by 1.5 days. If someone is not able to do trekking he can do yatra by helicopter which land you to Manimahesh from Bharmour in 10 mins only. But do not forget to take both side journey tickets, otherwise you have to wait in a long queue. Helicopter service may be ceased anytime due to uncertainty about weather condition. So be prepared for trekking anytime
In summary, Kailash ManiMahesh Yatra is definitely a one of the most difficult & dangerous spiritual adventures trekking but it's nothing when you do darshan of kailash at the end and get positive energetic vibes in your body. Har har Mahadev
Disclaimer: Above article is basis on my personal experience. One should travel or trek on their own risk. One must inquire details of weather, trek conditions, accommodation, local laws before starting yatra
Dr. Vinesh Shah
M.D(F.M),PhD FM),B.G.L
Medicolegal Expert
Pixie Forensic And Medicolegal Consultancy
Ahmedabad-Surat-Mumbai