Sarahan

SARAHAN

Sarahan is a small village in Himachal Pradesh of India. Sarahan lies at the foothills of Srikhand Hills and nestled at an altitude of about 2165 meter (7000 ft) above sea level. Sarahan offers magnificent views of Srikhand Mahadev (5227 meter) and Pisu- Pisu (5672 meter) mountain range those spread from the eastern side to western side. Guarded by long Pine, Deodar and Cedar trees. Being close to Indo – Tibet border area the local villagers follows both Hinduism and Buddhism. During the winter Sarahan gets covered with thick layers of snow. In the past Sarahan was used as a pass by the Indian and Tibetan merchants for their business interest. Sarahan was earlier known by the name Sonitpur as also identified in the puranas. River Satluj also known as Chenab flows 7 km below Sarahan. Sarahan mainly forms as the gateway to the Kinnaur region of Himachal Pradesh. All over Himachal Pradesh along with Sarahan everywhere Indo – Tibetan architectural styled house are clearly visible. But the own architectural style of the valleys of Sarahan are known as ‘Kath-Kuni Art’. All over the region of Sarahan countless apple orchards are seen everywhere. During the month of August – September the whole region of Sarahan gets bloom with green coloured apples (locally known as Golden Apples). Among the local delicacies of Himachal Pradesh ‘Ramza- Chawl’ is worth tasting and is available in abundance at Sarahan. Sarahan is inhabited by numerous Himalayan birds few of these are Brown Throated Fullvetta, Green Backed Tit, Chestnut Crowned Warbler, Scimitar Babbler, Black Headed Jay, Griffin Vulture and many more. Few trek routes have also emerged from Sarahan to the greater Himalayas.

Bhimkali Temple and Other Temples – The main attraction of Sarahan is the Bhimkali Temple, this temple is one of the 51 shakti peethas. The Bhimkali temple is a three storeyed building with large periphery, huge entry gate made of wood and metal and decorated with delicate carvings. Cameras, shoes and any type of bags made of leather are not allowed inside the temple. Tourists need to wear a handkerchief on their forehead before entering the temple. During the time of Navaratri and Dushera huge festival are held in this temple. Apart from the main temple there are few more temples located around Bhimkali temple some of these are Raghunath temple, Narsingha Temple and Sankatmochan temple which are worth visiting. Inside the temple of Bhimkali apart from the idol of Bhimkali other idols are of Lord Ganesha, Lord Buddha and Annapurna. The Bhimkali temple is guarded with huge walls, along with rooftops, nearby small houses and the walls all resembles to the form of pagodas. Decorated with stone and wood carvings. The whole structure of Bhimkali temple is styled in Indo – Tibetan architectural style. A mix culture of Hinduism and Buddhism is clearly visible everywhere. The first entry gate welcomes tourists to the main area of the temple. There is a second entry gate that leads to the main interior of the temple. Tourists are strictly advised to enter the temple bare footed. There are two huge temples made of wood, the first one dates back to around 800 years old, just beside that there is another temple that was built in the year 1929 by the Bushahr king. The goddess Bhimkali is an incarnation of Parvati and is the presiding deity of the rulers of the Bushahr kingdom. At present goddess Bhimkali is placed in the new temple. The floor of the main temple is decorated with red coloured carpet. In the second and third floors four times a day worship of the goddess is carried out. According to mythology the son of Sri Krishna named Aniruddha and daughter of Banasur named Usha got married at Sarahan Bhimkali temple. From Bhimkali temple within few distances there is the Old Bushahr Palace. To the opposite side of the Bhimkali temple an upward direction route has reached at Tragopan Sanctuary. There is a museum adjacent to the Bhimkali temple that has wide collections of arms, ammunition along with other things those were used by Bushahr King.

Tragopan or Himalayan Monal Breeding Center – Nestled amidst dense wilderness of Pine and Dhupi trees, this sanctuary maintained by Himachal Pradesh Sarahan Wildlife Division is the breeding area of Tragopan or Himalayan Monal (the state bird of Himachal Pradesh). In the year 1987 the wildlife division started this breeding process in this sanctuary. The opposite side upward route of the Bhimkali temple has reached at Tragopan Sanctuary.

Sarahan Helipad Ground and Stadium – The Sarahan stadium was built near the pheasantry and a Nallah (Large Natural Drain) passes underneath it. Beside the stadium there is an old helipad ground built at Sarahan.

Hawa Ghar – Hawa Ghar is located 2 km uphill from Sarahan. Hawa Ghar is a small sitting area guarded with long standing Pine, Deodar and Cedar trees. Hawa Ghar is built under the canopy along with the views of peaks, valleys along with the whole region of Sarahan.

Rampur – Rampur is located around 140 km from Shimla and is the winter capital of the Bushahr Kingdom. From Rampur around 40 km is Sarahan. At Rampur the main watchable is the Padam Palace, this is the family residence of the Bushahr kingdom and the personal residing palace of the former chief minister of Himachal Pradesh Birbhadra Singh who is the son of last king of Bushahr kingdom Padam Singh. Due to security reasons tourists are not allowed to enter the interior of the palace. On the left side of the road there is a huge iron gate. Inside the temple there is a huge garden and large compound. The architecture of Padam Palace is made of wood carvings. At the middle of the garden there is a large fountain. The roof top of Padam Palace resembles to a Pagoda styled. The architectural style of the palace clearly resembles to Tibetan art form. In the year 1919 the construction of this palace was started by the then Bushahr King Padam Singh and completed in the year 1925.

How to reach – Sarahan is 564 kilometers from New Delhi. From Shimla by NH 22 Sarahan can be reached via Rampur and Jeori. The NH 22 forks at Jeori (153 km from Shimla and 23 km from Rampur Bushahr) towards Sarahan making an uphill U turn. Sarahan can be easily reached from Shimla by hired cars, though buses are also available but the journey is long. Tourists can also avail break journey from Shimla upto Jeori and again from there upto Sarahan. It will take around 01 hour to reach Sarahan from Jeori. Buses ply between Sarahan and Jeori at periodic interval. Buses, shared taxi, public carriers are frequent between Rampur and Jeori. Buses heading to Reckongpeo also drop passengers at Jeori, where they need to take another vehicle for Sarahan. On the way to Sarahan from Shimla interested tourists can visit Narkanda, the valley is full of red coloured apple orchards.

Best time to visit – The best time to visit Sarahan is March to June or August – September. September – October is the best time to view apples those bloom all over the valley. Those tourists like to get the view of snowfall, for them December – February is the best time.