♪ MUSIC ♪ Hello friends! Welcome to
our YouTube channel 'Himbus'. Today we will
embark on an unique journey, where along with
enjoying the bus journey, we will also tell you in
detail about that place. Today our journey is from Mandi to
the temple and lake of Rishi Parashar, which is located at a distance
of about 50 KMs from Mandi and it takes 3-3.5 hours by bus. The temple of Parashar Rishi is
situated here on the banks of the lake. This lake is so deep that the depth of
some parts of it has n
ot been measured yet. Apart from this, there are many interesting
things about the color of the water of the lake and the floating island in the
middle, which we will tell you in this video. In this journey, we will not only
experience natural beauty and peace, but will also get a chance to
know about the life of local villages If you like this video then please
like it and share it with your friends. So let's start our exciting journey. Right now I am in Mandi
city, it is 7:30 in the morning. A
nd the timing of the bus going from
Mandi to Parashar is 8 o'clock from here. The bus arrives here around
7:45 am and parked at the counter. Currently, buses are available from here
to go to Shimla, Amritsar and Chandigarh. This is Mandi's ISBT i.e.
Inter State Bus Terminal. Mandi is a big city situated right
in the middle of Himachal Pradesh, so hundreds of buses pass
through here throughout the day and in that sense the
bus stand is a bit tight. There is parking for small
vehicles above the bu
s stand. This new bus stand
was inaugurated in 2012 and the old bus stand in its
place was also quite cramped. The famous Paddal ground of
Mandi is in front of the bus stand. Many cultural programs,
children's sports tournaments and International Shivratri Fair are
also organized in this ground. Then at 7:45 am our bus
arrived and parked at the counter. Starting from Mandi, this
bus will reach Parashar via Kamand, Kataula,
Baagi, Kandhlu and Till. The distance from Mandi to
Parashar Rishi Temple
is 50 kms and the journey takes 3-3.5 hours
by bus and the fare is Rs 110. The weather is quite pleasant today
and sunrise is also about to happen. This bus is Tata Starbus
model and is about 10 years old. Nowadays mostly this
model bus is sent on this route. Our today's staff is driver Shri Shyam Lal
ji and conductor Shri Chandra Bhushan ji. There were still 10-12
minutes left for the bus to leave so Bhushan ji said let's have a cup of tea. There are many tea and water
shops inside the bus sta
nd. When the shopkeeper
are very busy, the staff themselves pour their
own tea into the cups. Now it is time for the bus to leave, although
there are not many passengers in the bus. Then at exactly 8 o'clock our
bus started its journey from Mandi. There is also a grand Gurudwara of Shri
Guru Gobind Singh Ji near the bus stand. Then from here we turned
onto Jogindernagar Road and on the right that
road goes towards Manali. And on this side is the
Bhimakali temple of Mandi. And this is the Panchba
khtar
temple of Mandi in front. Mandi city is also known as Chhoti Kashi because there are many ancient temples here
on the banks of Bas River and Suketi Khad. Among these ancient temples, the
largest number are temples of Lord Shiva. The bus got a lot of passengers on this route. And on this side is the old
Victoria Bridge connecting the two parts of Mandi city and along
with it this new Victoria Bridge. Then from this point we left NH
154 and turned towards Parashar. The lower road NH-154 furt
her goes
towards Palampur, Kangra and Pathankot. Now we have to go continuously
uphill from Mandi to Katindhi. The road is double lane but its width is very less. Now we are moving away from Mandi city. As soon as we went a
little further from Mandi, there was a slight issue
with the tire of our bus. In case the bus gets punctured
somewhere on the way, driver sir thought that it
should get it checked here. The road here is also a bit narrow, so the driver parked the bus by
pushing it to the side
as much as possible. Our bus stopped here at
this Vicky Tire Repair Shop. There is no puncture, but still they
are checking the air in all the tyres. All this took 15 minutes and
then our bus moved ahead. Another local route bus arrived from behind. So now we have to run away
from here as quickly as possible. Beautiful views of Mandi city are visible below. We met many passengers in between
but our bus did not stop because we were already late and now it was shedule
time for the bus coming from
behind. Both of these are government buses,
that is why this much adjustment goes on. If there was a private
bus, there would have been allegations of time consuming
and maybe even a fight. Before Katindhi, there are
many small villages on the way. Here, many HRTC and private buses run
throughout the day till Kamand and Kataula. And now we have almost reached the top. While Mandi was at an
elevation of 750 m, these hills are at an elevation
of about 1350 m. In about 13 kms we gained elevation o
f 600m. We reached Katindhi at 9:30 am. From Katindhi, a road on the left
leads to Jhatingari via Diana Park and from here you can also go
towards Barot and Jogindernagar. Apart from 1 homestay, a
senior secondary school, there is also a temple of Dev Ajaypal
and Dev Parashar Rishi in Katindhi. Katindhi was a village situated
at a slightly higher altitude and now we will have to
descend again till Kamand. This is visible below the IIT
Mandi which is built in the Kamand. This is the South Campus
and
the North Campus is a little further. To go to the other side one has
to go around a lot from ahead, but now a new bridge is being
built directly in front of here. And it's down here, the Uhal River. You will remember that in the
Chauhar Valley series, we had gone beyond Tikken to Barot and
Rajgundha on the banks of this river. So this is the river which
is coming from Barot and now from here onwards it joins Beas. However, nowadays
there is very little water in it. So after crossing this Ka
mand
bridge we reached the other side. This is Salgi village
which is near Kamand and the distance from Mandi
to here is about 18 kms. Till 2010, Salgi and Kamand
were very small villages with a few houses
made of mud and stone. But after the construction of IIT,
there has been rapid development here and now you can see that
maximum houses are permanent, along with this, cafes and
restaurants have also opened here. While the South Campus of IIT was situated
on the banks of river Uhal in Kamand,
the North Campus is built here on
the banks of Kataula Khad in Salgi. In the year 2008-09, 8 new IIT's were
established, out of which IIT Mandi was also one. It was established in 2009 and
construction started here in 2012. In 2015, the students were
shifted to the campus here. Before that its classes were
being held in IIT Roorkee. As you can see, it was not easy to
build such a big campus in this terrain. So 2 campuses have been built here and every facility from Botanical Garden,
Park, Cafe t
o Bank, ATM is available here. Buses run from Kamand to Mandi
throughout the day for students. From Salgi here, the road to
Arnehar village intersects on the right and from the same road one also
goes to the South Campus of IIT Mandi. Right now we are moving on
MDR i.e. Major District Road 23, which goes from Mandi to
Bajaura via Kamand-Kataula and joins the Mandi-Kullu
National Highway there. During the rainy season,
when there are landslides on Mandi-Kullu main road, this
is the main alternate
road. But this road is not even
double lane properly, so there are huge traffic
jams during that time. Now Kataula village is visible in front. Kataula, 21 kms away from
Mandi, is the largest village and also a sub-tehsil on
this Mandi-Bajaura road. Apart from civil hospital,
schools, government ITI, banks, many hotels, homestays or
cafes are also available here. This is the market of Kataula. The road here is quite narrow and when two buses come face to face, it
doesn't take long to create a t
raffic jam There are shops on both sides of the road
where all the necessary items are available. After coming 4 kms further from Kataula, we
will have to leave this Mandi-Bajora road and we will turn towards
Parashar Rishi road. So our bus has now turned
towards Rishi Parashar Temple road and the upper road goes towards Kullu. After this, there is a steep climb
on the upper road till Kandi Pass and after that there is a
descent down to Bajaura. Now from here onwards the bus will
go along this B
agi drain till Bagi village. You must be thinking
that this is drain, but its width has to be
conquered by the river, then the reason for this is the
floods that come here every year. The real scene of the
devastation caused by the last rain will be visible after
reaching the village ahead. Then at 10:30 am we reached Bagi village and here broken houses and
debris were visible everywhere. This small drain is Bagi drain. And imagine that in the last rain so much
water and debris came into this dr
ain that bridge built here, many houses and schools
were all washed away like a house of cards. If there is still something left here
is just these big stones and debris. This trend of floods in this
drain of Bagi village is not new. Almost every 2-3 years, such
a terrible flood occurs here hat the bridge over the drain has
been washed away several times. The bridge that
collapsed last year is lying down here along with
the rest of the debris. There used to be a senior secondary school
of the vi
llage near the stairs below here, which was washed away
by the strong current of water and got mixed up in the debris here. It was fortunate that at that
time there were school holidays and the building was empty. However, even after many months, the
work on the new school has not started and the children are forced to
hold classes in a tent in this cold. Then at 10:40 AM we reached
this Thakur restaurant where the bus will have breakfast halt. There are mostly local passengers in
the bus, so th
ey all sat down to sunbathe. Now there are very
few dhabas beyond this, so arrangements for
breakfast and return lunch for the bus staff have
been made at this dhaba. Here we ate hot rice,
kidney beans and Kadhi. After Bagi, many small villages will come and this is the first village where
our bus stopped, its name is Suhra. After stopping here for about
15-20 minutes, our bus moved ahead. We still have to climb further. This is a local bus coming from the front. From here, beautiful views
of th
e valley below are visible and we have reached
here by climbing from below. Below this is Suhra village and the temple of Dev Baba
Veernath ji is also visible in the village. That Kataula village far
below is also clearly visible. After Suhra, the bus climbs these many
hair pin beds and reaches Kandhloo village. This is also a very beautiful village and completely open and picturesque views
of the valley below are visible from here. There is no comparison to the beauty
of this place during the r
ainy season. Now many homestays
have been built to stay here and you can check the
description for more details. After Kandhloo, we enter this dense forest. There is a lot of snow near Parashar above,
so the bus will go only a little further. Then after going a little further, the bus
stopped at this dhaba near Halgarh village and will not go further from here. Actually, it is difficult for the bus
to reach Parashar Lake in winter because there is a lot of snow above. So sometimes the bus comes
a little higher up to Till village, sometimes up to the Dhaba here
and sometimes down to Bagi village. There is some slippage at the turn ahead so the bus will not be able
to reach Till village today. If the road is open, this bus starts
from Mandi at 8 am and reaches Parashar by 11:30 am and returns
from Parashar to Mandi at 1:15 pm. There is also clean drinking water
here which comes from the glacier above, so the staff filled water bottles here. This dhaba is also right
in the middle of the f
orest and there are dense trees everywhere and the road ahead also
goes through these forests. Parashar Lake is 10 kms away from
this dhaba and Till village is 4 kms away. Till is a village above from where 4x4 pickups are available
on sharing basis to go further. When the bus is unable
to go up, 1-2 pickups come down from the top
to pick up the passengers. We also boarded a similar vehicle and
proceeded from the dhaba to Till village. Then at 12 o'clock we reached Till village. This is a high a
ltitude area at the end
of the village which is known as Till Top. There are many homestays and
camping sites here where you can stay. And down those roads and through
this dense forest, we have reached here. So this is Till Village. As you can see, this is a beautiful
village situated at a high altitude and can be easily reached even
in winter by bus or shared pickup. By stopping here you can go on
short hikes in the surrounding areas. And here at the last there is parking
from where 4x2 vehicl
es cannot go further. So you can go ahead with your 4x4 vehicles or else you can hire a pickup from here. There is also a small dhaba here and the
drivers of all the pickups are resting here. So let's talk to them and then move ahead. He told that if the entire
pickup gets filled then in the Rs 400 per person coming
and going becomes possible.. But today there are only
4 people including me, so they quoted a price of Rs
3,000 i.e. Rs 750 per person. It is already afternoon and not many people
ar
e expected to come so we said let's go. As soon as we went a little
further, we started getting snow. Driver brother told that just 2-3 days
ago the pickup had started going up. Before that, there was so
much snow till Till village itself that there was no
question of going further. At that time the bus was
coming only till Bagi village and people from Pickup
were coming from Bagi to Till. In such a situation, the only option
is to trek further from Till to Parashar. The lake is still 6 kms away
from here,
so it is 12 kms to come and go in the snow, so it is long but also
a different experience. If you want, you can also
hire a guide from the village. And there is a lot of snow here
and the road is also single lane. The car is skidding slightly and I am surprised that they
have not even installed chains. But it is their daily coming and going they are saying that it is just light snow. A friend of the driver is standing behind. He is trying to increase the
weight of the vehicle by jump
ing. Further ahead we met a group of 4 people
who had set out on foot to trek to the lake. We had space so we made them sit behind. And now if this is not
heaven then what else is? Just white valleys and
peace and quiet everywhere. This place is beautiful not only in
summer but it is still quite beautiful. Now we have almost reached near the lake and down below is the rest house
of PWD which is at the best location. Although it is closed now. The bus also comes till here and after a hike of just
5-7 minutes
from here, the lake and the temple come. As we told you that the bus reaches here
by around 11:15 AM and returns at 1:15 PM. So you have 2 hours to
roam around comfortably. Otherwise, you can stay here
for a day and go back the next day, although the option to stay
here is only for summers. So after coming here our pickup stopped
and from here we will go up on foot. Brother has also got the
pickup amazingly modified. Then the pickup turned up and
parked here and the driver said that
you can roam around as much as
you want and then we will go back. There is also a tea and maggie shop here but we thought that first we will roam
around and then we will eat something. And here there is snow everywhere. There is not much sunlight on this side of
the mountain, so the snow remains here. And only on this hill there is such snow, on the surrounding mountains there is
good sunlight so there is no snow there. Apart from PWD, there is
another guest house here which belongs to the Fore
st Department. Now the path ahead is slippery
so we will have to walk carefully. The people with me reached far ahead. And the great thing is that
the snow here is very soft. Here neither hands nor
shoes are getting wet. The snow is like dry cotton. The boundary of the temple
complex starts from here and is fenced. As soon as you go near the temple,
you get a different pleasant feeling. And right now no one is visible far and wide. There is only the sound
of strong winds blowing. Even the big sn
ow on the
roof is melting in the sunlight. There are many Prasad and
food shops in the temple premises but all are closed right now. So let's go to the temple now. So this is a grand temple
of Shri Parashar Rishi built in pagoda style at
an elevation of 2700 m. This temple was built by Raja
Ban Sen in the 13th or 14th century and Sage Parashar is seated
here in the form of Pindi. The temple is made of stone
and wood and it is also said that the entire temple is made from the
sapling of a single
deodar tree and it took 12 years to built it. Now let's go inside the temple. So this is Shri Parashar Rishi ji sitting
in the form of Pindi inside the temple. And he is the priest of the temple. There is an inn along with
the temple where you can stay. But special attention has to be
paid to the rules of the temple here. The rules and other
good things of the temple and the inn are written
on many boards here. And right in front of the temple is the
lake which is known as Parashar Lake. The per
imeter of this
freshwater lake is 300m and its water appears
dark blue most of the time. The most important thing
is that it is a Holomictic lake, that is, its density and
temperature remain the same, due to which the entire water
of the lake gets mixed together. This lake is also considered very sacred and
fencing has also been done all around it. It is permissible for only the
priests of the temple to go inside. It is said that Parashar Rishi used to
perform penance on the banks of this lake.
It is believed that the lake was formed
as a result of a thunderstorm attack by Parashar Rishi from which water
gushed out and took the shape of the lake. Another story is that when Pandavas
were returning with Lord Kamrunag after the Mahabharata war, they liked the
peaceful environment here very much. Bhima made a depression
here by hitting his elbow on a hill and this depression later
became Parashar Lake. This lake is mysterious in many ways. Firstly, no one has been able
to measure its depth
till date. Many famous divers have
tried this but have failed. The second mystery is this
island floating in the lake, which changes its place
every now and then. Whatever photos you
see of Parashar Lake, you will find its location
different every time. This island is made of plant vegetation
that is decomposing in various stages and floats only on the oxygen
left in the roots of the plants. So friends, this is Parshar Lake
and Temple located in Mandi district. There are snow covered
peaks surr
ounding the temple. To reach here, one route
is the same way we came, secondly you can reach
here from Kullu via Bajaura. The best time to come here is
after June when there is dense greenery everywhere and the
weather is also cool at that time. But yes, avoid coming
during peak monsoon. Another reason to come here in
June is the Saranahuli fair held here where a large number of people
come from Mandi and Kullu districts and you get a very good
opportunity to know the local culture. If you want
to enjoy snow and snow trek
then January-February is the best time. There is an inn to stay
here, along with this, lodging is also provided
by these dhabas built above so that you can enjoy a good
stay by staying near the lake. Apart from this, there are also rest
houses of PWD and Forest Department but you will not get a
view of the lake from there. So after visiting the temple and the
lake thoroughly, it is time to go back. The rest of the people had reached
the bottom long ago, only I was lef
t, so brother came to
see if I had gone astray. It is difficult for humans as well
as animals to live in such cold. The dead body of an
animal is also lying here. The rest of the people
have already sat in the pickup but brother said that you should
go only after having tea and maggi. There is a dhaba here from where
the pleasant aroma of Maggi is coming. As soon as the sun goes down,
the cold has increased here and strong icy winds
have started blowing. These people are saying that
it may snowf
all again today. It feels good to sit near
the fire here in the cold but instead of fire, there
is just smoke coming out. Then my maggi and tea served and
it was fun eating hot maggi in the cold, this is the only option
to eat here at this time. So after eating and drinking
we are ready to leave. Here a Maggi was for 60
rupees and tea for 20 rupees. Then at 3:30 PM we
left for the return journey. I was just thinking that how would
things work if something comes from ahead on such a thin icy road
and suddenly
another pickup came from the front. Well, I am thinking that if these
people are going up at 4 o'clock, then they will not get much time to
roam because it is almost evening and secondly, at this time the
winds also start blowing very fast. So if you plan to come then
try to reach here before noon. Local people who keep
coming here again and again are enjoying near Till village below. Then we reached Till village
and will now leave for the Mandi. So friends, today's journey ends wi
th this. Hope you liked this video and got all the information about
going to Parashar Lake by bus. If you liked the video,
please like and share it and also subscribe to our
channel to see more such videos. Will meet you soon in a new
video in which we will travel by bus from Jammu to Srinagar
and will also go to Baramulla. Till then please allow us leave. Thank you!
Jai Rishi Parashar Ji!
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