Sunday, February 1, 2004

TRAVEL
A slice of the Alps in Garhwal
Tarun K. Roy

Sunshine glitters on Mt Chowkhamba

Situated at a height of 2,900 metres above sea level, Chopta, located in the district of Rudraprayag in the newly constituted state of Uttaranchal, is really an astounding destination replete with splendour and awesome natural beauty. It bears a resemblance to Swiss Alps as it nestles on the green meadows amidst luxuriant rain forests. Chopta boasts of magnificent views of some major Himalayan peaks. Chopta hardly has any permanent habitation, other than a floating population of seasonal tourists due to prohibition, as it is located in the Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary—famous for the Uttaranchal state animal, musk deer. This picturesque and unspoilt hamlet gets back liveliness during the tourist season, to serve the needs of the tourists and pilgrims who come to worship at the Tungnath temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva.

Camping on green alpine meadows is a wonderful experience

The first day is a prelude to the unfolding of the awesome beauty of Chopta. The vast expanse of the lush green meadows in the gentle sunshine was dazzling. For lovers of wilderness and solitude, camping on the alpine meadows can be a memorable experience of living in the tranquil nature. With the arrival of the monsoon, the bloom of alpine flowers that carpet the green pasturelands, and the chirping of brilliantly colorful Himalayan birds all around are mesmerising. The bloom of rhododendron flowers along the trek makes a heavenly path to Tungnath.

In the early morning, a 3.5 km serpentine uphill trek led me to Tungnath Temple, the highest shrine in the Himalayas, at a height of 3,886 metres above sea level. A kilometre-long, gruelling steep climb leads one to the top of the windy ridge above the clouds, Chandra Shila, the vantage point for watching the sunrise. It also affords one a panoramic view of the Greater Himalayan Mountain Range in 360 degree angle. The sunrise view with glittering golden sunbeam on Mount. Chaukhamba and Sumeru was breathtaking!

While descending along the shortcut routes, I was lucky to encounter the goral, musk deer, Himalayan yellow-throated martin and mouse hare. In the evening, even the sunset view from Chopta against the splendid backdrop of the snowy mountains was superb! Three km away en-route Gopeshwar, the musk deer breeding farm located at Kanchula Kharak is worth a visit. About 19 km away on the Chopta- Ukhimath road, is Sari Village from where a 3 km steep trek led me to the sparkling and enchanting lake, Deoriatal, surrounded by dense forests, at an altitude of 2,438 metres. It gives a spectacular reflection of Mt. Chaukhamba on the placid lake water. The surrounding tranquil forest area is ideal for bird watching.

From Rishikesh, the zigzagged Badrinath highway followed till Rudraprayag. Onwards the bifurcated single road followed along the upstream of Mandakini River, and finally from Kund, the winding steep road leads to Chopta.