Canvas of nature

Jangveer Singh visits Naggar which offers a beautiful view of the Kulu valley and was home
to the famous Russian painter Nicholas Roerich and his family

THE erstwhile capital of Kulu, Naggar is situated on the left bank of River Beas. It is a popular tourist stop-over, just 25 km away from Kulu.

There is a narrow but easily motorable road from Kulu to Naggar. The drive reminds you of the idyllic Himachal seen in Sobha Singh’ s paintings.. Trees blooming with apples and apricots, terraces with vegetables and old Himachali wood and rock houses, that traditionally housed both cattle and men in ascending order, but are now used mainly to store hay.

Naggar is also the place where the Kulu valley is at its widest so you have the experience of first moving with the river, ascending into undulating hills alongside step farms that line the valley floor and finally taking a steep trail to the mountain top.

Naggar is associated with Nicholas Roerich, his son Svetoslav Roerich and the latter’s wife Devika Rani Roerich, the original diva of Indian movies. However, despite the curiosity to see Roerich’s house, gallery and museum it is best to first visit the Naggar castle, situated just before the final stretch to Roerich’s Himalayan abode.

Castle seems like a misnomer for the wood-and-rock residence of the former rulers of Naggar, which has now been turned into a heritage hotel by the state government. A nominal entry fee allows you to have a feel of the place.

The building entices with its fa`E7ade of large stones punctuated with huge wooden logs. A part of it has been recently restored to its former glory, with wooden brackets and carved windows. The castle makes an ideal getaway, both for the old world charm it offers as well as the sweeping view of the valley below. There is a wide balcony with seating places and one can also view the towering snow peaks beyond the Rohtang la.

In fact, a view of the majestic mountains and the light reflected from them prepares the visitor for the mountains of Nicholas Roerich – a series of paintings of the very same mountains captured in different hues, specially electric blue. Roerich’s house has been converted into a gallery-cum-office. It is now owned by a state-controlled trust, which overtook the property as per the wishes of his wife Devika Rani.

Roerich’s house seems like a different world. From the entrance, which has Roerich’s name in Russian to the pathway leading to the house along twines and a picket fence, one comes straight to the gallery. The gallery has paintings by Nicholas and his son Svetoslav, as well as some of their photographs and personal belongings.

The small gallery, where colours dominate, gives one an insight into the mind of the Russian father and son, who were also striving to capture spirituality amidst nature. There is a small souvenir counter in the gallery where one can get high-quality prints and other souvenirs, associated with the Roerichs.

Other highlights in the gallery compound include a small airy working office of the family, which has more memorabilia associated with them, idols below a huge tree and a 1930s Dodge car. (How did the Roerichs ever drive it up the small mountain road?).

A little further away is the Uruswati (light of the morning star) Himalayan Folk Art museum. The main attractions of this museum, established by Nicholas Roerich in 1928, are Russian and local folk art and costumes besides musical instruments, woodcarvings, crystal pieces and costumes from the region.

Besides the gallery and museum there are many temples in the village, worth a visit. These include the Shiva temple, which is quite close to the castle. Construted during the 11-12^th century, it is has an umbrella-like slate roof to protect the shikhara from the torrential rains of the area. There is also the Tripuri Sundari temple that is built in the shape of a pagoda with a monkey and a lion carved at the end of the twin sloping roofs.

Naggar was the capital of the former Kulu Rajas for about 1400 years. It was founded by the Raja Visudh Pal and remained the headquarters of the state until the state capital was shifted to Kulu (Sultanpur) by Raja Jagat Singh.

Naggar is about an hour’s drive from Bhuntar airport (36 km) in Kulu. It is about is 589 km from Delhi by road. Situated at an elevation of 1851meters above sea level the ancient town of Naggar commands extensive views of the North West side of the valley and is popular tourist spot.

HOME